While Anna and Malcolm anxiously await the birth of their twins, the universe is besieged by the complications of bringing a corporeal version of Hell into being. As Empress and Emperor of Cirrus, Anna and Malcolm must also deal with the politics of trying to unite those who live in the down-world with the pampered citizens within the cloud cities. Anna quickly learns that changing the way people think can be a daunting task, especially when the princes of Hell attempt to thwart her plans at every turn.

At the tender age of seven, Jess Riley's parents were ripped out of her life by the Tear, a ripple of white light in the sky which randomly transports people from Earth to alternate realities and distant planets once a year. On the night the Tear first appeared, the Watchers, a mysterious group of men possessing supernatural powers, made their presence known to the leaders of the world, earning their complete trust to deal with the turmoil the Tear caused.

On the night Anna was born, she was promptly sent away from the down-world to live in the cloud city of Cirrus. That very same night her future was decided for her when she became betrothed to Crown Prince Augustus Amador. For 21 years, she has lived as Lady Anna. Although Anna's destiny seemed laid out for her, fate intervenes to reveal the true path she was always meant to take. With the unexpected arrival of Malcolm Devereaux into her world, Anna knows without a shadow of a doubt that she has finally been reunited with the missing piece of her soul.

Alternate Earth is a world Jess always considered a part of her past, not the way leading to her future. When she began to have a recurring nightmare about it, she knew destiny was urging her to go back there. For five long years, Jess and Mason have struggled to assemble the right combination of travelers fated to journey back to this altered reality with them. Now, they’re down to finding the final member for their party, whose presence will allow the vessels to open a dimensional gateway back to alternate Earth.

Spend this Christmas with some of your favorite characters from the Watcher universe. In this collection of short stories, you’ll get an intimate look at certain character’s lives and what happened to them "after the story".