Claire's having a quiet day at her job as a librarian when soldiers show up wanting to destroy the tomes of magical knowledge in her library.It's a slow day at the city library, and Claire thinks it's going to stay that way- other than a visit from her girlfriend's class to learn about magic, it seems that nothing else is going to happen. And then soldiers show up, wanting to destroy the knowledge there and rule the city. Can Claire stand up to them, or is years of history going to disappear in the blink of an eye?

For the first time in months, I'm coming in from the darkness, away from my shadows, to find closure. He has tried to make me into a victim, but I didn't listen. I rarely do, anyway.Now, I'm going with the flames, because I can't do this alone.For the first time in months, I'm coming in from the darkness, away from my shadows, to find closure. He has tried to make me into a victim, but I didn't listen. I rarely do, anyway.Now, I'm going with the flames, because I can't do this alone.I'm going with the flames is a Fantasy short-story.It was inspired by the prompt of Goodreads user "Auntie J" in "Goodreads Friends with benefits".

Long before you and I came to exist, there was a small village on the borders of Japan. The village was haunted by ferocious daemons called the Hyakki. To keep them satisfied, the village council would sacrifice one child every year. When Aiko finds out her brother is missing, she tries to find him, but she ends up in more trouble than she could ever imagine…The quintessential Artifice Comics tale! Programmed to destroy super-powered beings known as Post-Moderns, the Siege Engine sets its sights on Santa Claus! Absurdist and puerile, Ho Ho Horrible Tragedy Forced Upon Christmas! focuses on the age old problem of just what do you do when you have a mechanized killing machine replete with a database of every super-powered human on Earth and a mandate for ruining the holiday season.Recommended for fans of sheer what-the-fuckery.

In MAXIMUM RIDE: SAVING THE WORLD AND OTHER EXTREME SPORTS, the time has arrived for Max and her winged "Flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution", a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race...and to terminate the rest. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel have always worked together to defeat the forces working against them--but can they save the world when they are torn apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another?

Ruby never asked for the abilities that almost cost her her life. Now she must call upon them on a daily basis, leading dangerous missions to bring down a corrupt government and breaking into the minds of her enemies. Other kids in the Children’s League call Ruby “Leader”, but she knows what she really is: a monster. When Ruby is entrusted with an explosive secret, she must embark on her most dangerous mission yet: leaving the Children’s League behind. Crucial information about the disease that killed most of America’s children—and turned Ruby and the others who lived into feared and hated outcasts—has survived every attempt to destroy it. But the truth is only saved in one place: a flashdrive in the hands of Liam Stewart, the boy Ruby once believed was her future—and who now wouldn’t recognize her. As Ruby sets out across a desperate, lawless country to find Liam—and answers about the catastrophe that has ripped both her life and America apart—she is torn between old friends and the promise she made to serve the League. Ruby will do anything to protect the people she loves. But what if winning the war means losing herself?

ENEMY TO LOVER Kayden is obsessed with revenge after his parents disappeared when he was just a cub. Now the gorgeous Hunter has discovered the man responsible for betraying them - Joshua Ford - and it’s time for payback. Beginning with the kidnapping of Joshua’s daughter, Bianca. But last thing he expects is to be confronted with the horrifying realization that Bianca is his mate. Will he put revenge before his chance for eternal happiness? BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Sexy male model, Simon refuses to give up his exciting life in New York City to return to the slow heat of the Wildlands. For a decade, many pantera have tried to capture the rogue Diplomat and bring him home, but all have failed. Now it’s Tryst’s turn. The hard, brilliant, and gorgeous, Hunter is the ultimate tracker. But can the admitted beast-girl of the Wildlands capture her prey without losing her heart in the process?

"Lonely witches get up to no good." Amber Lee has a decent life: she lives in a great house, she's about to start school again, her best friend Eliza is pregnant, and the pair of them are Wiccans with a healthy bond. But ever since Eliza moved out of Amber's house and in with her boyfriend Evan, Amber's been feeling a growing pang of loneliness in her chest. When Damien, a stranger to her town, mysteriously comes into her life bringing with him all manner of strangeness, everything changes. Damien shows Amber a side of her she never knew existed, and ignites in her a spark she hadn't felt in a long time, but he's haunted by a dark secret and a purpose which may prove fatal to them both - and by the time she realizes it, there's no turning back. Midnight Magick will take you deep into a world of witchcraft and mystery, where bonds are tested, hearts broken and lives lost.

Jack in the Green is an original novella, set in the fictional Southwestern desert city of Santo del Vado Viejo, and is available here for the first time in any format. Best friends Maria and Luz grew up in the barrio and were inseparable until Luz left town to fight against social injustice. They lose track of one another until one day, while at her job cleaning rich people's homes, Maria spots Luz among a gang robbing the house next door. Luz later tells Maria that her gang robs from the rich and gives to the poor, like a modern day Robin Hood. Luz says she brought the leader and his men to their city by magic. Maria isn't sure if she believes that, but she does know that she feels an undeniable romantic connection to their handsome leader, the mysterious Jack Green, and the feeling is mutual. Between her rekindled friendship with Luz and her attraction to Jack, she gets drawn into a life that’s 180 degrees opposite to how she’s been living. But when things go awry, it’s Maria who must pay the final price.

