Lyn Gala

Darren and Kavon have finally hit their stride, both personally and professionally. The team is expanding, the FBI finally understands the importance of Talent-based law enforcement, and Kavon and Darren have settled into a strong partnership. They are prepared for the long wait until the evil ifrit reappear on Earth, and they plan to be ready. However, when the first of these ancient powers returns, their preparation might not be as complete as they had assumed and the dangers they face are much more than either of them had expected. Worse, old faces from Kavon's past force him to look at the choices he has made in his life--the choices that have defined him as a man, a lover, and an agent. How can he believe in anything when he loses faith in himself? His relationship with Darren is the one touchstone that allows him to hold on through the storm that follows the reappearance of the exiled ifrit. But if Kavon and Darren are not strong enough--if their love or their guides falter for even a moment--the lives of every magic user, every shaman, and every human on Earth may be forfeit.

Angel Zamora has always looked out for numero uno, even after getting sent to prison for robbing a convenience store at knife point. But now two crazy feds show up to tell him he has undeveloped magic. And they want him to inform on a group that has been recruiting and disposing of magic users. When Angel agrees, he expects to play the feds until he can make his own escape plans.However, once he's inside the mafia and developing his Talent, he starts to realize that he's not as concerned about his own skin as he is young Matteo. The only son of the mob boss Mr. Luschese, Matt is even more trapped than Angel. His hot temper, disdain for authority, and deeply in-the-closet attitudes are all so familiar that Angel aches for the young man. A relationship that starts with Angel seeking one more potential advantage quickly turns into Angel's worst nightmare--a deep sense of commitment to another human being. Escape routes are closing, and Angel fears he is going to end up one more body dumped in the river...and if Angel plays this wrong, Matt could die with him.

Detective Zach Johnson never resented his lack of magic, although he hated that as a mundane he had no power to stop a corrupt Talent council from stealing the resources of the magical community. However, the return of the ancient ifrit guides led a blood-thirsty hummingbird to choose him as a partner. Now he can be a true equal to his shaman lover, Art Lammas, and the two of them can take on the council and the entire community if need be.Art Lammas loves Zach's enthusiasm and sense of justice, but the Talent community is much more complex than he assumes. Not only does El Paso struggle under the corrupt leadership of the council, but it stands at a place where three different traditions clash: the Vatican-trained shamans from Mexico, the Egyptian-trained shamans of mainstream America, and the Native Peoples traditions, which are far more complex than Art can possibly describe. Art would far rather focus on solving their cases. More than that, Art fears that Talent might be the one force in the universe that could drive a wedge between them. Art would happily burn all the magic out of the world before allowing that to happen, but he may not have that choice.

The FBI's Talent team is back on the job with Kavon and Darren trying to navigate being lovers and partners in the office and at home. Without the imminent danger from magical attack hanging over their heads, Darren hopes their life together will turn out to be the happily ever after he expects. However, relationships require negotiation and compromise, and that's difficult when the cases keep coming.This time the team is called in when a parole officer dies at the hands of a shaman with a violent past. Local law enforcement doesn't want federal help, and they certainly don't want shamans involved when they blame magic for the death of one of their own. Kavon and Darren have never walked away from a case simply because they're unpopular. Unfortunately, Kavon's instinct to protect Darren threatens to drive a wedge between them. Darren must struggle to find his own independence without undermining the bond they share. And there's no room for mistakes because someone wants to see the team fail on this case.

The new Rownt contracts have helped Command retake the rebel planets. And now refugees are fleeing toward the edges of space. Ex-Command officer Tyce Robinson has a price on his head. He and the crew of the Dragon have all broken laws, and they refuse to be condemned to an Earth prison. Tyce's grand escape plan goes south when an alien ship attacks both his ship and the Command cruiser chasing them. With both ships disabled, Tyce throws a Hail Mary. What he doesn't know is that his academy roommate is the officer charged with arresting him.Sub-Commander John Burden has always put his world first. He once thought his academy roommate Tyce was the same. Command sends John out with orders to arrest his ex-best friend, leaving John caught between demanding an explanation from the friend he remembers or throwing the traitor in a prison cell. But when unfamiliar aliens attack, his feelings are unimportant in the face of immediate danger. He has to survive, protect his people, and warn Earth that the Anla and Rownt are not the only aliens interested in humanity.

