For two years, Ares Gallo has been ransacking the galaxy for the woman who meant everything to him. They trained together, killed together, loved together, but now, Anicka Dekker doesn't even know who he is. All she knows every time she meets the enigmatic, scarred stranger is that a part of her trusts him. An even larger part desires him. In any and every way she can have him. Ares wants his wife back. Despite the scars that have changed his appearance and the chronic pain that destroyed his career, he follows Anicka from planet to planet, finding her in seedy bars, stately palaces, and everywhere in between. Every time they have a few moments of pure bliss, his hope blooms that this time…things will be different. Then, STRIKE, the organization that wanted them dead, tears them apart, erasing Anicka's memories, and Ares has to start all over again. But even if she can't remember him, he's certain she'll recognize their bond. Sooner or later.

Across the Universe

“STRIKE has been my whole life for a long time,” she said quietly. “I love what I do. I’m good at it. The smart thing for me to do right now would be to contact Mariel and see what she has to say.”


“No,” Ares said swiftly, hotly. “No, STRIKE is not your whole life. You hada life, Anicka. We had one together. Mariel is lying to you. Every time she looks at you and doesn’t tell you who you really are, what you’ve really lost, she’s lying to you.”


“You don’t think I know that? I do. Because my gut is screaming that something is wrong. To find out what’s going on, why I have mementos that shouldn’t exist.”


“You don’t need to go to Mariel for that.”


“My gut’s screaming that at me, too.”


His concerned expression softened, though he wasn’t quite smiling. “I love it when you say that. We need to get off Paradisus. The sooner we get away from here, the better.”


Chapter 28