num_pages: 378
description: An intolerable order. A desperate charade. A deadly secret. Before Commander Torek Renaar can return to active duty hes ordered to purchase an animal companion to help relieve his PTSD symptoms. But having been a caretaker for and lost a loved one keeping even one little human alive is a challenge he feels doomed to fail. It doesnt help that his animal companion is the newest most exotic breed on the market demanding constant attention daily grooming and delicate handling. If she doesnt die first in his incompetent care shell be the death of him. After witnessing the murder of her domestication specialist Delaney McCormick allows her new owner to treat her like the pet he believes her to be. If anyone suspects shes more intelligent than a golden retriever her murder would be next. She endures the humiliation of being washed the tediousness of being trained to sit and come and the intrigue of hearing private conversations. But in Toreks care she finds something unexpected on this antarctic planet something she never had in all her years on Earth while house-hopping between foster families: a home. As companionship grows to love must Delaney continue the charade acting like an animal and hiding from the murderer waiting on her misstep? Or can she trust Torek with her secrets even if the truth threatens everything he holds dearand both their lives?
language: English
title: Beyond the Next Star
publisher: None