Nova and Valen barely escaped Isroth with their lives and now they've crash-landed on an empty planet-no people, no tools to fix their ship. Nova has spent her life building and creating mechanics, but this is the most advanced vessel in the galaxy, and she can't figure out what's wrong with it. But maybe the crash was a blessing in disguise. They've seen their entire lives together, but this is the first real time they've ever had with one another. This is their chance to see if their future is worth fighting for, and if there is anything between them besides attraction and fate. On this empty planet, there is no fighting, no war, no conflict. Their days and nights are filled with uncertain glances, soft touches, and life-altering vows.What was once never a question is now a serious consideration: do they even want to fix the ship, or is this the beginning of a brand new, perfect life?
"As far as I can tell, all the major connections to the core are intact," I say, wiping sweat from my brow. I've been crawling around down in the belly of the ship for over an hour, tangled in the mechanical guts of this beast, double and triple checking that every critical connection between the ship and the core is still working. "There are some cracks to the interior of the hull, but so far, all the majorly important parts of this ship are still functioning."
"So we can fix whatever is broken?" Valen asks. He's crouched on the floor of the mechanical room above me at the opening of the hatch, looking down into the tunnels I'm occupying.
My eyes rise to meet his. I shake my head and shrug. "That's the problem. I have no idea what's broken. I can't fix it if I don't know what to fix."
He extends a hand to me and pulls me up and out of the tunnel, back onto the floor of the room with him. "We will figure it out," he says, his tone reassuring. "There's a reason Cyrillius sent half the galaxy on a wild hunt for you. If he thinks you're the best, you can do this."
I look over at him, glaring darkly. I'm annoyed that I can't immediately tell what's wrong with the ship. I'm annoyed that this slam ship is so slam complicated and that I wasn't a good enough pilot to keep us from crashing here in the first place.
I turn away, facing the door, but I don't walk out just yet. "I'm sorry," I say quietly.
"For what?" he asks.
I take a deep breath, my eyes searching for answers without really seeing anything. "For being reckless. I guess that's something you should know about me. I don't exactly always think before I act. I'm sorry I thought taking this ship was a good idea. I'm sorry I thought I could handle it when obviously I couldn't. I'm sorry I'm not a good pilot. I'm sorry I got us lost and crashed us wherever the void we are."
Warm hands grab me from behind and I feel the heat of Valen warming the back of me. Gently, he turns me in place, making me look up at him. I feel heavy and worn down as I look up into his Neron-blue eyes.
"Survivors have to act fast," Valen says. "It's an evolutionary fact. Sometimes we make the right decisions in those snap moments, and sometimes we don't." The look in his eyes deepens. He brings a hand up to my cheek, caressing it. "Your quick thinking got us out of the Compound, Nova," he says. "Cyrillius has thousands of ships that could have taken us down in an ordinary ship. His soldiers are the best in the galaxy. If you hadn't stolen this exact ship, and if we hadn't somehow punched a hole through space, he would have won. We would be on Isroth right now, either locked in a cage, or being mentally twisted by his Kinduri."
My throat tightens with his words and it annoys me that my eyes well a little. I turn my face away from him, taking a hard breath, trying to regain control of myself.
But firm and gentle, Valen makes me look back at him. "Stop being afraid of yourself, Nova," he says softly. In his eyes I see acceptance. That I'm allowed to feel what I feel.
He can't be right, because he's done so many terrible things in his life. How can someone who's done so much bad be so right about my emotions?
Even so, his words reach me. I feel them. I need them.
So I let the tears come. And I wrap my arms behind his neck and I pull his face to mine.
We just crash-landed. I have no idea what all of this means for the future.
And it's insanity, the fact that I've only kissed this man twice before.
But I kiss Valen, with violence and desperation, even as I let the tears roll down my face and sobs escape my lips.
I cry and I kiss Valen, and Valen kisses me back and holds me like I'm going to shatter and his arms are the only things that can prevent it from happening.
He scoops me up into his arms, but he doesn't break the kiss and I don't release him. Like I weigh nothing at all, he walks across the mechanical room and maneuvers us through the doorway.
