Fantasy Novels

"Love me or hate me, either way I'm already on your mind. I win. You lose." *** As the Alpha King of all werewolves and lycans, Aero needed to be fair to all. He ruled with an iron fist, a steady head and a balanced emotion. He was perfect in everything except for one. He had issues with the opposite sex. Since a child, he hated women. He never liked them and always avoided them. However, what if a woman suddenly materialized on his bed just as he was about to sleep? How could he avoid her then? Genre: Werewolf Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Erotica, Smut All Rights Reserved JMFelic Books 2020 *************** The Alpha King's Claim Prologue WARNING: THIS IS A COPYRIGHTED BOOK UNDER THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINES, OWNED BY JMFELIC. INFRINGERS WILL BE DEALT WITH ACCORDINGLY. THE AUTHOR HAS GIVEN SOFANOVEL THE RIGHTS TO PUBLISH THIS BOOK IN THEIR APP/WEBSITE. Paintings. I always love them. Whenever there was an art show near Manhattan, I make it a point to go check the artworks and possibly buy one. Or two. Or three of them. What I look for in a painting were the strokes the painter uses, the use of colors and how they blend in with the picture in general, and of course, the drawing. I had always been a sucker for fantasy-inspired paintings. Fantastical landscapes, mythical creatures, men and women wearing weird clothing, oh yes, I collect them all. They always reach out to a part of my soul that I had been guarding since I lost my parents. They always call out to a part of me that I wasn't sure what. Maybe, my parents as painters could be the reason. They influenced my tastes after all. But deep inside me, I knew there was always something special about these types of paintings I couldn’t quite figure out. One rainy day, I ran across an antique shop in downtown Manhattan about to be closed by the bank for bankruptcy. The different antique displays were spread all over the street in the hopes that some passers-by would still buy them. I caught sight of a beautiful painting of a landscape. Breathtaking it was and purely, for lack of a better word, out-of-this-world. The painting showed a mountain range with its slopes covered in autumn trees. In the center of this mountain range, just nestled on top the hill was a silver-plated castle. The details were extraordinary, magical even. I couldn’t resist its call, so in the end, I bought it. Plus, I didn’t want it to be wet with the rain. I wanted to give it a home. The antique shop owner, an old lady probably in her late sixties, was gracious enough to give me a discount considering the painting had smud...

Apotheosis Falling from nobility, Zen Luo became a humble slave and served as a human punchbag for his former cousins. Inadvertently, he found a way to refine himself into a weapon and a legend started because of that. With a strong belief in never surrender, he strove for revenges and pursued big dreams. Warriors from various clans contended for hegemony and the world was stirred. Relying on the body that was comparable to a powerful weapon, Zen beat his numerous enemies on his way to the immortality. Would he succeed eventually? *************** It was a late autumn morning. As the dawn chased the dark shadows, the sun added some warmth to the chilly air. An oil lamp in the cellar of Luo's House lit up. A young man named Zen Luo sat upright in front of a table, shading most of the light of the oil lamp. Quietly he pulled out a battered thread-bound book. Zen Luo was a lean, average-looking young man who had just turned 17. However, there was something mellow about him. In contrast, his eyes were so radiant that even in the dim light projected by the oil lamp, they glowed with charm. "It has taken me a month to finish Heavenly Principles. Its arguments are all very well, but, what I find most revolting are those four words, repaying cruelty with kindness," Zen Luo whispered as he stared at the bean-sized flame of the oil lamp. Melancholy was written all over his face. "Had my father not been so kind-hearted as to believe those four words, I, the direct descendant of my Clan, would not have ended up like this, and father would still be alive…" The sudden noise of the cellar door being unlocked interrupted his flow of thoughts. Zen Luo replaced the melancholy he was feeling with a solemn expression. He promptly blew out the oil lamp and covered himself with the shabby cotton quilt. The door of the cellar flew open and footsteps began drawing close. The man in charge stepped forward and stomped his foot on Zen Luo's bed before shrieking at him, "Still in bed? Dreaming about being the young master of the Luo Clan? Get the fuck up!" The man was a steward in the Luo Clan. He looked rather wretched. He had a wart on his forehead that often invoked disgust from people. Zen Luo sat up and rubbed his eyes. He pushed off the quilt...

Rebirth of Martial God Traversing back to the ancient Prime Martial World from modern age, Austin finds himself in a younger body as he wakes up. Yet, the young man he possesses was a miserable dimwit, what a bummer! But it doesn’t matter as his mind is sound and clear. Possessing this younger and stronger body, he will fight his way to become the God of martial arts, and rule the whole Martial World! *************** Violet Orchid Empire, Sun Mountain, Sun Sect. The Sun Mountains were one of the main mountain ranges in the territory of the Violet Orchid Empire. The base of Sun Sect was located on the Sun Mountain as it was the highest peak. At the foot of the Sun Mountain was a large area filled with terraced houses. These were scattered across the flatness of the terrain. This residential area was where the Sun Sect's grunt disciple lived. It was a cool and pleasant morning. The sun had just begun to peek from behind the eastern horizon. The sky looked as fresh and clean as a rose that had blossomed after a whole night's rain. The soft, fragile rays of sunlight gleamed faintly and tenderly down on the terraced houses of the grunt disciples. The mountains, the houses, and the looming trees were swathed in the light of the newborn sun and the cool, fresh morning air. A little away from the residential area of grunt disciples, in a secluded corner of the mountain foot, a small, shabby cottage was situated. A stumpy young man walked toward a cottage from the forest. He looked about sixteen or seventeen years old. With the steamed buns in each of his hands that had by now turned cold and hard, he strode toward the cottage. When he reached it, he pushed open the door with his foot and stepped in. The space inside the cottage was minimal. The room was almost empty as the young man owned very little. A discolored table, a shaky and cracked wooden chair, and a bed were the only furniture in the room. The sturdy young man put the buns on the table and walked to the bed. An unconscious young man lay on the bed. His face...

