I have better things to do than babysit a human. And her cat. Someone has attacked the Human Federation Ambassador in Gehar territory, and out of an abundance of caution, the Empress has assigned me to protect the human until the culprit has been caught. The new Ambassador, and her kitten, Luna. (Short for Lunatic.) Yes, seriously. I, Jehan D’arana, Shield of Gehar, have been reduced to guarding a cat. Then I meet the Ambassador, and everything changes. Because she isn’t a stranger. She’s my ex. Keomi Hearne. The woman that got away. The woman I want more than ever. But every time I try to be alone with Keomi, her kitten is there. Watching me with a sinister sneer as I make my move. Tripping me up. Dive-bombing me from the top of a cupboard and scratching my face. (Not that a Gehar warrior would ever think to complain about a little blood.) And then, the situation goes from bad to worse. Someone’s seriously trying to kill Keomi. Her work is sabotaged. Her staff is poisoned, and her speeder is blown up. This assignment just got very real. I am Jehan D’arana, Shield of Gehar. No matter what the wickedly adorable kitten may think, I’m in charge. Nothing is going to keep me from protecting the woman I love.

This human I’m saddled with is… happy. Cheerful, even. She likes to sing to the cat. Kill me now. A year ago, an explosion – the same explosion that killed my best friend – destroyed me. Ruined me. Made me look like a monster. I’m a shadow of the man I once was. I want to be left alone. Instead… there’s Bella. Bella, who sings when she’s happy. Who likes to talk. Who is kind to me… even when I don’t deserve it. She drives me crazy. And yet… I can’t stop thinking of her. Of touching her. Of making her mine. But when an enemy reemerges from Bella’s past, I can no longer stay hidden. And when they threaten her? They’ll discover why I’m called the Beast.