Sometimes getting in bed with the enemy gives you the edge you need… For Zonan Silvergard Commander Taryn Penthes, an assignment to escort a group of Bariani diplomats seems routine—until the party is ambushed. And when she realizes the attacker she just killed is the Zonan Crown Prince’s lover, political winds shift. Now she’s in a race to get the surviving diplomat to safety—while using whatever means necessary to find out what he knows. Blade Von Stassos isn’t all that surprised at the assassination attempt a mere fifteen minutes after he arrives in the Zonan capital. What does surprise him is the ferocious, deadly skill with which Taryn protects him. With no choice but to follow her lead, he tries to ignore the instincts telling him he’s finally found a worthy consort in her. Which comes as a surprise, since he’s not long on trust when it comes to women or Zonans. Forced into an uneasy alliance, Blade and Taryn first seduce each other for information, unleashing sizzling attraction that can’t be denied, even if they’re each other’s worst enemy. As the balance of power shifts around them, the only way to stay alive is to find out who wants them dead. And why… Warning: Contains one 150-pound housecat, political intrigue, cave sex, one homicidally inclined royal, more political intrigue, monkish eyeliner, off-planet political intrigue, blasters, and fur blankets. Author is not responsible for a sudden desire to adopt big cats, have sex underground, or purchase fur blankets.