But twisted or not, there's a satisfying irony in watching a well dressed vampire stand in the middle of a ghetto alley, windblown trash scraping circles near his feet. What she finds even more intriguing, is waiting for him to decide if he's going to kill her. Kerestyan hasn't made up his mind. As the Lord of New York, he can't let a drug addict, whose memories are packed with knowledge of vampires, run free in his city. It's not the first time he's been in this situation with a human, it's just the first time he's come face to face with one who doesn't seem to care. And that's what makes the decision so difficult. What horrors could you witness before you went numb? How long would it take before you felt that way? What could make you care again? Logan's answers are simple: the worst humanity has to offer, almost thirty, and something she never expected.

    Turns out her ‘hero’ is a former lifeguard who has no hesitation in offering the kiss of life. So not happening, right? But for emotionally chastened Chelsea, one touch changes everything. She discovers a desire to satisfy this arrogant, demanding tease. Unable to express her own fantasies, she finds unspeakable pleasure in serving his.Xander Lawson exudes easy charm. He likes a woman unafraid to match his appetite for unfettered fun. He doesn’t do complicated or emotional. But the raw need emanating from fragile Chelsea compels him closer. He can’t resist spinning a sensual fantasy world around them. As passion spills outside their carefully selected boundaries, Xander learns Chelsea’s stronger than he first thought. But is she strong enough to handle the intensity he’s always kept hidden?

    When the mortal Sophia – recovering from an eye operation and virtually blind – needs a home healthcare worker, he takes on the role, hoping she will be his ticket home. While defending Sophia from an unknown adversary, Triton’s protective instinct emerges. At the same time rival Gods do everything to doom him to failure. And even if Triton can win Sophia’s love, will he throw it away to return home, or will he lose his own heart to the only woman who truly sees him? A Touch of Greek is the first book in the humorous and sexy paranormal romance series Out of Olympus following the romantic adventures of four Gods: Triton, Dionysus, Eros, and Hermes.The next book in the series (Dionysus) is planned for March 2011

    Why? Because she's more than just a office tryst. She's his mate. When an unexpected storm strands them together for the weekend, the big, bad wolf comes out to play.Hunted by the Alphas (Hunted by the Alphas, Part 1, of 7)by Lily ThornWhen two Alphas fall for a curvy monster hunter, who will end up hunting whom? The BEARS.Bearly A Bride (Bachelor Bears of Yakima Ridge, Bk 0.5)by Isadora MontroseWounded warrior bear-shifter Troy saved BBW Lisa Marie's twins from drowning. But how can 2 rambunctious cubs and a grieving widow heal this ex-Green Beret's tortured soul?Riding Bearback (Bear Ranchers, Bk 1)by Becca FanningSun Valley is in jeopardy. An age old debt has come due and the residents are in danger of losing their home. A Clan of Bear Shifter Cowboys is the only thing standing between the peaceful townsfolk and a pack of ravenous werewolves.Liam's Bride (Clan Conroy Brides, Bk 1)by Emma AlisynMeredith is Liam's mate, but Liam doesn't know his human tenant is also the daughter of his father's killer. When he discovers her secret, will he abandon her and their baby?Shared by the Bear Clan (Shared by the Bear Clan, Part 1 of 4)by Lynn RedIn wild, ferocious, dangerously passionate dreams, Adriana loses herself nightly to the clutches of three beautiful men who just happen to turn into gigantic bears.A Blaze to Bear (Fire Bear Shifters, Bk 1)by Sloane MeyersFor smoke-jumping bear shifter Ian Reed, a normal day at the office involves hurling himself out of an airplane and into a wildfire. But when his new coworker turns out to be the impossibly sexy Charlotte, can he take the heat?SHIFTER: Black Bear (SHIFTER: Black Bear, Part 1 of 2)by Emerald WrightAn island to himself, will loner bear-shifter Ryker open his heart to a woman on the run from her abusive spouse?& The DRAGONThe Dragon's Wife (The Pack Rules, Bk 7)by Michele BardsleyShe is the key to a mystery eight-hundred-years-old--and a love that has never died.

    She doesn't believe in fate or the magic of tarot cards, but when she's saved from a vicious attack by a man who has the ability to turn into a fire-breathing dragon, she questions whether she's losing her mind - or about to lose her heart.Self-reliant loner Quinn Tyrrell has long been distrustful of his fellow Pyr. When he feels the firestorm that signals his destined mate, he's determined to protect and possess Sara, regardless of the cost. Then Sara's true destiny is revealed and Quinn realizes he must risk everything - even Sara's love - to fulfill their entwined fates.

