They say she hunts incubus demons, not for money, but to clear a debt with a powerful wizard. But time is winding down. Carmen has five days to clear the balance or she loses her daughter. Desperation forces her to go after Blaze. He’s worth two million dollars dead or alive. The hunt begins. She spots him and sets a seductive trap. It’s just business as usual—until she ends up capturing so much more.

    Stockbroker Juliette Bishop gets more than she bargained for when she flies to New Orleans to handle a business matter for her ailing father and comes face to face with her former lover, the handsome, yet mysterious Andre Lescarbeau.* This Sweetblood World short story (dark vampire romance) was originally published in the Mammoth Book of Southern Gothic Romance.

    Her mother is reluctant. She is terrified of birds. As she rightfully should be...The Bird is a short story from The Queen of Scream. A quick and scary read, as only Willow Rose can deliver it.

    But can beautiful Myst the Coveted accept an enemy vampire as her own? Tehya has spent the last twelve years as an accidental wolf, but is truly a vampire at heart. When she gets injured, Lobo sneaks her inside MoonBound’s headquarters and nurses her back to health…with potentially deadly consequences. Desire collides with danger in “Forsaken by Night,” a MoonBound Clan novella from Larissa Ione! In Gena Showalter’s Otherworld Assassins novella, Dark Swan, Lilica Swan isn’t quite human or otherworlder; she is the best—and worst—of both. She is willing to do whatever proves necessary to save her sister from the seductive and deadly Alien Investigation and Removal agent, Dallas Gutierrez, even bond her life to his…effectively wedding him. But without consummation, the bond will fade. Can Dallas resist his insatiable desire for the powerful beauty? Or will she lead to his ultimate downfall?

    

    Well except that my dad went missing when I was six. But my mom makes it work. And I have annoying brother. See, normal?So why does my life feel like a train wreck waiting to happen... oh yeah because now Jeremy is also missing.Fate intervenes when Hugh, with his stunning golden eyes and similar dark hair, starts taking an interest in me. He divulges that he also shares my little "gift" of seeing the dead. Should I be freaked out? Yes. But am I? Okay, but only a little bit.Senior year is hard enough as it is, but clearly I like a challenge.Other books in this series:Capture (Cryptid Chronicles 2) AVAILABLE NOWSettle (Cryptid Chronicles 3) AVAILABLE NOW

    Putney.Allarde, a gorgeous, wealthy noble, has hidden his true nature. In "Fallen from Grace," delve into Allarde's diary and read about his life at the exclusive school Eton, the discovery of his magic, and his sudden fall from grace. Will Allarde be disinherited from his family estate? How will he survive life at the dreary Lackland Abbey—the reform school for children with shameful magical abilities? But soon Allarde discovers an exciting secret within the grounds of Lackland.Also included is a preview of M.J. Putney's novel Dark Mirror.

    Everyone thinks I’m a genius. Everyone is wrong. Sure, I finished Harvard at eighteen and now make crazy money at a hedge fund. But that’s not because I’m unusually smart or hard-working. It’s because I cheat. You see, I have a unique ability. I can go outside time into my own personal version of reality—the place I call “the Quiet”—where I can explore my surroundings while the rest of the world stands still. I thought I was the only one who could do this—until I met her. My name is Darren, and this is how I became entangled with all the Russians and learned that I’m a Reader.

    Recovering from a horrible breakup from her long time boyfriend, Taryn is persuaded by her best friend, Roxy, to get out of bed and get on with her life. Taryn has let her magic diminish to a dangerous level and Roxy is determined to help her get over Cillian and she knows the best way to get over an elf is to get under another one. Roxy takes Taryn to a club that caters to the carnal desires of the supernatural community of their city. With elves, pixies, humans, fairies, vampires, lust, revenge and more, Taryn will recover from this breakup no matter what Roxy has to do.

