New York Times bestselling authors Jeaniene Frost and Ilona Andrews bring you two short stories of paranormal. Jeaniene Frost's story, One for the Money, features vampires Cat and Bones trying to protect a spoiled heiress with a price on her head and an undead hitman on her trail. Previously published in Death's Excellent Vacation. Also includes the first three chapters from Jeaniene's story in The Bite Before Christmas anthology, as well as a sneak peek at ONCE BURNED, the first novel in the new Night Prince series. Ilona Andrews' story, A Questionable Client, is a prequel to her award-winning Kate Daniels series. In a world beset by magic waves, Kate Daniels works as a mercenary. She is tired, hungry, and there is foul-smelling blood on her boots. All she wants to do is to go home, but when Mercenary Guild offers her a job she can't refuse, she finds herself protecting a man against Russian wizards. Previously published in Dark and Stormy Knights. Also includes first two chapters of FATE'S EDGE, book 3 in the Edge series, and first two chapters of Magic Grieves, a Kate Daniels novella.

He isn’t everything he says he is. He’s even more… Who is Chase Tallman, the newest member of Shadow Falls? What made him into the sexy, mysterious vampire he is today? And what led him to Della Tsang? Step back in time and unearth the secrets that haunt him. The secret of how he became a vampire—and how he knows so much about being reborn. Secrets about his first love, his family--and what steers him toward Della, the beautiful, complicated girl he just can’t seem to stay away from. The one who makes him want things he thought he’d given up on long ago. It all began with a research study, a palm reader, and a plane crash that sent him on a quest…for a love that’s unbreakable.

In A SEA OF SHIELDS, Gwendolyn gives birth to her and Thorgrin s child, amidst powerful omens. With a son born to them, Gwendolyn and Thorgrin's lives are changed forever, as is the destiny of the Ring. Thor has no choice to but to embark to find his mother, to leave his wife and child and venture away from his homeland on a perilous quest that will have the very future of the Ring at stake. Before Thor embarks, he unites with Gwendolyn in the greatest wedding in the history of the MacGils, and he is given the honor he has always dreamed of when he is inducted into the Silver and becomes a Knight. Gwendolyn feels a looming danger to the Ring, and furthers her plans to rescue all of her people in the case of a catastrophe. Erec receives news of his father's illness, and is summoned back home, to the Southern Isles; Alistair joins him on the journey, as their wedding plans are put in motion. Reece, despite himself, falls in love with his cousin, and when Tirus sons find out, they set in motion a great treachery. And Romulus, in the Empire, discovers a new form of magic which may just destroy the Shield for good.

As darkness falls after sunset, the corelings rise—demons who possess supernatural powers and burn with a consuming hatred of humanity. For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards—symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile. It was not always this way. Once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms, but those days are gone. Night by night the demons grow stronger, while human numbers dwindle under their relentless assault. Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past. Together, they will stand against the night.

The hair-raising action continues for Michael Vey in this charged third installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling series. Michael, Taylor, Ostin and the rest of the Electroclan have destroyed the largest of the Elgen Starxource plants, but now they’re scattered across the Amazon jungle. The Elgen have joined forces with the Peruvian army to capture the Electroclan, and only Michael has managed to remain free. With his friends due to stand trial for terrorism—a charge that may carry the death penalty—Michael will need all his wits and his abilities if he’s to save them. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Dr. Hatch and his loyal Electric Children have seized control of the E.S. Ampere—the super yacht the Elgen use as their headquarters. With the Elgen fleet now under his control, Hatch heads back to Peru to pick up his army and then begin his quest for global domination. Michael will have to free his friends then find a way to stop Hatch, but the organization behind the mysterious voice that has guided him to this point has been compromised. Hatch knows Michael and the Electroclan are coming. And he’s ready for them. Can the Electroclan win the battle of the Ampere? Or has Michael’s luck finally run out?

