Why? Because as the only openly vampire police officer in the world, even after disclosure, he's been put on one of the very few supernatural divisions anywhere. Meaning it's his job.It also doesn't hurt that the demon whose area he works in has been targeted as well, seemingly by the same group.If he and his new partner can't figure the case out in time, things might well end up going very badly, indeed.

    With a forever ex, the drama never goes away! Immortal vampire assassin Sirius Sinister learns this the hard way when he's served divorce papers by Bloodsucker Number One--a shady woman from his past--he realizes there's a major problem: he was never even married to her, or so he thought. Regardless of the truth, Sirius is put under the jurisdiction of Immortal Divorce Court. You would think by now he'd know having sex can lead to horrific consequences like marriage, children, and ex-wives--but some habits just won't die. Leaving his faithful vampire Maltese, Garlic, behind, Sirius travels to court to defend himself with the help of his demon attorney, Maximillian Justice. Unfortunately, the trial quickly spirals out of control, and Sirius is banished to hell for a hundred years. When Sirius finally escapes, he ends up in the Caribbean where he meets his next paramour: the Howler. After a wild romp with his new werewolf lover under the lure of a full blood moon, he finds himself becoming the father of a litter of pups--but, the Howler and her Pack want to put the dead in deadbeat dad. Luckily, Sirius is saved by the Queen of the Merfolk, who comes with a hidden agenda even as they fall in love. Can he make it work with the Queen, or will he have to head to Immortal Divorce Court once again as yet another relationship flounders?

    He returns to the Asylum adrift, unsure how to process the situation. But one thing is a constant: he's the Foul Mouth, he won't be grieving, he'll be GRIEFING, and it will be up to Ultra Class '09 to bear the brunt of the onslaught.

     Arianne Leone, a mountain lion shapeshifter, owns an art gallery in Deep Ellum, a popular tourist attraction and haven for musicians for decades. Together, they are charged with guarding the one who bears the Hermit's Stone, an ancient artifact that has held worlds together—and kept them separate—for eons. Possession of the stone falls to Ari's friend and art student, nineteen-year-old Nico Garcia. When Nico's parents are killed in an attempt to destroy him, Ari and Mac must set aside their differences and work together, protecting Nico at all costs…

     No Choice: McKenna Largo loves police work and hates being in the spotlight. But when the California cop transforms into a cougar in the middle of a bank raid, she knows there’s no dodging the publicity. Now a viral video sensation, she’s the reluctant public face of a newly created race of shifters. Scared by her strange new impulses, Largo worries she's a monster. But when criminals capture innocent young shifters, the cougar and the cop combined must leap into action. Commander: Discovering an Artificial Intelligence lives in your head, strike one. Having the Artificial Intelligence explain aliens are the origin of shifters on Earth, strike two. Having it announce you are the commanding officer of the earth shifters, strike three. Finding herself in a situation she never imagined, McKenna must step up and be the leader they need, a true commander. Now if she could just devise a plan that won’t get them all killed. Incoming: Getting back home with the knowledge that aliens are coming for your planet is one thing.  Figuring out how to get anyone in a position of power to listen to you is something else.  With the knowledge that the Elentrin are weeks away from Earth, McKenna must persuade the government that she isn’t crazy and that aliens are coming.  When the aliens land and her fears come true. How many chances will she take, lives will she risk, to give Earth a chance against the incoming aliens?  When everyone’s life is on the line, how much is hers worth?  And what can one person, on a planet of billions, do to stop an invasion? Allies: When a member of the Drakyn race, the ones the Elentrin want to destroy, shows up to offer aid in Earth's fight for survival, McKenna has hope. Their visitor unlocks information buried in her friends' heads and gives them a chance against this enemy. Calling in the government seems like the best idea, after all it's a worldwide battle. Because not only are more Elentrin coming, but when they are done, they'll destroy the Earth with asteroids. The window is running out to save the captured shifters on the ships above and convince the Elentrin to leave before Earth is reduced to rubble. Family: Being in the middle of creating history isn't a comfortable place. Toni Diaz has dealt with a lot in her life, but turning into an animal, meeting aliens, and trying to save the world wasn't anything she'd ever seen in her future. Trying to do the best thing for everyone she'll need to balance the good of her family with what is best for Earth. Toni will need to decide exactly what family means, and why sometimes the craziest option is the best one. Even as she prepares to do the impossible, she'll try to keep her loved ones safe, and pray the choices they have made are the right ones. Not just for her, but for all Kaylid left on Earth. Elen's Eviction: The story of the Drakyn and Elentrin and how the war started, at least from the Drakyn's point of view.

