The afterword explains where the ideas for the stories came from.

    Previously published in the print anthology Unbound.A nightwalker is slain, and suspicion falls on Mira—Fire Starter—the last hope of her immortal race, in Jocelynn Drake's The Dead, the Damned, and the Forgotten.

    She might be a little eccentric, but bodies have been found in the Potomac River. Accident or murder? The deceased couple had left behind an autistic son and fingers are pointing toward the boy.Jackson and Angela are not on the case . . .Until the “rustling” in the yard brings them into it, and their Christmas will be on hold as they rush to keep the consequences of the events from bringing about another death. But the spirit of the season is with them, and they will do what they can to save lives—and Christmas itself for their family.

    Her remarkable gift may help others rest in peace, but it also made for an unsettling childhood and destroyed her marriage. Finally content as the real estate writer for a local newspaper, Aubrey keeps her extraordinary ability hidden—until she is unexpectedly assigned the story of a decades-old murder.Rocked by the discovery of a young woman’s skeletal remains, the New England town of Surrey wants answers. Hard-nosed investigative reporter Levi St John is determined to get them. Aubrey has no choice but to get involved, even at the terrifying risk of stirring spirits connected to a dead woman’s demise and piquing her new reporting partner’s suspicions.As Aubrey and Levi delve further into the mystery, secrets are revealed and passion ignites. It seems that Aubrey’s ghost gifts are poised to deliver everything but a normal life.

    But their yuletide plans are shattered when a mysterious stranger shows up and reveals long-buried secrets that threaten to take a bite out of their holiday cheer – and lives.

    Even so, when she somehow acquires a stalker, Layla Rue is surprised to find that Sean is the only one she can trust.Her Best Enemy by USA TODAY bestselling author Maggie ShayneKiley Brigham refuses to believe there's a ghost in her house, but when an unseen hand leaves a bloody message on her bathroom mirror, she's forced to turn to local psychic Jack McCain. As the two work to uncover a long-buried secret, Kiley finds that she's haunted not by spirits, but by thoughts of Jack.Someone Else's Shadow by Locus Award-winning author Barbara HamblyMaddie Laveau worries about her young roommate, Tessa, when she stays late to practice ballet in the old Glendower Building -- and when Tessa goes missing, Maddie enlists mysterious tenant Phil Anderson to help. But is Phil the white knight she needs, or the predator she fears?

    Be careful what you wish for...When a lowly antiques dealer who's in love with the governor's girlfriend releases a genie from a magic lamp, he unwittingly wishes himself into a hole the size of the Grand Canyon!

    She just needs to convince him they belong together, and being snowbound in a secluded cabin will make this a Christmas neither will forget. It's "Home for the Holidays" in Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series. Cat and Bones may long to wrap presents and set up a tree, but this Christmas, an evil vampire and long-buried family secrets will threaten to take a bite out of their holiday cheer.

    Now she’s returned to Holiday, Montana to find that not much has changed—except everything she hadn’t wanted to leave behind.Matt Cooper isn’t pleased to see Jordan back in town. Not only did she break his heart when she left, he’s been keeping secrets from his family and friends and he knows the moment he’s left alone with his ex, he won’t be able to keep them in anymore.Only one look and he knows he’s lost. Again.But magic has a way of turning on a dime and if they’re not careful, they might lose everyone once more—even before they have a chance to make it theirs.

    Though Eve knows she is a Glaistig, and that hunger for sex and death – preferably together – runs in her blood, she is determined to keep herself human. She will turn full Glaistig only in the event that she engages in both sex and murder within one month – and so far she’s managed to avoid both. But staying away from temptation is harder than ever before. A mysterious man – as seductive as he is dangerous -- has been drugging and taking advantage of girls in the local night clubs and Eve’s determined to stop him, even as she’s finding it increasingly difficult to control her warring instincts around him. When her grandmother calls in alluring mortal to watch over Eve, Eve may be pushed beyond her limits.Can Eve hang onto her mortality when Glaistig instincts run in her blood? Can she keep herself safe and human, both? Two lines are all that stand between who she is and who she wants to be . . . and Eve will need all her self-control not to cross them both.

    Angelina helps three mortals find love in this trilogy of sexy, witty, irresistible vampire novellas.

    While in rehab at the Naval Medical Center, Navy SEAL Frank Decorah has a paranormal experience that sets the course for the rest of his life.

    Neely Kate plans to use the opportunity to visit a psychic and find out once and for all what her paranormal ability is. But when the psychic is murdered, and Neely Kate and Rose were the last people to see her alive, they find themselves the main suspects in a Christmas killing. Taylor Beaumont has exhausted all resources in trying to figure out her new ghostly roommate, Helena. Seeing a psychic is the last resort. Taylor hoped for answers about Helena’s worldly existence but, instead, finds herself embroiled on the wrong side of a murder investigation. Seeing no other option, Taylor and Helena combine forces with Rose and Neely Kate to clear their names. But can they solve the mystery in time to save Christmas?The Rose Gardner Series and the Ghost-in-Law Series combine to bring you a rollicking round of holiday fun! This book may be read as a standalone novella; you do not need to have read either series to enjoy it.

    When Zoey ducks out for a little fresh air, she finds a boy with a big problem -- a problem only a mythical creature can have and only Zoey can solve. 6,500 words Hidden Holidays is a short story in the same world as the Monster Haven novels from Carina Press. This story can be enjoyed without having read the novels, but it takes place between book two, Pooka in My Pantry, and book three, Fairies in My Fireplace.

    Worse, she's a replacement bridesmaid forced to wear a hideously yellow dress that makes her look like a pineapple. If only the chatty ghost of the original bridesmaid would just leave her alone, Nicki may just survive this ceremony yet. From the RITA-winning author of Dead Girls Are Easy, an unforgettable tale of unholy matrimony and the wedding guests in attendance . . . living or otherwise.