A cowardly captain. An incompetent crew. A mission she can't fail. Nile and her small band of loyal midshipmen saved the ship, and Captain Rima might just kill them for it . . . one young officer at a time. No one and nothing on the Aurora is safe anymore, least of all Nile’s explosive secrets or her connection with Domenic, which vibrates between them like a cutlass speared into the deck. When the shifting tide of war suddenly turns Aurora’s backwater outpost into a vital battleground, Nile faces an impossible choice between duty and freedom. In a cascade of violence, gunpowder, and lies, Nile will soon discover who has her back and who wants to stab a dagger in it. To save the ones she loves, Nile may have to sacrifice everything.