A concept to fight against.Evil doesn’t exist.Neither does ‘good.’Vampires do, though.I just happen to be one.I’ve cruised through the centuries managing to avoid all the wars, supernatural and human, but still going to all the best parties.I would say I avoided bloodshed, but it’s kind of part of the whole ‘vampire’ thing.I’ve lived on the fringes of a society that considered cruelty and sadism favorable character traits for almost five hundred years. Now I'm in the middle of a war that might just put my nonbeating heart in a lot of danger.Battles, I can handle.The impossible attraction between me and the vampire slayer, not to mention the penetrating gaze of the king of our race, on the other hand?I might not get out undead.

    That is Ruin's power and desire. But Ruin's memory is empty of how he came to be here on Earth and why. After saving Isadore-- a neuroscientist living in the swamps of Louisiana-- from a sexual predator, she volunteers to help him. Ruin soon discovers that judging and executing wicked humans while linked to such a difficult and beautiful woman who can't help but involve herself in every aspect of his business, is proving to be more difficult than judging the world

    She never steps outside the boundaries and never colors outside the lines, but something happens to crumble it all away. Something in the middle of the night--something no one can remember. Something that brings on a spate of insomnia that affects the entire community. When Sadie, the town drunk, accuses her of being the cause, she reacts in shock and fervent denial, but Sadie is insistent. She's certain that an evil Beth committed is the cause of bringing ruin and calamity to their fair city. Beth knows it's all untrue, but as the sleepless nights continue, the paranoia grows. Soon a chorus of voices are added to Sadie's--even her best friend's. Fighting the tide rising against her, her adamant defense begins to falter when a strange man knocks on her door. Delivering an ominous message to her daughter, Kirsten, it strikes at the heart of the mystery, and portends a horrific fate that awaits them all.The Man with the Blue Hat is classic horror. It's a chilling, page-turner ... a bedtime story designed to evoke nightmares. It's scary good.

    Once the government is back in business then the short story will no longer be available on line, at least not until my publisher and I figure out what we might want to do with it. But for right now, while we’re all wondering how it got to this point, here’s a brand new Anita Blake short story, featuring our favorite bad boy werewolf, yep, I mean Richard Zeeman. Hey, I’ve been telling you, he’s been working his therapy: read on to see the results that hard work and being brave enough to own your whole self can get you.

    Within days, two families are dead. No wounds, no illness, their faces frozen in terror. What horror did they see in their last moments? Was it enough to frighten them to death? Tom has worked the mediterranean holiday resorts for years. Barman, kitchen hand, waiter. Always moving, always one step ahead of his past. The job at Milera Island Resort, a new five star hotel, is too good to be true. Accommodation, good pay, easy work. What could go wrong? A few days after the grand opening the resort is thrown into chaos. Two famlies are found dead. No marks on their bodies, no obvious injuries, no apparent cause of death. Their faces, however, are frozen masks of terror. Panic takes the island, evacuation begins, but how long do they have? Tom begins to suffer strange hallucinations and terrifying dreams, more unexplainable deaths occur, and as the chaos deepens Tom becomes aware of a dark presence descending from the woods. Can Tom find a way for everyone to escape before the darkness takes them? Is his past entwined with the growing madness? Who, or what, is the killer amongst them? Dark Island is a thrilling horror novel from the writer of the Surviving the Fall series. Expect chills that will keep you up at night...

     Eve is an 18,000 word novella originally published as an ongoing story on Reddit's Writing Prompts forum by user /u/psycho_alpaca.

    But why do they need an expert in ritual magic on board their new flagship spacecraft? And why do they need an exorcist? It is soon apparent they are meddling with forces they don't understand. But can they be controlled?A Lovecraftian short story.This is an old one, from about 1993, not long after I started out. It got reworked into an expanded novella THE PLASM for Dark Regions Press, but here it is in its original form. Think of it in black and white, 50s B movie style — that's how it runs in my head.

