At first. But when she's forced to get along with her furry, tailed cellmate (and her clothes get stolen) things slowly start to change between them. After they escape onto an unknown alien planet, they're finally free to explore their feelings and each other, but can they survive with only each other to rely on and no way of communicating? Gron is from a matriarchal society where the males obey their Queens, so when a beautiful but strange female is dropped into his cell, he doesn't know what to think. Is she a victim like him, or is she being used by his captors to control him? Either way, he knows he must control his instincts or he will end up inescapably Bonded to her. The delicate Queen needs his help to survive, and it is his duty to serve her, but can he do it without losing his heart?

    . . The holidays always seem to bring out the best in everyone, with heartfelt hugs for long-missed friends, sincere smiles in the spirit of the season, and a feeling of magic in the air . . .Here, for the first time, is a collection of paranormal romances celebrating the holidays as never before. From a shape-shifting leopardess who wants a pack-mate to be her soulmate to a surprise snowstorm that brings a surprise gift, these all-new tales by Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, and Jean Johnson will stir your spirit in all the right places.

    A werewolf after her pleasure.Nico Moore is the leader of of The Werewolf Society's elite Royal Guard. Aylia Richardson is the witch who calls to the beast in Nico, but destiny has also made her the keeper of a gift that threatens the very existence of his race. To destroy this gift will destroy this woman...the only one he has ever dared to call 'mate'.Note: This series is actually a continuation of characters and plotlines from the 'Vampire Warden' series; and is not a true beginning to a new series.

    Gryphon is hurting and hunted and he attracts her as no man ever has before. He is a Monère, one of the children of the moon-and what's more, so is she.Long exiled from the moon, the men of the Monère serve-and mate-with imperious Queens who can channel the rays of their far-off homeland. Gryphon believes that Mona Lisa is a Queen- perhaps the first of Mixed Blood ever known. But her introduction to the nighttime court of the Monère, simmering with intrigue, casual lust, and calculated cruelty, is far from smooth. The other Queens are infuriated by her potential powers, and they are all menaced by a group of rogue males who have broken away from the women's sway. Even as she battles threats from within and without, Mona Lisa is determined to discover who she is, and to explore the limits of her growing power-and her secret desires.

    Underneath, she harbors a hopelessly unrequited love for the sexy werewolf everyone thinks of as her cousin. Taran rarely notices her except to condescend or lecture. He's treated her the same way since she was eight years old, and there s no reason to think he'll ever change.Taran Lloyd, a detective in the Houston Police Department s Shifters Investigations Unit (SHIU), lives for those rare moments he gets to spend around Lark, torturing himself with what he can t have. Kin only by marriage, she thinks of him as her big brother. He couldn t bear her pity or her disgust if she learned he wants her for his mate.When weres from a rival pack attack her, Lark screams out the first name that comes to mind Taran. Only this sexy alpha can keep her safe until they find out who wants her dead, and why. But keeping her safe means keeping her close. And the closer they get, the harder it gets for these not-really-cousins to honor their commitment to keep their paws off."

    But how else to explain the magnificent man who claimed he was from beyond the stars? He said that his name was Lorgin and that she was part of his celestial destiny. Deana thought his reasoning was ridiculous, and she knew he was making an error of cosmic proportions. But his touch was electric and his arms strong, and when she first felt the sizzling impact of his uncontrollable desire, Deana started to wonder if maybe their passion wasn't written in the stars.

    That a civilian corporation wants to exploit the Wolves is a matter of pressing concern.Sergeant Major Ian McIntire doesn’t trust Hannah as far as he can throw her — and that’s quite a ways considering he’s an alpha werewolf. The woman is a pain in his butt and with the Blood Moon coming, the unit needs to complete their mission and get home before tempers flare. While she might know most of their secrets, the one she doesn’t know about the moonstruck Wolf might just get them all killed.When a covert operation goes wrong, Mac must trust Hannah to save his men — and his heart. Secrets, lies, and betrayals are more personal under the full moon, but when a Wolf loves a woman, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.Warning: Pursue an alpha Wolf at your own risk. Hot sex, bad words, and action of the blood and guts kind will ensue.

    A month later the sex is still red hot and everything between them is perfect. Or so he thought. Until the night he shows up at her place expecting their usual ritual of mind-blowing sex and finds out she has other plans. And they don’t include him.When Talia announces she’s tired of being his last priority, Grant realizes he might lose the only woman he’s ever cared about. He has to do something fast to fix their relationship, but she’s completely unaware that he’s not human. He’s not above using sex to bind her to him, but when she wants more than that he has a risky decision to make. If he admits the truth he risks not only his heart, but the safety of his pack and the existence of all supernatural beings as well.*Novella length*

    When he later checks on the cheetah and instead finds a gorgeous, naked woman with an arrow in her leg, he's completely flabbergasted.For six months, Aliyah Carver has been trapped in cheetah form. Taken by poachers who import exotic animals to illegally hunt, she stayed in animal form to avoid detection. She escaped the hunters, but now she faces another problem -- a devastatingly sexy sheriff who now knows her secret.Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse.

