Taka Ogata had one goal and that was to get back to Earth and her Laurel. It didn't matter that she didn't know how to fly, or where she was in the universe, her path was unswerving, to the point where she always had a guard assigned to her to keep her from killing herself in the attempt. She had suffered greatly from The Accord and wanted nothing to do with it. Everything in her was desperate to get back home.
Oras had seen Taka walking into the room at his friend's house and immediately knew she was his bond mate. When she attempted to steal a state-of-the-art shuttle, he could not let her harm herself, and he agrees to take her back to Earth, putting his career and life at risk.
Taka trusts no one, so Oras is fighting a losing battle from the very beginning. They must both confront what has happened to her when they face her ultimate goal even foreswearing promises he's made. The only promise he will not foreswear is to protect her to the very end.