After some pestering from his daughter, Caleb goes to pay Evie a visit. He finds her without her memory and at the mercy of the latest threat in her life. With no other clear choice, he takes her home where he’ll protect her with every claw and fang in his possession. Third in the series following Anticipations, this is told in Caleb’s point of view. It's time to find out what HE feels about Evie.After some pestering from his daughter, Caleb goes to pay Evie a visit. He finds her without her memory and at the mercy of the latest threat in her life. With no other clear choice, he takes her home where he’ll protect her with every claw and fang in his possession. It isn’t easy to ignore the complicated history he shares with our favorite witch. Answering her questions about the past forces him to face his feelings on the same subject, the forbidden desires he isn’t too sure he can keep hiding. Third in the series following Anticipations, this is a short story told in Caleb’s point of view. Book 2.5 in the series, book 3 coming soon.

After eight long years of bouncing from different foster homes, Beanie, an unassuming orphan girl found herself in a mysterious orphanage, the Laketuh House. While the children there were unfriendly and rude, she noticed that there was something more to them, something unique. Then one day they took her to a place called Laketuh Lake where they entered a magical gate into another world.When you feel lonely, do you look up at the sky and wonder if there is someone out there in the universe looking at the same sky? Do you believe there is somewhere in the universe where all the different planets are connected? And if you were able to go there can you imagine all the fantastic creatures and beings you will meet? Each of our lives is filled with adventures, whether we notice them or not. And every journey, no matter how daunting must have a beginning. So it is with this in mind we begin our story… After eight long years of bouncing from different foster homes, Beanie, an unassuming orphan girl found herself in a mysterious orphanage, the Laketuh House. While the children there were unfriendly and rude, she noticed that there was something more to them, something unique. Then one day they took her to a place called Laketuh Lake where they entered a magical gate into another world. But what is behind that gate? This is where Beanie’s journey begins. She is about to embark on a grand adventure to discover the meaning of TUH, and in the process face her fears to discover just how extraordinary she and the universe truly are.

Sixteen year old Thea Hartsong is the only person who can stop a coven of witches from fulfilling a dark and ancient prophecy which threatens the entire world.But will anybody believe a girl who is officially crazy?My name’s Thea Hartsong and this is my story. If you recognize my name from the newspapers or TV please don’t stop reading…I didn’t do what they say I did, I promise….Following what she believes is a nervous breakdown, complete with a prescription for ‘Headzapper’ pills, sixteen year old Thea Hartsong finds herself at the centre of a battle between the forces of light and darkness when she discovers that her daytime hallucinations are actually the emergence of 'second sight', and that she is the only person who can stop a coven of witches from fulfilling a dark and ancient prophecy which threatens the entire world.But will anybody believe a girl who is officially crazy?

my first book..this a story of love, magic, wolves and birds all finding true love maybe. phoenix is happy for the first time in her life. she has a mate she loves and who loves her. a knock on the door and a dream brings hawk with news of trouble. will hawk help her or distroy her happiness?phoenix is happy at last a woman who has finally found her mate and wouldn't you know it he is an alpha who started his own pack. life is good until phoenix starts having dreams of a new mate. rain is not happy with the idea of sharing her or sharing the alpha spot. would the pack even accept two alpha males, it was unheard of. with no name or discription of this new mate phoenix has no idea who to expect. then there is the message that the pack is in danger. what is a she-wolf to do.

Long after a war that raged for twenty long years, the leader of a new nation must balance the power between the people and those who ruled before them. A deep immersive look into the realm of complexities in the world of Grecian/Roman heavy politics,With the endless and tiresome public servitude for the senate,the barrage of boundless woes and a tale of mystery with added seduction.Projects fail for a variety of reasons. Projects can fall apart due to lack of management and executive support, lack of client involvement, poor planning, and unrealistic expectations. Not understanding what is required to complete the project as well as unrealistic expectations, both on the part of management and the client, can cause a project to fail as no one really understands what is required to complete the project successfully. Poor planning is partially to blame, and so is a lack of requirements. Because the client may not understand what they want or what can be done given the scope of the project those working on the project may end up working aimlessly.

"The Hunter from the Woods" marks the much-anticipated return of Michael Gallatin, the lycanthropic hero of Robert McCammon's 1989 classic, "The Wolf's Hour." These all-new, interlinked stories offer a full measure of McCammon's trademark narrative excitement, and comprise a fascinating composite portrait of a unique fictional creation. The volume opens with a pair of brief glimpses into Michael's early life in Russia and his initial recruitment into the British Secret Service. It ends with a haunting vision of the werewolf at twilight. In between, McCammon gives us three stellar novellas depicting different phases of Michael's long, brutal war against Nazi Germany. "Sea Chase" is a nautical tale about the hazards of transporting a defecting German scientist to a place of sanctuary in England. "The Wolf and the Eagle" is the account of an unlikely friendship between rival "men of action" and a harrowing portrayal of a lethal forced march through the North African desert. ?The Room at the Bottom of the Stairs? tells of an impossible, ultimately tragic love affair set in the embattled city of Berlin during the latter stages of the war. Erotic, visceral, and filled with moments of desolating horror and unexpected warmth, The Hunter from the Woods is a triumph of imaginative storytelling. Like the best of McCammon's earlier work, it offers intelligent, world-class entertainment. In the process, it shines a welcome new light on one of the most uncommon heroes in contemporary fiction.

