Ex-soldier turned professional salvager, Daxilenus, is working on a solo gig, dismembering a spaceship wreck for spare parts. That's the way he likes it best. People and noise are unwelcome reminders of the old wars he fought and of the soldiers he lost. Being alone means there's nobody for him to lose. But right as he's finally finding some semblance of peace, the dying ship goes haywire, accidentally teleporting a random human on board.

Lola isn't entirely convinced she isn't astral projecting. Surely that's the only reasonable explanation for the alien towering over her, speaking a language she can't understand. "Try meditation" her court-appointed psychiatrist had instructed. "It quiets the mind." Now, as she tries to wake herself up, she's faced with the startling possibility that her alien is real... And really grumpy.

Trapped in a dying spaceship with a smiling, sunny stranger who never shuts up is Daxilenus's own hell -- but not for the reasons he'd have guessed. It isn't Lola's constant chatter that's driving him crazy; it's his constant desire to touch her. Hold her. Protect her. She's everything he's not, and suddenly he isn't dreaming of the war, but of Lola. And of everything he wants to do to her.

If he could bear the possibility of losing her, he might be tempted to keep her... But how could he be so selfish, after all the people he's already mourned?

Short, sharp and sensual, this stand-alone novella is the perfect way to escape Earth, at least for a little while.

• We started tracking this book on September 25, 2025.
• This book was $3.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 3 times in the past 140 days.
• The current price of this book is FREE last checked 35 minutes ago.
• The lowest price to date was FREE last reached on February 12, 2026.
• This book has been FREE one time since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $3.99 last reached on December 20, 2025.
• This book has been $3.99 2 times since we started tracking it.
• This book is currently at its lowest price since we started tracking it.

• Science Fiction & FantasyScience FictionSpace Opera

• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 142 Pages
• File Size: 53 KB