Every new recruit to the Helios-Ra Society is issued this guidebook, with secrets to the inner workings of the League the vampires they are hunting. But when new recruit Lucy Hamilton gets her hands on a copy, she can’t contain her inner snark-especially because she has first-hand knowledge of the various vampire societies that sometimes contradicts the conventional wisdom of her new academy.

In the cataclysm of the battle of the gods, a portal to Hell has been opened, releasing legions of unnatural creatures that have pushed humanity to the edge of extinction. While warring deities clash with fallen angels, the only hope for mankind’s survival lies with the most unlikely heroes: Former assassin Rachel Hael has rejoined blood-magician Mina Greene and her little dog, Basilis, on one last desperate mission to save the world from the ravages of Hell. As Rachel travels to the final confrontation she has both sought and feared, she begins to realize that time itself is unraveling. And so she must prepare herself for a sacrifice that may claim her heart, her life, her soul—and even then it may not be enough.

She’s tried for years to get the sister sword from Andorian. With no success. Losing patience, a war broke out.This is the story of the end of that war, where brother and sister sword clash for one last time.This story is based on a village girl who destined to win all the battles wherever she was pitted, against all the odds. However, she was not from Assam as I portrayed in the story. I have not given any name of the person who had helped her all along as an elder brother and as a mentor. I shall fill up your name when you will help an intelligent poor village girl to achieve her goal.

In a world ravished by evil, nothing is as it seems. The Darkness beckons to the soul conjuring lilting spells to lull the world and heavens with its discordant lullaby. Only light can conquer the darkness. Only death offers a glimmer of escape. Who will protect the protectors? Who will rise to defend The Realm? PURCHASE COMPLETED NOVEL at SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/312401In a world ravished by evil, nothing is as it seems. The Darkness beckons to the soul conjuring lilting spells to lull the world and heavens with its discordant lullaby. Only light can conquer the darkness. Only death offers a glimmer of escape. Who will protect the protectors? Who will rise to defend The Realm?

Two young teenagers, Akkri and his work partner Vonn, discover that they are to be part of the first Vikan expedition to an alien planet – the planet Earth! They meet Andrew and Vicky who find life difficult in their London school. As the visitors interact with the lives of the people of Earth, unexpected things begin to happen and life changes in strange and wonderful ways.Two young teenagers, Akkri and his work partner Vonn, discover that they are to be part of the first Vikan expedition to an alien planet – the planet Earth!Life on Vika is very different to life on Earth. The Vikans have learnt to trust life itself to supply their needs. Their beautiful cities and their advanced civilisation have developed without the use of technology.In London, Andrew and his friend Vicky are finding it hard to cope with the perils of school life. Vonn and Akkri arrive in Andrew’s road, Chichester Greenway, just in time to save them from the menacing advances of three older boys from their school.As the members of the Vikan expedition interact with the lives of the people of Earth, unexpected things begin to happen and life changes in strange and wonderful ways.

On the fantasy world of Tar Ebon, the overlord of a guild of assassin’s, Lord Garik, seeks to unite assassin’s from around the world against the establishment. They seek to bring chaos and disorder to the world. A team of super-powered heroes must set forth to end this threat and save the world.They came from the shadows. They came to destroy us.Twenty years ago, bloodthirsty assassins turned an innocent girl into a monster. Most of her humanity perished. She fell into darkness.Now she steps from the shadows. Now she destroys the light. Now she brings the rise of the assassin king.Dawyn Darklance was thrust into war. After mysteriously arriving on Tar Ebon he joined the Kingdom of Tar Ebon’s army. Dawyn rose to the rank of commander of the king’s guard and now has been chosen to find and destroy the assassin king.Against the assassin onslaught, Tar Ebon stands alone. But Dawyn and his allies, a druid, mage and bard, will fight. They will rise. They will win, or they will die.