     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

    But when coffins start floating down her street during a flood, life turns extra strange. And wonderful, when her friend and crush Noah signs on to help Charlotte and her folks in the aftermath. Cemetery cleanup might not sound exciting, but as shocking discoveries and a lurking stranger come to light, Charlotte learns that sometimes, raising the dead can bring unexpected rewards.

     This novelette reunites Mara, Gus, Aunt Tillie and Grundleshanks the Toad (from the Toadwitch paranormal series) with Stacy Justice, the Geraghty Girls and Thor, the Great Dane, (from the Stacy Justice paranormal mystery series). As Gus, Mara and Stacy band together, they're bossed around by the cantankerous ghost of Mara's Aunt Tillie, tripped up by the spirit of Lord Grundleshanks the Poisonous Toad, backed up by Stacy's grandmother's coven, and given assistance by a local hoodoo master -- in-between episodes of Antiques Road Show, that is -- but they're still in for the Samhain of their lives. If they don't stop the stranger's nefarious plan, the only thing they can count on is that all three of their souls will be at risk! This is a quirky, paranormal adventure that combines thrills and chills with all-out spooky fun. It's a fun, fast-paced read that also works as a stand-alone to introduce new readers to the quirky paranormal world of the main characters. It includes short excerpts from the paranormal novels "Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead" and "Opal Fire."

    Frontier living isn’t what it used to be. It’s hard to survive in the New Old West and it’s even harder when your area doesn’t exactly embrace supernaturals—and you howl at the moon. That being said, he’s good at his job and has a reputation with the ladies. When he learns his childhood sweetheart is to be married off to the town sleazebag, he goes in guns blazing to see to it she’s his. Problem is, Molly isn’t the same girl he remembers from ten years prior. Now she’s a gun-toting, foul-mouthed, vixen with a badge of her own.Special Marshal Molly Cogan never planned to set foot back in Prospect Springs. When her friend gets the harebrained idea to steal her identity in an attempt to protect her from the bounty the outlaws have on her head, Molly finds herself standing right smack dab in the middle of chaos—or home in her case. It isn’t long before Jonathan is there, flashing that famous MacSweeny boy smile and tempting her in ways she wasn’t prepared for. This heart-hardened Marshal has her work cut out for her if she plans to face her past fears and her past sweetheart.

    As if growing up with an alcoholic, drug addicted mother wasn’t traumatic enough, she’s escaped from her physically and verbally abusive boyfriend only to struggle every day to make ends meet as a waitress in a Minneapolis diner.Along comes Mikah Blake, a handsome stranger who quickly takes an unexpected and persistent interest in her. On the surface, “Mr. Suit” seems to be Vivienne’s opposite: rich, well-fed, successful. As Vivienne will learn, Mikah is more than he seems, and for reasons unknown, he’s determined to be her knight in shining armor. But after having finally found her own two feet after years of abuse, it’s difficult for her to accept Mikah’s help.Will her body’s unexpected response to Mikah’s touch be reason enough to overcome her pride and traumatic past and learn to love and trust? Or will her past, refusing to be left behind, come back to claim her?

    The Greek Olympian, Ares, runs the city as his own personal Coliseum while Apollo and Hermes struggle to shield teens from his deadly hobbies. Ares endless supply of gladiators is all the more accessible because the abandoned buildings of Detroit have become the flame for moths of ravers, vandals, scavengers, and urban explorers. The key to the entire conflict, Calliope, is just hoping for a fresh start now that her lifelong crush has finally noticed her. Although hoping for a fresh start in Detroit, is like saying you’re going to Las Vegas in search of true love. She soon catches the notice of one of the Immortals that recognizes her for what she is: a Night Muse. A Muse is a human that carries the soul of an Olympian within her, which gives the god immense power. Until Calliope reaches adulthood and awakens as a Bright Muse, there is no way to determine who her soul mate is. The Immortals start to draw Calliope and the people she loves into a deadly chess match. With her best friend’s life at stake, Calliope must seize control of her destiny and eliminate the deadly threat herself.