    First, from a father that didn’t want him then from the place he grew up. Circumstances have shaped him into a hardened, sometimes angry man. The future of their kind, of all shiften, had been bleak until news that a destined mate had been found. With the help of his friends he’s held onto the last shred of his humanity and now has hope for himself and his fellow bearen. Zane never had a reason to believe that his world could change from a mate-less life spent fighting dangerous fires to one with a chance for a One True Mate for him to love. Poppy Woodall loves her life in Serenity. She cares for the community through her massage therapy and shares a special gift with those that need it. Her mother promised she had a greater destiny, although Poppy wasn’t sure how that would happen with her quiet life. Plagued by nightmares that have haunted her since childhood, Poppy holds on to hope that one day she’ll have all the answers. A dark shadow, a hateful plan, and true love fighting against those that want to see it destroyed. Can Zane fight against an unseen force and show Poppy that she can trust him with her heart?

    Farrell Blackmore.*Six feet tall, dark, dangerous, and ruggedly handsome.*Single dad.*My kidnapper.He’s no Prince Charming.He’s a monster who will have me killed in the end.He stole my freedom and locked me in a cage.I despise him for everything he’s done,But that doesn’t stop me from craving his touch.Submitting to his darkness fulfills my deepest desires.And when he punishes me for disobeying him,I find myself longing for more

    Buried for nearly three hundred years and now brought triumphantly to light by Dr Livesey, this is, at last, the true story of what happened on the fateful Treasure Island…The truth about Captain Flint and his fabled death.The truth about Long John Silver and his coveted wife.And the truth about Jim Hawkins, that double-dealing turncoat of the first order: the traitor of Treasure Island.

    Her only hope of escape comes in the form of Brigg, cursed Rain Demon and bitter, human hating bastard. But beggars can’t be choosers.When Brigg finds himself in possession of a human and a horde of angry demons desperate to get her back, he flees. When he realizes that she is the daughter of the witch that cursed him and his family, he believes that he has finally got the opportunity he has been hoping for. The only thing he must decide now is what is more important to him, the reversal of the curse, or revenge?Neither one are prepared for the flame that ignites between them. But will the spark be enough to break to the curse that holds them apart?

    If you see a door leading to the basement, inform a librarian immediately.(The entire library is strictly off limits during winter break.)~*~Ever since she was young, Kennedy Fisher has been obsessed with dragons. Now that she’s matured a little, she’s added Rex Draconis to her list of obsessions.Not that she needs more than two things on her list. I mean, a billionaire heir bad boy and dragons are probably more than enough to last her a lifetime, don’t you think?Anyways!Rex is nice enough, though she wouldn’t say he’s into her. Except then why did he join her paranormal mysteries club? And why does he give her an ancient book explaining some of Steamydale’s oldest small town secrets on Christmas Eve?One of those secrets leads to her breaking a very important rule, which also leads to the discovery that her list of obsessions may be shorter than she first thought.Dragon’s may actually exist! And one’s been hiding under her nose this entire time...Also, that point about Rex Draconis not being into her? Um, that may have been slightly wrong...Talk about obsessions!By the end of the night and into a hot and heavy Christmas morning, she’s going to find out just how wrong she was. If they survive a rule-breaking adventure in the university library, that is...

    She’ll mate with him, share her blood with him...and in return, the wolves will aid the vampires in this battle. The enemy of my enemy is my husband... But Morgan doesn't realize just how dangerous the wolves can truly be. Jace has been waiting years to claim her. He’s set a trap for his princess, and now that he has her, Jace doesn't plan to let her go. He’ll send the demons back to hell, and he’ll keep his vampiress - forever. Because the blood binds all.

    THEY CLAIMED ME. BUT THEY WILL NOT BREAK ME. There are worse fates than crash-landing on your sworn enemy’s planet. Like surviving, and being taken alive, being sold for their entertainment. The Dothkhan take what they want—iridescent, battle-hardened brutes all toned muscle and sculpted bodies. They want me to be their perfect little pet, compliant and composed, to bear their young, but I have other ideas. They take me hard and often, one at a time or sometimes all at once. I’m trying to remain defiant, but the pleasure they’re showing me is starting to outweigh the pain. My traitorous body has never been so satisfied or fulfilled. There’s just one problem. I’m the most powerful bargaining chip in the entire galaxy. And they don’t know it… yet. Slave is a dark and twisted reverse harem tale including two all-powerful alien warriors and the extreme lengths they’ll go to protect what’s theirs. Only lovers of possessive and dominant alphas need apply.

    He suspects murder. But when the Latham ghosts turn nasty, and Charles finds himself falling in love with the priest brought in to calm them, he has to unearth the skeleton in the family closet before it ends up killing them all.