Hamilton and author William McCaskey. In this anthology, science fiction and fantasy authors have woven together brand-new stories that speak to the darkness and despair that life brings while reminding us that good deeds, humour, love, sacrifice, dedication and following our joy can ignite a light that burns so bright the darkness cannot last: A child’s wish for her father comes true. The end of the world has never been so much fun. Conquering personal demons becomes all too real. It’s not always about winning; sometimes it’s about showing up for the fight. It’s about loving your life’s work, and jobs that make you question everything.Contents: Foreword Twilight Falls [Joe Ledger • 10.1] / Jonathan Maberry Not in this Lifetime / Sharon Shinn Mr. Positive, the Eternal Optimist / Larry Correia No Greater Love / Kacey Ezell Broken Son / Griffin Barber Heart of Clay [Dan Shamble, Zombie PI • 6.5??] / Kevin J. Anderson Reprise [Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter • ??] / John G. Hartness Asil and the Not-date [Mercy Thompson • 17.5 / Alpha & Omega • 5.5] / Patricia Briggs In the Dust / Robert E. Hampson Fallen / L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Working Conditions / Patrick M. Tracy Last Contact / M. C. Sumner Ronin / William McCaskey Skjoldmodir / Michael Z. Williamson and Jessica Schlenker Bonds of Love and Duty / Monalisa Foster Zombie Dearest [Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter • 26.5] / Laurell K. Hamilton About the authors About the editors.

    As a human born in one of the colonies of Karthia, Thalia’s extremely rare blood type is her ticket out of the life of poverty and hardship that normally befalls her species. During her first Blood Fair, she intends to entice the Vampire Lord Konstantin into claiming her. But unable to resist an unexpected offer, her long years of hard work and carefully planned future are derailed by a stunning, silver-eyed Lycan named Drogo.Struck by a rare but deadly illness, King Drogo’s only chance of survival relies on securing some golden blood. Yet, the moment he sees Thalia, the rabid emotions the clever female awakens in him surpass even his thirst for her unique blood. But the Lycan King’s efforts to claim Thalia as his mate revive a century-old rivalry with his nemesis, Konstantin.As the realm braces for a cataclysmic event, the clash between the two most powerful males of Karthia escalates. Will the battle to claim Thalia bring about her ultimate demise?

    For a long time, Jeff only had eyes for the beautiful Fallon Keene. Unfortunately, she is the only sister of the lethal North American Central Pack Apex Gabriel Keene. But fate takes a hand when the Pack's totem is stolen, and Fallon enlists Jeff's help to retrieve it before the Pack is thrown into chaos. Can she and Jeff find the totem, and restore order, before it's too late? And will Jeff finally be able to prove himself to the only person he truly loves?In Lucky Break, Merit and Ethan are in desperate need of some alone time, but their attempt at a romantic getaway is quickly interrupted when one of Ethan's vampire friends shows up at their door-covered in blood and accused of killing her shifter husband. Now, Merit and Ethan must put their passion on pause to figure out who's really responsible for the murder before all hell breaks loose...

    Is she Heaven’s Devil, or Hell’s Angel? Callie is a middle-class, Midwest American girl. And a wizard in training. She works for Roland, a member of the Vatican Shepherds – an elite group of twelve warrior priests who travel the world smiting whatever offends them or their Good Lord.One problem. Callie isn’t a huge fan of churches… Not even a minor fan, really.She trains with Roland only to learn how to use those strange magical powers inside her. And because Roland had once saved her and her friend from monsters in a dark alley.But when a Heavenly spear enters an auction in Kansas City, and Roland is gravely wounded, Callie finds herself forced to step up as an interim Shepherd, and her first night on the job puts her in a bidding war against the infamous Nate Temple – the billionaire wizard from St. Louis. And when demons, shifter bears, vampires, and Nephilim attack the auction for the spear, Nate and Callie are forced to join teams, and one-time foes become hesitant allies.Callie must learn where she stands as a wizard. Will she hide behind a man, or light Kansas City afire with a name of her own? And will she finally come to appreciate God? Or will the demons and monsters in the shadows take her for themselves?Because Callie soon learns she isn’t just a wizard, and it was never just about the spear. Monsters have evidently been hunting Callie her entire life, and now, they’ve finally found her…

    Dealer in Dark Things. Spiritual Exterminator. Demon Slayer.Not everyone can take on the things that go bump in the night.Not everyone tries.But Jill Kismet is not just anyone.She's a Hunter, trained by the best - and in over her head.Welcome to the night shift...

