Lucianne kept a safe distance from Xandar, trying to come up with a plan as he growled at her. Xandar then linked his late father in a low, homicidal tone, ‘Tell me where she is, or I’ll kill you and mom.’

That was when he realized something was off. There was nothing at the other end of the link. And it was even more odd that he wasn’t detecting his father’s scent. He was smelling something…unusual, beautiful. Butterfly pea and jasmine. Despite being manipulated, he knew of only one creature who had that scent, and his mood instantly softened with that realization.

‘Xandar, darling,’ Lucianne linked him gently as she...