Lord Of Martial Arts In Lothlann Continent, talent in martial arts won cultivators respect. Darren Chu, a mediocre talent in martial arts, was deemed a loser by everyone. His status changed when a fireball fell from the sky and hit him on the head. He cheated death. Empowered with the ability to assimilate other creatures' talent, Darren sought to better himself and seek vengeance against those who had wronged his family, including his little sister. "You will kneel in front of me one day," swore the future lord of martial arts. *************** Great significance was given to martial arts cultivation in the Lothlann Continent. It was, thus, natural that the higher a person's innate talent in martial arts, the more respect they earned. According to one's talent for martial arts, people could be graded at the Heaven Degree, the Earth Degree, the Black Degree, and the Yellow Degree. In each of these degrees, people were ranked from level one to level nine based on their aptitude level. It was said that if someone reached the Heaven Degree, centuries of cultivation would turn him or her into the lord of martial arts, the legendary being. But the fact was that ninety-nine percent of people in this continent only had the talent of the Ordinary Degree, which was inferior to level one of the Yellow Degree. In Valmar, Doriath. "Have you heard the news? The chief...

Ascent of Hero on the Dragon Throne Rocky Bai, a young and talented scholar in the field of gene study, ranked number one among his peers. While he was on the flight headed for the venue, an aircraft accident occurred right before he passed out. ... Rocky Bai is reborn! He saves a dragon and trains it in the Holy Dragon Empire. To his surprise, his dragon can cure disease and even bring people back from death. With the dragon, Rocky starts a new life. He is no longer a good-for-nothing, but an ambitious martial arts master and spirit manipulator among his generation. Let's join in their adventure! *************** Rocky Bai woke up in a sweat, confusion filling his wide eyes. It felt like he had just woken up from a nightmare. Gasping for air, he soon noticed something was amiss. His arms held him up at once. The scene coming into his eyes knocked him down like a feather. He was greeted with the sight of a luxurious and splendid room decked with classic decoration. There were no lamps or lights in here, but it was as bright as day. He was lying in a comfortable bed with a golden silk quilt, white tulle encircling it on all sides. Rocky Bai felt like he was lying on an imperial bed. Through the white tulle, Rocky Bai could see plenty of gold and jade objects on a cabinet. He could tell that each of them was worth at least a million. Everything Rocky Bai saw caught him by surprise, and then a sudden thought popped into his head: 'Where am I?" What he last remembered was being on the way to a meeting. He had been invited by the International Animal Genome Center to deliver a keynote speech. Rocky Bai, a young and talented scholar in the field of gene study, ranked number one among his peers. No one in the whole world could surpass him in the field of gene study until now. While he was on the flight heading for the venue, an aircraft accident occurred right before he passed out. Now, he was in a strange room. It was impossible that this was hell. But if this was heaven, how could everything around him feel so real? Wasn't it said that only the soul could go to heaven when someone died? Souls couldn't feel anything physically, right? But his senses were so real and substantial. He could feel not only the softness and comfort of the bed, but also the warmth coming from someone under the quilt next to him. Rocky was shocked to find someone lying next to him. Cautiously, he slowly opened the quilt, hoping not t...

Rejected By My Mate "I, Alpha Azrael Shepherd, reject you, Alexandria Gregory as my mate," he said coldly then turned his back towards the packhouse. ****** When Alexandria Gregory turned 18, she met her mate and that is Azrael Shepherd, the Alpha of her rival pack. But Azrael rejected her when he found out she was an omega of her pack. The rejection she felt was excruciating. Once her mate rejected her, she would never find another mate again. The reason why Azrael rejected her is because the man will be married to Liza, the Alpha's daughter of her pack. Even though they aren't mates, they decided to stay together for the union of the two packs. No one knew her mate was Azrael. Rage fills her heart and she will make sure Azrael would regret ever rejecting her. She ran away from her pack and promised to herself that she would come back and take her place as the real Alpha. *************** [Alexandria’s POV] Tomorrow, I’ll turn eighteen, and I have a feeling something big is going to happen. I sighed as I scrubbed the floor, and beads of sweat dripped from my face. I can hear the laughter coming from the dining area where my pack dined together except me. Because I am an omega, the most unfortunate and weakest of the pack. They thought I was an omega because I didn't show any qualities of a werewolf. Unbeknownst to everyone, I can shift ever since I was little, but I am different from everyone else because werewolves can only shift at age eighteen, so I hid my wolf. My parents taught me how to hide my wolf form and powerful aura when I was little before they passed away. My parents died when I was six years old. Then someone took over the pack when my Alpha father died. The new Alpha threw me into the barn and I lived as an omega. However, being an omega was tough because my job was to obey everyone’s commands. Since then, I trained myself every night on the far side of the woods, where no one would notice my presence. But tomorrow, I will find my mate so that I can get out of this hellhole. And I can’t wait for that! I was also bullied because of the color of my eyes. It has two distinct colors—on my left eye; it is blue with golden flecks, while my right eye is green with golden flecks too. This made me different from all the werewolves. I didn’t even know why I have this eye color. But I think it’s pretty, just like my wolf. ‘That’s right!’ My wolf, Xandra, chimed in and I giggled. When I finished scrubbing the floor, I went to the back of the packhouse where my house was—the barn. For years, I was sleeping here together with some cattle and my only best friend Layla. I took out some clean clothes in the old broken cabinet and then ran off towards the lake to take a night bath. I scan the place to make sure no one would see me, then I put my clean clothes on the rock. When I’m a hundred percent sure no one was around, I took off my dirty clothes and swam towards the cold water. I feel refreshed. After three minutes, a familiar scent