Captain Maxwell Davis and his entire unit scrambled to engage alien ships over Iowa. The aliens snatched him out of his destroyed jet before they continued on their interplanetary hot pursuit. Then they informed Max that Earth was too far outside regular shipping lanes to return him to his planet.So Max ends up in an alien spaceport looking for work. To afford a ticket home he can either spend three hundred years working with linguists to improve the computer's questionable ability to translate English or he can take a job as a nanny for an unpopular alien. That way he can afford the ticket in four years. The problem is that the computer may have mistranslated the word "nanny" and there might be a reason an alien is willing to pay such a high fee.

Tuk-Palteia Liam has survived the front lines of a civil war and a return visit to his home planet, but now he has to face the ultimate obstacle. Stubborn lovers.As long as Liam and Ondry have the same goals--the pursuit of profits and status--they are the perfect partnership. But now Ondry wants to protect his palteia at any cost, even if it costs him his newly won rank. Liam hates the idea of Ondry sacrificing for him, and he is not going to allow Ondry to lose status under any circumstances. Add in the Imshee, a predatory companion animal, a new human, and an obstinate Grandmother, and Liam has the recipe for a serious headache. Despite what Ondry believes, not all problems can be solved with a good trade, a tail or a flash of tooth. This time, Liam and Ondry are going to need to find a compromise.

Darren is proud of his work on the FBI's magical Talent unit. However, his own lack of magic means he can never be with Supervisory Special Agent and Shaman Kavon Boucher. The shamanic magic poses a real danger to any mundane who gets too close, so Darren tries to hide his attraction and keep a professional relationship at work. That resolve begins to crumble when a new man sets his sights on Kavon and Darren can't control his resentment.Now they have a brutal new case of a suspect targeting magical adepts. Darren tries to keep focused on that crime, but when he starts to show signs of his own magic, he hopes that maybe he can not only be a more effective part of the team but also a real partner to Kavon. He might have a second chance at love if only Kavon can learn to trust his new and unpredictable magic that has changed the rules of the magical game.

Darren and Kavon have committed to each other, but magical rules are changing and that tests the strength of their bond. The death of a prominent Egyptian shaman and the shadowy remains of O'Brien's conspiracy to kill adepts and steal their magic also pressure the new couple. Kavon is determined to protect his partner through these storms, but he is also painfully aware of his own tendency to hover. And as Darren is quick to point out, he is an armed federal agent who won't allow Kavon to keep him off the front lines.Making the relationship even more difficult, the spirit guides who offered their loyalty have their own hopes and needs. The world is changing, and Darren's spirit guide pushes them to find the right path to navigate. However, Kavon has never enjoyed being pressured, and he is particularly uncomfortable walking into a situation he doesn't understand. Worse, the longer he knows Darren and his guide, the more confused Kavon becomes about how magic even works. The two men must pull together or the forces moving in the shadows threaten to destroy them before they have any chance at happiness.

Ondry and Liam have settled into a good life, but their trading is still tied up with humans, and humans are always messy. When political changes at the human base lead Ondry to attempt a difficult trade, the pair find themselves entangled in human affairs. Liam wants to help the people he left and the worlds being torn apart. He also wants to serve Ondry with not only the pleasures of the nest but also by bringing human profits.Ondry has no hope of understanding human psychology in general, he only knows that he will hold onto his palteia with the last breath in his body, and he'd like to keep his status and his wealth too. Unfortunately, new humans bring new conflicts and he is not sure how to protect Liam. He does know one thing that humans seem to constantly forget--that the peaceful Rownt are predators and when their families are threatened, Rownt become deadly killers. Liam is his family, and Ondry will protect him with his last breath... assuming that he can recognize the dangers in time to do so.

A desire for status has brought Ondry and Liam to a human world to trade, but dealing with humans has brought up all the old pain in Liam's heart. Even though Ondry would do anything to protect his beloved palteia, he doesn't know how to protect Liam from himself. Worse, Ondry isn't sure how to shield Liam from the shifting politics on the Rownt ship where the Calti Grandmothers are nothing like the ones they left behind on the planet.With everything in their lives changing, Ondry and Liam have only each other. If Ondry can't find a way to defend Liam from the ghosts of the past and overcome the impossibly short life span of a human, their small family might be over long before either of them is ready to let go. Ondry has always been a dominant and possessive Rownt, and with Liam in danger, those traits are necessary as he challenges the world to protect his lover.

