But she soon discovers there is no resisting the pull of her new boss, Abram. Despite worrying how her feelings for Abram will impact her budding relationship with police deputy Dalton, she can't seem to stay away, and it's not until a missing girl is found chained up in Abram's home that this beauty realizes one of her romantic interests is a beast.

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan revisits and expands her classic novella Dark Descent, bringing to breathtaking new life her story of an immortal Carpathian hunter, a beautiful adventurer, and their dangerous journey toward an unforeseen destiny and an undying love.In a cave of mystery and wonder deep in the Carpathian Mountains, bodyguard Joie Sanders encounters a most remarkable being. Proud, strong, immortal, he is called Traian—an ageless hunter locked in a life-and-death battle with enemy vampires—and he will be her salvation in a labyrinth protected by the ingenious traps of a mysterious ancient race. What awaits them in the darkness is not known, and each step could be their last—as their destined path leads them toward a fiery passion that will illuminate the perilous dark night.Note: Dark Dream was previously in After Twilight & Dark Dreamers.Dark Descent was previously in The Only One.

    In whispers, they call me Soul Eater. They’re right. I’m all those things—and more." Kicked out of the underworld and cursed to walk this earth for all eternity, the soul eater known as "Ace Dante" finds solace in helping others avoid the wrath of the gods.But when warrior-bitch, Queen of Cats, and Ace's ex-wife, Bastet, hires him to stop whoever is slaughtering her blessed women, Ace is caught between two of the most powerful deities to have ever existed: Isis and Osiris.The once-revered gods aren’t dead.They’re back.And Ace is in their way.Welcome to a New York where the ancient gods roam.

    

    But Joe is married to one of the most powerful witches in Pitchfork, and spends almost as much time keeping an eye on her as he does dealing with occult crimes and shadowy horrors in the rest of the county. Even his children, a little girl who plays host to a rogue's gallery of strange spirits and a young man with a demonic secret, keep him on his toes. All Joe really wants is a simple life, a bottle of good whiskey, and a break from the horrors of his job. But nothing in Pitchfork County is ever simple, and the horrors just keep on coming. Someone's hung a mutilated girl on a cross in Pitchfork's most infamous church, dragging Joe into the most challenging case of his career. Joe's investigation into the ritual murder leads him through the dark underbelly of the Ozarks to the doorstep of a twisted cult of meth addicts. As Joe digs deeper into the mystery, he soon finds himself the target of the murderers and must stop them before they can summon their dark god and destroy everything he holds dear.

    She's on her honeymoon with a husband who isn't what he seems. They're both in the wacky world of New York Times bestselling author Katie MacAlister's paranormal Otherworld.On his first day of vacation, Jim ended up naked, alone, and banished to limbo. Things went downhill from there.In a wild ride through Finland with very non-Shakespearean Titania, double-dealing Oberon, and a plethora of militant nymphs bent on revenge, The Perils of Effrijim is loaded with quirky characters, a fast-paced story, and an adorable demon who just wants to be with his beloved.In Cat Got Your Tongue Joy Randall thought her honeymoon with husband Raphael was going to fulfill all her expectations, but almost immediately they run into a decades-old curse, a spurned ghostly first wife, and a long-dead randy Scottish Laird. As if the odd inhabitants of their castle wasn't enough, Joy finds she isn't going to get the honeymoon she deserves until she settles an ancient feud...which uncovers some pretty shocking secrets about her new husband.This collection of two short stories and assorted mini short pieces were published previously, and gathered here for the first time. The Perils of Effrijim collection also includes excerpts of the two books that launched the characters in the stories: You Slay Me and A Girl's Guide to Vampires.

    Journey through this dark and sensual world, where the line between good and evil blurs and true love is put to the ultimate test. Bundle includes: The Darkest Secret, The Darkest Surrender and The Darkest Seduction.

    The humble, pixelated games of the ‘70s and ‘80s have evolved into the vivid, realistic, and immersive form of entertainment that now rivals all other forms of media for dominance in the consumer marketplace. For many, video games have become the cultural icons around which pop culture revolves.PRESS START TO PLAY is an anthology of stories inspired by video games: stories that attempt to recreate the feel of a video game in prose form; stories that play with the concepts common (or exclusive) to video games; and stories about the creation of video games and/or about the video games—or the gamers—themselves.These stories will appeal to anyone who has interacted with games, from hardcore teenaged fanatics, to men and women who game after their children have gone to bed, to your well-meaning aunt who won’t stop inviting you to join her farm-based Facebook games.At the helm of this project are Daniel H. Wilson—bestselling novelist and expert in artificial intelligence—and John Joseph Adams—bestselling, Hugo Award-nominated editor of more than a dozen science fiction/fantasy anthologies and series editor of Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy (volume one forthcoming from Houghton Mifflin in 2015). Together, they have drawn on their wide-ranging contacts to assemble an incredibly talented group of authors who are eager to attack the topic of video games from startling and fascinating angles.Under the direction of an A.I. specialist and a veteran editor, the anthology will expose readers to a strategically chosen mix of stories that explore novel video game concepts in prose narratives, such as save points, kill screens, gold-farming, respawning, first-person shooters, unlocking achievements, and getting “pwned.” Likewise, each of our authors is an accomplished specialist in areas such as science fiction, fantasy, and techno-thrillers, and many have experience writing for video games professionally.Combining unique viewpoints and exacting realism, this anthology promises to thrill generations of readers, from those who grew up with Atari 2600s to the console and PC gamers of today.

