Geneticists rule, instituting a DNA-based caste system in their effort to restore the human genome.As a Zed, Will's a virtual slave who isn't allowed medical care. A tragic accident has left him crippled, awaiting death. Just before his time is up, Malcolm, an enigmatic Alpha with two differently colored eyes, sweeps in and buys him. Will becomes part of a family of freaks--other damaged Zeds who should be dead. Life seems ideal until Malcolm makes a request that could change Will's life.Malcolm harbors more secrets than his Zeds could imagine. His attraction to Will unravels his carefully cultivated control, and one secret escapes: he craves pain, not just as a sexual release, but as a way to atone for his past. Will may be the one person who can give him what he needs if Malcolm can only allow him into his heart.As they struggle to build trust, each secret Malcolm reveals threatens their relationship. In the end, their desire for each other may heal both men if they can unlearn the lessons of the past.In Distress is a dystopian, science-fiction love story and contains adult language and situations.

    They may need to save far more than each other.A mysterious distress call draws the crew of the Hermes to what appears to be an empty, drifting ship. Empty, except for the gore-spattered corridors and one survivor locked in a holding cell. Drawn to the traumatized man, the crew's comm officer, Isaac Ozawa, makes Turk his responsibility, offering him kindness and warmth after the horror he experienced.Turk longs for Isaac, a desperate, hopeless ache he'll always carry with him.But Turk’s brain harbors dangerous secrets, a military experiment gone wrong. When an amoral, power-hungry admiral kidnaps Isaac to convince Turk to become the weapon he's hungered for, it will take Turk’s strength, the Hermes crew’s ingenuity, the enigmatic Drak'tar’s help, and Isaac's own stubborn will to save them.

    First Officer Ryan Nelson accompanies the sickest patients to the planet's surface, where he is put under the supervision of Juo-ta-ri, an apprentice to one of the healers who is helping the crew. The two have barely begun to explore the chemistry between them when Ryan's body betrays him and he falls ill as well. Now it's a race against time to see if Juo can bring the fever down before Ryan's hallucinations kill him.Reprint: This novella was originally published in the Dreamspinner Press anthology Size Matters.Revisit Ryan and Juo in Hot Cargo by Nicki Bennett and Ariel Tachna.

    The curse in his DNA means a long, bitterly lonely life for the Ghelyxian, and it’s a fate Marrex knows he can’t change.After a long sleep in stasis, Juniper Bo wakes to discover he’s an unwelcome guest aboard Captain Marrex’s ship. Though he tries to stay away from the surly Ghelyxian, he just doesn’t get why the curse is such a big deal—then again, Juniper knows his tastes are rather… unusual for a Human.When friendship blooms between Marrex and Juniper, they realize they face a future that neither could have predicted in their wildest dreams.

    Big Brother no longer just watches from the shadows. It’s in every household.Lloyd Salter has OCD issues with noise, mess, and he’s uncomfortable with human interaction. When his ex claimed the only thing perfect enough to live up to his standards was an android, Lloyd dismissed it. But two years later, after much self-assessment, Lloyd thinks he may have been right.SATinc is the largest manufacturer of androids in Australia, including the Fully Compatible Units known as an A-Class 10. Their latest design is the Synthetic Human Android UNit, otherwise known as SHAUN.Shaun is compatible with Lloyd’s every need; the perfect fit on an intellectual and physical basis. But Lloyd soon realises Shaun’s not like other A-Class androids. He learns. He adapts. Sure that SATinc is aware Shaun functions outside of his programmed parameters, Lloyd must find a way to keep Shaun safe.No one can know how special Shaun is. No one can know he’s evolved.

    After a night of drinking, he orders a doll from PETS only, when it arrives, he gets a surprise--he's received a free upgrade to a Living Companion! He does his best to clinically and professionally deal with a Pet that was genetically engineered to be a companion, in every sense of the word, to another man. But when Ichi starts to suspect his new Pet isn't what he seems, his dull little life gets turned upside down.

