New York City hides a portal to another world. Six years ago, Marda lost her husband and daughters to a portal linking Earth to her planet. It was supposed to be safe-just an ancient corridor between two worlds. But sometimes, people get trapped inside it. Marda calls that void the BETWEEN. Now the portal is acting up again. In the middle of Central Park, people are vanishing. Ben, a burnt-out Wall Street analyst.Lily, a dreamer trapped in a suffocating life.Tony, a young caregiver with nothing left to lose. Their paths collide inside the BETWEEN. But for Marda, nothing-not even the BETWEEN-can keep her from throwing herself into its suffocating void to bring her family home. From USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen A. Miller comes an emotional sci-fi mystery about loss, resilience, and a mother's refusal to give up. This is the first book in a series, but it can be read as a standalone novel. No cliffhangers. EXCERPT: Marda stepped up to a window, gazing out at the field mirrored twenty times over on the monitors circling the interior of the turret. This quiet stretch of land hosted the Eastern Quadrant Portal. It usually remained invisible on both ends, but she carried the instrumentation on her belt to reveal it as the glowing, pulsing tunnel that it was. "Two days," she said. "I'm going through in two days. It gives me time to gather the equipment I need and to talk to Billy, or whoever is going to come with me." "We both know it should be me."Marda clamped her lips tight before turning around. Yep, there was the reflection she didn't want to see in his vibrant eyes. "I need you here," she said simply. "Marda-" She hoisted her palm flat in his direction. "You're the only one I trust to get me back here." Air fled Hornan's chest and he sagged back in his seat. "Well, that's the most reasonable thing you've said in days. It gives me faith that you're worried about coming back." "I don't have a death wish, Hornan." Was that true? "My whole life has been about guarding that bridge." She pointed out the window. "My duty-" she raised her eyes to the vaulted ceiling, always suspecting they were listening, "-is not to the Council. My duty is to Carpes, and even to Earth. Someone has to be their advocate. They don't even know about the portal, so someone has to protect them."

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