The Legend of Innate Mage "Brotherhood? Clan? It is utterly ridiculous!" They had been bosom buddies, almost like blood brothers. The two young talented masters of Nan Clan enjoyed great respect. However, everything was completely different now. Ricky Nan was not a young talented master anymore, but a jerk in everyone’s eyes. All this was Nate's fault, despite their close friendship, right from childhood. Nate Nan, set as the successor of Nan Clan, now treated him like a stranger. "Father, I will take revenge for you and get back everything we should have deserved!" *************** At the very beginning of time, the whole universe was in chaos. It was only a pitch black, piercingly chilly immeasurable expanse. It stayed like that for millions and millions of years until one of the gods decided to act again, came to this world, and opened up land. At long last, the earth took shape with an abundance of light, spirit and even life. Afterwards, the god acted again, choosing to divide the earth into four parts and spreading our ancestors across the continents. Once settled, the industrious ancestors of modern men soon embarked on one of the most ambitious explorations, which in due time would lead to breakthroughs in cultivation methods. At last, they developed land enough for the species to flourish and not simply exist. From that time on, the species began to live and spread across the four continents, namely the Pure East, the Ble...

BOOK ONE:“You can fight me all you want, Grace, but you can't ignore what you feel for me forever. If neither of us reject each other the bond only grows stronger. You feel it don't you, your need for me," He calmly said, inching his way toward me. I glared at him, the sound of his voice had me pooling in my. I hated that, hated that all it took was his voice to turn me on, "You're not my mate. I refuse to believe it!" Was all I said before I stormed out of there.__________________________After a drunken one night stand with a stranger, Grace Evans wakes up with a note left at her bedside. The last words of the note both startle and confuse her especially since she saw her mate die in front of her very eyes. What happens when the mysterious stranger now comes to claim her? Will she give in to him or will she reject him, killing his wolf and breaking his heart? ***************

Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown Zachary Zi traveled through time and space with the help of his Treasure-hunting Compass, which led him to the Olden World where he took over the body of a young man with the same name. The old Zachary’s clan was slaughtered three years ago and his fiancee had gone missing ever since. Although he managed to survive the ordeal, his injuries had taken away his ability to cultivate anymore. Will the new Zachary be able to fit into his new life? The Treasure-hunting Compass was a mythical artifact that could be used to release many quests. Each time Zachary finished a quest, he would receive a reward more desirable than the last. However, that wasn't all. With the help of the compass, he also met a variety of beautiful and exotic women. Will they fall in love with him? *************** On a hill behind the Welkin Sect's base, there was an empty place surrounded by dense green woods. A young man dressed in white was standing there in front of a worn out wooden post. He got soaked completely by the rain, and his white clothes clung to his body, revealing his lean frame. He was clenching his fists so tightly that it seemed his nails would rip open the skin of his palms and gouge his flesh out. "Am I a veritable loser now? I was a genius. But everything has changed ever since I was injured three years ago. Now I cannot even cultivate the most basic martial energy. I detest myself! God, discharge your thunderbolts and kill me now if you dare! Otherwise, I will wreak vengeance on you in every possible way!" the young man shouted with all his might, in order to ensure all his complaints reached God's ears. Rumble! All of a sudden, a thunder...

The Devil's Mate He's been looking for her for over ten thousand millenniums, he wants her, he needs her and he won't wait for another second to get her. Victoria Jane Heavenly is your average normal girl with a normal life. Ever since she could toddle her has been... *************** Running through the empty halls， I race against the clock to reach my classroom on time. Stupid alarm clock...it was the sixth clock this month I“d unknowingly smashed to bits this month alone. Mum keeps on saying I pushed it off of the nightstand but I don“t see how it melted into a liquid this morning. Turning the dial on my locker， quickly getting frustrated when the door won“t open， I stand back and run my shoulder into the rusty door. The door creaks open， rubbing my shoulder， I put in my jacket， my school bag and take out my things. Slamming the door shut， I run to the second level for my first lesson， Chemistry with Mr Banks. I round the corner rushing to the last classroom down the hall. Not looking where I“m going， I slam head first into a wall and I fly back a few meters， groaning， I feel my cheeks heat up. "Hey!" A deep enchanting male voice murmurs from above me."You alright?" Warm hazelnut brown eyes that are shining in excitement stare down at me， bulging muscles straining against his thin black T-shirt， a long-fingered hand stretched out towards me. Taking it， I feel a jolt of electricity go down my spine spreading a warmness through me as it travels leaving little tingles in its wake. "Oh!" I gasp as he pulls me to my feet， my small， 5 foot 4 frame against his probably 6 foot 2 body. My breasts pressed against his muscular chest， my cheeks heat up at this realisation. "Sorry." "It“s alright，"...