    Her gift enables her to work as an Auditor, enforcing the law that vampires and humans keep their distance from each other except in a purely non-physical way. The law is necessary because when a vampire tries to have sex with a human their blood-lust combines with their sexual appetite and the result looks like road kill.Alec Corbin is a Four Star Master Vampire with piercing blue eyes and intentions to get Addison into his bed. He promises he can be gentle but Addison has seen way too many vamp/human crime scenes to go for that. She has no interest in the six foot four hunk of sexy vampire man candy, even if he is supernaturally hot.But just because she Audits (and sometimes executes) vampires for a living, doesn’t mean she hates them all. Her best friend, Taylor, was turned against her will. Now, living as a slave to one of the crueler Master vamps in town, she leads a miserable existence and Addison is helpless to save her within the confines of the law.Things come to a head when the Vampire Inquisitor comes to town and Taylor is given to him as a sex slave. When Addison sees her best friend tortured, beaten, and burned with silver she knows she has to do something — even if it means teaming up with Corbin and paying the Crimson Debt.This is a plus length novel--95,000 words of Paranormal Erotic Romance. Vampires, Werewolves, and Witches are characters of note. Also included are chapter 1 of Shadowed, Book 8 in the Brides of the Kindred and chapter 1 of Scarlet Heat, Book 2 in the Born to Darkness series

    But elemental mastery over fire sets her apart from others of her night-prowling breed . . . and may be all that prevents her doom.The foe she now faces is human: the vampire hunter called Danaus, who has already destroyed so many undead. For Mira, the time has come to hunt . . . or be hunted.

    This half-human, half–Drow private eye investigates paranormal crimes by day and is an elite Tracker of demons by night. She prefers working solo—and playing rough. So when a terrifying force starts murdering innocent humans and paranorms, and leaving strange demonic symbols burned into their buildings, it’s a case Nyx takes very personally… Meanwhile, Nyx’s fellow Trackers are being killed one by one—and a sexy new Tracker named Torin is shadowing her every move. Torin has powers Nyx can’t read, and sometimes she wonders whose side he’s on. Nyx’s instincts tell her something’s brewing in the city’s meanest supernatural streets, and that it’s ready to unleash hell on Earth. Who can she trust? Now it’s five minutes to permanent midnight…and Nyx’s last chance means risking everything—even her own life.

    Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

    The boring mortal guys that want to kiss me...and the bloodthirsty vampires that want to kill me.Sounds simple, right? Try not to let the normal guys bore me to death, and don't let the vampires kill anyone.Well, things have changed.The slayers have ordered me to capture the vampire overlord Rurik, but he has other plans. And the more I learn about him, the less certain I am that he’s the monster we’ve made him out to be. It probably doesn’t help that I'm falling for him.Now I don’t know who to trust, and as forces greater than either of us struggle for power, I may never get the chance to find out. See, here’s the thing...Baiting the enemy can be satisfying...until you’re the one who gets caught.

    They know just the right spell to kill a man with one kiss—or raise him back again. And they’re not afraid to exact sweet revenge on those who dare to cross them. But what if you’re the unlucky soul who falls victim to a conjurer’s curse? And if you had the power to cast a magic spell of your own, would you use it?In this bewitching collection, nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors tell all-new, otherworldly tales.  Spellbinding stories featuring bigfoot, albino vampires, professional wizards, resurrected boyfriends and even a sex droid from the twenty-third century named Silicon Lily.  But as our conjurers are about to discover, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hexed.  And sometimes, even the best spun spells can lead to complete and utter mayhem. Includes:Retribution Clause by Ilona AndrewsBigfoot on Campus by Jim ButcherHolly’s Balm by Rachel CaineSnow Job by Carole Nelson DouglasOutside The Box by P. N. ElrodHow Do You Feel? by Simon R. GreenThere Will Be Demons by Lori HandelandCherry Kisses by Erica HayesThe Arcane Art of Misdirection by Carrie VaughnLength: 13 hours and 8 minutes

    A man hunts for a woman. Yet what if he is no ordinary male, but a predator in search of prey? A dark soul looking for the light? A vampire, a werewolf, a mythic being who strikes fear into the hearts of mortals? When day fades into night, when fear becomes fascination, when the swirling seduction of everlasting love overcomes the senses, it must be after twilight.This anthology contains the following short stories:1. Masquerade by Amanda Ashley2. Dark Dream by Christine Feehan(Carpathians, #6.5) and is also in the book "Dark Dreamers"3. Midnight Serenade (Donavons #1) by Ronda Thompson

    Omnibus edition - contains two complete books."Dead to the World" and "Dead as a Doornail"------Southern Vampire Mysteries

    Everyone knows vampires aren't aggressive, and killing one is punishable by death. But soon more bloodlust-fueled attacks occur, and the community wonders if the vampires of Tahoe are plague-ridden.Celia reluctantly agrees to help Misha, the handsome leader of an infected vampire family. But Aric, the head of the werewolf pack determined to destroy Misha's family to keep the area safe, warns Celia to stay out of the fight. Caught between two hot alphas, Celia must find a way to please everyone, save everyone, and—oh, yeah—not lose her heart to the wrong guy or die a miserable death. Because now that the evil behind the plague knows who Celia is, he's coming for her and her sisters. This Wird girl has never had it so tough.

    For Reyna Carpenter, giving up her body isn’t a choice. It’s survival. In a civilization laid waste by poverty and desperation, Reyna accepts a high-paying position with the wealthy and hungry vampire elite. Her new job is as the live-in blood escort for the intimidating, demanding, and devilishly handsome Beckham Anderson. He’s everything she expected from a vampire, except for one thing—he won’t feed off her. Reyna soon discovers that behind Beckham’s brooding, wicked façade lies a unique and complex man. And that, in a dark and divided world, she is more valuable than she ever would have believed. For with each passing night, Reyna can’t shake the sensation that it’s Beckham who’s afraid of her. Note: Reyna and Beckham’s story continues in Blood Match.This ebook includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.