Proud and certain, he strides forth from Ashoka, intent on glory and the protection of his home. Karma, though, proves a fickle fiend, and Rukh stumbles straight into the heart of disaster. Discoveries are made. Buried truths and blatant lies are exposed, and secrets hidden away for centuries can no longer be ignored.These secrets shatter Rukh’s future, tear asunder his Caste-driven society, and eventually leave him banished from Ashoka. Forced to journey into the unknown, the vast and deadly Wildness, his only companion is the agent of his downfall, a beautiful woman whose very existence should be anathema. There, in those hidden depths beyond civilization's toehold, he seeks salvation, not just for himself, but for all of Humanity.For looming over the world like a storm waiting to break is Suwraith, the Sorrow Bringer, the demon who ended the mythical First World over two millennia ago. Her work is not yet done, though, for She seeks Humanity’s utter extinction. And She has a plan: Ashoka is to be shattered.This is The Castes and the OutCastes, the complete award-winning epic fantasy trilogy in one volume with over 1600 pages of magic, murder, romance, and world-shattering events.

    Courtney Weber (author of Brigid and The Morrigan) offers an informed, accessible journey through the lore and history of Hekate, the ancient goddess of crossroads, ghosts, and witchcraft, and reflects on Hekate’s relevance today. Tools and techniques for incorporating this goddess into your personal journey round out the book.Similar to her other works, Weber strikes a balance between the scholarly and the spiritual. Her exploration of Hekate combines solid research with practical, modern applications. The spiritual content is accessible to anyone with an interest in witchcraft, regardless of their faith or background.Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of Hekate, exploring original mythology, historical context, and contemporary connotations, concluding with spells and personal rituals. The final chapter is a grimoire full of rituals, offerings, and other practices designed to help readers align themselves with this extraordinary goddess. The book also explores magickal ethics, what it means to be a witch in the twenty-first century, and best practices for successful witchcraft.

    Born with a crippling lung illness, he has never been as strong as his father or brother, both of whom have disappeared after attempting to challenge the Trials of Ancients. In the wake of the Tyrant King’s war, his village has come under the control of the Purus, a vicious gang of magically enhanced cutthroats and murderers. The Trials offer the promise of power to any who can clear them, but Dabu has been forbidden from entering.After a violent encounter leaves his family in danger, Dabu faces a difficult decision — either leave the village to challenge the Trials or stay and risk starvation. The Trials are monstrously difficult, filled with dangerous beasts, deadly obstacles, and tribes of challengers who control the areas within. But if he can make it out alive, Dabu will gain the power he needs to finally drive the Purus from his home.This book contains GameLit elements, such as stat sheets, a form of leveling, and experience gain.

    Kahn, whose many buildings include the Salk Institute, the Yale Study Center, and the Exeter Library. He is remembered, however, not only as a master builder, but also as one of the most important and creative thinkers of the twentieth century. For Kahn, the study of architecture was the study of human beings, their highest aspirations and most profound truths. He searched for forms and materials to express the subtlety and grandeur of life. In his buildings we see the realization of his vision: luminous surfaces that evoke a fundamental awe, silent courtyards that speak of the expansiveness and the sanctity of the spirit, monumental columns and graceful arches that embody dignity and strength. Updated with a new preface, this classic work is a major statement on human creativity, showing us Louis Kahn as architect, visionary, and poet.

    Penny charged straight at the gunmen then dove under their fire. Spinning on her back she kicked the legs from under one man, and as he fell, she kicked the gun from the other man’s hand. Spinning back to the first man she saw the gun barrel moving toward her, and she lashed out with her foot. Her boot crushed his skull and she rolled to her feet to grab the last man in a neck lock. A quick twist and he lay lifeless in her arms. She let him fall, as, breathing deeply, she came down off combat mode. “Are you ladies all right?” she asked as she untied the ropes that held the older woman. “Who are you?” asked the old woman fearfully, as she pulled the tape from her mouth. “They call me Lady Blue,” smiled Penny as she helped the woman to stand. “What are you?” It was the younger woman who spoke. “Cold, hungry, dead tired, and covered in blue war paint,” giggled Penny as she released the older woman’s arm. She turned and began to search the bodies.

    But who amongst them all did Krishna love? Who ruled his heart and influenced his life?Not one, but there were eight women whom Krishna married solely on the basis of mutual love and respect. Each of these wives—the Ashtabharyas—contributed to making Krishna what he was. While their names figure in the text of the great epic Mahabharata, not much has been discussed about them. Who are these women and what was that special ‘something’ in each of them that won Krishna over? What were each of those relationships like?Radha Viswanath delves deep into the great Hindu epics, puranas and other ancient texts, weaving nuggets of information with rich imagination to give us a fascinating picture of Krishna’s life with these eight extraordinary women.

    They just can't be. They're supposed to be dumb stories in really old books. So why was Alex seeing them walking around on the streets of London? Alex began to wonder if he was losing his mind. Maybe he was hallucinating? Except, hallucinations couldn’t throw you into cars like you were nothing more than an annoying little bug, could they? Because that was exactly what that angel did to him. It all began to make sense when Andrew, Alex's estranged father, called him one day to tell him that he’d done something terrible. Something that was going to change Alex's life forever. This book is an urban fantasy that adds a twist to the traditional good versus bad narrative regarding angels and demons.

