For young Prince Harpirias, the journey into the frozen tundra of remote Majipoor might well have been a death sentence. His mission? To rescue a party of scientists kidnapped by an uncivilized race who dwell beyond Majipoor's borders. He faces blizzards, ice storms, strange beasts, and barbarism, not knowing whether he'll return a hero--or not return at all.

Druid Vampire Hunter, Derek Dearg, travels to San Francisco in pursuit of his Archenemy, Slaine Morvyn, who killed his wife more than two millennia ago. Once Derek has avenged his wife he plans to go out into the sun and burn. When Becca Thorn enters his tattoo parlor, Voodoo Tattoo, his carefully laid plans go out the window. He finds her so irresistible he can't control his vampiric urges...A brooding Druid vampire who runs a tattoo parlor…A vampire running a tattoo parlor? Probably not the best job choice. But Derek Dearg doesn’t care - tattooing is one of the few skills he has besides hunting vampires using Druidic magic. And since decapitating vampires with ink creatures doesn’t pay the bills he doesn’t plan to close his shop Voodoo Tattoo in San Francisco anytime soon.An old friend who has become the deadliest of enemies…Sunny San Francisco, probably not the best place for a vampire to live either. However, Derek has been pursuing his Archenemy, Slaine Morvyn, an evil vampire who killed his wife, Cinnia, more than two millennia ago. Derek lives only for avenging his wife’s death, and once he’s finally taken Slaine’s head plans to go out into the sun, and burn himself to ashes.The red string of fate ties Derek’s destiny with one special woman…When an unexpected customer arrives in the form of Rebecca “Becca” Thorn, cyber socialite and blogger, his carefully laid plans go out the window. In centuries, there hasn’t been a single woman that has managed to capture Derek’s attention, but the southern belle has. There’s something irresistible about her that makes him unable to control his vampire impulses. He would desire nothing more than to sink his fangs into her throat, and sample her delicious blood…New cover by Mathia Arkoniel. Swearwords and graphic sexual content have been removed to make this book more appropriate for my Teen readers.

King’s War has broken out in the Southlands.As Solomon Baal ravages what remains, a demented tribal chief guides his band of struggling refugees to make camp within the ruins of Elm City. But obstructing their path ahead is Riverstein Forest, where dwells 1,000 ravenous hellhounds admitted into the mortal realm by the cosmic force of the abyss.King’s War has broken out in the SouthlandsAs Solomon Baal ravages what remains, a demented tribal chief guides his band of struggling refugees to make camp within the ruins of Elm City. But obstructing their path ahead is Riverstein Forest, where dwells 1,000 ravenous hellhounds admitted into the mortal realm by the cosmic force of the abyss.Zoe – hope of the future – suddenly vanishes without a trace, possibly falling victim to the insatiable taste of the fiends.Enter: Cantos – violent Nomad of Orion – who through the power of Chaos, unleashes evil versus evil while wandering the vast expanses of Gaia. Emerging from the forest, he is bound to secure Zoe’s “repossession” and lead the band to their salvation…for a price.Brutally violent, raw, and with a touch of soap drama: Scourged Land Book I: Arrisal is the first of a loosely connected series of tales, constructed as if translated from a lost language of a dark fantasy world unknown.Chapter I is available as a preview for the upcoming novelette.

Idris Sinclair is an average teenager who enjoys helping his family run their classic 50's themed diner. One night, however, is going to change everything he knows about everything and everyone. On Earth and off it.Some things in life are better where you don't know what's going on. Like knowing your government is betraying your trustIdris Sinclair lives a rather typical life; helping his family run their cherished diner. However, all the normalness he knows in life is about to go straight out the window when he happens to break into an abandoned van in the restaurant's parking lot. He discovers a small weapon's stockpile and various files, involving affairs foreign to him. As night begins to set in, the family is involved in one of our government's most heinous and dastardly secrets involving entities, not of this world.It walks among us. It could be anyone—or anything. Suspect everyone you know, or you pass on the street. There is nowhere where you are safe. Run all you want; it will only make you taste more delicious to it. It's too late. It already knows where you are.It’s. Here.