    . . and use them as leverage against Master Minalan the Spellmonger.Tyndal is out of his element - just barely a mage, he's far more adept with a pitchfork than a wand. But then the gods never asked his opinion, and he sets to his task with the determination of a mountain-born lad. And the attractive daughter of a local innkeeper persists in distracting him from his charge, an attention that Tyndal desires even as he recognizes the danger of such an entanglement.What's a young apprentice mage to do . . . especially when the worst of his fears are realized, and the checkered cloaks of the Censorate warmagi appear on the docks of Talry. Then Tyndal's only hope to save his master's bride and his family - not to mention his own life - is to trust in the River Mists of Talry!

    Human and mer. Like two sides of a drachma, our races were one. Then, disaster. A Great Catastrophe sank ancient Atlantis and plunged us into fiery war. Escaping into the depths, the mer lost their females. They had to forge a covenant with secret, sacred island brides to continue their race. A thousand years passed. Humans forgot. The mer never did. They existed only in our legends. Until now. Take the plunge and dive in to the USA Today bestselling series! Four breathtaking paranormal romances filled with yummy alpha warrior, daring heroines, friendly giant octopi, and lush underwater kingdoms. For a limited time, this set contains the first four novels plus bonus epilogues plus an exclusive deleted scene. Happy reading! ~ Starla Night SEDUCED BY THE SEA LORD Determined warlord Torun cannot wait to claim Lucy, who mistook him for a shipwreck survivor and pulled his injured body from the ocean. All his instincts tell him she is his soul mate. Now she must join with him and give him a child. Lucy can’t believe the words coming out of this dominant male. He insists her destiny is to become a mermaid queen and mother to his future children. The one thing “destiny” forgot to mention was that Lucy’s a broke divorcee who can’t even have a child. It’s really too bad, because his gorgeous lips are all too kissable, and she’d love to see his iridescent gold tattoos moving as he flexed those broad, hard pectorals under the water... SACRIFICED TO THE SEA LORD Steadfast mer king Kadir has endured ridicule, banishment, and undersea prison for his belief that modern human women will save their dwindling race. Freed to found a city of mermen shifters who share his beliefs, he sets out to the surface to woo his bride. And sweet, sensual Elyssa is his. Elyssa can’t even match her socks. How can she rule an undersea kingdom? But when King Kadir holds her in his bulging, silver-tattooed arms and claims her as his soul mate, deep down the shy introvert holds big dreams. Maybe his magical elixir will transform her into more than just a mousy, water-breathing version of herself. Maybe it will make her into an exceptional woman worthy to be a queen. ENSLAVED BY THE SEA LORD Hardened mer warrior Soren is no great catch. Disgraced, battle-scarred, and with a temper as black as the tattoos slashing his skin, the First Lieutenant of rebel city Atlantis prefers to protect the other warriors’ brides rather than seek his own to repopulate their dwindling race. But he can’t control his cravings for haughty, elegant Aya. "SOREN’S DARK NIGHT" Sink into the darkness with an exclusive scene linking damaged warrior Soren to his betrayal of the warrior he most respected... STOLEN BY THE SEA LORD Zara almost died the night she was forced to the surface. Shattered memories are all that remain in her broken heart. Suddenly, her mer husband, Elan stands on the shore before her like a mirage. Heart-stopping, mouth-watering, and all hers. He even escaped with her son. And a deadly secret… Every complete novel contains a happy ending filled steamy mer-shifter love scenes, underwater battles, and friendly giant octopi. Fall in love with these men of the sea!

    Every story has a hero. We are all the hero of our own tale, and so it must be true for legions of monsters, from Lucifer to Mordred, from child-thieving fairies to Frankenstein’s monster and the Wicked Witch of the West.From the point of view of an outsider, they may very well be horrible, terrifying monstrosities, but of course they won’t see themselves in the same light. Demons and goblins, dark gods and aliens, creatures of myth and legend, lurkers in darkness and beasts in human clothing…these are the subjects of The Monster’s Corner, an anthology of never-before-published stories assembled by Bram Stoker Award-winning author Christopher Golden.With contributions from such luminous authors as Lauren Groff, Chelsea Cain, Simon R. Green, Sharyn McCrumb, Kelley Armstrong, David Liss, Kevin J. Anderson, Jonathan Maberry, and many others, this is the ultimate anthology on the dark heart of a monster.

