Born and raised on a slavers ship, Amalia is a survivor of a race believed to have been extinguished in a planetary disaster. For three generations, her family has been the prized property of Gruuk. In the next few days, she will be forced to participate in her master’s psi talent breeding program. Escaping and attending the Fastening ceremony on Xelix Prime is her only hope. Like most Xelixian males, cousins Khel and Lhor are Tainted. They are shunned by their own people because of the disease that mars their bodies and ensures a painful early death. It can only be reversed by mating. Xelixian females are rare. Pearls, the females that produce the curative chemical, are even more so. The chances of finding two Pearls, of any species, willing to accept heavily Tainted males, are virtually non-existent. Despite their status and wealth, the cousins are running out of time. Between Gruuk’s dogged pursuit, deadly rivalries, assassins and corrupted nobles, can they keep Amalia safe or will their respective feelings for her tear them apart? This MFM story is the first book in the Veredian Chronicles series. It is a standalone with no cliffhanger.