What could possibly go wrong?Spinoza is a private investigator who specializes in finding the missing. He’s good at what he does. Damn good. But he’s also got a secret past that haunts him. In the short story, THE VAMPIRE ON THE TRAIN, Spinoza takes on a different kind of investigation when he’s hired to ride a train with a vampire whose dreams predict the future. Spinoza is in the vampire’s dreams. And so is the train…“The Vampire on the Train” is a mystery thriller and a paranormal adventure for an intrepid private detective who finds out he is the key to one vampire living...or dying. Now Spinoza must make the decision of a lifetime before the train reaches its final destination...**Acclaim for J.R. Rain and Samantha Moon** “J.R. Rain’s Samantha Moon, private investigator, is a vampire heroine to cheer for. The VAMPIRE FOR HIRE urban fantasy series has sparkling dialogue, quirky mystery, paranormal thrills and chills, fun romance and humor, and a great ensemble cast of characters. Get hooked with MOON DANCE and be swept away into the mystique of an unforgettable vampire saga.” —Eve Paludan, bestselling author of the WITCH DETECTIVES series “I enjoyed Moon Dance immensely. The protagonist, Samantha Moon, is a female vampire with a husband and children. Those predate her condition; six years ago, she was attacked by a vampire and rendered into one. Now she’s trying to carry on with family and private eye business, and she’s a feisty, skilled person, so is doing mostly okay. It is not a horror story; she buys animal blood to eat and doesn’t generally prey on humans. But her husband has an increasing problem with her coldness—not of spirit, but of body. ‘You sicken me and scare the hell out of me,’ he tells her. ‘And when I touch you it’s all I can do to not gag.’ She replies, ‘Words every wife wants to hear.’ I love this! What makes it special are her character and nature.” —Piers Anthony, bestselling author of the XANTH series “J.R. Rain delivers a blend of action and wit that always entertains. Quick with the one-liners, but his characters are fully fleshed out (even the undead ones) and you’ll come back again and again.” —Scott Nicholson, bestselling author of the AFTER series “Is it possible to redefine two genres in one book? I don’t know, but J.R. Rain has left a lasting impression for the vampire and mystery genres.” —P.J. Day, bestselling author of the JACK KING vampire thrillers “Impossible to put down. J.R. Rain’s Moon Dance is a fabulous urban fantasy replete with multifarious and unusual characters, a perfectly synchronized plot, vibrant dialogue and sterling witticism, all wrapped in a voice that is as beautiful as it is rich and vividly intense as it is relaxed.” —April Vine, bestselling author of UNBOUND

     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

    An old enemy enraged. Will his love for her be enough to save her?Shapeshifters, demons, vampires, and sorcerers are all just part of the show at the Myths and Legends Casino Resort.Or are they?Serafina Leroux has always dreamed of becoming a professional dancer. When she responds to a mysterious invitation to the dance auditions at Myths and Legends she not only gets a shot at her dream job, she also meets a tall, dark, devastatingly handsome stranger whose every touch consumes her with desire.Donovan Drake is the charismatic owner of Myths and Legends known around the world as Dragon. His roguish good looks make him one of the most sought after bachelors alive, but only one woman can satisfy his carnal needs and the beast that shares his soul.When Dragon and Serafina come together their passion ignites and she is drawn into his world where myths and legends are very real and danger lurks around every corner.Words: 98,424

    It needs a monster.   Aris has lived beneath the streets all his life as a growing evil overtook the city he loved. He’s watched the people suffer, smelled their fear, and heard their cries for mercy. All while they lived under the control of the ruthless man who murdered his parents.  But the time has come for Aris to rise from the darkness. He’s trained his whole life for this moment and, unlike the justice system, he will not fail the people of Coast City, or the woman he fell in love with as a child, the woman who believes him dead.  But no one told him that sometimes heroes aren’t enough. Sometimes people need a monster. .   In this gritty and fast-paced, urban fantasy novel, Raven Steele brings a new kind of vampire that will leave you breathless and anxious for more! * This novel takes place while Briar fought against the assholes in her life. Soon he will join Briar, Sam and Lynx in Rouen, but until then, find out how he became known as a vampire legend.

    A heart-warming tale of Christmas, elves, Santa Claus…and a really mad witch.There are many things Cinnamon Mercy Claus is struggling with this holiday season: the memories of long forgotten holidays when the Christmas season was about family; that she’s just found out her grandfather is Santa Claus; and that her grandmother is a witch—who is hell-bent on destroying Christmas for them all.