I don't know where he's taking us, but I close my eyes, letting the tears stream down my face in an unceasing river. I cling tighter to Valen. I deepen our kiss. I relish in the feeling of being safe and supported.
Dim light finds its way through the port window of the sleeping quarters. Gently, Valen climbs onto the bed, carefully lying me back where I'd woken just a few hours earlier.
I lay back, looking up into Valen's beautiful face, still keeping a firm grip on his tunic so he can't leave me. My heart cracks a little when I interpret the expression on his face.
Devotion. Protection. Acceptance.
Only one other person has looked at me this way. My father. I never doubted him, that he would take care of me, no matter the cost.
That's what I see in Valen's eyes. Which makes mine well even more.
He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch so gentle. "When was the last time you ate?"
I actually huff a laugh. It's so bizarre, this legendary Nero, taking such gentle care of me, asking when I last ate. "I...I have no idea, honestly. Not since before you got back to Isroth, probably."
"Stay here," he says. "Rest. I'm going to go find us something to eat."
My first instinct is to fight him, to tell him that I will help him, that he doesn't have to take care of me.
But I see it in his expression. He wants to do this.
And I think I want to let him.
"Okay," I agree softly.
He dips, pressing one soft kiss to my lips before he stands and heads to the door, to go see what there is to eat.
I pull the blanket up to my chest, curling up on my side, burrowing down in the surprisingly comfortable bed. My eyes fix on a place on the wall, but I'm not seeing its dull gray surface.
My mind is spinning, reeling, thinking of all the ramifications of the past twelve hours.
Cyrillius knows I'm a Nero. He knows Nymiah is a Nero.
Did she and Zayne and Edan get away? Are they somewhere safe?
What do they all think happened to me?
And...Dad...
Dominion’s strong hold, the planet Isroth, is crawling with soldiers, and worse—the Kinduri. Nova knew her mission was impossible, but hiding the truth of what she really is may be the most critical thing she’s ever done.Presented to Cyrillius as the fugitive he’s been chasing for lunars, the last thing Nova expected was to be complimented and revered by the man, praised for her work. The destroyer of planets has offered her a job, and it’s one Nova can’t refuse.She came to Isroth with a goal: kill Cyrillius. But something is wrong. She just…can’t. Something is stopping her. Maybe she judged Valen for not being able to leave Cyrillius too harshly. Maybe he truly just can’t. Time is ticking. Because the longer it takes her to figure their freedom out, the more sense Cyrillius and Dominion is starting to make.
The Bahiri are real and Nova has found them hidden away on an invisible planet. With their help, she’s finally ready to accept what she is: a Nero. She has to train, to learn how to use her abilities, and she’s got years’ worth of catching up to do. Desperate, she’ll push herself—possibly beyond her limits.But learning how to use her abilities not only awakens her capability to control Neron, but her power to see the future. Going to sleep is a nightmare and heaven, all in the same breath. Her future hasn’t changed—it’s still with Valen Nero, standing and ruling by his side. Every morning she wakes, gutted and alone. Her visions of the love between them aren’t real. At least…not yet.Nova is losing her mind. Her heart is fractured, and conflicted into knots. How is she supposed to let him go, to walk away from the galaxy’s second cruelest man, when she knows what kind of love they could have?The time for a choice has come: stay on Salypso where it’s safe, where Cyrillius will never find her. Or take what she has learned as a Nero and try to change her future, and that of the galaxy.
“I…am nothing.” He takes a step forward, shaking his head twice, with absolute conviction. “You’re not nothing, Nova.” In the Eon galaxy, Dominion controls any planet with solid Neron deposits, and Nova just found out they’re coming for hers. Korpillion isn’t supposed to have any Neron—the galaxy’s purest form of energy—but Nova Ainsley has been working with the owner of a secret mine for months, building highly illegal weapons that can wield Neron. She wants off Korpillion, and selling these weapons will buy her and her father a ticket to another planet in the galaxy. Neron is incredible on its own, but there are those who can wield it to their will, granting them the ability to read minds, see the future, and destroy worlds—the Nero. But this is a galaxy where they are ceasing to exist, and Dominion owns the last one in the known universe, using him to take over and destroy billions of lives. An encounter with the last Nero shows Nova her future: it’s with him. She will stand by his side one day, her fingers laced through his, love and adoration in both their eyes, a dark queen to his evil, pawn king. Fate or destiny, Nova will do whatever it takes to change their future, and that of the galaxy.
