Hunted, captured, taken off-planet . . . As a Special Forces Commander, Ethan Hyt is well aware his duty is to protect the Planetary Head of Defense, Velda Shanïha, but when their ship is shot down and they are taken prisoner, he finds it harder and harder to pretend he's protecting Velda out of duty. Velda knows that as Aponi's Head of Defense, she's a good bargaining chip for her enemies, and she's hoping that fact will keep her and Ethan alive. She and Ethan made a good team before, but their forced proximity has made their connection even stronger, and they'll need each other to take every opportunity to get free. Because if they don't, Velda's afraid they're going to disappear forever.