He’s a busy, happy cowboy, living the good life.Then one morning he discovers a baby on his doorstep.Well, Hoss does what any reasonable man would do—he calls his momma and his buddy, Sheriff Pooter, and they head to the clinic to see if Doc knows of any suddenly not-so-pregnant girls.In the meantime, Hoss and his best friend, Bradley, have their hands full trying to care for an infant, run a ranch, and deal with the sudden confession that Bradley doesn’t hate Hoss for coming out to him in high school. In fact, Bradley’s been trying to catch Hoss’s attention for damn near a decade.

    But tensions are mounting again, and agent Robert “Hart” Hartley-Battridge has uncovered plans that indicate someone is planning to kidnap one of their most brilliant minds—the tempestuous Karol Zieliński. Hart is only too familiar with the hotheaded, beautiful scientist. He spent years working alongside Karol, concealing his love for him, convinced he would have been just one in a string of conquests lured into Karol’s bed. Then a mission gone wrong left Hart scarred and near death, and Karol abruptly quit the Service and never approached Hart again. But the new threat is about to close the distance between them. For one day and one night, Karol will have only a single guard to watch over him, and Hart doesn’t trust anyone but himself to keep Karol safe. Twenty-four hours in the presence of the man he loves, a man he hasn’t seen in three years. Hart expects Karol to have forgotten him. But Karol remembers their every mission—especially the last. And he has a surprise for Hart so daring and unprecedented it brought danger—and Hart—back to his door. With peace and Karol’s life on the line, Hart needs to accept that he was never a conquest. That for him, Karol would change the world.

    The power enables Braden to see through spells and lies, but at the cost of horrible pain.After a terrifying vision reveals imminent danger for the uncle who raised and instructed him, Braden retreats to Belle Dam, an old city divided by two feuding witch dynasties. As rival family heads Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe desperately try to use Braden's powers to unlock Belle Dam's secrets, Braden vows never to become their sacrificial pawn. But everything changes when Braden learns that Jason is his father--and Trey, the enigmatic guy he's falling for, is Catherine's son.To stop an insidious dark magic from consuming the town, Braden must master his gift—and risk losing the one he loves.

    As he captures the throne of Kenta, a letter summons him to Ashwall Castle in the land of his birth, a place he left behind years ago to wage war and take his place in the world. Ashwall is caught in the grip of famine, and Prince Adonias, his childhood friend, desperately needs his help. When Naxar arrives, he finds the prince as hauntingly beautiful as ever, with the golden eyes of a true blood mage. But the prince wants nothing to do with Naxar or his aid. And he wants nothing to do with the marriage alliance his father has arranged between him and the unwitting Naxar. But the prince reawakens something in Naxar, a heart he thought had ceased to beat, and Naxar's determined to make the deal. Prince Adonias only wants one thing—to end the famine ravaging his country. His blood magic is the key, but he hasn't mastered its power. And he doesn't see how he can, now that his father has sold him for food and soldiers to the brutal Naxar, the warrior king who bears no resemblance to the boy Adonias used to know. Adonias knows his magic can solve their problems, but only if he can make it work before his marriage to the madman. And before his own countrymen fall into the superstitious fear of his golden blood-mage eyes. As the rumors begin to swirl around them, blaming Adonias for the blight killing their crops, Adonias fears for his life and his kingdom. And when his father insists he use the dark side of his magic, the choice is anything but simple: submit to the power in his blood...or to the man who heats his blood to boiling with a single kiss...

    In Ireland, an unexpected reunion takes a terrible turn. In Australia, the tides are changing while those involved never stop watching. In Mexico, fear brings uncertainty into a once strong relationship. And in the United States, worlds are about to collide.1/27 answers the important question: What happens next?

    Stories that take some squinting to see through. Unconventional stories. Tales that threaten to break the heart by cruel twists of fate, the dogs of war, or demons that are all too real; whether they be of unrequited love or a karmic slap in the face. Happy endings take a time in coming, and some never arrive. But through all the darkness there is light, a glimmer of hope and wonder…if one has the will to see it.

    But then what?Cole Alpin runs a small-town candy store. He visits his grandmother twice a week. And sometimes he breaks curses.Leo Ericson’s curse is obvious right away, spiderwebbing across his very nice body. Though something about it worries Cole, he agrees to help—with little idea of what he’s getting into.Leo is a serial monogamist, but his vampire ex has taken dating off the table with his nasty spell, and Leo needs Cole’s companionship as much as his help. When the hex proves to be only the beginning of his problems, Leo seeks refuge at Cole’s place. Too bad magic prevents him from finding refuge in Cole’s arms.Cole’s never had a boyfriend, so how can he recognize true love? And there’s still the matter of the one responsible for their troubles in the first place….

    No more hellhounds playing pranks. No more snippy demons demanding my attention. No more cajoling money from the wealthy to support the community. Just peace while I avoid my overbearing father and try to work out what my next steps will be.Although… maybe three years of peace is enough. It might even be starting to get… boring. In fact, an adolescent dragon crash-landing on my landlord’s shed is just the kind of excitement I need—especially when he brings his species leader to my door.Brandt. Wing leader of all dragons, suave, sexy, and … slightly unhinged. It doesn’t take much for him to convince me to give up my solitude and spend some time getting to know him. It’s hard to care about the future when I’ve got a dragon of my own to “play” with. Naked dragon rides for the win, right?But Brandt’s the leader of his people, on call for them all the time, and I’ve left that part of my life behind me. Plus my father insists I should fulfil my duty to the family by getting a nine-to-five job and “marrying well.” That’s not what I want, but riding herd on a group of beings who fly, breathe fire, and could literally crush me beneath their feet would be a huge challenge, especially since Brandt’s kind of loose with rules.It all comes down to how much I want my very own dragon ever after.This exciting spin-off from the Hidden Species series kicks off with Percy's story.