Seven fables and children's stories, from the haunting "The Enchanted Tree" to the silly "Wild Pony Day." (Most of these stories were previously published in magazines such as Cricket, or in anthologies.)Seven fables and children's stories, from haunting to the silly .Stories include:"The Enchanted Tree" - A magic tree has touched the lives of a whole town, including one lonely girl who needs some help at Christmas."The Hero and The Weaver" - When a young man pesters a magic weaver for a magic cloak, she sets him to impossible tasks to get rid of him... but he just won't give up. What could possibly turn a boy into such a hero?"The Greatest Treasure" - A poor and tiny kingdom helps a wealthier prince to find the greatest treasure to give to a picky princess."When Good Stories Go Bad" - Stories are meant to be shared freely, otherwise they might go bad on you. (Inspired by a Korean folktale.)"The Princess Who Would Not Smile" - Smiles must come from within."The Hot Bun Man" - And old street vendor and a rich man discover that generosity comes in many flavors."Wild Pony Day" - It's hard to teach when something wild runs rampant in your classroom.

A ghost story with a twist—a suspenseful and poignantly funny update of the Hamlet story. Eleven-year-old Philip Noble has a big problem: His dad, who was killed in a car accident, appears as a bloodstained ghost at his own funeral and introduces Philip to the Dead Fathers Club. The club, whose members were all murdered, gathers outside the Castle and Falcon, the local pub that Philip’s family owns and lives above. Philip’s father tells him that Uncle Alan killed him and he must avenge his death. When Philip realizes that Uncle Alan has designs on his mom and the family pub, Philip decides that something must be done. But it’s a much bigger job than he anticipated, especially when he is caught up by the usual distractions of childhood—a pretty girl, wayward friends, school bullies, and his own self-doubt. The Dead Fathers Club is a riveting, imaginative, and quirky update of Shakespeare’s great tragedy that will establish Matt Haig as a young writer of great talent and imagination.

"Prepare to get lost in the magic" (VOYA) of Katharine Kerr's popular Deverry fantasy series. The Shadow Isle, the third novel in The Silver Wyrm cycle, weaves together many of the story strands of the fourth and final cycle of the Deverry chronicles. The wild Northlands hold many secrets-the mysterious island of Haen Marn, the mountain settlements of Dwarvolt, and the fortified city of Cerr Cawnen, built long ago by escaping bondmen from Deverry itself. As the Horsekin continue to push their religious crusade toward the borders of the kingdom, the humans of Deverry and their elven allies realize that the fate of the Northlands lies tangled with their own. Only the magic of Dallandra and Valandario and the might of the powerful dragons, Arzosah and Rori, can reveal the secrets that can save the Northlands and themselves from conquest.

Recently appointed Crown Agents Jev and Zenia must prove that they're worthy of their new jobs and young King Targyon’s trust. Their mission? To research the strange “disease of the blood” that killed Targyon’s three cousins and left him unexpectedly ruling an entire kingdom at barely twenty years of age. There are just a few problems. If someone was responsible for creating that disease, that person could still be in the city, forcing Zenia and Jev to deal with someone very smart and very dangerous. Meanwhile, since Targyon has the same blood flowing through his veins that his cousins had, he’s at risk of becoming the next victim. And as it so happens, Jev shares some of that blood too. Might he become a target before Targyon? When Jev and Zenia signed on for this job, they didn’t realize how deadly it might become.

When Shan was fifteen years old, dark soldiers came out of the west, like a cloud of evil boiling over the soft hills of his homeland. They commanded terrible beasts, which killed with hook claws like scythes and cold eyes that dripped icy fire. The soldiers wore helmets that looked like fiends, tusked and snarling and sneering. The terrible consequences of war have left the boy Shan wounded in body and mind by the invading army of Magravandias. He's taken from his devastated village by the magus Taropat, chosen by the master's mysterious impulse to become the wizard's pupil, and a weapon against the invading empire.

Mother, wife, private investigator. . . vampire. Seven years ago, federal agent Samantha Moon was the perfect wife and mother, your typical soccer mom with the minivan and suburban home. Then the unthinkable happens, an attack that changes her life forever. And forever is a very long time for a vampire. Now with Christmas just around the corner, Samantha Moon finds herself taking on a very strange case. A mysterious family treasure has been stolen, something priceless that's been passed down through the generations, something buried in secrets. Samantha's reward is simple: she gets half of whatever it is. . . if she can find it first. And just as the holidays threaten to consume her, Samantha is approached by a very mysterious man, someone who knows all her secrets, a man who might not be a man at all. This Christmas, Samantha Moon's world is about to be rocked. . .

Short story featured in Nalini Singh's newsletter April 2013. This story happens around the same time as Play of Passion and features Vaughn and Faith.

