And at first their new home seems perfect… but looks are deceiving.Beneath Rhyacia’s idyllic façade an ancient, malevolent force lurks, waiting for the right opportunity to break free of its cage. When that opportunity comes, it strikes with devastating accuracy.While Dragos has never backed down from a fight, he’s also never encountered an enemy like this one before. How can he fight a foe who doesn’t have a body? A foe who can invade and turn his own mind against him?How can Dragos protect his family, when at any moment one of them may become the enemy?As Dragos and Pia race against time to fight this unseen menace, they must also acknowledge a terrifying truth—when anyone can become the enemy, no one can be trusted.An adversary who can trap the dragon poses a threat to everyone in Rhyacia, and that means no one is safe…***This book does NOT end on a cliffhanger***

    At their enthusiastic behest, we have delivered this brand-new short story collection, including stories previously exclusive to Sherrilyn’s website, as well as an all-new, never-before seen story!Sherrilyn Kenyon takes readers from the Dark-Hunters to the demigods, from Dream-Hunters to demons, and everything in between. Dangerous and exciting, each story is one thrill ride after the next, proving time and again how Sherrilyn has captivated millions of readers worldwide. Now, readers are invited to go deep into Kenyon’s rich and imaginative world and experience the heart-racing moments that never stop coming!Included novellas:House of the Rising Son Phantom Lover (V’Aidan) Winter Born (Dante) A Dark-Hunter Christmas (Gallagher) Until Death We Do Part (Velkan) A Hard Day’s Night Searcher (Rafael) Shadow of the Moon (Fury) Fear the Darkness Where Angels Fear to Tread (Zeke) Love Bytes Santa Wears Spurs Redemption (bonus scene from The Guardian)

    “And don’t burn the place down.”Kami grabbed both the suitcases and headed for the cabin she was sharing with Liz and Angela. Liz walked with her, and on their way Kami stopped.“My Sobo was exaggerating,” she said earnestly. “There have been very few fires.”

    Then her new friend Shannon tells her she can help set things right. Chelsea's willing to listen, but what Shannon wants her to believe -- that she shared a past life with Drew -- is impossible. And what she wants her to do to get him back ... well, it's downright crazy.Could Shannon be telling the truth? And if she is, what lengths will Chelsea go if it means making Lizzie pay?

    A finely wrought filigree of stars, vines, flowers, butterflies, ancient symbols and words ran from her feet, up her legs, over her narrow waist, spanned her chest and finished down her arms to the tips of her fingers.Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle's body bears the telltale marks of a comarré—a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world...and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.Now, Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign.

    Welcome to a world where humans live side-by-side with monsters, from vampires both nostalgic and bumbling, to an eight-legged alien who makes tea. Here you'll find mercurial forms that burrow into warm fat, spectral boy toys, a Maori force of nature, a landform that claims lives, and an architect of hell on earth. Through these, and a few monsters that defy categorization, some of today's top young-adult authors explore ambition and sacrifice, loneliness and rage, love requited and avenged, and the boundless potential for connection, even across extreme borders.Moriabe's Children / Paolo Bacigalupi --Old souls / Cassandra Clare --Ten rules for being an intergalactic smuggler (the successful kind) / Holly Black --Quick hill / M.T. Anderson --The diabolist / Nathan Ballingrud --This whole demoning thing / Patrick Ness --Wings in the morning / Sarah Rees Brennan --Left foot, right / Nalo Hopkinson --The Mercurials / G. Carl Purcell --Kitty Capulet and the invention of underwater photography / Dylan Horrocks --Son of abyss / Nik Houser --A small wild magic / Kathleen Jennings --The new boyfriend / Kelly Link --The woods hide in plain sight / Joshua Lewis --Mothers, lock up your daughters because they are terrifying / Alice Sola Kim