Ceres Transmigration? So what? Given this second chance in life, I would not definitely make any mistakes... including that of opening my heart. :cover photo not mine: *************** When I woke up， I felt my whole body sore. I looked around and noticed that this wasn“t my house. This small cottage with only a bed， wooden table， and chair， as well as a small kitchen was definitely not mine. I tried to stand up. I know this sore feeling. It was nothing compared to my hellish training back then. But， why do I feel that my body is totally different? It cannot even take these mild injuries from that explosion? As I was about to stand up， my body froze. A man with long silver hair that sways as he walks by， wearing an elegant clothing that looks like it came straight from old story books suddenly came in from the lone wooden door. He is the most handsome man I have ever seen. "Oh! You“re finally awake. Don“t try to stand up. You should rest a bit more. Don“t worry because this place is safe. Wait， I“ll help you eat." I do not know this guy nor do I want to know. The feeling he“s giving me are both chills and warmth. He“s definitely dangerous since I wasn“t even able to tell that he“s already near despite my skills. But then， he looked like he was the one who saved me. Even though I should be wary of him， I would still have to thank him. I slowly stood up and bowed my head sincerely and with difficulty. "Thank you for saving me but I would not impose myself on you anymore. I would like to go back home. As for the payment， I would definitely return here and pay you back." The moment I looked up， I saw him approaching without even looking at me. Didn“t I just say that there is something weird with this guy? I immediately straightened my body and saw him proceeding to the table. He didn“t pay any attention to what I just said. He opened the pot“s lid which still looked l...

Illusions of Fate Read Free I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him. *************** One Dear Mama, I am most certainly not dead. Thank you for your tender concern. I will try to write more often so you don’t have to worry so between letters. (Because a week’s silence surely means I have fallen prey to a wasting illness or been murdered in these boring, gray streets.) School is going well. I am excelling in all of my classes. (Apparently, some things never change, and girls are not challenged in Albion in the same way they weren’t on Melei.) My professors are all intelligent and kind. (Kind of horrible.) None stand out. (I refuse to mention him by name, no matter how many obviously “subtle” questions you ask.) The other students are also quite focused on their schooling, and none of us has much time for socializing. Boys and girls attend separate classes as well, so no, I have not met many interesting young men. (I am neither courting nor being courted. Please stop hoping.) Tell Aunt Li’ne thank you for the mittens. They are very much appreciated in this cold, damp climate I am so unused to. And please tell the sun hello and I miss her very much! I also miss you, of course. (I do. Very much.) All my love, Jessamin Reading over the letter to my mother, I am so absorbed in my head with adding the true statements to my written words that I fail to pay attention to the street. I cannot decide which shocks me more—nearly being run over by the horse-drawn cart, or the fluid stream of cursing in my native tongue that is being directed at me. I look up, cheeks burning, and meet a pair of black eyes that, combined with the familiarity of the language, hit me with a longing for Melei so deep and painful I can scarcely draw a breath. The man pauses, obviously surprised to see how dark of skin and eyes I am in spite of my school uniform. And so I take the opportunity to insult his manhood, his lineage, and his horse in a single, well-crafted turn of phrase I haven’t used since my friend Kelen taught it to me when I was fourteen. He smiles. I smile back. Brushing his hand through the air in another gesture so achingly familiar it brings tears to my eyes, he clicks his tongue and the cart moves on, our near-collision forgotten. He’s made me crave heat. The sun’s anemic rays pull more warmth from me than they offer. I hate Albion, the whole gray country. I hate Avebury, a city just as

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast, Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetite. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin.Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him. When Mary Luce is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world, she must rely on Rhage's protection. Knowing that Mary feels the same intense animal attraction, Rhage must make her his alone... "Ah, hell, V, you're killing me." Butch O'Neal mined through his sock drawer, looking for black silk, finding white cotton.No, wait. He pulled out one dress sock. Not exactly a triumph."If I were killing you, cop, footwear'd be the last thing on your mind."Butch glanced over at his roommate. His fellow Red Sox fan. His... well, one of his two best friends.Both of whom, as it turned out, happened to be vampires.Fresh from the shower, Vishous had a towel wrapped around his waist, his chest muscles and thick arms out on display. He was pulling on a black leather driving glove, covering up his tattooed left hand."Do you have to go for my dress blacks?"V grinned, fangs flashing in the midst of his goatee. "They feel good.""Why don't you ask Fritz to get you some?""He's too busy feeding your jones for clothes, man."Okay, so maybe Butch had recently gotten in touch with his inner Versace, and who've thought he'd had it in him, but how hard could it be to get an extra dozen silkies in the house?"I'll ask him for you.""Aren't you a gentleman." V pushed back his dark hair. The tattoos at his left temple made an appearance and then were covered up again. "You need the Escalade tonight?""Yeah, thanks." Butch stuffed his feet into Gucci loafers, bareback."So you're going to see Marissa?"Butch nodded. "I need to know. One way or the other."And he had a feeling it was going to be the other."She's a good female."She sure the hell was, which was probably why she wasn't returning his calls. Ex-cops who liked Scotch weren't exactly good relationship material for women, human or vampire. And the fact that he wasn't one of her kind didn't help the situation."Well, cop, Rhage and I'll be throwing back a few at One Eye. You come and find us when you're done¡ª"Banging, like someone was hitting the front door with a battering ram, brought their heads around.V hiked up the towel. "Goddamn it, flyboy is going to have to learn how to use a doorbell.""You try talking to him. He doesn't listen to me.""Rhage doesn't listen to anyone." V jogged down the hall.As the thundering dried up, Butch went over to his ever-expanding tie coll

