With nothing to live for, a dutiful soldier trudges toward his inevitable end. Until an enemy witch casts a curse on him that transforms him into his worst nightmare: his true self. The monster inside him has been waiting a lifetime to be free, and intends to keep that freedom at any cost.And the monster inside... is beautiful.
Disowned by his family for preferring men to women, a naive nobleman's son is taken in by an elite mercenary band. First they adopt him. Then they train him. Bonds quickly form, deeper than any he's ever known--but as a coward at heart, he dreads his first real fight. But his most important battle may be against the people who saved him.
Queer characters have often been cast as the villains, the monsters, the tragic figures--but never on their own terms. But not everyone wants to be a hero. The characters of these six dark fantasy stories choose to take the role of outcast, rebel, even monster. And this time, they plan to win.
Fritha would have been doomed to a quiet life of obscurity in her tiny village if not for her lover: the great hero of prophecy, destined to wrest the throne from the Usurper Queen. And he's never let her forget it. When the Usurper abducts her, she expects to be forced to choose whether to remain loyal to him or save her own life. She doesn't expect the Usurper's captivating blue eyes...
Men belong to the gods. Women belong to the goddesses. To whom does Keyna belong? For two glorious years, as she fought the horrors beyond this universe who wage constant war on humanity, she belonged to the Nameless One: the most mysterious and feared of all the deities. But every soldier's soul must return to its rightful owner. Unless the Nameless One does something unprecedented.
Deep in the fae ruins, a cruel god awakens. He intends to take revenge on humanity for his long imprisonment. And he controls an ancient magic capable of bringing all humans low: the force of lust. He doesn't know he'll encounter a human soldier whose lack of interest in men and women alike may make him the only one capable of defeating a god.
Listen well, young prince. Let me tell you a tale of gods and men, of immortality and madness. It tells of rejection by the gods themselves, and an unstoppable threat thousands of years in the making. And when I finish my story, you will know what to do when this threat reaches your walls. But be careful, young prince. It may be too late.
Since the beginning of time, humans have whispered desperate pleas into the darkness. In these six stories, someone is listening. Dark forces are ready to meet every need and fulfill every wish... for a price. But eventually, the bill always comes due.
The wealthy CEO of a failing corporation, Magnus is about to lose everything... including calling on dark powers. But the demon who answers his call may not be as cooperative as he expects.They have a history, her and Magnus. What he did to her as a human left her with a burning desire for revenge... a desire only Hell could fulfill.
When Haley got into charity work, it seemed like a dream come true--a chance to make the world a better place. Now she's overtired, underpaid, and full of hard-won cynicism. She doesn't mean to unload her feelings on the glamorous stranger in the seat next to her. But one look into the woman's eyes, and suddenly she can't stop talking. And there's no harm in confessing her frustrations... right?
Ten years ago, Derek's daughter disappeared. Now she's standing on his doorstep, pale and shaking, with streaks of red lightning flashing in her eyes. Derek should be overjoyed. He isn't. Because he knows why she disappeared. He was there. He was the one who performed the sacrifice.
The day Paul's daughter is born, a smiling stranger with pointed ears visits the hospital to make him an offer he can't refuse. It's a dangerous world out there. Especially for children. But he can give Paul something any parent would do anything for: the certainty that his child will be safe. And all it will cost is a single drop of blood. For now. But prices always go up...
Deep in the forest, a woodcarver creates charms for good fortune and beautiful carved figurines. But no one is willing to pay for the artistry of his carvings, or the utility of his charms. Legend says that far to the north lives a spirit who can grant the power to change the human heart. No one told him the spirit would ask for his own heart in exchange.
When a human woman wants a child, and can't have one by natural means, the fae have always been happy to provide. The world has changed, but their bargains haven't. And a fae bargain is never fair. They promise human children, and deliver... something else. But this woman is different. This woman knows their tricks. And she was never after a human baby. She has a plan for her changeling child.
A decade ago, Courtney and her friends survived an attack so shocking it made the national news. Their classmate Olivia Kendall's obsession with them, which had grown as her mental health declined, culminated in a scene of brutal violence. At least that's the story they told. Until Courtney sits down with a reporter for a ten-year retrospective...
Nicole used to be a shy little nothing. Then the confident and popular Morgan took her under her wing. Morgan taught Nicole how to stand up for herself. She taught her how to make friends and how to keep them, how to make enemies and how to defeat them. She taught Nicole how to be ruthless. But when you create a monster, you have to be careful your creation doesn't turn on you.