    Using a title he fled nearly two decades earlier, Nate once again becomes the Earl of Deverell, heir to the Duke of Hawthorne, in order to navigate the ins and outs of a Regency world. But planet Regelence—where young lords are supposed to remain pure until marriage—has a few surprises for Nate, not least of which is his attraction to Prince Aiden. A talented artist, Prince Aiden Townsend isn’t interested in politics and the machinations of society gentlemen, and he adamantly rejects the idea of marriage and a consort. Aiden wants the freedom to pursue his art and determine his own future. But the arrival of the dashing and mysterious Deverell awakens feelings of passion and longing the young prince can’t deny. As Nate uncovers a conspiracy reaching far beyond the stolen weapons, his future is irrevocably altered by the temptations of a life he never thought he could have. Drawn into the web of intrigue, Aiden is in danger of losing his life… and his heart.

    In 1960, a superfood was invented that made starvation a thing of the past. Manna, the cheaply manufactured staple food, is now as ubiquitous as salt in the world’s cupboards, pantries and larders.Nelson Oliver knows plenty about manna. He’s a food scientist—according to his diploma, that is. Lately, he’s been running the register at the local video rental dive to scrape together the cash for his exorbitantly priced migraine medication.In a job fair gone bad, Nelson hooks up with copywriter Javier and his computer-geek pal Tim, who whisks them away from the worst of the fiasco in his repurposed moving truck. At least, Nelson thinks those two are acquainted, but they’re acting so evasive about it, he’s not sure how they know each other, exactly.Javier is impervious to Nelson’s flirting, and Tim’s name could appear in the dictionary under the entry for “awkward.” And with a riot raging through Manhattan and yet another headache coming on, it doesn’t seem like Nelson will get an answer anytime soon. One thing’s for sure, the tension between the three of them is thick enough to cut with a knife...even one of those dull plastic dealies that come in the package with Mannariffic EZ-Mealz.(Gay fiction, adult content)

    Survival will mean making some unlikely alliances - and some most unusual friendships.

    Using electronics and desperation, Anderson creates a family to keep him company, but family isn't always a blessing.When Anderson finally arrives, C.J. Poulson greets him with curiosity and awe, because anyone who can survive a holocaust and reinvent holo-science is going to be a legend and right up C.J.'s alley. But the more C.J. investigates how Anderson endured the last ten years, the deeper he is drawn into a truly dangerous fantasy, one that offers the key to Anderson's salvation—and his destruction.In spite of his best intentions, C.J. can’t resist the terribly seductive Anderson. Their attraction threatens to destroy them, because the heart of a man who can survive the destruction of his people and retain his sense of self holds a solid core of alpha male that will not be denied.

    In the first of the Taking Shield series, Shield Captain Bennet is dropped behind the lines to steal priceless intelligence. A dangerous job, and Bennet doesn't need the distractions of changing relationships with his long-term partner, Joss, or with his father-and with Flynn, the new lover who will turn his world upside-down. He expects to risk his life. He expects the data will alter the course of the war. What he doesn't expect is that it will change his life or that Flynn will be impossible to forget.

    Caris Dealyn wants nothing more than to get this assignment done so he can continue searching for his missing Avanti friends. But first, he needs to solve the mystery surrounding the last ambassador’s disappearance, while navigating the Demon court with all its whisperings of plots and betrayals. It's not such a bad job, if he could keep his attention on work and not on the prince who seems to distract him just by being near.Prince Dasalin Kan’erkit is busy running the kingdom in his father's absence, but not so busy he doesn’t notice the new Ambassador. Caris gets under his skin like no one else before, which is quite a feat considering Dasa’s demonically tough scales.The attraction between them is undeniable, and when events throw them together, sparks fly. They can't get enough of each other. But there are forces at work that wish to keep them apart. In a fight for their survival, the two must figure out which demonic faction is behind the plot and protect not only themselves, but the people they have both vowed to serve.