Beneath the dying sun the disgraced torturer, Severian, at last comes to his place of exile - Thrax, the City of Windowless Rooms. But Severian's journeying is not ended, and high in the Earth's ancient mountains he draws closer to his destiny. Chapter 1 Master of the House of Chains "IT WAS IN my hair, Severian," Dorcas said. "So I stood under the waterfall in the hot stone room - I don't know if the men's side is arranged in the same way. And every time I stepped out, I could hear them talking about me. They called you the black butcher, and other things I don't want to tell you about." "That's natural enough," I said. "You were probably the first stranger to enter the place in a month, so it's only to be expected that they would chatter about you, and that the few women who knew who you were would be proud of it and perhaps tell some tales. As for me, I'm used to it, and you must have heard such expressions on the way here many times; I know I did." "Yes," she admitted, and sat down on the sill of the embrasure. In the city below, the lamps of the swarming shops were beginning to fill the valley of the Acis with a yellow radiance like the petals of a jonquil, but she did not seem to see them. "Now you understand why the regulations of the guild forbid me from taking a wife - although I will break them for you, as I have told you many times, whenever you want me to." "You mean that it would be better for me to live somewhere else, and only come to see you once or twice a week, or wait till you came to see me." "That's the way it's usually done. And eventually the women who talked about us today will realize that sometime they, or their sons or husbands, may find themselves beneath my hand." "But don't you see, this is all beside the point. The thing is..." Here Dorcas fell silent, and then, when neither of us had spoken for some time, she rose and began to pace the room, one arm clasping the other. It was something I had never seen her do before, and I found it disturbing. "What is the point, then?" I asked. "That it wasn't true then. That it is now." "I practiced the Art whenever there was work to be had. Hired myself out to towns and country justices. Several times you watched me from a window, though you never liked to stand in the crowd - for which I hardly blame you." "I didn't watch," she said. "I recall seeing you." "I didn't. Not when it was actually going on. You were intent on what you were doing, and didn't see me when I went inside or covered my eyes. I used to watch, and wave to you, when you first vaulted onto the scaffold. You were so proud then, and stood just as straight as your sword, and looked so fine. You were honest. I remember watching once when there was an official of some sort up there with you, and the condemned man and a hieromonach. And yours was the only honest face." "You couldn't possibly have seen it. I must surely have been wearing my mask." "Severian, I didn't have to see it. I know what you look like." "Don'

Every girl who had taken the test has died.Now it's Kate's turn.It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear that her mother won't live past the fall.Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride and a goddess.If she fails... PROLOGUE "How did it happen this time?" Henry tensed at the sound of her voice, and he tore his eyes away from the lifeless body on the bed long enough to look at her. Diana stood in the doorway, his best friend, his confidante, his family in every way except by blood, but even her presence didn't help rein in his temper. "Drowned," said Henry, turning back to the body. "I found her floating in the river early this morning." He didn't hear Diana move toward him, but he felt her hand on his shoulder. "And we still don't know?" "No." His voice was sharper than he'd intended, and he forced himself to soften it. "No witnesses, no footprints, no traces of anything to indicate she didn't jump in the river because she wanted to." "Maybe she did," said Diana. "Maybe she panicked. Or maybe it was an accident." "Or maybe somebody did this to her." He broke away, pacing the room in an attempt to get as far from the body as possible. "Eleven girls in eighty years. Don't tell me this was an accident." She sighed and brushed her fingertips across the girl's white cheek. "We were so close with this one, weren't we?" "Bethany," snapped Henry. "Her name was Bethany, and she was twenty-three years old. Now because of me, she'll never see twenty-four."

With The Demon Awakens and The Demon Spirit, the first two volumes in his masterful DemonWars saga, New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore set a new standard for fantasy adventure, creating the enchanted world of Corona--a world besieged by the dark forces of an ancient, all-consuming evil. Now, with The Demon Apostle, Salvatore brings his epic symphony of good versus evil to its stunning conclusion.It is a time of mourning. A time of hope. With the demon dactyl and its foul minions defeated, the war-weary citizens of the kingdom of Honce-the-Bear wish only to bury their dead and begin rebuilding their broken lives. Yet the fragile balance between church and state lies shattered. The specter of civil war haunts the ravaged land--and a specter more fearsome still. For the demon, though defeated, was not destroyed. And now its vengeful spirit has found an unholy sanctuary at the very heart of the Abellican Church.As the elf-trained ranger Elbryan Wynden presses north to reclaim the savage Timberlands from retreating goblin hordes, and his companion, Pony, mistress of gemstone magic, turns south to the civilized--but no less perilous--streets of Palmaris, they find themselves caught up in a ruthless power struggle to decide the fate of all Corona. A struggle that will push their courage and love to the breaking point . . . and beyond.Condemned as heretics, the two heroes are hunted by dangerous enemies. The leader of the Church boasts a mastery of gemstone magic that rivals Pony's proven might. And the Abbot's right hand, the Bishop of Palmaris, has claws so sharply honed by hate and magic that no man--or ranger--can withstand their killing stroke. Then an unexpectedtwist of fate forces Pony to make a harrowing choice, one that may doom the world to demonic domination.A fantasy of rare scope and accomplishment that seamlessly weaves unforgettable characters and events into a brilliant tapestry of bravery and betrayal, sacrifice and redemption, The Demon Apostle brings R. A. Salvatore's sweeping masterwork to a triumphant close--and to a new beginning.