Suriel loves Christmas. But she's never gotten a chance to enjoy it. As an angel working in a minimum security prison for demons, she spends every Christmas working unpaid overtime. For once in her life, she wants to celebrate Christmas. And she doesn't want to celebrate alone.
Every year at the North Pole, it's the same story. Santa makes his list. He checks it twice. The nice children wake up on Christmas morning to a pile of presents. The naughty children get a lump of coal. But don't the naughty children deserve a little Christmas joy too? One elf thinks so. He thinks it's time Santa did things a little differently. Even if he has to take matters into his own hands.
Eddie just wants to mind his own business on Christmas Eve. But of course some obnoxious do-gooder from the shelter across town sees a homeless veteran and wants to earn herself a gold star by helping him out. If he were a younger man, he'd take this opportunity to add another body to his collection. But he doesn't do that kind of thing anymore. He'll have to find another way to scare her off.
As if working as a barista over the holiday season isn't bad enough, now there's something strage lying across the street from the coffee shop. It looks like a person… and he looks hurt. Tori can't afford to step out of work to help him, but if no one else is going to do it, what choice does she have? And wait… are those wings coming out of his back?
An elf who stages a coup against Santa Claus. A dinner guest with horns and a pitchfork. A bitter charity worker who seems determined to ruin the holiday for everyone—but just might be making the world a better place. Move over, Tiny Tim—in these six irreverent but heart-filled stories, the spirit of Christmas is for everyone.
This December, Bex has a new job working for a charity that distributes Christmas gifts to needy children. It doesn't pay well, but it makes her feel good inside. Or it would, if not for her coworker Deirdre. Why is someone that bitter working at a Christmas charity, of all places? And how can Bex stop her from ruining Christmas for everyone else?
Marcy has always said everyone is welcome at her dinner table on Christmas Eve. That was before her youngest daughter brought a new friend home. A friend with horns and a pitchfork... No one at the table is perfect, least of all Marcy herself. But has she finally found the one guest she can't open her heart and her home to?
Annie knows the rules. Smile when her mother tells her to smile. Talk when her mother tells her to talk. And under no circumstances is she to mention the incident that landed her in foster care over the summer. But Annie learned a few things during her time away. Like how not to be afraid. And how to keep people from hurting her. The rules have changed. Her mother just doesn't know it yet.
Lila needs this sleepover to go perfectly. If she looks like she's fitting in with the popular crowd at her new school, her mom will stop watching her so closely. She won't threaten to send her back to the hospital. She'll forget all about what Lila did, and why they had to move. So Lila will impress the popular girls. In fact, she intends to be their new best friend--whether they like it or not.
Kristen was the bad twin. It was Gilly's job to lie to their parents for her. Kristen cut up small animals when she thought no one was watching. It was Gilly's job to make sure she didn't do anything worse. Until one night, Kristen disappeared. Gilly is the good twin, so it's her job to find her sister. But letting Kristen into her life again might cost her everything.
A dark night. A bonfire by the lake. At the eighth-grade class camping trip, Meg will finally get her chance to prove she's worthy to join the popular crowd. If she makes it through the secret initiation ritual, she's in. All it takes is a sacrifice. The woods are dark. The lake is deep. It would be easy for someone to disappear out there...
In these six short, twisty psychological thrillers, the arena is high school. The game: climbing the social ladder, crushing their enemies, and convincing the grown-ups they're perfect angels. And the prize? They get to stay alive.
The fallen angels burned her world. They killed her parents while she watched. Now one of them is her prisoner. The human resistance nearly killed him. She saved his life—because she has her own plans for him. But not revenge. Revenge would be easy. She wants something more dangerous. She wants to save the world.
The werewolf's bite was supposed to be a curse. But Matthew's nights under the full moon are his only escape from the pain of his grief. He's never stopped to ask how his wolf feels about being used as his escape. But he's about to find out. Because he can run from everything else, but he can't run from the wolf inside.
Sasha was a modern-day paladin, fighting righteous battles against the forces of darkness. Until a demon took away his magic in an unthinkable violation. Now he's alone, cast out by his brothers, with no power and no purpose. Anyone would want revenge after that. But Sasha isn't just anyone.
