After being implicated in a murder she didn’t commit, Isla Blevins seeks sanctuary on the one planet where the Alliance can’t reach her. On Earth, she’s the heiress to a fortune, but on Xenthian, she’s an outsider without a single credit to her name. Heartbroken over the loss of her mother, afraid she could be next, and not knowing who to trust, she can’t imagine how things can get much worse.
Krytos triplets Slade, Bastian, and Knox Cadell have a plan—find the human scroll wanted for murder, return her to Earth, and collect the bounty. It’s simple, easy, no muss, no fuss. After all, how much trouble could one female cause?
Then the universe throws them a curveball in the form a beautiful redhead with a big heart and the sweetest smile. Unconvinced of her guilt, they set out to clear her name, but proving Isla’s innocence to the Alliance turns out to be more difficult than they could have ever imagined.
With time running out and danger at every turn, can the brothers save the woman they love, or will Isla forever be branded an outlaw?
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EXCERPT
“Be nice,” a quiet, groggy voice interjected, casting everyone else into silence. “Slade just wants what’s best for everyone.” Through heavy-lidden eyes, Isla looked up at him with a weak smile. “He’s not a bad guy.”
Her defense of him was more than he deserved. “Isla, you’re awake.”
“Good catch. Nothing gets past you.” Groaning, she rearranged herself into a sitting position and pulled Cord into her lap. “Hello, leelan. Have you been staying out of trouble?”
Abandoning the stuffed lion, Cord wound his arms around Isla’s neck and hugged her fiercely. “I ride a dragon.”
“What?” With comically wide eyes, Isla looked to the males in the room for an explanation. “What is he talking about?”
“Uh, well,” Bastian began, stumbling over his words as he shrank back from her glare. “You see, when you passed out, Cord was kind of upset, and the only way to make him feel better was to, well, that is to say…”
“It was Amari’s idea,” Slade said when his brother seemed at a loss. “She thought it would cheer him up.”
“You let him ride a dragon?” The iciness in her voice dropped the temperature in the room by several degrees. “By himself?”
“Well, that’s my cue.” Torren nodded at Isla. “I had nothing to do with it.” Then he simply vanished from the room, leaving Slade and Bastian to defend themselves.
“He was perfectly safe.” Damn, the spell the elder had cursed them with was wreaking havoc on Slade. He could literally feel the mixture of anxiety and righteous fury boiling inside the fiery redhead. “Amari wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”
Isla’s stomach fell, and her heart beat too fast. Slade was probably right, but so many things could have gone wrong. Cord could have fallen. He could have moved too quickly and ended up under one of the dragon’s massive feet. Amari could have sneezed and set him on fire.
“Isla, please calm down,” Bastian implored. “Look at him. He’s perfectly fine, other than the fact that he hasn’t eaten today.”
A new kind of worry overcame her, and she held Cord back so she could examine him. “Are you hungry now, Cord?”
His face split into a smile, and he bobbed his head energetically. “Cookies, please.”
Slade laughed, and Isla was mesmerized by the transformation of his normally hardened features. “You’re very handsome when you smile,” she commented. “You should do it more often.”
The mask of stony indifference slid into place almost immediately, but Slade couldn’t hide from her anymore. She could feel that he was pleased by her compliment, if maybe a little embarrassed. Not wanting to make him any more uncomfortable, she let him off the hook and turned to Bastian.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“About two days.”
“Well, that would explain it.” She shifted, moving Cord to the side and off of her bladder. “I have to pee.”
Cord covered his mouth with his hand and giggled so hard his face turned bright red. His laughter was so infectious, but it didn’t help her situation when she giggled with him.
Bastian just grinned, but Slade looked completely mortified by the mention of bodily functions. It made her laugh harder.
“Oh, stars. Okay, take him.” Without hesitation, she lifted Cord and dropped him right into Bastian’s lap before climbing down from the high mattress.
Her legs shook, and she wobbled slightly, needing to grab the end post to keep herself steady. She also felt a little lightheaded, and her stomach gurgled with hunger, but food would have to wait.
“I’ve got it,” she insisted when Slade offered her a hand.
Grunting, he stooped to lift her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. “Stop being so stubborn, female.”