    

     She was a gifted midwestern beauty, the daughter of Ohio State University's marching band director: to dance on Broadway. Soon after high school graduation, Catherine left Columbus for New York City, determined to be a star. Three years later, she was dead -- murdered in cold blood in her East Side apartment. The shocking revelations that emerged from the police investigation made tabloid headlines: few knew that the struggling artist paid her bills by dancing in a topless club. But there was another hidden facet to Catherine's life -- a shattering love triangle with two men, one of whom would ultimately be convicted of her brutal stabbing death. It's a chilling account of obsession, violence, and the surprising, minute evidence on which the entire case hinged. For a talented young woman reaching for the top, and the heartbroken family she left behind, it is truly the death of a dream.

    It also provides an overview of different security topics such as identifying, categorizing and protecting your assets on AWS, managing access to AWS resources using accounts, users and groups and suggesting ways you can secure your data, your operating systems and applications and overall infrastructure in the cloud.

    It presents some of the behavioral aspects of construction management along with some difficulties a project manager may encounter.

    Immortal souls, sexy passion, and Navy SEALs collide in this fabulous novella duo:We are brothers, the Sons of Poseidon, though our mothers have gone many eons ago. Given special powers, we are required to protect humanity from the dark forces of the universe that coalesce and then plunge back into the inky pit of evil only to rise up again to be defeated. My task is to blend in as a normal, common man. But I am not a common man. I bear the mark, and I have worn it proudly, although sometimes I find that calling more difficult than others. However, I’ve never run away from it nor deny the obligation of my birthright.Oceans and worlds are fully accessible to me. There is only one thing that I am denied: a true love partner. I’ve loved many times, but never for evermore, only for the here and now. It would be a lonely journey, without mother or family of my own, were it not for my brothers. But the preservation of mankind is a worthy calling, and one I shall do until the end of time, or the end of my time. SEAL of TimeI am Tay Demmett. I have chosen for these next few years to live as a Navy SEAL, an elite medic to an elite team of brothers not unlike the Sons of Poseidon. This is my story. The Immortal SEAKerk Lesander isn't any ordinary man... Kerk is an immortal, a son of Poseidon, who has walked the earth for centuries in the guise of a mortal man. His mission is to aid mankind, to help shape history, and through it all, Kerk and his brothers have maintained their dedication to their destiny. But there was one thing missing.... Love. If he falls in love, he will lose his immortality. In present-day San Diego, California, Kerk is a Navy SEAL. In the midst of saving a drowning victim, he meets police officer Karia Bayne. His attraction to Karia is instant but he doesn't view it as anything more than another conquest until he comes to realize that Karia is no ordinary woman. When Kerk is sent on a dangerous mission, another mission in a long line of dangerous ones, he comes to realize that there may be something more to falling in love than simply something to be feared. Maybe living as a mortal with the woman he loves is worth more than immortality. This is Kerk and Karia's story.

     But his people lost the war... Now, Rothan is a prisoner. He is forced to fight as a gladiator for the entertainment of his hated Imperial enemies. Five years of this humiliating captivity, and he has almost completed his sentence. Just three more days and he is free. However, here in this wretched Imperial City, he has come to love one thing: the desertland concubine, Bellabel. He must find a way to win her freedom, to take her with him to the North. She must be his. And so he enters into a bargain with the Ringmaster of the City, a bargain for her freedom, a bargain which will catapult him into a far more twisted fate than he ever imagined. This book contains harem elements.

    It includes additional content removed from the Standard Edition due to its graphic nature. The love scenes in this version are longer, and include more graphic descriptions of sexual acts. All other content is the same. Champions, plural. After the shocking revelations shared by Eros, God of Love, the companions, David, Sapphire, and Laurena, have a new mission. As the trio journey to the Tomb of the Fallen, the Amandurans race towards Erosius, and the Erosians scramble to raise an army to meet them. Meanwhile, the elusive Shadow Guild struggles to rebuild, while hiding from the might of the Inquisition. With so many pieces in motion, Laurena will not be the only one to face ‘Trials’. Champions Volume Two: Trials is the second book in the Champions Saga by Kenny Michaels. A veteran of the United States Army and Operation Enduring Freedom, Michaels brings an insider’s perspective on combat, and the true cost of victory.

    One kickass valkyrie. Nine realms of trouble.All I wanted was to keep my distance from the criminals I work for and get my little brother out of the hell that is our mother's house.Then I died and woke up to four stunningly hot gods telling me I'm now a valkyrie.Sly, sharp Loki.Jovial but ferocious Thor.Dreamily compassionate Baldur.Grim and secretive Hod.I'm connected to all of them through a bond we barely understand. The longer I spend with them, the more my walls start to crack.But the gods didn't summon me just for kicks. Their king is missing, and they need me to find him.The first three valkyries they sent on the job never made it back.More power is awakening in me than I could ever have imagined, but the gods' enemies are more devious than even they knew. It's going to take every trick in the book for me to save myself, my brother, and these divine men who're getting under my skin in the most alluring way.Good thing I've always been a fighter.I'm Aria Watson, and Valhalla ain't seen nothing yet.*Their Dark Valkyrie is an action-packed, heart-wrenching urban fantasy series with Norse mythology like you've never seen it before. This set contains all four books in the series—Claimed by Gods, Bound to Gods, Falling for Gods, and Waking the Gods—as well as a brand-new 50-page bonus epilogue.*