     Meteorologist Zoe Parker put Everlasting in her rearview mirror as soon as she had her college degree in hand. But when Sapphire, her eccentric great-aunt, takes a tumble down the stairs in her lighthouse home, Zoe returns to the tiny fishing hamlet to look after her. Zoe has barely crossed the county line when strange things start happening with the weather, and she discovers Sapphire’s fall was no accident. Someone is searching the lighthouse but Sapphire has no idea what they’re looking for. Determined to ensure her aunt’s ongoing safety, Zoe promises to expose the intruders, even though it means staying in Everlasting and confronting the past she thought she’d put behind her. Dane Stanton never expected to see Zoe standing in the middle of her aunt’s living room, and was even more unprepared for the flood of emotion he experiences when coming face to face with his old flame. Zoe is just as independent and determined as he remembered, and Dane knows she won’t rest until Sapphire can return to the lighthouse in peace, so he offers to help her sort things out. Armed with old legends, Sapphire’s ten cats, and a talking ghost, Zoe has to reconcile her feelings for Dane and embrace her destiny before it’s too late.

    What about the were-goats? The were-crows and were-wasps? Here are seventeen stories of urban fantasy by today’s leading science fiction and fantasy authors that introduce you to some of those other were-creatures, the ones hiding in the dark background shadows, waiting to bite. Join Seanan McGuire, Ashley McConnell, Susan Jett, Eliora Smith, David B. Coe, April Steenburgh, Gini Koch, Mike Barretta, Elizabeth Kite, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jean Marie Ward, Katharine Kerr, Sarah Brand, Anneliese Belmond, Faith Hunter, Patricia Bray, and Phyllis Ames as they take you into the hidden corners of our world to see some lesser known were-creatures. You may want to bring along some silver … just in case.Introduction copyright © 2016 by Joshua Palmatier“Best In Show” copyright © 2016 by Seanan McGuire“We Dig” copyright © 2016 by Ashley McConnell“Eyes Like Pearls” copyright © 2016 by Susan Jett“Among the Grapevines, Growing” copyright © 2016 by Eliora Smith“A Party For Bailey” copyright © 2016 by David B. Coe“Cry Murder” copyright © 2016 by April Steenburgh“Missy the Were-Pomeranian vs the Masters of Mediocre Doom” copyright © 2016 by Jeanne Cook (Gini Koch)“Paper Wasp” copyright © 2016 by Mike Barretta“Point Five” copyright © 2016 by Elizabeth Kite“The Promise of Death” copyright © 2016 by Danielle Ackley-McPhail“The Five Bean Solution” copyright © 2016 by Jean Marie Ward“Witness Report” copyright © 2016 by Katharine Kerr“Attack of the Were-Zombie Friendship With Benefits”copyright © 2016 by Sarah Brand“The Whale” copyright © 2016 by Anneliese Belmond“Anzu, Duba, Beast” copyright © 2016 by Faith Hunter“Shiftr” copyright © 2016 by Patricia Bray“Sniff For Your Life” copyright © 2016 by Phyllis Irene Radford

    1 The Bastard Stepchild - George R.R. Martin 2 Death by Dahlia - Charlaine Harris 3 The Bleeding Shadow - Joe R. Lansdale 4 Hungry Heart - Simon R. Green 5 Styx and Stones - Steven Saylor 6 Pain and Suffering - S.M. Stirling 7 It's Still the Same Old Story - Carrie Vaughn8 The Lady is a Screamer - Conn Iggulden 9 Hellbender - Laurie R. King 10 Shadow Thieves - Glen Cook 11 No Mystery, No Miracle - Melinda M. Snodgrass 12 The Difference Between a Puzzle and a Mystery - M.L.N. Hanover13 The Curious Affair of the Deodand - Lisa Tuttle 14 Lord John and the Plague of Zombies - Diana Gabaldon15 Beware the Snake - John Maddox Roberts 16 In Red, with Pearls - Patricia Briggs 17 The Adakian Eagle - Bradley Denton

    Now Kuznia returns with A Fantasy Medley 2, offering absorbing new tales of the fantastic from four of the brightest stars in the field:With “Quartered,” Tanya Huff returns to the world of her beloved Quarters series with the story of the young bard Evicka, whose mission to spy on an assassin brings peril, tragedy, and, ultimately, revelation.In “Bone Garden,” Amanda Downum revisits Erisín, setting of her critically lauded novel The Bone Palace from the Necromancer Chronicles. Deadly spirits are preying on the city’s most vulnerable citizens in this story of secrets and sacrifice.“The Sergeant and the General” finds Jasper Kent weaving a tale from the other side of the battle lines drawn in his Danilov Quintet, with a French veteran of Napoleon's disastrous Russian campaign haunted by more than just memories.And in “Rat-Catcher,” Seanan McGuire travels into the past of the October Daye series to pull back the veils on both the world of 17th century London theater and the faerie Court of Cats as two worlds collide in one of the greatest conflagrations in history.