A teacher of etiquette and contract law with a fetish for Terran coffee meets a superhero who wants to get into her briefs. Hydrangea has been teaching contract law and other species etiquette in the Nyal Imperium for months. There is nothing to her life but marking, teaching and going for tea with friends. When one of her friends tells her that she knows of a Nyal food that matches coffee on the molecular level, Hydra has to try it out. The diner where the forty-seven-ingredient soup is prepared is a favourite haunt of the Guardians of Deyfell 4, four super-beings who risk their lives on a daily basis. Hydra doesn’t care, she just wants her coffee doppelganger. Starburn notices the strange alien who defies his teammate’s efforts to clear the diner. She has an easy smile and a relaxed attitude that he has not experienced since he became a Guardian. To his surprise she doesn’t know who they are and the ability to introduce himself without the weight of his actions as Guardian is so refreshing, he looks forward to speaking to her again. When the next opportunity proves that she is still as guileless as he thought at first glance, he makes up his mind to keep her and treasure the gentle heart that she shows to one and all. It’s a simple matter to have a teammate bring her to the base, and once she is there, there is no way home.

The Alien War continues. The enemies have raised the stakes by attacking a colony world on the outskirts of known space. Rade and his team of elite warriors join a Marine division to retake the colony while the human fleet battles it out with the alien forces in orbit. This time Rade's platoon is equipped with the fearsome power of the Zeus mechs—war machines that harbor electrolasers capable of discharging a billion volts of electricity per shot. You'd have to be an idiot to stand up to one of these. Tell that to the aliens. During one of his intense sorties into the fallen capital city, Rade makes an important discovery that could completely change the course of the war, not to mention his own life.

Anthony Talbot is in Anchor Point to visit family, but after two days of strife, he needs a break. A local gay bar is calling his name.When Chief Noah Jackson sees that red head stroll into the club, he immediately wants him. They're perfectly matched, and before long, they're burning up the sheets. Noah can't get enough. Anthony can't stay in Oregon for long, but as soon as he leaves, he's counting down the days until he can fly back for more. And between his increasingly frequent visits, there's always phone sex, sexting, webcams...anything they can get.But Noah's got a carefully crafted façade, and Anthony can't help noticing the slowly forming cracks. The scent of alcohol in the middle of the day. The extra drinks at dinner. The hint of red in his eyes. Anthony knows what it means. He doesn't want to believe it, but he's seen this before, and there's no denying it. If Noah doesn't get his downward spiral under control, he's going to lose both his career and...