    Just laying eyes on one is a death sentence. So when Sari, who spent most of her life on the streets, ends up entangled in a steamy relationship with the two most forbidden men on the planet she knows it can’t end well.After a brutal attack, Sari’s taken to the Sacred City, exposing her to the secret lives of the Rayians who rule in the long lost queen’s absence. It’s in this darkly sexual world where she first meets the legendary consorts. Too handsome and talented for their own good, Calder and Taryen have learned to trust only each other in order to survive. Bred to be feared warriors and exclusive companions to a queen, instead they’re slaves to other Rayian’s desires for them. Their brutal lives make the two consorts hesitant to care for Sari when she’s unexpectedly dumped in their laps, but they soon discover she’s different from the cruel women they’re used to serving. Drawn to Sari on a soul deep level, Calder and Taryen can’t seem to stop themselves from going back for one more taste of the beautiful outsider… even when it puts the fate of the entire world in jeopardy.95,258 word count

    These stories prove that the bigger they are, the harder they fall…in love.Includes ten stellar, steamy tales of larger-than-life orcs, aliens, satyrs, yetis, forest gods, demons, and giants that find happily-ever-afters with their human mates.From bestselling and debut authors:“Dream Catcher” by Clarissa Bright“XKALIG” by Ursa Dax“The Demon King’s Prize” by Stella Frost“The Mountain’s Mate” by Sara Ivy Hill“Viridios” by L.A. Holloway“Thorn’s Dove” by Carlotta Hughes“Head in the Clouds” by Chloe Parker“An Abominable Affair” by Maddie Syn“A Demon, An Orc, and a Bartender” by Matilda Vega“Insatyrble” by Ami WrightAnthology profits will benefit an international charity dedicated to providing access to clean drinking water.

    2015: the Wonderland series is back, better than ever. The award winning “Taken by Passion: King of Hearts” includes sixty pages of new and expanded, never before published scenes. After being cheated on yet again, full-figured Alice O'Brien no longer believes she’ll find her Prince Charming. She resolves to enjoy men, but refuses to involve her heart. When she literally tumbles down a rabbit hole, she finds she has left her familiar home city of San Francisco. She has landed in a strange and beautiful world, where she meets a powerful and dominant shapeshifter, Jarronn, and his equally fierce and irresistible brothers. By the draw of a card foretelling his kingdom’s future, Jarronn has deliberately lured Alice to his realm in hopes of averting a terrible danger threatening his people. He has every intention of saving his kingdom with his and Alice’s bond of passion, and nothing will stop him from making her his Queen of Hearts. St. Martin’s Press published the Wonderland series in trade paperback only, with the pseudonym Jaymie Holland. Ellora’s Cave published the series primarily in e-book, under the name Cheyenne McCray. Neither version had the new and expanded scenes. Taken by Passion/King of Hearts has won numerous awards and accolades, including the “RT Book Reviews Magazine Reviewers’ Choice Award!”

    Leaving the safety of her car to check on him turns out the be a big mistake, and pretty soon Lili is being abducted and held against her will by a super-sexy wolf who her body longs to touch. But just because he’s hot doesn’t mean she’s going to remain a captive.Cade is not just an alpha, he’s a very wealthy man, used to getting what he wants. So when he attempts to abduct his ex-friend’s fiancé, in an attempt to teach him a lesson, he doesn’t expect to wind up with the wrong woman. Just how did he wind up with the maid of honor? And why does the woman melt every inch of him? But when the woman escapes, real danger awaits. And Cade must convince her to see beyond his deception if he wants to keep her alive.

    The fact she’s deaf doesn’t make her survival skills any weaker, and she’s been craving the chance to escape into the Yukon wilderness. Only the sexy beast of a man she bumps into at the cabin starts cravings of another kind, setting her hormones raging as well as raising strange questions about wolves, and mates, and pack challenges.All wilderness guide Keil Lynus wanted was a nice quiet retreat before challenging for the Alpha position of his Alaskan pack. He wasn’t planning on meeting his destined mate, or finding out she’s not aware she has the genes of a wolf. Between dealing with his accident-prone younger brother, a deaf mate with an attitude and an impending duel to the death, his week—and his bed—is suddenly full.Far from the relaxing getaway any of them had in mind…Warning: Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “talking with your hands”. Includes dangerous use of sarcasm and hot nookie in a remote wilderness sauna.-----This NORTHERN LIGHTS EDITION is a revised and extended version of the 2009 original.

    Now, eight years later, she must risk her life to save her grandfather from a lynching, by playing for the wyvern that has terrorized her village throughout the summer. When she comes face-to-face with the beast at the haunted cliffs of Maldoza, she is both terrified and fascinated. Something about the creature reminds her of her long-lost lover, something more than just a shared name.Alaric has never forgotten nor stopped loving the human woman he left in a dusty village almost a decade earlier. So when he meets her again on the cliffs, wearing old dragon armor and playing her fiddle as if her heart would break, he is overjoyed.But Elsbeth never knew the man to whom she had given herself was only an illusion for the wyvern. Alaric must convince her that the heart of the beast is no less devoted than the heart of the man, and that leaving her a second time will not last another decade.Note: Some scenes contain graphic descriptions of physical intimacy.