by Inardescus
He can survive combat. He can survive crashes. Surviving *her* is another story. Captain Einar Scorn has made a career out of staying calm under pressure. Nothing gets past his control. Nothing shakes him. Nothing gets too close. Until Leth Sil. She’s a Rhylarian pilot with perfect instincts, dangerous grace, and a smile that hits him harder than any enemy fire ever has. Einar knows he should stay away. So he does. He avoids her. He withdraws. He tells himself it’s for her own good. Then the Empire summons him across the stars and drops the one truth that changes everything: The woman he can’t forget is Eletha Xillana, heir to the throne. Now he has to explain to an empress — and to the woman he loves — why the cruelest thing he ever did was walk away.
