And when their world touches ours, a primitive desire takes hold, leaving mere mortals powerless in its wake...Four of romance's most intriguing authors have come together to create a mesmerizing anthology--unforgettable tales of vampires, shapeshifters, and werewolves. At the heart of these deeply sensual tales are everyday people facing extraordinary events--men and women thrown together by fate and an irresistible desire. In this world, your eyes can betray you as myth becomes reality, curses are vanquished, and love is the only weapon that can stand in the face of evil. In this world, there is a moment when passion and forbidden desire collide at the... Stroke of Midnight.Winter Born by Sherrilyn KenyonTwo enemy Were-Panthers discover that fate has destined they become lovers. Pandora must learn to trust Dante's foreign nature. But as she slowly succumbs to the truest passion she has ever known, dark forces have already set out to reclaim her... NOTE: This story has been re-released in the Dark Bites anthologyBorn of the Night by Amanda AshleyWhen Lady Shanara Montiori is taken hostage, she learns that the rumors about her captor are true. Lord Reyes is afflicted with the dark curse of the werewolf. Still, Shanara can't fight the attraction they both feel. Will their love break the curse-or feed its powerful hold?Make It Last Forever by L. A. BanksAn innocent mistake forces the beautiful Tara onto a mission to save herself from the dark fate that awaits her. Salvation comes in the form of a seductive biker with a heart of gold. But will surrendering to their ripe attraction unleash a danger even she cannot control?Red Moon Rising by Lori HandelandNovelist Maya Alexander's peace is shattered when she is stalked by a Navaho skinwalker who has taken on the guise of a wolf. Her only hope is the mysterious Clay Philips. In his arms, she seeks protection-but as the red moon rises, no one is safe from the danger that lurks nearby...

     Gingerbread houses, caroling carolers, brightly trimmed trees, big family dinners, pristine snowfalls-the familiar pleasures of the season. But what better pleasure is there than a good holiday story? So open this winter solstice sampler and indulge in fully festive fantasies, nightmares before Christmas, and stunning space-age celebrations. These stories will warm hearts and minds like a blazing Yule log. Fantastic Holiday Stories by Kevin J. Anderson, Mercedes Lackey, Mike Resnick, Kristine Rusch, Jonathan Maberry, Eric James Stone, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Quincy J. Allen, Ken Scholes, Sam Knight, David Boop, Heather Graham, Brad R. Torgersen, and Patricia Briggs.

    But her birthday celebration is cut short when the naked, heavily tattooed body of a man is found in a Northern California town. The victim was David Pruitt, and years ago, he was close friends with Rule Turner, prince of the lupi. At first it seems like a bizarre ritual killing, but there’s more than magic afoot: David wasn’t human. And the killer isn’t finished… Human Nature originally appeared in the anthology Inked. Includes a teaser for the upcoming novel Mind Magic, out November 2015.

    Her eyes gleam silver. Suddenly she's a self-confident femme fatale with a libido that just won't quit. After an impulsive makeover, she's even...dare she say it?...sexy. Is Claire going insane?Then brutally handsome stranger Gideon March tells her she was bitten by a werewolf, and Claire figures he's the insane one. Sure, she was attacked by a nasty dog in a back alley, but this guy stalking her says he's a member of an underground society of lycan hunters -- and his mission is to kill her immediately.When Claire finally realizes she really is a lycan, there's no turning back -- because by now Claire and Gideon are bound by a hungry passion. If they can't break the curse by the next full moon, Claire's soul will be lost forever and Gideon will be forced to terminate his prey -- a woman dangerously close to devouring him, heart and soul.

    Just because she’s ovulating doesn’t mean she has to settle for just any man (or his beast). Her sexy alpha’s determined to find her a tiger to take care of her heat and father her child…but no one seems to look quite as good as the man in charge. Will giving in to her need for her alpha ruin her tenuous relationship with her clan or be a match made in heaven?This novella originally appeared in the anthology Fire & Frost.

    He is also a Wolf and he vows never to return to Pack life, or his birthright as Alpha.He is ‘summoned’ back to his Highland Pack by his estranged father and things do not go smoothly, resulting in him leaving to help his Uncle in the USA with several of his friends in tow.What awaits is heartache, sorrow and the chance for a new life as Alpha of a large Pack. A life with love in it. His first sight of the white She-Wolf affecting him in ways he can’t even understand.First, he and his Wolves have to take on a deadly threat, the deadliest of all; a corrupt and depraved Alpha with a horde of guards as immoral as their leader.Will he take his chance at love? Or do as he always does; walk away?

    She's finally built up the courage to escape from a world of abuse by the hands of the man who promised her the world. One night she makes a break for it, but her plans backfire. She begins to believe that she was never meant to be happy. When all hope of freedom fades, she stumbles across a wolf that brings her to safety. She learns to trust the wolf, but has yet to trust the man. Devin, potential future leader of the Caedmon Pack, returns to the foothills of his Virginia home after five long years as a lone wolf. Rivals within the circle challenge him and threaten to strip him of his true birthright. Being bound to lead the pack was not something Devin had planned for his life, but letting his people fall prey to turmoil under the rule of his cousin Darius is out of the question. The night of Devin’s rise to Alpha leader is approaching. Despite opposition, he’s gained an impressive following. That is until he brings a human among the pack.Tamara can’t deny the attraction she feels toward Devin. The Alpha leader-to-be simply cannot resist Tamara’s lure. When they are together, their tribulations take the backburner. Their desire for one another grows as they consummate their passion in wolf’s haven. Will Devin forfeit the most coveted position within the Caedmon Pack to bond with his chosen mate? Can Tamara trust Devin with her mind, heart, body, and soul or will the memories of her abuse dissuade her from being bound to the wolf?

