They live in their subterranean Shadow Maze and only emerge when it's time to breed. For Varrik, that time is now.Varrik, current leader of the Shadow Assassins, knows his people are on the verge of extinction. If they cannot adapt, they will die. Yet if his son were a direct descendant of the High Queen it would secure a place for future generations. Protecting his people is his first priority, so Varrik assembles a hunting party and kidnaps the royal twins. He is determined to claim the eldest for his own.Echo, the younger princess, knows her pampered sister will never survive the sexual appetites of their virile captor. Echo doesn't understand the powerful attraction she feels for Varrik, but drawing his attention is a far better choice than allowing him to overwhelm her twin. She doesn't expect to find him fascinating or to crave the demanding passion he ignites. Can a dominating warrior and his willing captive bring light to the Shadow Maze?Note to Readers: This book contains detailed descriptions of sizzling passion only suitable for mature readers.From Cyndi: I introduced Shadow Assassins clear back in Taken by Storm. Tal mentions, almost in passing, that his mother was killed by one. Years passed as the concept churned away in the back of my mind. Who were the Shadow Assassins and what became of them after the Great Conflict? As I answered these questions, Royal Obsession was born. Then it became apparent that I didn't have one new book; I had a new series. Royal Obsession is part paranormal romance, part capture fantasy. It's hot and unapologetically sexual. Varrik simply wouldn't be tamed and Echo was more than happy to revel in his carnality. Though this story has sci-fi elements, it's less space opera than my previous books. It's always risky when an author shifts gears, but I hope you enjoy the new series!

    They aren’t the only ones, though. The Dragon Lords, Vox, and Ha’ven decide they want to be part of the planning this time. Things get a little out of hand when the men begin competing with each other to create the best Christmas ever for the Dragonlings, Roam, and Alice. Fuelled with tales of St. Nick, Rudolph, Frosty, and the newest tale of the Old Dragon of the Mountain, they are determined to light up the palace like never before and turn it into the new North Pole. Just when the women think they have everything under control, panic ignites when the Dragonlings, Roam, and Alice suddenly disappear just days before Christmas. What no one expects is for the children to take it upon themselves to go search for the legendary dragon who has threatened to steal the Magic of Christmas. Now, their parents are in a race to find the Dragonlings before they lose them forever. Will they be able to find them and celebrate the magic of the season or will the Dragon of the Mountain keep them hidden forever?

    Give yourself to him in return for protection. It’s the only way you’ll ever survive. Convicted of a minor crime, Riana is sentenced to a prison planet—a dark primitive hold filled with convicts vying for power. Her only chance of survival is with Cain, a mysterious loner who has won his territory in the prison through intelligence and brute strength. Sex is all she has to offer, so she uses it. She’s under no delusions here. No one is ever released, and no one ever escapes. Survival is all she can hope for—until Cain. An earlier version of this book was published under the same title and a different penname by Ellora’s Cave. It has since been substantially revised and expanded.

    This short story goes back to the event and gives additional insight. How do Rukh and Harlow fare through the disaster? How does the chief handle the destruction of everything he’s ever known? This one of the Slice of Life Short Stories and intended to be read after Barbarian’s Taming. It is NOT a stand alone. It is, however, intended to provide extra character insight for those who want to visit the ice planet for a little bit longer.

    An extraterrestrial anthropologist, she’s charged with observing the alien culture and finding out what makes them tick. One particularly gruff male makes her heart race and sends her professional judgment out the window…… but he’s cold as ice.Taron ad Naals brought an expedition of humans to his planet, only to find his home in political turmoil. The King is dead, and unscrupulous enemies threaten the young Queen’s life. On top of that, a certain voluptuous, warm-blooded scientist is set on uncovering secrets that should remain buried. One warm touch, and he’s hers: she brings him pleasure he never imagined existed.Her love will melt his defenses.As Adriana’s curiosity triggers a dangerous mess of galactic proportions, Taron must race to save her life. Yet she is the one who will rescue him – and his entire nation.Cold Attraction is a steamy standalone Sci-Fi romance perfect for fans of sexy alpha aliens and strong heroines. It features a full HEA and has no cliffhangers.

