Escape from Nova Nine by Carol Van Natta

She’s a space pirate with vital information. He’s a wanted fugitive with enemies hot on his afterburner. Will their unexpected attraction survive escaping a dangerous asteroid mine in time to avert disaster?

Trouble is arising across the galaxy, and space pirate Julke Defjensdytr has vital information for her clan. She’s almost given up trying to escape the hidden rogue asteroid mine she’s been imprisoned in for over a year. But a new batch of prisoners brings hope in the form of kind and sexy Zade.
Starship crewman and wanted fugitive Zade Lunaso always runs from conflict. Unfortunately, this time it landed him with a one-way ticket to toil in the dangerous mine for the rest of his soon-to-be short life. He’ll need all his considerable skills to escape. Not to mention help from the intriguing Julke, and a flock of curious space griffins with secrets of their own.
Their bid to steal the cruel Warden’s yacht goes off course when they take a wrong turn and discover a motherload of forgotten ships. But even if they somehow free every prisoner to fly them, the Warden will kill them all to protect the secret of his claim.
The arrival of bigger enemies means trouble has found Zade once again. Can Julke and Zade pull off the unlikeliest escape off a lifetime, or will their luck play out and leave them stranded in the void?

Escape from Nova Nine is an intriguing tale in Carol Van Natta’s Central Galactic Concordance space opera series. If you like mysterious psychic powers, unexpected heroes, long-shot chances, then you’ll hit pay dirt with this thrilling story.
Note: Escape from Nova Nine first appeared in the limited-edition Pets in Space 6 science fiction romance anthology. This new standalone version has been expanded from the original.