The young and handsome John lives in the castle of the legendary vampire Belle Helène the Conqueror, as a pampered pet and sexual servant to Helène's sisters.Everything changes when Helène returns to her castle after a decades-long absence.Warning: Reader discretion is advised. This is a dark ride.A century after humankind lost a futile war to the immortal vampires, werewolves, and elves who rule the world, the young and handsome John lives in the castle of the legendary vampire Belle Helène the Conqueror, as a pampered pet and sexual servant to Helène's two sisters.Everything changes when the most powerful and brutal fiend in history—Belle Helène herself—returns to her castle after a decades-long absence. But—has she changed? Has she learned compassion, even kindness? Or is she just playing a long, cold game that could have catastrophic results for John and all his kind?Warning: Reader discretion is advised. This is a dark ride.

Chocolatier Tristan Savant is a half-incubus demon who needs sex in order to survive. With an unlimited supply of women available to him because of his chocolate shop, Dark Heaven, Tristan doesn't intend to change his philandering ways anytime soon. However, things slowly begin to change when he meets, Issy Sweet, a patissiere specializing in novelty cakes. Will friendship turn into true love?Beware this demonic cupid’s arrows…Young, beautiful women are being mysteriously drawn to a chocolate shop named Dark Heaven. One bite of the shop’s chocolates can stir lust and desire in any woman. The owner of the shop, Chocolatier Tristan Savant, has a dark secret - he’s half-incubus and needs sex in order to survive. With an unlimited supply of women in his clutches thanks to his shop, Tristan doesn’t intend to change his philandering lifestyle anytime soon. A stalker as sweet as her name…When Tristan’s stalker, Isolde ‘Issy’ Sweet, decides to work at Dark Heaven, she creates an alter ego for herself as a Living Doll so that she can pretend to be a fifteen-year-old runaway with the dream of being a patissiere who specializes in novelty cakes. Dressed up like a Victorian porcelain doll, Issy manages to stay under the incubus’ radar and protect herself from being seduced. A guardian angel with a plan…Tristan’s assistant chocolatier, Michael, is actually his guardian angel. Michael wants to save Tristan’s soul by helping the incubus find true love. Knowing that the only woman who can truly redeem Tristan is Issy Sweet, Michael convinces Tristan to stop having one-night stands, and to start wooing his conquests for one week before he can sleep with them. Author’s note: Swearwords and graphic sexual content have been removed to make this book more appropriate for my Teen readers. Please understand that due to the fact that the main character is a sex demon there will be unavoidable references to sex and sexual activities. I have censored this book to the best of my abilities. Thank you for your understanding and enjoy the book.

Tomat is a gambler who would be a degenerate if he didn't have a figurative ace up his sleeve - he can read minds. He finds himself talked into joining a tournament where he has to hide his ability or suffer the consequences. Read it for free at https://stories.osterin.comAn epic WWII saga, for fans of The Bronze Horseman and Outlander. Outcast and despised as a Roma (gypsy) in World War II Romania, all Tsura longs for is a sense of safety and a place to belong. Just when she believes she’s found home in the arms of her lover, for both their safety, she’s forced to leave him and marry another. Against the sweeping backdrop of war-torn Romania, Tsura fights one day at a time to survive the fall of fascism, the unrest of civil war, and the rise of Communism. Yet in spite of all she’s forced to endure, the biggest surprise of all? Home might be found in the last place she ever expected it—with her own husband.Excerpt:“It won’t be a real marriage.” Tsura put her hands to Andrei’s shirt and pulled him in close. “I’ll never share a bed with him. I love you. I only do what I must to keep us all safe. Once the war ends, it’ll be as if it never was.” She caught his face in her hands. “I am only yours, Andrei.” “Yes, you’re only mine,” Andrei bent over and growled in her ear. “When you put on that dress for him and walk down the aisle in that ugly goy church,” he kissed her hard before putting a strong hand to the back of her neck, pulling her forehead to his, “you think of me, here. When you say your vows to that man, you remember that it’s me who has owned your body tonight.” He again pressed his lips to hers. It was a claiming.Book I of II.

Dawn was born into the world of Heaven and Hell. After learning of her father's lineage she runs away to join her mother in a search for answers. After the disappearance of her step-father, Dawn and her mother move to a small town in the Midwest. This is when her world begins to unravel and the constant lies are unveiled. There is far more to this world than Angels and Demons.Dawn was born into the world of Heaven and Hell. After learning of her father's lineage she runs away to join her mother in a search for answers. After the disappearance of her step-father, Dawn and her mother move to a small town in the Midwest. This is where her world begins to unravel and the constant lies are unveiled. There is far more to this world than Angels and Demons, everything that was thought to be fiction turns out to be real.In an effort to not only saver herself but the first boy she has ever loved Dawn travels down a dark road. Tormented by Demons and Vampires, her sanity is questioned, her heart broken, and in the end a deadly determination comes to light. With the help of her new friend Adam will Dawn be able to save the world from utter destruction?