A free Weather Warden short story.

While humans and alien Zhirrzh prepare for galactic war, a handful of individuals from both sides learn that the reason was all a misunderstanding. Both were mistaken. To avoid extinction for both their races, this band becomes the focus of a subtle dangerous force that intends overall destruction.

Set in the present day, New Bridge to Lyndesfarne follows Kevin, a talented but lonely forty-something who is commissioned to design a second bridge between the Two Worlds. Accompanied by Tanji, his guide and interpreter from Lyndesfarne, Kevin inadvertently discovers a conspiracy to destroy the bridge which puts their lives in danger.A compilation of new adult and young adult contemporary and paranormal stories.There are moments in life that take you by surprise - an outcome you weren’t expecting, an instant connection with a virtual stranger, or those warm tingles of new love. No matter what happens, you are certain that you will never be the same. Step inside and join these best-selling authors as they offer you a glimpse into the hearts and minds of some of your favorite characters. From dystopian to paranormal to contemporary romance, this collection provides a taste of all that you love.Written by Anna Cruise, Carlyle Labuschagne, Charlotte Abel, C.L. Foster, Delphina Henley, E.L. Todd, Kelly Risser, Kristina Renee, N.L. Greene, Randi Cooley Wilson, Sharon Rose Mayes and Susan Burdorf

Bulays and Ghaavn try and stop a underworld shooting war. First they must get past a Martian Shadowcat, employ surprising combat techniques, and try and reason with Ghaavn's criminal mentor.A series planetary romance.Bulays and Ghaavn #4 (Martian Moon War, Part One)Back in the days when he ran the Anglican Youth Centre in Sydney’s Kings Cross, the Reverend Max Kingsley fell foul of gang boss Leonard Stanley d’Aratzio. Now, Lenny has an incurable cancer and wants to settle some accounts before he dies. When hit man, Mad Charlie Magro, crashes his car on the way to assassinate Kingsley, a team of undercover police is sent to the New South Wales country town of Arajinna. But Lenny is prepared to set up as many hits as it takes to get revenge against the man who helped put him in gaol. To reduce the risk to other people, Max decides to create a temporary residence in the vestry of the church. It is an anxious time for him and for his wife Judith who remains at Banabrook homestead.Meanwhile, Judith’s cousin, Tony Blake, is renovating a property on the river at Arajinna, where he lives with Emily, the mother of Judith’s half-sister Senator Caroline Blake. The renovations uncover evidence of earlier foul play in the district and Tony’s life is further complicated when he manages to get on the wrong side of the d’Aratzio family.While people in Arajinna go about their business, largely unaware of the dramas being enacted close by, the Blakes and the Kingsleys deal with death on several levels.

Jet-packs, Dragons, Barbarians, Dinosaurs, Magic, Space-Ships, Chainsaws and Beards. This epic tale of hilarity, emotion and adventure is the true story of Grigor: The Destructionator!The five pieces of awesome are objects scattered around the universe that grant the wielder near ultimate power. If the Evil Lord gets them first then the Universe will be thrust into a nightmareish hell, if Grigor gets them first, there's a slim chance he can save everyone. But the pieces already have owners, will Grigor and his rag tag group of comrades (including an immortal legendary pirate and a man with chainsaws for arms) get the pieces first and save the world? Or will the Evil Lord plunge the universe into indomitable darkness forever?Before Grigor even realises that he's on an amazing adventure he has to face his day job as a Viking Bank Financier. This has it's own challenges, like Evil Zombie Ninjas and even worse, a visit from the Aduit Team.A hilariously ironic slant on the space opera and fantasy epic style. Un-like anything you will ever read.

What would you do if you were given three wishes? What would you wish for? Find out what happens when a bottle containing a smoking hot genie is given to Beth by a young trick-or-treater. Will she wish wisely or foolishly?Henry Peters hasn’t got much to boast about. He’s not showy, has average smarts, and he's definitely not a big-noter. Living in Christchurch suburbia with his wife, teaching overseas students in a private training establishment, he used to head the science department. Not now. He sought and missed out on a promotion to deputy CEO. He feels his wife’s disappointment in him. Then a 7.1 earthquake strikes the city damaging his old work premises. Suddenly, Henry’s in the light and people need his help. But no one knows his secret and, more importantly, he needs to make sure they stay in the dark.

There are many powers in this universe that man was never meant to have. One day, though, one of these powers falls to us, to a normal teenage boy, when it was never supposed to. So the responsibility falls to this boy to both protect man with this power and from it in the race to get it off the planet before it’s too late…Kyle Foster's summer starts off in an interesting way when he encounters a space object that crash-lands in the forest. Kyle goes off to investigate, and the UFO zaps him with incredible power. As the weeks go by, Kyle learns that he now has control of this power, and it changes everything, including his relationships with his best friends. On top of the usual worry of a teen, Kyle becomes aware that there is another UFO related to the first heading toward Earth. Kyle's caution proves true when the alien attacks, and on top of all of this, other humans are also taking an interest in Kyle, with their own ideas in mind for his power.