One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress 2) Read Free You can run from the grave, but you can’t hide…Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She’s still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.Being around Bones awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline rush of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head – wanted: dead or half-alive – means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard Cat tries to keep things professional between them, she’ll find that desire lasts forever … and Bones won’t let her get away again. *************** Chapter One I WAITED OUTSIDE THE LARGE, FOUR-STORY home in Manhasset that was owned by a Mr. Liam Flannery. This wasn't a social call, as anyone looking at me could tell. The long jacket I wore was open, leaving my gun and shoulder holster clearly visible, as was my FBI badge. My pants were loose-fitting and so was my blouse, to hide the twenty pounds of silver weapons strapped to my arms and legs. My knock was answered by an older man in a business suit. "Special Agent Catrina Arthur," I said. "Here to see Mr. Flannery." Catrina wasn't my real name, but it's what was on my doctored badge. The doorman gave me an insincere smile. "I'll see if Mr. Flannery is in. Wait here." I already knew Liam Flannery was in. What I also knew was that Mr. Flannery wasn't human, and neither was the doorman. Well, neither was I, even though I was the only one out of the three of us with a heartbeat. A few minutes later, the door reopened. "Mr. Flannery has agreed to see you." That was his first mistake. If I had anything to say about it, it would also be his last. My first thought as I entered Liam Flannery's house was, Wow. Hand-carved wood adorned all the walls, the floor was some kind of really expensive-looking marble, and antiques were tastefully littered everywhere the eye could see. Being dead sure didn't mean you couldn't live it up. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as power filled the room. Flannery wouldn't know I could feel it, just like I'd felt it from his ghoul doorman. I might look as average as the next person, but I had a few secrets up my sleeve. And lots of knives, of course. "Agent Arthur," Flannery said. "This must be about my two employees, but I've already been questioned by the police." His accent was English, which was at odds with his Irish name. Just hearing that intonation made a shiver run up my spine. English accents held memories for me. I turned around. Flannery looked even better than the picture in his FBI file. His pale crystal flesh almost shimmered against the tan color of his shirt. I'll say one thing for vampires-they all had gorgeous skin. Liam's eyes were a clear turquoise, and his chestnut hair fel

Someone--or some"thing"--is systematically murdering the members of Danyon Stone's werewolf pack. As Alpha, he knows that finding and punishing the murderous entity is his responsibility, and he's not about to rest until he sees justice done. But to stop the slayings he has to accept help from the most unlikely source--a wickedly sensual "mortal" woman.Mystic-shop owner Shauna MacDonald has a special interest in the recent string of otherworldly deaths. As the Keeper of the werewolves, it's her duty to guard and protect the packs. Working by Danyon's side to stop an unknown killer--and trying to deny the potency of their illicit attraction--poses a threat to her heart unlike any she's ever known; and if she becomes the killer's next target, it could be the death of her.... Chapter 1 A thin pink line across light brown flesh. She'd cut herselfagain. Shauna MacDonald looked up from the palm she'd been reading and into the wide, bright eyes of its owner, Lurnell Franklin. Lurnell was a large Creole woman in her mid-thirties with an affinity for spandex and a rock-solid determination to be married before she hit forty. She visited A Little Bit of Magic, the mystic shop Shauna owned with her sisters, Fiona and Caitlin, at least twice a week for a palm reading. For some reason Shauna still didn't understand, Lurnell had zeroed in on her. Fiona was very gifted at reading tea leaves, and Caitlin was exceptionally intuitive when it came to Tarot cards, but Lurnell would have nothing to do with either of them. She always sought out Shauna for a reading, then would argue adamantly that the marriage line, which didn't exist on the side of her palm, just below the pinky of her right hand, was certain to appear any day. Even if she had to produce it herself. "Didn't I tell you?" Lurnell said, tapping a three-inch, hot-pink fingernail on the reading table. "It's like I been sayin', right? I know you was thinkin' I was crazy, but this big girl here, she knows what she's talkin' about. You feelin' me? You hearin' what I'm sayin'?" Shauna eyed her. Lurnell waggled her head. "Oh, uh-uh. Don't you be givin' me eyes." She kissed the palm of her left hand and held it up. "Look here. I swear, hand to God. All I did was wake up this mornin', and there that line was, all pretty and pink." Shauna took hold of Lurnell's right hand and turned it pinky side up. "That's a cut, and you know it. And you know it because you put it there. You can't make a marriage line, Lurnell. It's either there or it's not." Lurnell cocked her head, narrowed her eyes. "You sayin' I'm lyin' about it being for real?" "Yep." Shauna let go of Lurnell's hand, sat back and folded her arms across her chest. Lurnell mimicked the pose. "And what makes you so sure, Ms. Big Drawers? You don't have no second sight. You just a reader, and look at you actin' like you all that, tellin' me I'm lyin'." "Because you are. Just like you did the last two times you tried pulling this stunt. Look, just because you d

Sunglasses at Night (Claws Clause 3) Read Free *************** Prologue We are tasked with the hunt, for none but the slayer is trained to eliminate the evil that stalks through the night—and eliminate we must. We are tasked with secrecy, for the power of the slayer comes from its anonymity. We are tasked with loyalty, for to be a slayer is to belong to a sect that protects and shields itself over all others. We are tasked with brotherhood, for while the slayer hunts alone, we know that we are not alone. We are tasked with truth, for a slayer hunts honestly and with integrity. — The Slayer’s Code, established 1897 * Added to the copy hanging in Boone Matthews’s office by Tabby Winslow, age 16. 1 The bastard was quick. Good thing Adam Wright was just a little bit quicker. Glancing down at the blade by his side, summer wind ruffling his blond hair, cheeks rippling from his speed, he tore down the backstreets of Grayson, hot on the heels of his murderous quarry. Ever since he started that evening’s hunt, he kept his weapon engaged. Instead of the six-inch-long silver dagger it usually appeared as, once he triggered the magic, it turned into a pointed sword close to a foot-and-a-half in length. Gripping it tightly in both hands, he kept it angled it so that he wouldn’t accidentally stab any stray civilians as he ran while, at the same time, he could easily see if the color changed. A scarlet glow edged around the honed blade, fading by the time it reached the ornately carved hilt. Scarlet. Red. Nightwalker. Not just any Nightwalker, though. As one of the human-turned-vampires, if Adam pointed the sword at himself, the scarlet glow would swiftly turn to silver. Like his newly changed eyes, silver represented a Nightwalker’s magic. Blue meant human. Gold belonged to the shifters. White was more unusual since there weren’t too many Othersiders in the area. Plenty of purple for witches. But red? Red told him that he was dealing with a vampire in the throes of bloodlust. And his enchanted weapon was never wrong. It still amazed him that he lucked on the knife. The night he was turned, the night the former Nightwalker king force-fed him his blood before initiating the change, Julian Koenig drew the weapon against a shifter threat. By the time Colton Wolfe ripped off Julian’s head for daring to try and claim Colt’s mate for his own, Adam had been left for dead. He survived—though he was still bitter at that fact—and the first thing he did when he got out of Grayson General was sneak down to evidence and steal the dagger from the box storing it. Because his attack was considered more of a paranormal issue, his squad had shunted it to the side. They didn’t need the evidence.

