When a lusty pirate kidnaps him and holds him prisoner on his ship, Taren embraces the chance to realize his dream of a seagoing life. Not only does the pirate captain offer him freedom in exchange for three years of labor and sexual servitude, but the pleasures Taren finds when he joins the captain and first mate in bed far surpass his greatest fantasies.Then, during a storm, Taren dives overboard to save another sailor and is lost at sea. He’s rescued by Ian Dunaidh, the enigmatic and seemingly ageless captain of a rival ship, the Phantom, and Taren feels an overwhelming attraction to Ian that Ian appears to share. Soon Taren learns a secret that will change his life forever: Ian and his people are Ea, shape-shifting merfolk… and Taren is one of them too. Bound to each other by a fierce passion neither can explain or deny, Taren and Ian are soon embroiled in a war and forced to fight for a future—not only for themselves but for all their kind.

    The version now available is published under the title "Beyond the Darkness."Zack Banning hasn't had an easy time of it recently. After spending more than fifteen years in the Marines, he's discharged due to a head injury received in combat. With no missions to run or people to save, it's all he can do to get out of bed in the mornings. The pills the doctors have him on to keep his injury-induced delusions at bay don't help the situation. When he discovers a young man being accosted outside of a bar one night he sees it as a chance to feel the satisfaction of saving someone once again. He just doesn't realize until it's over that the young man came to the bar to warn him that someone is out to kill him. What Eljin tells him is a story so outlandish, Zack begins to wonder if he's having one of his delusions. Because if Eljin's story is true, the entire foundation of everything Zack believes just flew out the window. Fleeing through the countryside with Eljin, Zack tries to understand everything without telling the man he's nuttier than a fruitcake. But the more time Zack spend with Eljin, the more he wants him until he can't think of ever being separated from the little elf. The only way to save Eljin is to take him back home-through the veil between the two worlds. Arrival on the elf's side of the veil isn't perfect, however. They encounter a war between the elf worlds, the threat of human invasion, and a bias against humans. Zack and Eljin have to keep their wits about them as they try to save their home, their family, and themselves. Special Content Alert: M/M

    Not everyone can help the restless dead cross over, especially when the haunting threatens the Living. But the death of his parents six years ago forced Dan to give it up in exchange for raising his brother and sister, all the while struggling to keep their rural NC farm afloat.So when the flamboyantly goth Leif Helsvin shows up on Dan’s doorstep looking for help with an evil necromancer named Runar, Dan’s first instinct is to turn him down. With two teenagers to look after, he’s already got all the trouble he can handle. Besides, the sexy Leif is too much of a temptation, and Dan is firmly in the closet.The Bad Boy: Pierced, tattooed Leif never has sex with the same guy twice. It keeps things simple, especially since his oath to stop Runar has him constantly drifting from one town to the next.But this time, it looks like Leif is going to need help, in the form of the very down-to-earth Dan. Since Nice Guys are off the menu, Leif just has to keep his hands to himself for as long as it will take to stop Runar’s latest scheme. But as Leif finds himself drawn deeper into Dan’s life, he quickly realizes he’s not just in danger of breaking the rules, but breaking his heart as well.

    While Ireland may seem a strange place for someone in his field, it was the furthest away he could get from his abusive ex-partner. Now, a year later, his heart is ready to heal. Kael's boss, Hugh Price, is very interested in Kael, but is afraid to cross the line from employer to lover. When a strange sea creature is brought into the lab, Hugh and Kael are swept into a fight for their lives and the lives of mankind. Dragons have returned and the men must decide if their own love can survive the interference of a goddess. Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable (homoerotic sex, ménage, some violence).

    Seiran spends his time hiding in plain sight, flirting dangerously with his vampire boss and occasional lover, Gabe, and studying magic as required by his powerful mother. All with the hopes to slip under the radar and not be the next witch burned at the stake.Seiran finds himself forced to prove his abilities in a test of elemental magic against the Pillar of Earth, and comes out on top, shocking everyone. But phenomenal powers bring a lot of the wrong kind of attention. The kind he could have lived without, literally.When witches around him begin to fall, murdered for their power, he finds fingers pointed in his direction. Can he stop the killer before he ends up the next victim?