    Changeling wolf Connor Macleod and his Pack have never feared anything — until the night human Zoey Tyler barely escapes a rogue werewolf’s vicious attack.As the full moon approaches, Zoey has no idea of the changes that are coming, and only Connor can show her what she is, and help her master the wildness inside. With her initiation into the Pack just days away and a terrifying predator on the loose, the tentative bonds of trust and tenderness are their only weapons against a force red in tooth, claw … and ultimate evil.

    Until now, she’s been living a quiet life, unaware danger stalks her.Ty Reynolds has been watching Tabitha from a distance to see if she would go through “the change.” When she finally does, he sees more in her than just the future of their kind. Now that she is embracing her were-tiger, he must tell her she is the Queen of the Tiger . . . with a bounty on her head.Tabitha must be protected at all cost. She has to embrace her future and her mate or it will be the end of everything she’s just come to know and hadn’t realized she needed.

    But once she realized what she had become, Katie wanted nothing to do with her new state. Running off to college seemed like a good idea until mating season hit. Now the fever to reproduce is so great she can’t think straight. Brindle Lindholm has his true mate locked in forever. If only Katie would come to her senses and accept that they are meant to be together. Mating season has come, and he knows Katie has to be suffering in heat. Brindle is the only one who can satiate the need, and even though his heart will have to stand the rejection that is sure to follow, he knows he must go to her. When their coupling satisfies more than sexual need, it changes their future, forever. **This is a complete story. The Winter Valley Wolves can be read in any order.**

    20,000 wordsThe vampires are a dying race, their females sterile. When it's discovered that human females of Druid ancestry can be viable breeders...the harvest begins.Rachel Collins is a young woman living in the frozen north of Alaska in a dead-end job with a circular life. She yearns for something more.When murders begin taking place in the city where she lives, she and her girlfriend try to be more cautious...only to be caught in the middle of a dangerous situation in which an unlikely savior emerges.Can Rachel escape her destiny while two different factions hunt her?

    Or so she believed. Her unusual features attract a very unusual and attractive man when she's in a night club looking for a new sexual diversion. What she doesn't know is that this man knows more about her than she knows herself—he knows what she really is. She falls in love with him in the process of opening her eyes to the world she really belongs in. But his love may not be enough to make her stay.

    And then the unspeakable and impossible happened. She was bitten.A newly turned vampire, Tori is alone and starving and she doesn't know what to do. But she knows who to turn to-gorgeous, mouthwatering Declan-a police detective who has a few secrets of his own.

    She doesn't have time for arrogant customers, even a gorgeous corporate raider in a bespoke suit with muscles that just don't stop. Until, of course, he buys her restaurant and saves her life. Logan Chase, alpha of his lion shifter pride, is intrigued when the feisty chef kicks him out of her restaurant. He's enraged when someone attacks her. And he's intoxicated when he finally gets close enough to kiss her. But when he shifts in front of her and his lion comes out to play, he risks losing Natalia forever. Natalia just wants to cook and snuggle with a nice guy. Shacking up with a man who's also a lion means inviting a new level of crazy into her life, along with his unruly brothers, and even her werewolf best friends warn her away. Can she and Logan create a steamy relationship from scratch, or are they a recipe for disaster?

    After he rescues her from the unwanted attentions of another partygoer, she succumbs to his kisses and spends an evening engaged in wicked-sexy lovemaking. Sure she's just a one-night stand, she tries to exit gracefully, but soon find she needs Dylan's special skills when her world is turned upside down by a blood-drinking killer and his gang who target her for their next meal. Dylan O'Hara only wants a night of passion to slake his sexual needs, but finds Emmy is a full-bodied, red-blooded siren whose innocence and humor draws this Master vampire like a moth to a red-hot flame. When Emmy attracts the attention of a serial-killing vampire, Dylan vows to protect her, but he fears he'll lose Emmy once she discovers her "Dracula" has real fangs

    Nickie finds out that not only do shape-shifters exist, but she is one. The Kitsune are a race of shape-shifters that have been living in secret alongside humans for centuries. As Nickie struggles to master her newly discovered shape-shifting and the abilities it brings her, she learns that some of the people in her life are far more than she knew. Can Nickie handle all the changes headed her way on her own? Or does she have someone who can help her?

    Put together for Nalini Singh's fans, a number of the stories do stand alone if you'd like to try her worlds.