Tegan's Magic (Blood Magic 3) Read Free Something is rotten in Tribane city. The humans are descending into madness and Tegan is certain that Theodore has something to do with it.The sorcerer and his followers have sent her father to hell and she's determined to bring him back. She's not going to lie down and play dead this time, now she has magic on her side.And then there's the alliance she and her friends have made with Ethan and his group of exiled vampires – vampires who were exiled because of something she did. She's not having the best time living under their quiet condemnation, especially Ethan's new-found hostility. With all that going on, Tegan doesn't feel like her love life should be taking centre stage, yet she's finding that her friendship with Finn is evolving into something she never expected. The question is, should she explore the possibility of Finn or wait for Ethan to finally forgive her?Both Whitfield and Pamphrock are regrouping, but which side is going to make the first move? There will be magic.There will be fighting.Blood will be spilled.Someone will emerge as the new ruler of Tribane and the only thing that's certain is the city will never be the same again.**Please Note: This book contains some strong language and scenes of a sexual nature.** *************** Chapter One There’s Nothing Kind About Man The fighting seems to spring out of nowhere. One minute I’m walking down the street minding my own business, and the next I’m standing in the middle of a riot. I’m turning the corner onto Campion Row, one of the main shopping avenues in Tribane, when my eye latches onto a fist making contact with somebody’s face. Then, when I have the chance to scan the area, I notice that there are hundreds of people fighting one another. Just going at it like they’ve all suddenly taken crazy pills or something. A thin, mousy looking woman who seems like she wouldn’t normally harm a fly is pulling down hard on the hair of a blond woman and spouting angry profanities right into her face. Spittle flies from her contorted mouth. What are they fighting for? Was there some sort of protest supposed to be happening today that’s gotten out of hand? I take a step backward almost instinctively, because my gut is telling me it’s a bad idea to venture any further. I turn around to go back the way that I came, but find that the riot has rapidly spread and now there’s no way out. Only a moment ago shoppers were wandering calmly about the street behind me and now they’re basically kicking the living shit out of each other. Nerves build up inside of me as I try to figure out if perhaps I’m dreaming. A group of teenagers band together, throwing bricks and smashing the large glass windows at the front of an electronics store. Okay, I can’t even begin to fathom where they might have gotten the bricks from. It’s not like people generally carry them about on their person. Several employees come rushing out to try and stop them, which only functions to create

Dark Reunion (The Vampire Diaries 4) Read Free LOVE CAN KILLElena: transformed, the golden girl has become what she once feared and desired.Stefan: tormented by losing Elena, he's determined to end his feud with Damon once and for all - whatever the cost. But slowly he begins to realize that his brother is not his only enemy.Damon: at last, he possesses Elena. But will his thirst for revenge against Stefan poison his triumph? Or can they come together to face one final battle?Collected here in one edition are the third and fourth volumes of The Vampire Diaries, a riveting conclusion to the tale of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them. *************** Chapter One "Things can be just like they were before," said Caroline warmly, reaching out to squeeze Bonnie's hand. But it wasn't true. Nothing could ever be the way it had been before Elena died. Nothing. And Bonnie had serious misgivings about this party Caroline was trying to set up. A vague nagging in the pit of her stomach told her that for some reason it was a very, very bad idea. "Meredith's birthday is already over," she pointed out. "It was last Saturday." "But she didn't have a party, not a real party like this one. We've got all night; my parents won't be back until Sunday morning. Come on, Bonnie-just think how surprised she'll be." Oh, she'll be surprised, all right, thought Bonnie. So surprised she just might kill me afterward. "Look, Caroline, the reason Meredith didn't have a big party is that she still doesn't feel much like celebrating. It seems-disrespectful, somehow-" "But that's wrong. Elena would want us to have a good time, you know she would. She loved parties. And she'd hate to see us sitting around and crying over her six months after she's gone." Caroline leaned forward, her normally feline green eyes earnest and compelling. There was no artifice in them now, none of Caroline's usual nasty manipulation. Bonnie could tell she really meant it. "I want us to be friends again the way we used to be," Caroline said. "We always used to celebrate our birthdays together, just the four of us, remember? And remember how the guys would always try to crash our parties? I wonder if they'll try this year." Bonnie felt control of the situation slipping away from her. This is a bad idea, this is a very bad idea, she thought. But Caroline was going on, looking dreamy and almost romantic as she talked about the good old days. Bonnie didn't have the heart to tell her that the good old days were as dead as disco. "But there aren't even four of us anymore. Three doesn't make much of a party," she protested feebly when she could get a word in. "I'm going to invite Sue Carson, too. Meredith gets along with her, doesn't she?" Bonnie had to admit Meredith did; everyone got along with Sue. But even so, Caroline had to understand that things couldn't be the way they had been before. You couldn't just substitute Sue Carson for Elena and say, There, everything is fixed now. Bu