Enter a world of elemental magic, forbidden romance, and betrayal in this prequel to New York Times bestselling author Danielle Paige's upcoming Stealing Snow. Margot grew up as an apprentice to the witches Nepenthe and Ora, but she doesn't possess the incredible magic that they have. So when the old Snow King asked her to kidnap Ora, she obeyed his command, hiding her true motives from the witches. Though the witches could kill Margot for her betrayal, they showed her mercy--and without her old friends at her side, she must find her own way. Leaving the world she knows behind, Margot decides to put her affinity for thieving to use by embracing the Robber trade. But she is set for a much greater fate. . . and more of the prophecy foretelling Algid's future will be revealed. Along the way, Margot must find her way from being a magic-less apprentice to be becoming a queen in her own right. And Margot's role in the prophecy is only just beginning. . . In the future, she is destined to cross paths with a girl named Snow, who will have the power to change Algid forever-for better, or for worse.

From the author of the New York Times bestselling Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, *comes UNHOLY NIGHT*, the next evolution in dark historical revisionism. They're an iconic part of history's most celebrated birth. But what do we really know about the Three Kings of the Nativity, besides the fact that they followed a star to Bethlehem bearing strange gifts? The Bible has little to say about this enigmatic trio. But leave it to Seth Grahame-Smith, the brilliant and twisted mind behind Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to take a little mystery, bend a little history, and weave an epic tale. In Grahame-Smith's telling, the so-called "Three Wise Men" are infamous thieves, led by the dark, murderous Balthazar. After a daring escape from Herod's prison, they stumble upon the famous manger and its newborn king. The last thing Balthazar needs is to be slowed down by young Joseph, Mary and their infant. But when Herod's men begin to slaughter the first born in Judea, he has no choice but to help them escape to Egypt. It's the beginning of an adventure that will see them fight the last magical creatures of the Old Testament; cross paths with biblical figures like Pontius Pilate and John the Baptist; and finally deliver them to Egypt. It may just be the greatest story never told.

Wenda Woodwife expected to live Happily Ever After once a magical spell turned her carved wooden body into lovely human form and won her the heart of the dashing Prince Charming. But now Wenda finds herself cross and confused, beset by emotional upheavals that are driving her beloved away. When she seeks a solution from the Good Magician Humfrey, he refuses, asking her instead to volunteer for an arduous assignment that has little chance of success. For in the depths of the Gap Chasm, a gigantic Knot of reverse wood has become petrified, transforming it into a beacon of terror that no one dares approach. If Wenda’s own magical mastery of wood cannot neutralize the Knot’s powers, nothing can. As she travels toward the source of the danger, she gathers about her a company of remarkable allies, each with their own special talents, and their own personal crises. Meryl Mermaid is a winged creature who despairs of ever finding a proper mate. Wenda’s old friend Jumper, a giant spider who can assume human form, is struggling to find happiness with the Demoness Eris. The brave Prince Hilarion is searching for his vanished soul mate. Angela Angel was exiled from Heaven for tasting forbidden love. And the kindly Princess Ida has begun to wonder if she has grown too old to ever find true romance. The path to the object of their quest is filled with myriad mysterious obstacles, including a Reverse World where everything changes into its opposite, a perplexing invisible maze that confound one’s deepest wishes, and even an armada of bug-eyed space aliens. Wenda and her Companions find themselves transformed, in body, mind, and spirit, and begin to realize that the solution to the problem, and their hearts’ desires, may be far closer than they have suspected.

When you've lost everything you love, how do you fight the darkness? Ava left Istanbul with a new identity, new name, and new magic she could barely control. Laid low by Malachi's sacrifice, she searches for help from the fabled Irina. But will the secretive women of the Irin race welcome or shun her? Ava's origins are still a mystery, and her powers are darker than any they've encountered before. The Irin world hangs in the balance. And as the children of angels battle their own demons, ancient rivalries among the Fallen threaten to wreak havoc on earth. Thousand of miles away, a warrior wakes with no memory of his identity or his people. Stumbling though the dark and twisted schemes of fallen angels, ravenous Grigori, and even his own leaders, he must find a way back to the one thing he remembers. A single voice calls him. Malachi has one mission. "Come back to me." THE SINGER is the second book in the Irin Chronicles, a contemporary fantasy series from Elizabeth Hunter, author of the Elemental Mysteries. 

