Ruby Lionsdrake

Skulking around in the ruins on a planet swarming with treasure hunters, slavers, and bounty hunters isn't good for one's health. But Ankari Markovich needs a few archaeological samples for her latest business venture, a venture that might prove lucrative enough to move her family off the impoverished planet where she grew up. Unfortunately, she has no sooner collected her samples than she's captured by a band of brawny mercenaries. The captain might be handsome, but he's intent on turning her over to some finance lord who has, for reasons unknown, put a bounty on her head, a ridiculously large one at that. If she can't figure out a way to escape before she's delivered to the lord's home world, she could be forced into a life of indentured servitude-or worse. Captain Viktor Mandrake doesn't usually take on piddling bounty hunting gigs, but when his intelligence officer informs him of a criminal on a nearby planet, he decides it wouldn't hurt to take a shuttle down to collect the woman. But Ankari Markovich is trouble from the start, nearly eluding his elite forces, then fighting and tricking his people left and right. He finds himself admiring her spirit, but according to her warrant, she's a criminal. The safest thing is to keep her in the brig and ignore her until she can be handed off to the man who wants her. But the situation grows more complicated when other bounty hunters show up, wanting to claim Ankari for themselves. Thanks to this woman, Viktor's ship is in danger, his crew members are going missing, and he's fighting enemies he never asked for in a jungle in the middle of a hurricane. He's either going to strangle Ankari... or fall in love. Either scenario could get him killed.

Mercenary Instinct

Dragon Bond

Stars Across Time

When Jamie Flipkens signed on as a pilot and engineer for a small medical research company, she never expected to end up on a mercenary ship full of hulking soldiers who want to make her their latest conquest. The captain has been good to her-it doesn't hurt that he's her boss's new beau-but she's on the verge of quitting when a strange man shows up at her shuttle door. Sergei Zharkov claims to be an old friend of the captain's. He neglects to mention that he's also an assassin, a dangerous man who even the hardened mercenaries avoid. Jamie should avoid him, too, but she's drawn to the charm that sometimes escapes from beneath his grim facade. She finds herself wanting to give him a reason to smile-and maybe a little more than that. The problem? There's a fresh bounty on the captain's head, and it's possible Sergei is there to collect it.

The Assassin's Salvation

Lieutenant Tamryn Pavlenko wants to make a name for herself in the GalCon Fleet, so naturally she requests an assignment on the infamous Frost Station Alpha, where pirate attacks are a way of life. The remote research outpost holds secrets that many are willing to kill for, and Tamryn is prepared to protect it from brigands, mobsters, and mercenaries-or whatever the galaxy throws at her. The brochure, however, failed to mention the genetically engineered super humans who were supposed to have all been killed in a war that ended more than a century ago. It seems they're not only alive, but they want the station. Oh, and one of them decides he wants Tamryn too. This powerful warrior might be sexy and intriguing, but he was bred to kill, and she can't let herself forget that he's the enemy.

The Complete Series

Frost Station Alpha

Angela left her parents' lavender farm with dreams of becoming a professional dog trainer. Getting kidnapped by slavers from outer space was not part of the plan. Fortunately, Angela and a few dozen other women were rescued by Star Guardians. She isn't quite sure how she's going to get back to Earth, but these Star Guardians aren't looking too shabby, especially a hunky one named Treyjon. He trains svenkars, four-hundred-pound predators that make pit bulls look like squeak toys. Angela is curious about the animals--and about him. The problem? He doesn't seem to know she exists. For Treyjon, the women staying as guests aboard the Star Guardian ship are off limits. The captain has made that clear, so he hasn't allowed himself to admire their feminine assets. But when one of them shows an interest in the powerful predators he trains, animals that scare most women out of the room, he's intrigued. When she proves a knack for working with one of the creatures, he's more than intrigued. He starts wondering how he's ever going to let her go home.

Treyjon

Dr. Tala Matapang thought the most challenging part about getting kidnapped by slavers from another planet would be escaping, not butting heads with the obstinate Star Guardian captain who rescued her. She's been working in his sickbay, and it's refreshing not having to deal with the politics and bureaucracy she faced as a surgeon back home, but Captain Sagitta is as infuriating as he is handsome. He's got this crazy plan to take her and the other women home against his government's wishes, and he didn't even consult them about it first. Captain Sagitta "Sage" of Dethocoles believes in doing the right thing. That's why he's defying his government to take Tala and the other Earth women home. Unfortunately, he has a couple of problems. First, his government is sending a surprisingly aggressive pursuit after them. Second, he's having a hard time imagining dropping Tala off and never seeing her again. She's a capable doctor and is doing an excellent job heading up his sickbay. More than that, he's attracted to her and is starting to care about her. Too bad he's better at barking orders than sharing feelings, and he seems to argue with her every time they speak. With trouble stalking the ship from behind and obstacles blocking the route ahead, Sage and Tala will have to form a bond and learn to work together, or neither of them will see their home worlds again.