    Even though Jude has enough trouble taking care of himself-he doesn't even have a job-he can't resist the animal that needs him. Then one night, a man shows up on his doorstep looking to claim Jude's new companion. As they run from a surprise attack, Jude finds out that "Joe" is not what he seems. Eoin Thral is a guardian from an alternate dimension, and once he leads Jude through the veil that separates their worlds, he transforms into a handsome hulk of a man known for his fighting skills, not the capacity for love. Jude finds himself immersed in Eoin's world, and he's faced with the fight of his life to secure a happy future for them both.

    When a brutal attack leaves his father desperately injured, Jason comes to the conclusion that it’s time to call it quits. Terrified as he is to deliver himself into an Alpha’s power, he makes a deal to mate with the Alpha of the richest pack in the country. And discovers that he’d rather mate the Alpha’s handsome Head of Security.When Mac captures the feral shifter that climbed the walls surrounding the Mercy Hills Pack enclave, he feels for the young shifter’s fear, though he knows his Alpha isn’t the sort of shifter Jason believes he is. He’d be happy to see the two mated, except that, as time goes by, it becomes more and more difficult to deny his own feelings for the young, damaged omega.A sudden turn of events sees Mac and Jason mated and expecting, but Jason’s old pack isn’t done with them yet.

    Like Peter, a young man with a strict rule about one-night stands with locals. He breaks that rule for Lucien, the owner of The Den, a rival nightclub where there are no boundaries, no taboos. Only he doesn't realize just who Lucien is when he does. When Peter finds out that the man he wants to get to know even more is a vampire, he figures he should have stuck to that rule. He's not fan of vampires or most other creatures of the night, but Lucien is relentless in his seduction. Peter resists Lucien as long as he can, but when he gives in, he does it in a big way, falling headfirst in to the dark, violent world of vampires, werewolves, and other creatures he's only read about. Peter and Lucien begin a very dangerous dance of sensual heat and deep emotion, one that causes them nothing but trouble. No one approves of the human and vampire match, including those in Lucien's Coven, old enemies, and even older friends. Peter and Lucien have to struggle to stay together and protect those they love. Can they beat the forces that will try to tear them apart forever? And can they face what will become of Peter if they stay together?

    But everything began to change the day he realised he has a psychic ability -- the power to alter the emotions of those around him.Mikhail is ushered into the Military Academy with others like him -- other Daevas -- where he does his part to help tip the scales of war against the vampires that destroyed the world and plague what remains of humanity. But after going up against his first vampire, Mikhail starts to question everything he thought to be true.To discover the truth and expose the lies he once believed, Mikhail will set out on a journey of discovery, and learn some things about himself in the process.

    Years of being used and abused have left him tough and determined to make it on his own. When he sees a dog getting beaten, his protective instincts drive him to rescue her. But as the attackers turn on Dylan, out of the shadows comes a hero. One with mysterious eyes and a shy sensuality Dylan can’t resist.Cam Coburn can’t reveal his true identity to the man he rescues. Nor can he reveal that he’s a freak among freaks, a cockatrice shifter with an unwanted gift for seeking out conflict rather than treasure. Newly independent from his mentor, Cam sees in Dylan his first chance to test the limits of his human guise. Defying every rule, Cam succumbs to Dylan’s seduction for just one night. But Cam finds he can’t let his lover go, and Dylan breaks down every barrier. For he is the one human who can gaze in a cockatrice’s eyes without fear.Yet even as their bond deepens, danger closes in on them from all sides, and Cam’s dark secrets may save them—or lead to their destruction.

    On his way home from school, Kipling rush falls through some broken boards and lands on the strange boy Chemuel, whom he calls Crash for obvious reasons and their lives together begin.What's not so obvious is who Chemuel is, why he's down there, or what lies ahead for them in this short story about the transformative power of selfless love.