    Genetic flaws are taboo, and Adam soon discovers there’s a thin line between rising star and starving outcast.Stripped of wealth and position, stricken with a mysterious, worsening illness, Adam resorts to stealing credits to survive. Moments from capture by the Protectorate, help arrives in the form of Lochlan, a brash, cocksure Bideshi fighter.Now the Bideshi, a people long shunned by the Protectorate, are the only ones who will offer him shelter. As Adam learns the truth about the mysterious, nomadic people he was taught to fear, Lochlan offers him not just shelter—but a temptation Adam can only resist for so long.Struggling to adapt to his new life, Adam discovers his illness hides a terrible secret, one that the Protectorate will stop at nothing to conceal. Time is growing short, and he must find the strength to close a centuries-old rift, accept a new identity—and hold on to a love that could cost him everything.

     Most Wanted (Book One) Hot porn star Ryan Henderson is desperate. On the run for a murder he didn’t commit, he tries to hide out by selling himself at an auction for love slaves. When a handsome Lycan wolf-shifter, Blayde Balenescu buys him, Ryan thinks his prayers have been answered—only to find out he’s jumped from the frying pan into the fire! Blayde is an intergalactic bounty hunter who’s only after the money Ryan will bring in. When Ryan gets off the transport bringing him to Blayde, however, he’s startled at Blayde’s violent reaction once he touches him. Dominant Blayde has recognized Ryan as his mate, and now Blayde has to figure out not only how he can possibly convince the young man to stay with him, and allow him to teach him proper behavior, but also how he’ll manage to keep Ryan alive long enough to save him from his powerful enemies. The Alpha's Concubine (Book Two) When Nikolai Balenescu and his brother stop by a small, out of the way planet called Jayron to deliver some goods, they have no idea what’s in store for them. Nikolai is immediately attacked by a fierce, gorgeous little prince named Jagger, who takes the Lycan shifter away in chains. Nikolai allows himself to be disarmed because he instantly recognizes the prince as his mate, and he’s willing to play along until he can figure out why his ship was attacked and how he’s now going to save his prince from his fearsome Lycan family who will be coming for him, intent on revenge. Meanwhile, Prince Jagger decides he’ll take the gorgeous Lycan as his love slave and puts him in chains. At first Nikolai is angry, but soon decides that being a love slave to his beautiful mate is an idea he’s only too happy to go along with. Konnor and His Omega Mate  (Book Three) Ethan is having a really bad day. First he’s required by Lycan law to appear before a judging panel consisting of big, important alphas who intimidate him and make him so nervous he’s afraid he won’t be able to perform at all. He’s desperate to prove himself a worthy gamma, so he can get an apprenticeship, and start his new life. When he walks into the room he finds Konnor Balenscu, a handsome, important Lycan alpha, who also happens to be his mate. Ethan is incredibly drawn to him and is amazed to learn that Konnor returns his interest. There’s only one hitch—Konnor finds him to be a lowly omega, deemed mentally defective by the proud Lycans, and doomed to live his life as a love slave, sold to the highest bidder. He only has one option left. He has to run.

    His life is luxurious. Safe. Routine.He has his pick of casual hookups passing through Dadelus-Kaku Station. His one brush with danger of any kind—the only bright spot in his otherwise boring life—is Cruz Arcadio, a dark-haired, hard-bodied engineer whose physical prowess hints he’s something much more.When a terrorist abducts Tover, hurling him into a world of torture, exploitation and betrayal, it’s with shattering disbelief that he realizes his kidnapper is none other than Cruz. As Tover struggles to find the courage to escape his bondage, he begins to understand the only way to free his body, his mind—and his heart—is to trust the one man who showed him that everything about his once-perfect life was a lie.Warning: This story contains descriptions of extreme violence and assault. It also contains graphic sexual depictions. It also has a lot of birds. And pirate movies from the future. And romance.