Sagitta

After ten years of flying freighter ships from planet to planet, Val Calendula never thought she would apply for a job as a combat pilot in a mercenary outfit. But her brother has gotten himself into financial trouble, and he's heading to a mining prison if Val can't pay off his debts. Mercenaries don't always live long... but they make good money while they're alive. A few combat bonuses, and Val could earn what she needs. The problem? She might have graduated from the military flight academy, but she hasn't fought anything more dangerous than dust bunnies on the bridge lately. To make matters worse, the man in charge of hiring pilots was her instructor back at the academy. Commander Thatcher was almost as brilliant as he was arrogant and condescending, and he never seemed to think Val was smart enough to be there. She has no idea if she'll be able to convince him otherwise now... or if she'll be able to stand working with him. When Gregor Thatcher left the military, he never expected to run into any of his former acquaintances, much less the one he admired and mooned over during his two years teaching at the academy. Back then, he never told Val Calendula he cared for her, partially because officers weren't supposed to have relations with cadets, but mostly because he didn't know how to speak of his feelings. He might not have any trouble grasping navigational mathematics and astrodynamics, but people are more problematic. Gregor is elated that Val has entered his life again, but he's fairly certain she hates him. Worse, he's responsible for deciding whether she's qualified to be a combat pilot. How can he judge fairly when his tongue tangles and idiotic words come out of his mouth whenever she's around? When the captain sends Val and Gregor on a mission to pick up a military advisor and deliver him to a planet at war, Val hopes she'll have an opportunity to prove herself capable of the piloting position. Gregor hopes he'll have the opportunity to improve Val's opinion of him. But when the military advisor goes missing, and they're forced to divert to a dangerous moon base, the mission turns into a fight for survival. Val may learn too late that there's more to Gregor than that aloof exterior... and that inside is a man she could love.

Trial and Temptation

A born geek, Juanita has dreamed of exploring the stars for as long as she can remember. Getting kidnapped by slavers from another planet? Not so much. If she's lucky, she might be able to convince the hot guy protecting her from the others to help her escape. A bounty hunter allied with the Star Guardians, Orion is undercover on the slavers' ship, plotting to end their kidnapping trips to Earth. He didn't expect to meet someone as funny, sexy, and determined as Juanita among the victims. He wants to protect her from the thugs molesting her, but that could blow his cover and jeopardize his mission. He must choose between keeping her safe and dooming Earth to be a target for slavers forever.

Orion

As a database programmer from Arizona and a fan of sedate, indoor activities, Indi Smith doesn't belong in outer space. Certainly not in a star system with a broken wormhole gate and no way home. But through no fault of her own, that's where she's landed, and nobody on the ship, not even the genius chief engineer Hierax, knows how to repair the gate. The only clue that could help is an untranslatable transmission coming from an uninhabitable planet with no atmosphere. Though she's a fish out of water, Indi is determined to use her knack for analysis and recognizing patterns to decode the transmission and help Hierax fix the gate, whether he wants the assistance of some civilian woman or not. She refuses to die in the middle of nowhere, even if it means she has to prove her worth to an arrogant, know-it-all engineer. She's had experience dealing with geeks, albeit not ones with such big, sexy muscles, but that doesn't mean working with him will be easy. Chief Hierax is used to being in charge of all things mechanical, and he's used to being the smartest person on the ship. Few of his burly Star Guardian colleagues were recruited for their brains. So when Indi shows up with a clever way of looking at the alien transmission, one he hadn't thought of, he's not sure what to make of it-or her. His focus should be on fixing the gate, but he finds himself speculating about romantic endeavors. Would she be interested in seeing his hobby projects or maybe his favorite tools? It's hard to tell. He has a hard time understanding women-and people in general, for that matter-so charming her may be tougher than finding a way home.

Hierax

After a grueling battle that cost him dearly, mercenary captain Viktor Mandrake wants nothing more than to get his ship repaired, let his men have leave, and spend time relaxing with Ankari. Entrepreneur, schemer, and leaser of his company's one and only pink shuttlecraft, she has become the woman he loves and wants to keep at his side. But as soon as Viktor sets foot on the space station Midway 5, it becomes clear that the Galactic Conglomeration Fleet wants him arrested for past grievances. As a mercenary, confronting the Fleet isn't wise (it's not wise for anyone else, either). Normally, Viktor would collect his people and depart, but a mysterious disease has resulted in a quarantine, leaving him stuck on the station with no access to his ship or his crew. Fortunately, he has Ankari with him, but unfortunately, Ankari's family has been pointing out all of the reasons why she shouldn't be flying around on a mercenary vessel. And he's not certain they're wrong. If Viktor and Ankari can't find a way off the station before the Fleet ships arrive, Viktor may never escape. Worse, no matter what happens, he risks losing Ankari forever.

Mercenary Courage

Kalish has been a successful treasure hunter for years, relying on only herself to deal with deadly predators, impenetrable jungles, and diabolical booby traps. But with her father kidnapped, and a notorious pirate demanding an ancient alien artifact that may or may not exist, Kalish needs help. She hires a mercenary company because she needs their combat experience and their piloting skills-the intelligence officer with the background in translating alien hieroglyphics could come in useful too. Sedgwick Thomlin is charming and handsome, when he isn't busy sneezing at something from his long list of allergies. But she's not sure if she can trust him or the mercenaries, not when the most valuable and coveted relic in the galaxy might turn out to be real.

Ruby Lionsdrake

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