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Deridia #15
Break
Abandoned. Shamed. Broken.
She was never meant to survive.
Stripped of her voice and her past, Minara has survived a life of being used and discarded. Exiled to an off-world prison colony for the betterment of the homeworld, she discovers the reality is even harsher than she feared. There are no rules. Only power. And those willing to take, no matter the cost.
Min endures the only way she knows how: by staying small, staying quiet… and staying invisible. Until the night she steals something she shouldn’t.
Caught by a dangerous, enigmatic stranger who sees far more than she ever intended, Min finds herself dragged into a world she doesn’t understand—one of secrets, suspicion, and something far more dangerous than cruelty. His attention.
He thinks she’s a spy. She knows she’s nothing at all.
But in a place where survival is everything, being underestimated might be her greatest weapon… or the thing that finally destroys her.
-x-
“Little thief,” he acknowledged. He was going to move. Pin her against the wall. She needed to get back to the open. No, more than that. She needed to get back to the dorm, regardless of who was still awake. A strange feeling to suddenly crave the crowd.
He wouldn’t be able to see many of her features. Not in this light. Except she knew little of his kind, did she? He was tall. Too tall. Not just because she was huddled and frozen, but because it seemed to be a part of his very nature.
He crouched, which was worse. Not close, not exactly, but enough to send another trickle of fear through her. “I believe you’ve something of mine.”
His? She shook her head. It was an act of instinct more than a conscious decision to deceive.
“No?” She could make out his head canting to the side, assessing her.
She needed to move. Couldn’t. Bound by some spell she couldn’t begin to name.
“What brings you out, then? Taking the air?”
There was a metallic quality to his voice. No, not the voice itself. The translator flared in her ear as it did with the guards. She couldn’t answer him. He wouldn’t know that, and his frustration would come quickly. And she would not be there when it erupted.
She was fast. Her one shining quality.
He was faster.
She was never meant to survive.
Stripped of her voice and her past, Minara has survived a life of being used and discarded. Exiled to an off-world prison colony for the betterment of the homeworld, she discovers the reality is even harsher than she feared. There are no rules. Only power. And those willing to take, no matter the cost.
Min endures the only way she knows how: by staying small, staying quiet… and staying invisible. Until the night she steals something she shouldn’t.
Caught by a dangerous, enigmatic stranger who sees far more than she ever intended, Min finds herself dragged into a world she doesn’t understand—one of secrets, suspicion, and something far more dangerous than cruelty. His attention.
He thinks she’s a spy. She knows she’s nothing at all.
But in a place where survival is everything, being underestimated might be her greatest weapon… or the thing that finally destroys her.
-x-
“Little thief,” he acknowledged. He was going to move. Pin her against the wall. She needed to get back to the open. No, more than that. She needed to get back to the dorm, regardless of who was still awake. A strange feeling to suddenly crave the crowd.
He wouldn’t be able to see many of her features. Not in this light. Except she knew little of his kind, did she? He was tall. Too tall. Not just because she was huddled and frozen, but because it seemed to be a part of his very nature.
He crouched, which was worse. Not close, not exactly, but enough to send another trickle of fear through her. “I believe you’ve something of mine.”
His? She shook her head. It was an act of instinct more than a conscious decision to deceive.
“No?” She could make out his head canting to the side, assessing her.
She needed to move. Couldn’t. Bound by some spell she couldn’t begin to name.
“What brings you out, then? Taking the air?”
There was a metallic quality to his voice. No, not the voice itself. The translator flared in her ear as it did with the guards. She couldn’t answer him. He wouldn’t know that, and his frustration would come quickly. And she would not be there when it erupted.
She was fast. Her one shining quality.
He was faster.
418 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2026
About the author
Catherine Miller
26 books127 followersI am an American by birth and situation, whose heart forever remains in Great Britain. I derive much inspiration from my holidays abroad, and my writing is heavily influenced by the delights of the English and Scottish countryside. My author's journey began in several reimaginings of The Phantom of the Opera where I explore happier endings for our beloved Erik-- hopefully aided by my degrees in psychology. I have a love for fantasy and paranormal romance, as well as the pleasure of a thrilling murder mystery... each of which have begun to creep into my writerly pursuits. When I am not consumed with a novel, I enjoy lavishing affection on my two cats, and working in historical costume design.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 16, 2026
Another great addition to the Deridia series! Minara’s story is one of my favorites. I hope Catherine Miller keeps this series going!
Displaying 1 of 1 review