When space pilot Nora Ellis crashes through an alien minefield, she wakes aboard a living warship, rescued by a giant Chief Harrower who commands armies, strips worlds bare, and has never been refused.
She refuses him constantly, a stranded Earth woman who would rather die than reveal her planet's location—the secret he needs to save his own life.
Every touch sparks a raw, electric bond his people call Marankz: fated, bonded, doomed.
An ancient and deadly Queen wants answers, a missing friend still needs rescuing, and Nora can no longer tell whether she is his guest or his captive.
Now the Brood's most powerful warrior has to weigh a throne against the defiant, unarmored Earth woman who keeps telling him no, while a jealous living ship watches them both.