    It already killed her once. Victoria can’t wait to start college, but there’s a hitch—she can’t remember anything before arriving on campus. Her memories finally spark when she sees her ruggedly handsome math professor, but she senses something terrible happened. The shock on his face affirms her fears. Toby is an alpha wolf who never thought he’d see his true love again—not after she died in his arms. Nothing could have prepared him for her walking into his class. But to his dismay, not only has she forgotten the past, she doesn’t even know who she is. He’s determined to do whatever it takes to restore what they’ve lost. Can Toby help Victoria recover her memories, or will he lose her forever? USA Today bestselling author, Stacy Claflin, brings you Lost Wolf, the first book in the Curse of the Moon series. It’s a paranormal romantic suspense saga that features gripping supernatural drama, surprising twists, dynamic characters, and heart-pounding romance.

    The victims are innocents, chosen to pit the shifter Pack and the vampire Coven against one another.If war breaks out, humanity won’t survive.But controlling fire is my thing, and I won’t let that happen.I’m a mercenary, but this is about so much more than money. It’s my city and someone is threatening it. I won’t stop until I find them.When the good guys start to look more like villains, I have no choice but to question everything I knew, including the people I thought I could trust.It turns out the humans might not be as helpless as they seem, and I'm in more danger than I realized.If you like K.F. Breene, Annette Marie, Patricia Briggs, McKenzie Hunter, CN Crawford, Leia Stone, or Linsey Hall, then buckle up buttercup, and get ready for a fast paced adventure you won't be able to put down.

    The family house she inherits is the perfect place for a fresh start, except for the sexy neighbor she’d ditched years before and the surprise fairies living across the street. Before long, she’s neck-deep in magic, fae, and zombie bunnies, and her tenuous connection to her powers relies on the one man she wants to avoid. Jake Thomas is happy in his mundane life. Magic is for other people. Until the girl who’d broken his heart moves back home and he finds himself drawn into the world of the fae. She needs his help, but can he trust her to stick around this time when things get rough?With a dark force threatening the town, they’ll have to face their pasts and overcome their distrust to have any chance at a future. Together they can make magic, but will it be enough?

    When she woke up that morning, Caroline's biggest concern was passing her AP English test and dodging the mean girls who seemed to delight in picking on her. The one day she decided that enough was enough and skipped class, the usually deserted local history museum was invaded by a group of mercenary thieves who kidnap the only witness. Now, Caroline's locked in a basement prison cell with a guy who looks like he got on the wrong side of a biker gang and says he's a government agent and claims that Caroline is actually the only human in the entire building. Elves and mages Caroline knew about, but Darien Webb says he's not an elf, either, but something potentially much more dangerous. He's badly injured and she's just a senior in high school, but they're each other's best hope for getting out in one piece.

    Wish You Were Here A routine trip to the vet begins a wild adventure when Suzy Maycomber and her cat, Snowball, take a shortcut through the cemetery and find themselves in the mystical land of Nightshade, where magic exists and cats talk. Only the librarian, Rachel, the most powerful witch in Nightshade, can help Suzy get home. One big problem: Rachel's just been murdered. Desperate to find her way home, Suzy reluctantly agrees to take Rachel’s place as Nightshade’s resident witch, where she’ll have access to the spell books that might hold the answers she needs. But her search for the truth draws Suzy ever deeper into danger. There is someone – or something – in Nightshade that doesn’t want Suzy to get home. Rachel’s murderer is prepared to kill again – and Suzy may be next. If Suzy wants to get home, she’ll have to learn to be a witch first. 2. Witch Spells Trouble Just when Suzy Maycomber is getting settled at the Academy in Hemlock, trouble strikes again. Suzy discovers one of her classmates murdered in the basement of the school, and the only witness is a ghost that speaks in riddles and rhymes. Determined to unmask the killer, Suzy enlists the help of Snowball and Alfie... but something doesn't feel right. The toil and trouble doubles when almost everyone in Hemlock begins acting differently, including Alfie. Can Suzy cast her way out of another case of murder, mystery, and mayhem or will whatever is taking over the town get her too? 3. Stone Cold Witch After a werewolf is found dead in the woods after having been turned to stone, the entire town of Nightshade is on edge. At a werewolf wedding that Suzy and Snowball are invited to, a second werewolf is targeted. However, the second murder is vastly different from the first, leaving local authorities confused about a possible motive. Is the killer targeting werewolves? Or, is there more than one killer? Trouble seems to follow Suzy, but she promises to help solve this new mystery. Along with her friend Red Sumac, they head to the town of Safe Haven – home of the world’s greatest experts on stone - gargoyles. However, while in Safe Haven, Suzy discovers a truth about her past that will change everything. Can Suzy and her friends bring the killer to justice? And, can Suzy do it all while juggling the female vampire in town who has her cold, dead heart, set on winning over Val? 4. Life's A Witch After a spate of gargoyle murders, Suzy Maycomber finds herself running out of time to catch the culprit and save her friend, Red Sumac, who has been framed for the murders. Gargoyles daring to seek better lives for themselves has caused the cult group, the Anti-Masons, to re-emerge and target them. As the granddaughter of one of the world’s most notorious Anti-Masons’, Suzy’s friend, Red Sumac, is automatically under suspicion of murderous activity in Hemlock. Join Suzy and friends as they go deep under cover as Anti-Masons to discover the truth, while endangering their own lives. Will they succeed or will Red Sumac be doomed to spend the rest of her days in a witch’s prison? 5.

