Cindy a. Matthews

Zonta's world is turned upside down when Jake arrives at Gentle Acres to investigate the disappearance of two agents of the Authority. Can she persuade her enemy-turned-lover to switch sides before the Protectors take action?Zonta survived the Turn Over at Gentle Acres, a communal project she helped design alongside her late husband. Her life as a master gardener is fulfilling, but she feels something is missing. The answer comes when a Protector enlists her to keep an eye on Jake, an agent of the Authority. Zonta can't deny her attraction to Jake, but can she love an enemy while protecting all she holds dear?Jake decides his assignment to the wasteland of Gentle Acres is more than worthwhile the minute he sees the beautiful and exotic Zonta. When he tours the commune and meets the people, he is certain the peaceniks have nothing to do with the two agents he is searching for. As Jake learns truths he never knew, he concludes that perhaps his dedication to the Authority is wrong.Can Jake prove himself to the Protectors and his new lover? Can Zonta risk losing her home and another lover to the Authority?

Airship Captain Adena Nightingale takes on a smuggling run to the City of Night-and gets more than she bargained for. She rescues Earthman Greg Cole from the frigid desert of BloodDark World's night side, but Greg in turn wants to rescue his friend, held somewhere in the City of Night. They reach the City, and all hell breaks loose when Adena and Greg find themselves caught up in the deadly aftershocks of an ancient war.

Olivia's chance to prove herself as a spy hasn't gone well. She knows the rogue Portal and Clan Alpha's illegal artwork sales suggests someone has an agenda for BloodDark that doesn't accord with its peoples' future. Could Earth billionaire Roland Grundfest be behind it all?Hernando is hurt by Olivia's lie, but there's too much at stake to remain mad for long. Olivia and Hernando have to learn to trust the Pure Bloods. They travel with the ruling council by airship through the blazing heat of BloodDark's Day Side, and a climactic encounter in the desert that will decide Olivia's-and BloodDark's-fate once and for all.