Maelstrom (Leviathans)

Lyssa survived captivity by getting stronger.

Every day in her prison cell, she trained, waited, and planned her escape. She didn't need rescuing.

Then the ship came under attack and tore itself apart and one of her alien captors scooped her into his arms and carried her out of the destruction like she was something precious.

Sunshine was engineered to obey, slaved to a control chip that forces him to follow orders.

Until Lyssa hooked him.

Now his control chip is silent, his instincts are waking up, and every part of him is convinced of one thing.

She's his.

As the freed ship transforms into something strange, the rescued humans and newly liberated aliens have only each other to rely on. But an empire built on cages doesn't let its property go easily, and the bond growing between Lyssa and Sunshine is becoming impossible to ignore.

And the more time they spend together, the more dangerous his instincts become.

Because Sunshine isn't just falling in love.

He's found his mate.

A high-heat sci-fi romance featuring a protective alien hero, taste-triggered mating instincts, forced proximity, found family, and a warrior heroine who never expected the enemy carrying her to safety would become her home.