    Not that it's stopping these alphas from finding their mates! Included in this anthology are five steamy, ultra-hot novellas of big, burly shifters brought to their knees by the women they love. Includes a never-before-seen bonus story, entitled YOU GOTTA BE SHIFTING ME, in which a naughty librarian shows a gruff were-bear that he can't steal her honey and get away with it.

    Badly. She uses the services of the Paranormal Dating Agency hoping for a decent guy to take to a family wedding. A wedding her ex-husband has wormed his way into as a guest. Connor and Theron want Tally to complete their Alpha triad. She's sexy, curvy and funny. But she's human. And they're not sure she'll go for a relationship with two men at the same time. As if deciding to give two men a shot wasn’t difficult enough, Tally will also need to deal with a threat from the pack. She'll either prove she's strong enough to be an Alpha mate or find herself at the mercy of a vicious opponent. Reader Warning: This book contains lots of scorching sex (including a threesome so hot it will make your ereader sizzle), adult language (hanky panky with no dirty talk is no fun), and violence. If this is not the kind of stuff you like to read, skip this book. However, if you like dirty, raunchy sex with some sarcasm and two hot men on one curvy girl, then this is right up your alley. Enjoy!

    She doesn’t have time for the hot guy who won’t stop asking her out, yet she can’t seem to stop thinking about him. Stone Blaylock is the Battletown Packs’ Alpha and his mate has just moved into town. Problem is, she’s human. Therefore, he has to win her over the old fashioned, human way—by dating her. Things are looking up for Stone when he gets his mate to fall in love with and mate him. However, there’s someone out there who doesn’t like that the Alpha’s new mate is human. When their plan to kill her backfires and Dia survives, but she doesn’t remember anything, including Stone, or the circumstances that left her alone, hurt, and pregnant.

    What she finds is Garrett Foster, a man who has the power to decide her fate and causes a hunger inside her that is forbidden to them both.

    A great boyfriend, supportive loving parents, and a full ride to John McAdams University on a scholarship. What could go wrong? But something always does. When tragedy hits, you’re supposed to be able to count on those closest to you for support. Kara turns to the love of her life, Vincent Harris, only to find him supporting the nether lips of her sorority sister. Luke VonBrandt is a business college student with a secret no one can know. When an accident threatens the life of an innocent girl he's secretly loved since high school, he risks everything to give her a second chance on life, even exposing the truth about what he is. The blue-eyed beauty haunts his dreams and her scent is all he can think about. Luke’s wolf insists he find a way to claim her as his own. But Kara’s broken heart will fight him every step of the way.

    Crazy were-cats or not, an evening at Genesis is exactly what she needs. And when she meets the hotter than hot, super-sexy owner, Alex O’Connell, the alpha lion shifter is just the man to fit the bill for a one-night stand.Dumped like a rotting piece of meat by her ex, Maya is on the prowl, fixin' to do whatever it takes to get herself a piece of the gorgeous fur-ball. Besides, what’s the harm in a girl having a little bit of fun?

    As if that weren’t bad enough, a brutal attack and claiming by a Lycan makes her life a living hell. She lives only for revenge until the day love comes back into her life and promises to rescue her from her misery. However, the mate who forced her isn’t about to let her go.Devon died on the battlefield only to be reborn as a creature of the night. He fights to stay away from his one true love, but when he caves to his desire and sees her again, he discovers redemption is possible even for one who walks in darkness.CRUZ'S SALVATION by Stacey KennedyCruz understands torment. A mortal turned vampire in the war, he has suffered untold loneliness and despair. That is until he meets Kiara—a werewolf he’s forbidden to love.Though Kiara needs Cruz, and wants him forever, werewolves and vampires are bitter enemies. To make matters worse, her Alpha, also her father, suspects that Kiara pines for a mate. Mistaking her sadness for the longing she feels for Cruz, he sets out to give her all the happiness he can provide.Together, Kiara and Cruz will have to fight against the rules placed upon them to hold onto their love. But an unwanted visitor creates a complication neither of them planned for. Milo, Kiara’s chosen mate, has come to stake his claim. Now, not only are lives at risk, but hearts are threatened and dreams hang in the balance.

    With her trademark "sassy dialogue, lusty lovemaking [and] irreverent humor"* New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson delighted fans with her wickedly sexy and wildly funny anthology, Dead and Loving It-stories in which the worlds of the Wyndham Werewolves and Undead Queens collided. Now she returns to that sensual and irresistible after-dark realm of werewolves, vampires, and mermaids in three more original novellas--including an all-new Betsy Taylor novella.