"The most promising and original writer of fantasy to come along since Robin McKinley."—Peter S. Beagle, best-selling author of The Last Unicorm Damiana is safe-keeper in the small village of Tambleham. Neighbors and strangers alike come one by one, in secret, to tell her things they dare not share with anyone else, knowing that Damiana will keep then to herself. One late night, a mysterious visitor from the city arrives with an unusual secret for the Safe-Keeper—a newborn baby. Damiana, who is expecting her own child, agrees to take the foundling. She names him Reed and raises him side by side with her daughter, Fiona. Ad the years pass and the two children grow into teenagers, they must come to terms with who they are—and who they may be.

Civilization as we know it has been annihilated. The decay and chaos of the multiverse have left Europe in a surreal, yet ever-fashionable, mess. Jerry Cornelius finds himself in an increasingly futile series of guises, part of a cast of characters dancing the Entropy Tango towards oblivion. Will the legendary Cornelius ever be united with his true beloved, his sister Catherine? And will balance ever be restored to devastated London?Winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize, The Condition of Muzak is the fourth, climactic novel in the Cornelius Quartet. But this is by no means the last we will see of Jerry Cornelius—an indelible spirit of counter-culture who continues to inspire writers and artists to this day.

Find out what happens when magic and technology clash in the world's final days!Ascended are damned souls, weapons abandoned by both Heaven and Hell in ages long past, doomed and bound to the Earth, born and reborn.But when Seven Kharaos, a unique first-generation Ascended appears, with the power to redefine the very rules of the universe, some see it as an opportunity to end their long exile.The promised day has come, when all of humanity seeks judgment for its greatest sin: existence.But there are those who oppose the machinations of Fate, and choose to bare their teeth at what lay beyond. Heretics, damned souls -- the Ascended, they are called, cursed to wander the Earth lifetime after lifetime, vestigial, humanoid weapons once wielded by both angels... and demons in a proxy war that tore the world apart.Hope lies with a single young man, blissfully unaware of the hidden world and secret war that rages around him: a first-generation Ascended with the unique power to shape and redefine the very laws of the universe.Yet Seven Kharaos vaguely does know the extent of his own destiny, haunted by prophetic dreams of pure white wings. Terrified of such portents, he chose to run from his fate. ​For Seven Kharaos, inevitably, is the man who will destroy the world.The F-Infinity Saga is an episodic series updated every few weeks! Please check back often to find more cantos, and learn the answer to the question: Who, exactly, is Seven Kharaos?

Fourteen-year-old Emily Adams has special powers she doesn’t want, a spiteful aunt she can’t escape, and a primeval legacy she knows nothing about. But when an otherworldly being materializes, Emily discovers the true purpose of her magical blood and of the danger that threatens to annihilate her world.Can a teenage girl find the courage to face her true self in Emily's House?Fourteen-year-old Emily Adams has special powers she doesn’t want, a spiteful aunt she can’t escape, and a primeval legacy she knows nothing about. But when an otherworldly being materializes, Emily discovers the true purpose of her magical blood and of the danger that threatens to annihilate her world.Dormant for over a thousand years, an ancient evil has arisen. This time, it will destroy anyone – or anything – that stands in its way.With her two best friends by her side, Emily risks everything and embarks on a dangerous journey to Ireland and beyond where she unlocks the secrets of her Celtic ancestors. As the hour of world annihilation draws near, the fate of her friends, her family and her world lies in her hands.Can a teenage girl without hero credentials save the world? And will Emily find the courage to face her true self in Emily’s House?Join the Journey ...Gary Smails of BubbleCow Editing said:"I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed reading (and this is a rare comment to type!) this full manuscript. Overall a strong character-led narrative, one that is engaging, original and current."

We have conclusive proof in this issue that the May issue was more than just a fluke because we have yet another month's worth of fantastic stories to deliver. This issue has some great surprises, too. Fiction Vortex publishes science fiction and fantasy. All stories in this issue appeared on FictionVortex.com during June 2013.We have conclusive proof in this issue that the May issue was more than just a fluke because we have yet another month's worth of fantastic science fiction and fantasy stories to deliver. This issue has some great surprises, too. While some seem to fit into traditional genres, such as alien invasion, fairy grove visitation, and haunting ghosts, there are also a few that defy description. For instance, what genre covers a botanist who finds more than he bargains for while searching for Ghost Orchids? There's a story that seems to be a general dystopia until you realize it's dealing with the most dystopic medium of all: reality television. And of course, how do you classify a story where the language changes as the story progresses?Now perhaps you can see why we're so proud of these stories.Of course, being the narcissistic sociopaths (say that ten times while drunk) that we are, we couldn't just let the fiction writers have all the fun, so you'll also see a few writing tips from me and the Editor-in Chief, Mike Cluff, near the end of this issue. They involve vehicular manslaughter and malicious fairy hit squads, so at least they should be interesting.Fiction Vortex publishes science fiction and fantasy short stories from writers around the world. All stories in this issue appeared on the FictionVortex.com site during the month of June 2013.