     Suspenseful, surprising, sometimes dark, sometimes humorous-these all-new stories will ensure that readers never think of vampires (or birthdays) in quite the same way again. In New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris's "Dracula Night," Sookie Stackhouse is the only human at the annual commemoration of Dracula's birth. But this year, the Prince of Darkness actually shows up-and finds Sookie to be a tasty-looking present. New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher's crime-solving wizard Harry Dresden, of the Dresden Files novels, heads to a role-playing party to give his vampire brother a birthday present in "It's My Birthday Too," only to discover there are some bloodthirsty party crashers who don't share their brotherly love. In "Twilight," Cassandra DuCharme, who appeared in New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's Dime Store Magic, knows she has to kill to live as a vampire another year-but finds herself disturbingly disinterested in the hunt. Plus ten more bloody good birthday stories that take the cake.Contents xi • Preface: A Few Words (Many Bloody Returns) • (2007) • essay by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner1 • Dracula Night • [Sookie Stackhouse 4.3] • shortstory by Charlaine Harris21 • The Mournful Cry of Owls • novelette by Christopher Golden50 • I Was a Teenage Vampire • novelette by Bill Crider73 • Twilight • [Women of the Otherworld Short Fiction 7.2] • novelette by Kelley Armstrong100 • It's My Birthday, Too • [The Dresden Files 9.2] • novella by Jim Butcher146 • Grave-Robbed • [Vampire Files] • novelette by P. N. Elrod176 • The First Day of the Rest of Your Life • [The Morganville Vampires: Extras 2.5] • novelette by Rachel Caine201 • The Witch and the Wicked • novelette by Jeanne C. Stein230 • Blood Wrapped • [Henry Fitzroy] • novelette by Tanya Huff254 • The Wish • shortstory by Carolyn Haines265 • Fire Ice and Linguini for Two • [Garnet Lacey 2.5] • novelette by Lyda Morehouse [as by Tate Hallaway ]290 • Vampire Hours • novelette by Elaine Viets318 • How Stella Got Her Grave Back • novelette by Toni L. P. Kelner

    Madeleine, a young but powerful warrior, is duty-bound to fight the demonic, and she lives for this pursuit above all else. Then, on a routine night of tracking, she is ambushed by a cadre of reapers and, though she defeats them all, she is left wounded and at the mercy of their lord, the notorious Bastian.Madeleine is astonished when Bastian lets her live. She goes deeper into the world of the demonic and is shocked to meet him again—this powerful reaper whose touch makes her restless and gives her a thrill unlike anything else. When they fall into a dangerous clandestine affair, her head and her heart must wage their war: can their love overcome his demonic nature? Will her dance with darkness burn her or bring Bastian into the light?

    Here, at last, is that long lost short story, which appears chronologically between the books Reunion and Darkest Hour. Enjoy!

    Want to be the first to find out what Zed was thinking when he met Sky? Fancy finding out what Zed was like at nine? I've written a special story for Valentine's Day 2013, which is available as a free download.

    I owned her soul…until Death stole her heart."LEIF is a novella from the Existence series. It is glimpses into Leif's point-of-view during both Existence and Predestined. * Also, each digital copy of LEIF has a free download for Dank Walker (AKA Death) newest song - Closer.

     There are three key components required to get into the most prestigious, top spy school in the world: Skills. Strength. Survival. My name is Silver Spell Solange. No, I didn't plan for my initials to be the same rank needed to enter the spy school. But I would do anything to get into the one of a kind school. I have the magical capability of an Elemental Witch, the strength to kick anyone's ass, and quick problem-solving skills to get my teammates out of any jam. There’s only one small problem – the other 'S' I’m missing. I'm not a part of the supernatural race. After realizing the my only shot at my dreams is at the brink of extinction, I'm unexpectedly teamed up with a werewolf, a dragon, a fallen angel, and a hellhound. The four of them carry the assets and abilities I need to gain my spot into the Supernatural Spy School (SSS). With the clock ticking and not much leg room for an SS score, I accept their bet, knowing I’ll easily handle whatever they request from me. I didn't think their bet would lead me to date all four them. It's time for me to buckle up. This four-year roller coaster is about to begin, and its a bumpy one-way ticket to becoming the next "supernatural" spy.

    Now the fearsome leaders of the paranormal underworld are chasing her, convinced she’s at the center of a supernatural conspiracy—and she has no idea whyA forbidden love…Cait’s lone ally in this frightening new world is Amar Okoro, an incubus who accepted long ago that true love would never be his destiny. He’s the only one who can keep Cait safe from the demonic forces hunting her, and even though she knows his heart is off limits, she can’t fight her growing attraction to him.A life on the line…With enemies closing in and her loved ones in danger, can Cait trust the sexy incubus who just might risk everything to save her? Or is following her heart the most dangerous choice of all? Book One of the Demon Guardians Series

    Andrea Nash of the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid - with an assist from her friend, Kate Daniels - tries to figure out why the giant three-headed dog who guards the gates of Hades is sniffing around Atlanta.* Originally published in the anthology, Must Love Hellhounds.

    William had big plans. He would become a valiant soldier, fall in love, have a family, and die. In fact, he was certain it would happen in that exact order. But fate is a fickle taskmaster and things almost never go as planned. And sometimes, just sometimes, your true destiny will greet you after life.