    In exchange, Nick’s family gets a chance to regain their fortune. Is this the worst mistake of Nick’s life, or will it lead to a love only found in fairy tales? A modern, M/M retelling of Beauty & The Beast. Sensitive, aspiring photographer Nick Fairfax wants nothing to do with his family's corporate business, or their vicious, cold-blooded lifestyle. Intending to give up his inheritance and pursue his art, he arrives at his father's office, only to find that Fairfax Industries has fallen to a scarred man in a hooded cloak. The man is the reclusive billionaire Lord Bane Dunsaney, and he is bent on destroying the Fairfaxes. But when he sees Nick, everything changes. Bane offers the Fairfaxes the chance to regain their fortune if Nick will reside at Moon Shadow, his secluded mansion, and do whatever the billionaire wants for a whole year. Nick has no real choice other than to agree to Bane’s terms. At Moon Shadow, Bane lords his power over Nick, going even so far as to take Nick’s phone, computer and beloved camera away. The billionaire claims such measures are to protect his privacy, but Nick is convinced they are so Bane can control him. Each is determined to see the worst in each other. But as time passes, Nick glimpses a Bane that is much more than the cold-hearted figure that he met in his father's office. He discovers that Bane is a man betrayed by love and no longer believes in it. But what Nick comes to know about Bane is nothing compared to the man’s true secret. Bane is cursed. He is a tiger-shifter who has no control over his beast. And that beast wants Nick.

    Nox survived, but the attack wrecked his womb. Shattered, Nox rejected the pack who fumbled helping a barren, grief-stricken omega cope. He built a new purpose for himself as a master craftsman. Mating? No thanks. He’s better off alone.Humans studied Joth in prison until his father’s death ended the weekly visits. Joth demands Nox in their father’s stead in exchange for resuming therapy and tests… thereby risking the destruction of Nox’s carefully ordered world. Again.The pack drafts alpha fixer Dio to untangle the mess. One sniff of the wary omega convinces him Nox is his mate. New medical treatments offer a slim possibility Nox could bear children, but if the past years taught shifters anything, it is an omega’s value is greater than his fertility. Reconciling Nox with his pack is more important. Laying to rest the ghosts haunting Nox is too. Learning to trust? Vital.Dio just needs to coax Nox into one last try.Content Warning: Omega mpreg and fertility themes, dubious consent, shifter knotting, an omega who rejects labels, and a bewildered alpha who wouldn’t have it any other way43,915 digital words

    When the local witch offers to make Eldon female for just one night, he agrees. One spell. One night. One dance. What could possibly go wrong?This story also available in print in the anthology Ever After: The Collected Short Works of Marie Sexton.

    Jay, Argent, and Ben are three of them, and they've just met the men of their hottest dreams. Next of Kin by Astrid AmaraJay Yervant is a Hell Cop so powerful that his bare skin incinerates anyone he contacts. Isolated, he is tortured by desire, until he meets Brian, a sensual young man who touches him with impunity. But Jay's burgeoning hope is threatened when a malevolent sorcerer unleashes a host of demonic assassins against Brian. Keeping his lover may cost Jay his life. Red Sands by Nicole KimberlingAnthropologist Michael Gold's got problems. His apartment's been ransacked, his dad's missing, and he's been framed for murder. As a half-demon he expects trouble from the city's Hell Cops. Instead, he gets Argent, a man with intimate knowledge of Michael and whom Michael can't penetrate with his psychic powers. So does Argent want to clear him or expose him? Touching Sparks by Ginn HaleWhen photojournalist James Sparks discovers an underworld of sorcery, blood sports and demonic drug traffic, he turns to Detective Ben Moran, a hard-bodied Hell Cop whose touch sends James's pulse racing. But when James uncovers evidence of police corruption he realizes that Moran may be in as much danger as he is.Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, male/male sexual practices, strong violence.