Ariel never knew aliens existed until she finds herself kidnapped and taken from Earth. When the Anzon declare humans useless, she learns her fate — prize for the winner of a brutal fight between large, muscled alien men.

Ral is a Zorn warrior. He has also been kidnapped by the Anzon, along with his crew. Forced into slavery, he's got one thing on his mind — freeing his people. That is, until he sees the small human woman he's willing to fight to win. He doesn't just want her body, he wants her heart forever.

In the hands of a hot alien, Ariel is about to discover how pleasurable captivity can be.

Cordelia Naismith captains a throwaway ship of the Betan Expeditionary Force on a daring mission to destroy an enemy armada. As she navigates deception within deception and treachery within treachery, she is forced into a separate peace with her chief opponent, Lord Aral Vorkosigan—known as "The Butcher of Komarr"—leading her to become an outcast on her own planet and the Lady Vorkosigan on his.

Sick of combat and betrayal, Cordelia longs for a quiet life, interrupted only by the ceremonial duties of the Lady Vorkosigan. However, the sudden death of the Emperor thrusts Aral into the role of guardian for the infant heir to the imperial throne of Barrayar. Now, both Aral and Cordelia are targets of high-tech assassins in a dynastic civil war reminiscent of Earth's Middle Ages but fought with cutting-edge biowar technology.

Neither Aral nor Cordelia could foresee the pivotal role their cell-damaged unborn son would play in Barrayar's bloody legacy. Join them on a journey filled with epic battles, heroic journeys, and unexpected alliances.