Nova knew that the galaxy wanted to be rid of Dominion, but she did not expect the immediate bravery that came after she and Valen declared war against Cyrillius. It’s a daily battle to protect Kaelea from his fleets, but leaders, soldiers, and publicists from planets near and far have come to aide in the fight. Best of all, Nova has reunited with her family.But this undertaking isn’t without its trials. Most of the galaxy still doesn’t trust Valen. With decades of rumors and witnessed actions, it will take an incredible act of risk to prove he’s changed. Until then, the weight of leadership falls squarely upon Nova’s shoulders. She’s never been trained to be a leader, but the entire galaxy is watching her. Failure is not an option.In the end, they don’t win this war until three things are decimated: Isroth, The Dominion, and Cyrillius. It’s time for Nova to build her most powerful weapon yet.
It’s been rumored about in bedtime stories for decades. Nova has seen it in her visions. It’s too dangerous to get within a league of. But those aboard Deliverance have arrived at Glorra Quin Lune, the planet Cyrillius stole Nova from.Everything is uncertain. How will they land on a planet entirely engulfed in Neron? How could anyone survive that blast? What will they find if they make their way to the surface? And will it change everything Nova knows about herself? It’s time for her to confront the past she was too young to remember, and try to save the family she can’t recall.Cyrillius has now lost two Nero and he made the mistake of telling Nova his plan. He’s on his way to the Frozen Kingdom to come claim a new child. It’s time to take care of him once and for all. Justice is going to taste sweet.
Dominion has Nova’s face and Reena’s name—Cyrillius will use and kill them if they’re caught. But being on the run in space isn’t so bad, Nova’s always wanted a different life, and she’s got it now. It started with a rumor, that the Bahiri still exist—peaceful worshipers of the Nero and Neron. After what happened on Korpillion, Valen told Nova to find them, and to stay away from him. So that’s where the wanted crew aboard The Corsair is headed, across the entire galaxy to the G sector. Nova wants answers about what she did and how it’s possible. She’s in denial. About what she might be. About where her heart lies. She knows Valen Nero is a bad man, so why is he the only one who fills the hollowness in her chest? Why does she ask him to keep his promise: I will come for you, Nova. And when he does, she’ll learn the truth about him, and what happened to shape him into the man he is today.
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
In the eyes of the public, Elijah was ever the gentleman, always distant and reserved. But behind closed doors, he was an animal who relentlessly ensnared Ashley in a web of lust. No one knew of their secret relationship, yet at the same time, no one dared to bully her again. Then one day, she was hit with morning sickness right in front of everyone. To everyone’s shock, the aloof and domineering Elijah quickly knelt in front of her and caressed her pregnant belly. “Babe,” he crooned, “let’s go public with our relationship. I will give you my everything.”
[Cute Baby + Secret Identity + Powerful hero and heroine!] Caroline loved Damian with all her heart for five whole years. She devoted herself to him and lived humbly for his sake. However, when the couple faced a crisis, she hoped that the news of her pregnancy would fix their marriage, but what she got in return was just a divorce agreement. And to make things worse, while she was about to give birth, she had fallen into someone's trap and her life was in danger. After managing to survive such a harrowing experience, she was determined to cut all ties with the man. Five years later, she re-emerged with her head held high, being the CEO of a famous company. Those who used to bully her now got a taste of their own medicine. And the truth about the past gradually surfaced... Dazzled by Caroline's newfound confidence, her ex-husband wanted to get back together with her, but she just turned a blind eye to his advances. Damian pleaded desperately, "Honey, our baby needs both his parents. Please remarry me!"
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"