
NO ONE EVER CARED MUCH ABOUT THIS TERRITORY Gabriel just wants to do his job and be left alone. The alien oppressors of his childhood may be gone, but their legacy of unearthly technology, nightmarish monsters, and ordinary people developing Shattered powers still lingers. With the violent past threatening to become a bloody present, Gabriel joins forces with the other members of his base—men and women of the Earth Defense Force who successfully pushed the xenos back into space eight years ago. Seven veterans. One rookie. None of them ever had the families they dreamed of, but battle forges a bond stronger than blood. When the unthinkable happens, Gabriel must trust his newfound family, find his own courage, and embrace the truth he’s always known—that even the worst places and most broken people deserve someone who’s willing to fight for them.
Author

Brigitte Cromey has been known to daydream so heavily that a gong must be rung to retrieve her. (This annoys her family, who can never be sure if she’s actually heard what they’ve just said to her.) When not submerged in worlds of her own making, she can be found cooking with bizarre ingredients, reading entire books in a single sitting, dressing her children up as fairies and knights, and occasionally responding to the world with kindness tainted by cynicism. Brigitte lives in Southern Arizona with her husband and children. Should you encounter her, the kettle will always be on.