It was previously published in the For the First Time anthology.

    Sugar Jennings has a problem. Bad Panther has the purr-fect solution. Dr. Sugar Jennings is an Archaeologist and an Ancient Earth Historian. She’s also the host of a very old, very ancient artifact of enormous power. Everyone wants Sugar dead because of it. They want the power she possesses, but she can’t let them get it. Desperation drives her to seek help but no one is willing to risk their own life in the job of protecting hers. Or no one did until a mercenary Panther Shifter decided she might be worth the trouble. Now all she has to do is convince the ancient artifact she carries not to kill Axel for trying to help her. Axel Rodu is a rogue Panther Shifter and heir to Lyran throne on Earth. His work for the agency is special contract only but even their toughest problems barely keep his boredom at bay. Has he earned the name Bad Panther? Depends on who you ask so long as you don’t ask his newest client. Ironically though, Axel has no intentions of using Dr. Sugar Jennings to worsen his reputation. He has one job to do concerning the archaeologist and one job only. By order of his queen, whatever it takes, he must make sure Dr. Jennings stays alive until the artifact is done with her.

    Kit and Luke Armas are cyborgs created for one purpose, battle. Now that the war is over, they must fight to carve out a place for themselves in a universe they were intended to die for but never be a part of. Cargo pilot Zura Watson came to the edge of civilized space to start over. The Drift is a haven for the hunted, the lost, and those seeking second chances. It was also the last place in the cosmos Zura expected to find love. When the shadows of the past threaten to eclipse this trio’s future, they’ll have to fight for their chance at love and the life they’ve always dreamed of.