    There are princesses dancing with dead suitors, a knight in love with an official of exotic lineage, and fortune’s fool stealing into the present instead of the future. In one mesmerizing tale, a time-traveling angel is forbidden to intervene in Cotton Mather’s religious ravings, while another narrative finds a wizard seduced in his youth by the Faerie Queen and returning the treasure that is rightfully hers. Bewitching, bittersweet, and deeply intoxicating, this collection draws elements from the fables of history and re-creates them in startlingly magical ways.

    Max, an Arbiter of the Split Worlds Treaty, is assigned with the task of finding him with no one to help but a dislocated soul and a mad sorcerer.There is a witness but his memories have been bound by magical chains only the enemy can break. A rebellious woman trying to escape her family may prove to be the ally Max needs.But can she be trusted? And why does she want to give up eternal youth and the life of privilege she’s been born into?

    

    Elrod's picked 15 of her favorite short works for this multi-genre collection spanning 15 years of publication.Also included is a never before published VAMPIRE FILES story, featuring her urban fantasy vampire PI, Jack Fleming!Each story has been polished afresh for this anthology, with pages of new material added.More information -- and previews of the stories! -- may be found at her website vampwriter-dot-com.Titles:1. A Night at the (Horse) Opera (Vampire Files, Fleming)2. The Breath of Bast (Vampire Files), Ecsott)3. Bossman (Original mystery, no vamps)4. Slaughter (Vampire Files, Fleming & Gordy)5. The Devil's Mark (Original historical vampire)6. You'll Catch Your Death (Vampire Files)7. Izzy's Shoe-In (Historical mystery introducing Izzy DeLeon, fearless girl reporter)8. The Quick Way Down (Vampire Files, Fleming and Gordy)9. The Scottish Ploy (Original romance/mystery)10. Grave-Robbed (Vampire Files, Fleming)11. The Company You Keep (Vampire Files, Gabriel Kroun)12. Death in Dover (Jonathan Barrett before he got vamped, historical mystery)13. Drawing Dead (ALL NEW VAMPIRE FILES, Fleming)14. King of Shreds and Patches (Hamlet from a different point of view, mystery)15. Fugitive (Science fiction/space opera)16. BONUS STORY! The Wind Breathes Cold (Quincey Morris: Vampire)

    A fatal trap. A daring quest."I woke to the flash of counter coordinates and a rush of adrenalin. Suddenly, it hit me. I was a pawn in someone’s game of chess, and I’d just been moved. Master Archidus required my services. I was a Keeper—the Protector, to be specific. I hadn’t wanted this, but I wouldn’t shun my duties, either. The other Keeper’s life wasn’t the only one at stake." —Chase HarperAfter a turbulent start to his senior year, Chase expects his life to returnto normal now that Ellie Williams is back. But when a Sniffer’s trap leads him on a journey spanning two worlds, he soon realizes things aren’t always what they seem. Will his calling as Keeper require a sacrifice he isn’t willing to make?