    What?A receptionist at a straw supply company, Megan Landay is content with her ordinary life. Sure she still has some resentment toward her awful ex, but that's normal. What's not normal is the sudden appearance of the skilled alien warrior, Mikaal Ahrisi. Even worse is his arrogant demand she stay on his planet long enough to give birth to his child.-The petite human female isn't Mikaal’s ideal choice as a mother to his offspring, but he no longer has a choice in the matter. Feisty and stubborn beyond reason, she's not like any of the women on his planet. Her presence in his life should be temporary, but as time passes he becomes uncertain if he should ever let her go.The Alien King's Baby is a steamy sci-fi alien romance. It features a handsome, powerful alien king who knows what he wants: the sassy, beautiful human destined to carry his baby!

    Problem is, she isn’t being forced into the Army, she’s been chosen as a Kindred bride. The Kindred are huge alien warriors—a race of genetic traders whose population is ninety-five percent male. After saving Earth from the threat of invasion they demand a reward—the right to find brides among the population. The chances of being chosen are about the same as those of winning the lottery—guess it’s just Liv’s lucky day. Baird is a Beast Kindred who recently escaped imprisonment and torture at the hands of the malevolent Scourge. Through the torment and pain only one thing kept him sane—the thought of finding and claiming his bride—Olivia. His need to possess her is a burning intensity that threatens to consume them both.Angry at having her future and her family taken away from her, Liv vows to fight back the only way she can—by resisting. She has one month on the Kindred Mothership with Baird—their claiming period. If she can keep from having bonding sex with him during that time, she can go home and get on with her life on Earth. But Baird isn’t going to make it easy for her. Every week he is allowed to touch Liv more and more intimately and according to the contract she signed, she has to let him. She’s determined to resist him but his touch sets her on fire. And just as she thinks she knows what she wants, a twist of fate and an attack by the faceless Scourge AllFather changes everything…

    — Perhaps it was his wild black hair and indigo eyes, or maybe it was his enigmatic aura, but there was something about Hyna Blue that drew Gem. The man had clearly done hard labor, his cybernetic implants gave him increased strength, but he was no longer whole… -- and now he was getting drunk in her tavern.Yes, Hyna Blue aroused instincts both carnal and nurturing. Gem’'s blood had been fiery to start with. Blue heated it even more.Of course, since the planet of Polaris discovered its trainum mine, things were hot all over. Prosperity had blown in on a solar wind, along with many disreputable types, the least deceptive of which were the shape-shifting aliens. The ruined beauty of one patron and his drunken proposals were the least of Gem’s worries—and perhaps her one solace. Like her father had named it long ago, this inn was The Spark. Gem had to survive the blaze.

    But when the Intergalactic Dating Agency matches her with a sexy alien willing to play pretend in exchange for her help assimilating to Earth culture, she gets way more than she bargained for: Eros is seductive, pushy and has no intention of faking anything, least of all their relationship…**********If you enjoyed this story, read the other books in the Olympia Alien Mail Order Brides series, and check out the multi-author Intergalactic Dating Agency collection (see the official series website).

    If the process is completed, it means both political and financial suicide for Ian and his family. A natural klutz, Dani somehow always manages to land on her feet and win her mixed martial arts matches. At home on Cat Island, her balance is thrown when bazillionaire Ian takes notice. Unfortunately some Torog aliens also take notice, sending her life spiraling out of control and into Ian's arms. But Dani isn't the type of woman to let alien voodoo decide her future or her mate. . .no matter how gorgeous the man is or how much pleasure he gives her. For centuries the Cavacents have mined Earth for a precious element, carnium, while protecting the planet from other alien species. Thanks to the Torogs, Dani and Ian must flee to Sandaria. As Dani learns to use her newfound psi powers, the empire crumbles around them.73,000 Words