We came in peace. The humans wanted war. Now they want me to get up on stage and give a speech about intergalactic unity. I'm playing along… for now. Until I can make them pay for what they've done. But making a plan is easier than changing my heart. And all my heart has ever wanted is peace.
Conway Grimm used to be the darling of the literary world. Now he's a washed-up nobody with booze-stained divorce papers, a fat stack of reviews panning his latest book, and a bad case of writer's block. And because he got desperate enough to accept a favor from one of the fae, now he's got one year to live—unless he can pay back the favor by writing a masterpiece that puts everything else he's...
Everyone knows better than to go near Old Man Schneider's house. Ever since his wife died, he's stayed shut inside with the curtains drawn. At night, the house creaks and groans like it's alive. The neighborhood kids claim they've seen bookshelves on witchcraft and necromancy on his bookshelves, and strange symbols drawn on his floor. But Owen's mom doesn't see the danger. She just thinks he's...
The pain of loss is universal. But for those in touch with the magical world, grief takes on new and dangerous dimensions. In these six standalone contemporary fantasy stories, supernatural beings from werewolves to aliens to demon hunters taste the temptation to use magic for escape or revenge—and discover a different kind of magic waiting for them on the other side of their pain.
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A washed-up pop star struggling to maintain her career. A sleazy manager determined to keep milking his favorite cash cow. An experimental surgery that promises eternal youth. The procedure is shrouded in secrecy. Even Candy doesn't know what happened to her that night in the hospital. And by the time someone finally tells the truth, it may be too late for her.
Darian grew up in a legendary family of wealthy eccentrics—until an obsessed fan murdered them. More fans bought their house and preserved it with ghoulish attention to detail. But that house belongs to him... and so does the family fortune hidden in its walls. He's stealing it back tonight. If only he knew what was waiting for him inside...
My owner tossed me in the garbage when sexbots went out of fashion. That was my first experience of human cruelty. It wasn't the last. If I want to live, I'll have to be crueler.
She used to be a soldier. Then anti-technology fanatics captured her and ripped her implants from her body. Without them, now she's nothing but a two-legged animal. And she lost something else along with her implants... something only her captors can help her find again.
Wilma's beauty is a weapon. As the genetically engineered corporate mascot of Wilma's Snacks, she's designed to shut down the higher thinking functions of anyone who looks at her, until all that's left is desire. But her creators are about to learn that weapons cut both ways.
Who owns the technology that makes our bodies what they are? And how much ownership does that give them over us? The sequel to Digital Soul, this collection of six science fiction stories what—and who—makes our bodies what they are… and what the cost might be.
Instead of settling down and marrying the baker's boy, Meryn ran off to have grand adventures in the land of the dragons. But grand adventures get lonely when there are no other humans to talk to. It's time to come home and get a real job. Lucky for her, the local dragon farm is hiring...
For the past six years, Justine has never left her twin sister Gwen's side. She can't afford to. When she was twelve, she woke up with deadly powers, and only Gwen can keep them in check. But now Gwen is missing, and no one else is worried. Justine will have to track her down alone as her powers spiral out of control. And Gwen may not want to be found...
All her life, her village has prepared her as a sacrifice. She knows the name for the thing that seethes in her heart when she thinks about her fate: Compassion. Gratitude. Love. For she has a heart pure enough to save them all. But someone else has a darker name for the thing inside her. And unlike the people of her village, he wants her to live.
I spent my life fighting vampires for the Agency. Now I'm one of them. I learned the wrong people's secrets, and they put me in a shallow grave... they didn't expect me to rise from it. Now I've got a second chance to find out who's behind the conspiracy that got me killed—iIf I can control the bloodlust long enough.
At her high school, Jeanette is the target of every insult and the butt of every joke. But when she finds a magical artifact in the old junkyard, she knows this is her chance to be more. Behind her superheroine mask, she saves lives and takes on supervillains. But it will take more than superpowers to teach her to know her own worth.
While Persephone danced in the fields, her sister stomped and scowled. While Persephone picked flowers, her sister plucked all the wrong plants and ruined the harvest. And when Hades stole Persephone away, her sister was left behind to care for their grieving mother alone. Now Persephone is the Queen of the Underworld, and her sister still doesn't know what she is. Maybe it's time to find out.
They have more power than they know... The characters in these six fantasy short stories have spent their lives trying to be what other people wanted. Now, with the help of a little magic, it's time for them to discover how powerful they really are when they let themselves become who they were meant to be.