Kavon and Darren believe they finally have the life they want--a lead on O'Brien, a better understanding of the failures that have plagued the team, and time to nurture the bond between them as shamans and lovers. However they've gotten involved in magical politics, and that has consequences that neither of them could foresee. Magic is changing, and Kavon and Darren are in the center of a coming storm.In the past, Kavon's only fear was that he might inadvertently damage Darren, and he is painfully aware that he has hurt his lover before. He's vowed to never make that mistake again, but new forces threaten their relationship and pose a special threat to Darren. With the danger growing more intense, Kavon struggles to find a way to protect the ones he loves and Darren realizes that the magic that gave him his heart's desire could take everything away just as quickly. Magic is a two-edged sword and the two lovers have to find a way to wield the weapon before it becomes the instrument of their death.

Desert World: Book Three Lieutenant Commander Verly Black is ready to leave the atrocities of war behind and immigrate to the planet of Livre, where he can build a future away from the ghosts of his past. He doesn't expect to find a kindred spirit in councilman Naite Poli—a man with secrets as dark as Verly's own and bearing the scars to prove it. Both men have done what was necessary to survive—Verly in battle and Naite in defense of his family—and they're haunted by memories that leave them wary of trusting others. As they circle each other, the political maneuvering around them grows more dangerous, with the outer worlds trying to force Livre into one alliance or another. Some still view Verly as a killer and a spy, and they're determined not to let him forget what he's done. Others fear the implications of a military officer sharing the bed of a councilmember. When the rebel alliance moves beyond threats, Verly and Naite must push through the pain of their pasts and stand together to fight for the future of their world.

Desert World: Book Two New ambassadors Temar Gazer and Shan Polli stopped one disaster on Livre, but the battle isn't over. Temar is still struggling to work through the abuse he suffered. Livre, too, stands at a crossroads: it could ally with the breakaway planets—risking strange and dangerous beliefs—or the older alliance, which offers human rights protections but seeks to control the planet's resources. With everyone keeping secrets, it's impossible to know who to trust. Shan and Temar do their best to navigate cultures they don't understand and avoid the dangers lurking around every corner. It's a delicate balance, but they manage… until a disaster takes Shan away from Temar. It's up to Temar to rescue Shan and guide their planet through the crisis safely, and he isn't sure he's ready. Just because he and Shan have chosen each other doesn't mean their love is strong enough to survive when the stirring sands around them change.

Desert World: Book One Livre once offered Planetary Alliance miners and workers a small fortune if they helped terraform the mineral rich planet. People flocked to the world, but then a civil war cut the desert planet off from all resources. Half-terraformed and clinging to the edge of existence, Livre devolved into a world where death was accepted as part of life, water resources were scarce and constantly dwindling, and neighbors tried to help each other hold off the inevitable as the desert fought to take back the few terraformed spaces. Temar Gazer claims to be the victim of water theft. His claims could be a simple misdirection intended to help him escape a term of labor after his criminal prank caused irreparable damage to a watering system. However as the only member of the council arguing against a short-term slavery sentence for Temar, Shan Polli can't escape the fear that something darker is happening. The more he investigates Temar's story, the more he finds that his world is not as free of politics or danger as he had assumed. Together, Shan and Temar must get to the bottom of the conspiracy before time runs out for the entire planet.

Stewart Folger lives in the Appalachian Mountains, where people take care of their family and follow the Bible. He feels that Appalachian pull in his blood, but that hasn't tamed his wild side. A youth full of pranks left him with the nickname Stunt and a preference for danger in and out of bed. Other than a few contrary moonshiners who hate him for philosophical reasons since he's a forestry technician and federal employee, he doesn't have a problem in the world. Then one day he runs into Alex Soto, a man out for revenge. Just out of prison, Alex knows firsthand that the justice system doesn't treat poor and rich equally, so he'll have to go outside the law to avenge his brother's death. When an innocent man lands in the middle of his plans, he doesn't know what to do… other than take him hostage. Unfortunately, he never planned on having to deal with Stunt or with the twisted logic that passes for reasonable in Stunt's mountain home.