Injured in a bar fight and then stranded on a hellhole planet when her ship is stolen, smuggler Moriah Cameron finds herself at the mercy of arrogant Sabin Travers. She manages to elude him, but quickly realizes she has no good option to get off Calt, so she stows away on Sabin’s ship. Sabin discovers her just as she stumbles upon a secret that could affect hundreds of lives—a hidden Shielder colony. Forced to take Moriah captive to protect that secret, he decides to take her to Elysia to have her memory altered.

Instead of being grateful that he didn’t shut her up permanently, Moriah is infuriated about being delayed from picking up a crucial shipment. In return, Sabin resents the disruption this defiant and ungrateful woman creates in his life.

Having a strong aversion to domineering men like Sabin, Moriah manages to steal his ship and escape—after dumping him, drugged and naked, at a Pleasure Dome. Her freedom is short lived when Sabin catches up with her. He finds a way to make her pay, and she has no choice but to go along.

As they battle wills and wits across the quadrant, Moriah is shocked by her growing attraction to Sabin. But when she discovers he is also a shadower, all bets are off. She eludes him once more and heads to a dangerous but lucrative delivery. Things go wrong at the drop, and only Sabin’s major sacrifice can save her. But ultimately, it’s love, acceptance, and healing that save them both.