Derek Cross thought the International Fitness Ambassador Program invitation was just another brand collaboration opportunity. A chance to showcase optimal human performance to a select audience, probably with some high-end gym equipment and a decent paycheck.

What he didnt expect was to wake up on an alien spaceship face-to-face with Kaveth, a formal Nereidan diplomat who thinks humans are inefficient, unpredictable, and generally inferior. Unlike the previous accidental abduction, this assessment is deliberate, methodical, and completely by the book.

Meet Kaveth, Council member and owner of the galaxys most rigid adherence to protocol. Assigned Dereks assessment as punishment for opposing the human...

Derek Cross thought the International Fitness Ambassador Program invitation was just another brand collaboration opportunity. A chance to showcase optimal human performance to a select audience, probably with some high-end gym equipment and a decent paycheck.

What he didnt expect was to wake up on an alien spaceship face-to-face with Kaveth, a formal Nereidan diplomat who thinks humans are inefficient, unpredictable, and generally inferior. Unlike the previous accidental abduction, this assessment is deliberate, methodical, and completely by the book.

Meet Kaveth, Council member and owner of the galaxys most rigid adherence to protocol. Assigned Dereks assessment as punishment for opposing the human compatibility program, hes determined to prove that this fitness-obsessed human is exactly as shallow and unsuitable as he expects.

Unfortunately for both of them, Dereks optimization-focused lifestyle crashes headfirst into Kaveths duty-focused worldview, creating sparks that have nothing to do with their empathic bond and everything to do with two control freaks learning to let go.

But when Derek realizes his entire life has been performance rather than presence, and Kaveth discovers that theres more to humans than social media metrics, their clinical assessment becomes something much more personal. Because choosing to build a life together is complicated enough without adding interspecies politics, family dynamics, and the fact that Dereks ex-boyfriend is already living happily ever after with Kaveths brother.

Some assessments become partnerships. Some opponents become lovers. And some connections are worth changing your entire world for.