Taken
Hebe Rheyasei never asked for an easy life but she’s certainly never going to get it. Born on Mnemosyne, home of the Union, she has lived with the knowledge that she is different for all her life. The beloved daughter of two of the Ashterai who live openly as mortals, everyone on the planet knows that while Hebe might look Mnemosynian, she is also something else. Her classmates don’t understand her and her human nemesis thinks she is a freak. The only person who understands her is her Ashterai lover, James.
As Hebe struggles to find her place in society, the Union is approached by their old enemies the Mihari. A violent and soulless race, the Mihari worship their deified emperor and believe they have a divine right to all Union worlds. Once a great empire which conquered millions and still holds dozens of planets enslaved, the Mihari home world is teetering on the edge of destruction.
Under a pretext of suing for peace, the Emperor's son and heir, Mairven, arrives on Mnemosyne and accidentally crosses path with Hebe. As Mairven uncovers her origins, he becomes obsessed with her and the power he believes he can claim by taking Hebe as his consort. This meeting, unforeseen by even the Elders of the Ashterai, leads to murder, bloodshed and the very foundations of the Union itself threaten to crack under the strain.