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Chosen by the young and ambitious clan of Dramok Tukui, Imdiko Yorso, and Nobek Osopa, Tina can’t imagine what her shattered future might bring. When she discovers the gentler side of the fierce Kalquorians, her fear of them becomes fear of losing them.
Can it last? Or will they turn her away in the end, as everyone else has? When the war reaches its unthinkable, violent end, Earther and Kalquorian alike find their lives altered forever. With the lives of Tina’s most vulnerable family members at stake, she and Clan Tukui must set aside what they thought they wanted and embrace what’s possible.
From Chapter One:
Unwanted. Rejected.
Again.
Tina lay sobbing on her hard bed, her face smashed in her thin pillow. Mother Superior’s soft voice, delivering the harsh judgment, played in her head over and over.
“It’s obvious your heart’s not in the right place…we need the space for someone more dedicated to the calling…you’ll do better elsewhere…”
Sending Tina out into the cold. Proving once more that she’d never be good enough for anyone to keep. The only consolation was that Mother Superior had visited her room after bedtime to deliver the news. Tina had been spared facing the curious stares of her fellow aspirants. There’d been no witnesses to the humiliating dismissal.
“What did I do wrong? I’ll fix it, whatever you want, I’ll do better.”
“It’s not a matter of doing, child. It’s a matter of unwavering devotion, of an ardor of the soul. You’re a good person, a kind and gentle young woman, but it’s not enough.”
She was never enough. That’s what it always boiled down to. Valentina Novak always came up short.
Nobody wants me. They always get rid of me. Where will I go?
She’d have to return to her father’s home. She hadn’t been adequate there either. Why would he take her in when he’d sent her away?
Tina was nineteen. She had only a basic education, but she wasn’t without skills. She could cook and clean and sew. Maybe she’d be able to land a position as a domestic, but what if she couldn’t? Such positions were few and far between. References from a nun on an off-world convent wouldn’t take her far.
Her father would have to let her come home.
What if he didn’t?
The sobs continued, muffled by her pillow, but loud in her head. She was swamped with grief, hurt, and a terrible loneliness that threatened to consume her.
Why doesn’t anyone want me?
Deep in grief, Tina didn’t hear the bedlam going on outside her cell until the screams were loud enough to seep between her harsh wails. Even then, it took her several seconds to recognize something was wrong.
When she did, she lifted from her pillow. Her moans drifted quiet as she realized running feet were beating past her door. Shrieks echoed, mostly wordless, but a few voices rose in desperate supplication.
“Stop!”
“God, save me!”
“Don’t! Please, don’t!”
Tina’s despair gave way to abrupt fear. Her heart sped up, and she stood, shoving her hair off her damp cheeks. What was going on in the dormitory’s hall? What was happening to her fellow aspirants? They sounded as if they were under attack.
Nothing ever happened on Europa. The convent was the only habitation on Jupiter’s lonely moon. It made no sense danger should exist in such a place.
Yet the screams went on.
Tina stared at her door. It was locked, so no one could come in. She’d be wise to stay put, to avoid whatever was happening out there. But shouldn’t she see if she could offer assistance? Failing to rush to the others’ aid would be wrong, no matter how terrified she was.
It’s obvious your heart’s not in the right place…
Trembling, Tina stepped close to the door. Girls and women were still screaming beyond it. Pleading voices, some growing distant. They were running away from whatever trouble had arrived.
Tina leaned so her ear was against the door. Moans. Voices high with supplication before abruptly quieting.