    I had no choice but to leave.That was a long time ago. I got over the betrayal. Now, I’m on the mend.But when an assassin tracks me down to London, claiming that a deadly power thrums beneath my veins, only one person is strong enough to save my hide:Valentine Sargon—the Vampire King who stole my virginity and broke my heart.He’ll help, but only if I move into a safe house. With him.Valentine is as handsome as the devil, silver-tongued and seductive as sin. I don’t trust him or the way he hungers for my blood. But I’ve run out of choices and can’t refuse.He’s going to protect me from the assassins, but who’s going to protect me from him?If you like enemies-to-lovers paranormal romances with adventure, conflict, and steam, you’ll love Allure of the Vampire King.

    I’ve bounced from house to house, living in foster care, with no true place to call home. And there’s an ancient darkness that follows me around where I go.They may be demons, but I’m no angel, and this darkness craves the Hell they give.Or maybe I’ve just been damned from the start.

    He was always there to protect me. He’s been following me since my childhood and I had no idea. Brandon Scott has been all I need since I saw him naked, the very first day we met. After seeing his tanned body, with those bulging muscles, I want him so badly. He makes me crazy and I am getting obsessed. His eyes can melt any woman’s heart. I’ve never felt like this in my entire life. Now I have to share a cabin with him. And I don’t know if I can trust myself with him. I know he is not a human. He says he is my father’s assistant. He says he can not fall in love with a human. It is against the rules of his pack. Who cares? I am stubborn. I can’t resist this sexy creature roaming around me. My body craves his touch. I need him. I want him to do all the naughty things to me. Lust is taking over my mind. How long can I keep control? How long can I fight my hormones? Now as I am addicted to him, My heart is breaking. All my plans with Brandon are shattering. He already has a mate and he never told me anything about her. Now I am hurt and I want to run from here. Maybe moving to Italy will help me forget him. There he is, again standing in front of me. There is not even a single second when I don’t miss him. Why he can’t be mine? This story contains No Cheating, No Cliffhangers, and it definitely is a HEA story! : ) Warning: Adult Readers only.

     Five hundred years is truly enough for a man like me. A monster. Yet a ten-thousand-year treaty will die with me, if I don’t spawn a dragonling to take my place. My two brothers are no use in this task. It falls to me, the eldest by a hair’s breadth, and yet, I cannot face the horror of another sealing. Another death. Another woman’s blood on my hands. ARABELLA I was saved from death in a dark Seattle alley by an impossibly beautiful man who swooped in on golden wings. Now he’s taken me to his lair, opened my eyes to a world of immortals I didn’t know existed, and given me an impossible task—find him a mate. Then, and only then, will he set me free. He needs her more than he wants; she wants him more than she should; and the fate of both the mortal and immortal worlds depends on not just repairing their hearts, but finding a Love that’s True…

    As soon as Luke Anthony wanders into her family’s coffee shop, she recognises the evil lurking beneath his charming smile and fantastic arse. The handsome werewolf is determined to have her—but she’s determined to cut out his heart.Little does she know, Luke’s plans for her are far more pleasurable than murder. And when the full moon rises, all bets are off…Warning: Mating the Huntress is 30,000+ words of red-hot, Halloween-themed romance. This novella contains one flirtatious, cursed creature of the night, one badass, knife-happy heroine, and forbidden lust at first sight. Please read responsibly!