    With their insanely strong psychic powers, seers have been used to wage wars, commit terrorism, expand organized crime, even take over governments.As a waitress and college dropout, Allie only sees seers at a distance, usually working in front of sex clubs, or on the leash of powerful businessmen… until Revik bursts into her life.Before long, Allie is thrown into a world behind the world, one most humans never dreamed existed, where she discovers she may not be all that human, after all.Worse, Revik tells her that the seers believe she will destroy the world.She will kill all the humans.She will be the one to finally free them from slavery.Psychic romance. Apocalyptic.The first chapter in an epic, soul-crushing, science fantasy romance.THE BRIDGE & SWORD SERIES is a dark, gritty psychic warfare romance, from a USA TODAY and WALL STREET JOURNAL bestselling author. Set in a gritty, alternate version of Earth, it stars Alyson Taylor and her partner, dark and dangerous infiltrator, Dehgoies Revik. For fans of romantic, character-driven science fiction and fantasy worlds, filled with twists and turns and backstabbing betrayals, with heroes and villains who are sometimes the same people. The Bridge & Sword books span continents and historical periods as Allie and Revik try to save the human and seer races from destroying one another, and keep their friends and loved ones alive in the process.The world is dying. Everyone feels it, and yet... no one knows.They said that when the end was near, a Bridge would come, and lead them out of the darkness of that dying world.My name is Allie Taylor, and I am that Bridge.

    The alien pets have an agenda that will capture the hearts of those they touch. Follow along as they work side by side to help stop a genetically-engineered creature from destroying the Earth to finding a lost dragon; life is never the same after their pets decide to get involved. Can the animals win the day or will the stars shine just a little less brightly?New York Times, USA TODAY, Award Winning, and Bestselling authors have nine original, never-released stories that will capture your imagination and help a worthy charity. Come join us as we take you on nine amazing adventures that will change the way you look at your pet!10% of profits from the first month go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.A MATE FOR MATRIX: CYBORG PROTECTION UNIT By S.E. Smith (New York Times/USA TODAY Bestselling Author)Matrix Roma is a member of the elite Zion military Cyborg Protection Unit. Matrix gets more than he bargains for when his cyborg partner, a hybrid Wolfhound named K-Nine, goes missing and ends up finding a mate for Matrix in the middle of a deadly mission on an unknown planet called Earth.STRAYBy Susan Grant (New York Times/USA Today Bestselling, and RITA Award Winning Author)Interplanetary Marine Lt. Lukas Frank has a lot in common with a street dog named Bang-Bang; they both started off as scrappy orphans fighting to survive—and beat the odds. Things change when Bang-Bang leads Lukas to starpilot Capt. Carlynn Riga. The tough war hero learns what it means to surrender — his heart. Lukas’s struggles with PTSD threaten to tear the three of them apart, but nothing threatens them more than when Carlynn goes missing on a mission. Can a scarred marine and his unlikely canine partner find Carlynn and bring her home, or will he lose everything he’s finally found worth fighting for?SPARK OF ATTRACTIONBy Cara Bristol (USA TODAY Bestselling Author)Memory: intact. Cognitive function: enhanced. Emotion: erased. After becoming a cyborg, Captain Dante Stone didn’t think he’d ever feel again, until a traumatized young woman and a ball of synthetic fur named Sparky helped him to love.STAR CRUISE: STOWAWAYBy Veronica ScottCargo Master Owen Embersson is shocked when the Nebula Zephyr’s ship’s cat and her alien sidekick, Midorri, alert him to the presence of a stowaway. He has no idea of the dangerous complications to come – nor does he anticipate falling hard for the woman whose life he now holds in his hands. Life aboard the Nebula Zephyr has just become more interesting – and deadly.THE REAL DRAGONBy Pauline Baird JonesEmma Standish didn’t think her day could get any worse. Her dad is marrying his boss, her dragon suddenly came back talking and typing, and it’s her fault the Earth, or at least ten square miles of Texas, is going to be destroyed. That’s what happens when you forget something very, very important. Luckily for her, she’s got the love of her life that she can’t remember and her dragon by her side. Who needs to worry when you’re having a day like this?STARDOGBy Laurie A. GreenNavigator Taro Shall has a mission no one wants – find a way to eradicate snakes on a starship. He never expects to find the answer to his problem in a charming street vendor named Adini. His already unusual mission becomes more complicated when he suddenly acquires an adorable StarDog that soon sweeps him and Adini into the maw of a brewing insurrection.SPIKEBy Alexis Glynn LatnerYoung Roboticist Ten Jaxdown has to deploy, and possibly sacrifice, the swarm of investigative robots that he has invented and cares about more than anything else in the star system. It may be the only hope for those depending on him and his robots to save them. Yet, even as frantic preparations for the unprecedented deep-space rescue mission are set in motion, it could all be threatened by sabotage.Anastasia Steed is an intrepid young mission designer. She steps forward with an idea that can improve the odds of the mission. Neither she nor Ten expect the assistance they receive from a very unusual pet. A pet that will bring together two alienated human beings who didn’t realize they needed each other. Can Ten and Anastasia discover who is behind the sabotage, save the mission, and discover what is evolving between them? With a little bit of unusual help, anything is possible.SPACE RANGERBy Lea KirkGraig Roble is the Senior Commander of security for the Guardian Fleet. His expertise as a weapons specialist and combat master is his world, what he was born to do – or so he thought until he finds his resolve and focus inexplicably wavering. Even returning to his position aboard the Atlantis can’t save him; if anything, it has left him questioning his own motives. He never thought that could happen until he met Simone Campbell.Simone’s focus is on her home world – Earth. She thought her life was full with her research as a botanist. After all, she always believed that helping the people of her world become self-sufficient should take all of her concentration – except it doesn’t. There is one man that keeps pulling her attention, and her heart, away from her job.Graig’s gift of a puppy to keep her company does more than that, it keeps him in her dreams. How can such a simple gift bring her comfort and make her long for more? Graig and Simone are about to find out that sometimes love can blossom from the smallest, furriest ties.ESCAPE RUNBy Carysa LockeTeegan’s job as a hunter is to track down the Talented, those driven insane by their gifts. She and Ember, her psychically gifted fox, have tracked dozens of people for Cole, the man who works to rehabilitate and recover these troubled souls. When one of Cole’s most dangerous patients escapes, Teegan and Ember are on a hunt that could prove fatal if she doesn’t keep her focus on her mission. Unfortunately, Cole is proving one distraction that might make this her last hunt if she can’t do that.Can Teegan keep her heart and mind in the game long enough to save an entire planet’s population, or will her distraction lead to heartache – and possibly death for everyone?