Charlotte and Bloom are best friends on the beach. They have a happy life as pre-teens, just hanging around as any beach girl would do, until Bloom gets superpowers! After that, It's one adventure after another in this exciting tale.Charlotte and Bloom are two BFF's living off the coast of the Florida Bahamas. After a strange trip to an island, Bloom randomly gets the power of wind, water, ice, and fire! She can also turn into a fairy or mermaid! You may think that's a good thing, but it gets these little trouble-makers in bigger trouble! What happens when a big group of tattle-tales see Bloom as a fairy? And what if she freezes her best friend? And most of all, what happens if Charlotte is jealous?

When Paean, a teen musician, boards the 'Solar Wind' with her brothers, all she wants is to escape from those monstrous forces hunting for them. But she is out of luck, because the Solar Wind is a pirate ship. Suddenly all the rules have changed, and she must find her way in this quicksand to figure out whom to trust, what to keep secret, and how to help the high-tech ship evade the law.Three orphaned siblings board a ship in the year 2116, hoping to escape from the deadly forces hunting for them. Their luck fails them, as they discover: The 'Solar Wind' is a pirate. As Paean and her brothers do a tightrope dance between keeping their own secret and helping the Solar Wind's crew evade the military that is ceaselessly combing for them all, their magic begins to weave its own tune into the hearts of the pirates. Danger threatens from all sides, and it soon becomes clear that they have to throw their lot in with the Solar Wind and her crew, or perish with the ship. Review by Nikki Mason, BestChickLit:.... The Donegal siblings are thrown into the world of piracy while trying to escape a corrupt and dictating world government. They are charming, easy to like teens who tackle every new shock with courage and loyalty. But the real stand out character is the eccentric gypsy Federi, the ship’s chef and jester. But behind those laughing smiling eyes lies a dark past and a backbone of steel.The imaginative book explores different levels of loyalty and friendship and how far people will go to protect the ones they love, even if it means ignoring their own values and the results are fascinating.

This riveting second installment in Stephenson and company’s epic tale focuses on the aftermath of the world-shattering Mongolian invasion of 1241 and the difficult paths undertaken by its most resilient survivors. The Shield Brethren, an order of warrior monks, search for a way to overthrow the horde, even as the invaders take its members hostage. Forced to fight in the Mongols’ Circus of Swords, Haakon must prove his mettle or lose his life in the ring. His bravery may impress the enemy, but freedom remains a distant dream. Father Rodrigo receives a prophecy from God and believes it’s his mission to deliver the message to Rome. Though a peaceful man, he resigns himself to take up arms in the name of his Lord. Joining his fight to save Christendom are the hunter Ferenc, orphan Ocyrhoe, healer Raphael, and alchemist Yasper, each searching for his place in history. Deftly blending fact and fantasy, The Mongoliad: Book Two captures the indomitable will to survive against immense odds.

Millipop Klompet and Ernest Perriclof live in the uneventful town of Drabville, where the cautious Ernest spends his time enlarging his rock collection and Milli dreams of adventure. When the pair are kidnapped from their homes and brought to live in the gothic mansion known as Hog House, they are adopted by the madcap Mr and Mrs Mayor and a series of bizarre encounters follows. Things do not add up and the children find that sinister plans are beginning to emerge. Why has the notorious Lord Aldor stolen the shadows of all of the town's residents and where are they being held? Assisted by a band of prisoners, the children must venture into the Taboo Territories, and battle the perils dished out by the Lurid Lagoon, in order to outwit Lord Aldor and prevent him from executing his secret master plan. Praise for The Shadow Thief: 'Clearly [Adornetto] is already an Australian literary phenomenon ... to read The Shadow Thief is to be thrust into a fast-moving plot full of menace and thrills, amply seeded with a magnificently precocious vocabulary' -The Courier-Mail 'an impressive debut ... a wonderful fantasy story, full of adventure and scary, dark shadows' -The Australian Women's Weekly 'a comic fantasy full of magic' -The Sydney Morning Herald