    Divorce attorney and live-in boyfriend Owen, however, believes just as passionately that the gay community should focus on a plurality of equal rights protections instead of allocating so many resources and man-hours to one hot button issue.Owen won’t marry Seth.Relationship deteriorating, the couple visits the Murphy farm outside Brunswick for Christmas. Seth’s family never considered that Seth and Owen wouldn’t be first in line for a marriage license as soon as same-sex marriage passed. When they find out there won’t be a wedding, their season of miracles is invaded by pornographic gingerbread cookies, frowning church ladies, and a determined father with a tactical assault shotgun.Neither Seth, Owen, nor their love may survive the family holiday circus to say, “I don’t.”

    At least he thought he did, but then he has an accident and he wakes up surrounded by the world of the films. Now he has to figure out if he's hallucinating, if somehow the movies are real and he's been transplanted to another world or if he is actually Devon, a supervillain having a psychotic break. Whatever the answer: it's frighteningly crazy."Me, Myself and I" is a sci-fi/fantasy novelette (~15.5Kwds), with a heavy side of male/male romance.This is the first story in the Dark Reflections Series. Book 2 will be out in the near future.Please see WittegenPress.com for full details.

    It washes glasses, puts dishes away, and even dusts. At least he hopes it's a cleaning-obsessed poltergeist and not his own anxieties burbling over into neat freak fits he doesn't remember. When his property manager suggests he call paranormal expert, Jack Montrose, Taro's skeptical but desperate enough to try even a ghost hunter.Jack's arrival crushes Taro's hopes of a dashing Van Helsing-style hero. Instead of an invincible hunter, he gets Ichabod Crane. As the paranormal puzzles multiply and Jack begins to suggest the entity might not be a ghostly one, Taro adds a budding friendship with Jack to his pile of anxieties. It's a race to see whether Taro's poltergeist or his relationship with the obviously-not-ace Jack will reach maximum strangeness first.Word Count: 35,454

    Four difficult years later, some of those dreams are starting to come true—but at what cost? Jess has stumbled into a fairly successful modeling career, but it feels like a consolation prize after his failed attempt at acting. He knows too his good looks will only last so long and he wants to try something else, but Sam keeps talking him out of it. Sam just landed the lead in a Broadway revival and all of his hard work is finally paying off, but lately Jess seems to be slipping away from him. Just as strains and cracks begin to show in their relationship, temptations are dangled in front of both men, but will they take the bait or will they come back to each other?Original PromptDear Author,These guys have known each other since college. They fell in love and went to New York to follow their dreams of being models and actors. They thought nothing could break them apart, but life is filled with temptations. Can these two remain true to each other or will fame tear them apart forever (please HEA story only, and I don't approve of cheating, but if it happens I hope that two lovers can find a way to resolve things).Photo Description: Black and white photo of two nude men cuddling and kissing.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.Download the story, read it online or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 5.

    Has anyone seen him? Please contact your nearest guard station if you do find him.Aidan never knew he could do magic until a cat dared him to have sex. His life truly must be tragic if even felines knew he was too pathetic to find someone to share his bed with. Unfortunately for him, the cat turned out to be his familiar, leading him not only to his First Time but also to King James, who in turn refuses to let Aidan slip through his fingers again.For there is a prophecy: James can only truly unite the lands and bring prosperity to all if he has his trusted warlock by his side. Roping Aidan into coming home with him wasn't the happily ever after everyone had expected. Instead, it set in motion a chain of events which would lead both Aidan and James further away from home than they could have ever imagined.

    "No pride. No privacy. No hope.Academic John Gilliam thought being caught embracing another man was the worst that could happen. Until he agrees to "treatment" at an asylum, where a vicious attack leaves him shaken and afraid.But having all means of writing or reading taken from him... "That" is a serious threat to his sanity. Then a moment of kindness from an asylum attendant begins to restore his dignity.Sam Tully feels sorry for the patient everyone calls "the professor," but with a back injury that cost him his job on the docks-and without the education that would have bettered his position-he tries to keep his head down, and a tight lid on his attraction to men.As John prays for freedom, he grows closer to the gentle, innately intelligent Tully. In spite of themselves, forbidden attraction leads to touches, kisses, and more. But there's something other than curative treatments going on at the asylum. When John and Tully uncover a heinous conspiracy, their very lives are in danger.Warning: Contains heinous crimes and frightening treatments-oh, and some sweet and loving sexy times between two healthy, not-crazy men.

    With a war brewing in the east and no guarantee of surviving another brutal winter, Gib's life is plagued with uncertainty. To make matters worse, he suddenly finds himself uprooted from his home and drafted into the army. Forced to leave his siblings behind, Gib reports to Silver City, where he enrolls in the legendary Academy of Arden. An outsider and misfit, Gib struggles to fit in among the highborn city folk. His charming candor eventually wins him a handful of friends—an enigmatic mage trainee with a secret, a young girl who has defied tradition by joining the military, and a prince looking to escape his stifling, royal life. But his new-found comrades may not be able to help when Gib alone overhears a traitorous plot—a scheme so horrible that if seen to fruition, all of Arden will suffer for it. It's up to Gib to convince the High Council of Arden to act, to stop the terrible danger before it's too late.