Marisa relishes her undercover work—it suits her loner nature. But when an assignment meant to bust a ring of Ce'nark poachers goes sideways, Marisa finds herself in a position she never wanted—caring for another life form. But returning the creature to its family proves more complicated than she imagined. And the truth she uncovers might have lasting ramifications throughout the system.

"Science fiction writing at its best."

—EssentialWriters.com

USA Today bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch writes in almost every genre. Generally, she uses her real name (Rusch) for most of her writing. Under that name, she publishes bestselling science fiction and fantasy, award-winning mysteries, acclaimed mainstream fiction, controversial nonfiction, and the occasional romance. Her novels have made bestseller lists around the world and her short fiction has appeared in eighteen best of the year collections. She has won more than twenty-five awards for her fiction, including the Hugo, Le Prix Imaginales, the Asimov's Readers Choice award, and the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Choice Award.

To keep up with everything she does, go to kriswrites.com. To track her many pen names and series, see their individual websites (krisnelscott.com, kristinegrayson.com, krisdelake.com, retrievalartist.com, divingintothewreck.com, fictionriver.com). She lives and occasionally sleeps in Oregon.