Book excerpt: David Thomen thought he had everything he wanted with his alien lover, Vell of Otharn. Vell reveals that he is pregnant, and David is shocked but overjoyed. David is desperate to enjoy their happily-ever-after, but fate has other plans. Vell fears their happiness exists on borrowed time. The ghosts of his past won't stay buried, and when their defenses are down David and Vell are snatched from Earth. They must face the King and Queen of Otharn, who are convinced that Vell is still a slave, that David is his master, and that Vell's unborn child is a curse on the joined worlds. Stalked by a power-hungry witch, haunted by Vell's past, with the future of their child foretold to be one of destruction and chaos. David must navigate this alien world, forge new alliances and somehow make an impossible choice. Will he force Vell to give up their child, or will he be forced to give up Vell himself?