    Told from alternating viewpoints, one black and one white, Surviving the Fatherland author Annette Oppenlander delivers another stunning historical tale set against the epic backdrop of the American Civil War—a breathtaking examination of the power of hope and friendship, and the endurance of the human spirit to find a way home.Tennessee, 1861. Fifteen-year-old farm boy Adam Brown would do anything to protect his friend Tip, a slave at the neighboring plantation—even if it means fighting Nathan Billings, the rich and obnoxious landowner’s son. But when it seems his attack has killed Nathan, Adam has no choice but to run away and join the Union Army under an assumed name. Together with Wes, a chatty soldier with a few secrets of his own, Adam embarks on a traumatic odyssey through the war-torn Midwest. As his soul darkens with the atrocities of war, all he wants is to go home. But in order to do that—if he survives—he must face his past. Unbeknownst to Adam, sixteen-year old Tip is sold to a farmer who takes drunken pleasure in torturing his slaves. Tip quickly realizes that if he wants to survive he must run. Ahead lie hundreds of miles of unknown country, infested by slave owners, traders, starvation and cold. And so begins a journey of escape and recapture, of brutal attacks and unexpected kindness. When a rescue by the Underground Railroad goes terribly wrong, Tip finds himself caring for a pregnant runaway, his journey seemingly at an end. They have reached the Ohio River, a vast watery expanse impossible to cross. It is only a matter of time before roaming slave traders will pick them up—he will never see his mother and his best friend again.

    She also remembers her mother, a freedom fighter murdered in the final battle between humans and vampires. But it is her mother's final words that have haunted her: Red means life.In the years since her mother's death, she has been used as both a propaganda tool and a blood slave by the Troika. She's withstood their indignities because the alternative meant bleeding out in a blood camp. But their abuses finally go too far, and she decides to run towards freedom and her mother's red light.On the other side, she finds the Sisters of Crimson. They help her just as her mother promised, but they also hand her to the human rebels. The vampires used her famous name to keep human slaves biddable, but now the humans want to use it inspire a revolution.When the world is at war, freedom is a luxury paid for with blood.

     Willum Baker, a humble boy from deep in the forest, is pulled into a war that no one even knows about. Now, he either learns to become the perfect spy, or everything, everywhere, will have never been at all. He has help from a family he never knew, but in the end, Will is on his own. Fighting to understand hundreds of alien worlds, before it’s too late. If it’s possible, which is far from assured. *Note: This story takes place in the Young Ancients, Infected, Shortcuts and Mr. Hartley universes. If you've ever wanted a really satisfying cross over that moved past the first few minutes of meetings, this series is for you!

    Her unique appearance draws constant scrutiny and her emotions are wildly powerful. Valentine’s Day is a stressful time for her because it usually ends in disaster. Izzy keeps souvenirs of her romantic misadventures in a heart-shaped box, all symbols of hope and heartbreak. But perhaps this year will be different because she’s working on an unusual class project with her secret love … Luke, who grew from an annoying boy into a handsome, athletic man. As Valentine’s Day approaches, Luke delivers devastating news to Isabelle, confirming her worst fears about the upcoming holiday. Desperate, Izzy turns to … Millicent, a dangerous love-witch living on a mysterious island with a historic past. Millicent offers Izzy a devil’s bargain in exchange for happiness. But when the deal goes awry, Isabelle experiences a Valentine’s Day unlike any other. Are you a fan of: Twilight, A Shade of Vampire, The Vampire Chronicles, The Wolves of Mercy Falls, Vampire Academy, Vampire Diaries, The Black Dagger Brotherhood series, or Daughter of Smoke & Bone? If so, grab your copy of Valentine Witch now!

    . . ? Find them all here in Holly Black’s amazing first collection.In her debut collection, New York Times best-selling author Holly Black returns to the world of Tithe in two darkly exquisite new tales. Then Black takes readers on a tour of a faerie market and introduces a girl poisonous to the touch and another who challenges the devil to a competitive eating match. Some of these stories have been published in anthologies such as 21 Proms, The Faery Reel, and The Restless Dead, and many have been reprinted in many “Best of ” anthologies.The Poison Eaters is Holly Black’s much-anticipated first collection, and her ability to stare into the void—and to find humanity and humor there—will speak to young adult and adult readers alike.A Junior Library Guild Pick. Illustrated by Theo Black.Holly Black is the author of Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale (an ALA Best Book for Young Adults) and two related novels, Valiant (Norton Award winner) and New York Times bestseller Ironside. Her latest novel, Black Heart is the third of a new series, The Curseworkers. She and Tony DiTerlizzi created the best-selling Spiderwick Chronicles. Holly lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Theo, in a house with a secret library.