    When the new heir to the Reigh throne, Lord Nagrad, demands restitution, the phrase “‘a life for a life” turns the intergalactic calamity into an arranged marriage contract between Lord Nagrad and sharply intelligent diplomatic analyst Deirdre Lebed… and the negotiation of terms becomes anything but formal!Warning: this story is one big dirty joke. There is no actual sex, but there is a lot discussion about it. It was written on a dare. Someone told us that we couldn’t write a short story around one particular phrase, and we did. So I recommend this for people 18+. Because you know, we wouldn’t want to corrupt your minors.

    . . . After a decade of piloting interstellar patrol ships, former captain Chasidah Bergren, onetime pride of the Sixth Fleet, finds herself court-martialed for a crime she didn' t commit-and shipped off to a remote prison planet from which no one ever escapes. But when she kills a brutal guard in an act of self-defense, someone even more dangerous emerges from the shadows.Gabriel Sullivan--alpha mercenary, smuggler, and rogue--is supposed to be dead. Yet now this seductive ghost from Chaz's past is offering her a ticket to freedom--for a price. Someone in the Empire is secretly breeding jukors: vicious and uncontrollable killing machines that have long been outlawed. Gabriel needs Chaz to help him stop the practice before it decimates Imperial space. The mission means putting their lives on the line--but the tensions that heat up between them may be the riskiest part of all.

    Invisible to tek, she’s hired by the criminal underworld to carry illegal messages through the Halow system. But when one of those messages kills its recipient, Kesh finds herself on the run with a bounty on her head and a quick-witted marshal on her tail. Proving her innocence should be straightforward—until a warfae steals the evidence she needs. The fae haven’t been seen in Halow in over a thousand years. And this one—a brutally efficient killer able to wield tek—should not exist. But neither should Kesh. As Kesh’s carefully crafted lie of a life crumbles around her, she knows remaining invisible is no longer an option. To hunt the fae, to stop him from destroying a thousand-year-long fragile peace, she must resurrect the horrors of her past. Kesh Lasota was a ghost. Now she’s back, and there’s only one thing she knows for certain. Nobody shoots the messenger and gets away with it. A new space fantasy series where the guys are hot, the perils are many, and one rebel messenger holds the key to the survival of the human race.