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Hawke asked.
    Dr. Morgan frowned, the lines in her face deepening. Like Rizzoli, she was retired Alliance military, though she referred to it as “early retirement”. Whatever her reason for leaving, Jace was grateful for it, for she was a fine officer with an excellent knowledge of Cy’ren biology.
    “Do we know when we will be arriving at Cyprena? As I understand it, the VFF drive is down. I can’t recommend keeping her sedated indefinitely. The longer she is kept under, the higher the chance for complications. The medication could cause a stroke, or an arrest.”
    Captain Hawke folded her arms as she eyed Jace warily. “I take it you’re interested in our guest, considering you disregarded a direct order.”
    “I merely want to look at her,” Jace assured her.
    “You shouldn’t be breathing this air,” the doctor warned. “I strongly advise against continued exposure to her pheromones.”
    “I feel fine, Dr. Morgan.” It was a lie, but he was certain that he could manage the effects. Jace prided himself on his self-control. He met the captain’s gaze. “Please. Just a few moments, and then I will leave.”
    “You get two minutes. Look. Don’t touch. That’s an order,” Captain Hawke said. “Try to obey this one.”
    Nodding, he approached, giving the captain a wide berth as she continued to glare at him. Jace supposed he deserved it. Captain Hawke had never forgiven him for attempting to seduce Talena away from Dack when she first arrived on the Talon . As a human, Captain Hawke couldn’t understand that regardless of his disdain for Dack, Jace couldn’t resist the pull to claim a female in phase. Well, perhaps he could have ignored the effects if he hadn’t caught the heady scent of Talena’s stronger-than-average pheromones, or if he had two mates and a brood of children at home, like Sam.
    Jace paused at the bedside of the female in phase. Sabine. The other freed female had called her Sabine. Sabine was lovely, even in her restless sleep. Her skin was a cool shade of violet, and thanks to the effects of the phase it gleamed like a jewel. She had no marks denoting her house or parentage, but she had several slave marks. He frowned as he recognized the top rune, and he couldn’t resist the temptation to reach out and touch the inked symbol. Jace removed his armored gauntlet. His skin tingled at the contact and his heart raced as though he’d just sprinted the length of the ship. Jace was both instantly grateful that his armor concealed his erection and frustrated by the confinement of the restrictive plating.
    “Dammit, Jace, what did I just say?” Captain Hawke snapped.
    “She has a Nepheros slave mark.”
    “What?”
    “See for yourself.” He turned Sabine’s head to the side, and his breath hitched as she sighed at his touch, her eyes fluttering open for a brief moment. Golden eyes. He did have a weakness for females with golden eyes, and that only increased his desire. This wasn’t an ideal time to take a mate—Wylarric had produced only daughters, and until he had a son, Jace was his heir. His brother was territorial, and reacted violently to threats to his rule. Unfortunately the potent need weaving its way through Jace’s veins cared only that there was a female in phase within arm’s reach.
    Captain Hawke shouldered him less-than-politely out of the way and examined Sabine’s marks. She cursed under her breath and then looked up at the doctor. “Have you tested her blood?”
    “There hasn’t been time for a heritage analysis,” Dr. Morgan replied. “Our shipboard database is limited. I’ll take a sample and send her information with the rest of our new guests’ profiles to the heritage databank on Cyprena.”
    “Can you run her profile against Tali’s?” she asked.
    Jace frowned. “The odds of Sabine being related to Talena are slim.”
    “The odds of Tali showing up on my ship were slim. Funny how things work out,” the captain replied. “We know Tali and Galen