Ember (Darkest London 0.5) Read Free *************** Prologue To bring the dead to life is no great magic. Few are wholly dead: Blow on a dead man’s embers and a live flame will start —Robert Graves London, August 1869 “This is the story of a beast, so great and fearsome that he was reviled by all. And of a merchant’s daughter, brave and beautiful, whose love for the beast redeemed his soul.” “Bor-ing,” piped a girlish voice through the gloom. At this rather rude interruption, the boy who’d been speaking glared down at the girl lying by his side on the sable rug. Hidden between giant bundles of cotton and wool, stored away in the massive warehouse until Tuesday’s shipment, one might overlook the small pair. They were good children, from good homes, who liked to think themselves orphans in a cruel land or castaways lost at sea. Anything that gave a sense of adventure to the world. Already, they had played pirates against the Navy, which he won fair and square Admiral Nelson always bested Anne Bonny–then successfully defended their fort against rampaging red men in the American West. Next came story time. “Boring?” The boy’s snub nose wrinkled. A gesture that, he would not be pleased to know, made him appear younger and not at all distinguished. “You ought to listen well,” he advised sternly. “As a merchant’s daughter, the deeds of other merchants’ daughters ought to be given due respect–” She cut him off with a dramatic yawn, her red-gold locks spilling across the sable as she snuggled down further. The back of the warehouse was cold, despite the dry August heat outside, but no one would find them there, for it was Sunday. Only old Dover remained to keep watch, and he let them have their fun so long as they kept out of sight. “Yes,” she said, blinking up at him with her great big owl eyes. “That is all very good, but you’ve told me this story several times.” She lifted her head. “Several times.” The boy sat up in a huff. “Very well. Seems I am too boring to provide this afternoon’s entertainment.” He leaned in, and a wild gleam lit his eyes, one laden with mischief. “You know it is cold in here, isn’t it?” She glared back at him. “No.” He did not give in that easily. It was the best trick the boy had ever seen, and she’d only just let him in on her secret. “I bet you can’t even do it again,” he said with a sniff. She shot up from her comfortable nest. “Can too!” “Bet you your flip knife that you can’t.” The girl’s little fists balled tight. There was no force on earth that would tempt her to give up her knife. It was her most precious possession. Old Dover had given the Chatellerault to her. A completely inappropriate gift for a girl, but Dover told her that girls needed more protection than boys so she ought to have one. He even taught her to use it. The boy had been jealously coveting the knife ever since. The boy scowled now. “Bah, it wasn’t even that good of a trick. My seven consecutive cartwheels were more impressive–” Her small, white hand

Edge of Dawn (Midnight Breed 11) Read Free In this pulse-pounding and thrillingly sensual novel, New York Times bestselling author Lara Adrian returns to the mesmerizing world of the Midnight Breed, following new characters into a dark future where an uneasy peace can unravel into war—and a great betrayal can mask an all-consuming love.   Twenty years after the terror of First Dawn—when mankind learned that vampires lived secretly among them—the threat of violence reigns as the two species struggle to coexist. The only group preserving the fragile harmony is the Order, an elite cadre of Breed warriors dedicated to protecting humans and vampires alike. And in this precarious world of torn loyalties and shattered trust, Mira, a fiery squad captain, finds that every fight bears an intensely personal cost.   Raised among the Order, Mira has always believed in the warrior’s code of swift—and even lethal—justice. But the one thing she desires more than the Order’s hard-won acceptance is Kellan Archer, a sexy but troubled Breed fighter. In love with him since childhood, Mira once broke through his tough exterior during an unexpected night of rapture, but the next day he mysteriously disappeared, never to return.   Kellan didn’t think he would ever see Mira again—or have to confront the truth of why he left. After abandoning the Order years ago, he now leads a band of human rebels intent on carrying out their own vigilante rule of law. Yet a high-profile kidnapping assignment brings him face-to-face with the past he sought to avoid, and the striking woman he has tried desperately to forget. And as tensions mount and the risk of bloodshed grows, Kellan and Mira must take sides—between the competing missions that dominate their lives, and the electrifying passion that claims their hearts. *************** Chapter One HUMANS. The night was thick with them. They choked the dark sidewalks and intersections of Boston's old North End, overflowed from the open doorways of dance clubs, sim-lounges, and cocktail bars. Strolling, loitering, conversing, they filled the near-midnight streets with too many voices, too many bodies shuffling and sweating in the unseasonable heat of the early June evening. And damned too little space to avoid the anxious sidelong looks - those countless quick, darting glances from people pretending they hadn't noticed, and weren't the least bit terrified, of the four members of the Order who now strode through the middle of the city's former restricted sector. Mira, the lone female of the squad of off-duty warriors, scanned the crowd of Homo sapiens civilians with a hard eye. Too bad she and her companions were wearing street clothes and discreetly concealed weapons. She'd have preferred combat gear and an arsenal of heavy firearms. Give the good citizens of Boston a real excuse to stare in mortal terror. "Twenty years we've been outed to mankind, and most of them still gape at us like we've come to collect their carotids," said one of t

Description of book "Legend of a swordswoman" A girl's first interest to play a game that her brother is playing. Then she notice that the game became all too real for her. So how would she cope with the all-so-real enviroment of the game?

Crossroads (Anna Strong Chronicles 7) Read Free *************** IT'S NEVER A GOOD THING WHEN YOU'RE AWAKENED from a deep sleep by someone pounding on the front door. It's worse when you stumble downstairs and see it's a cop. A cop you recognize. My first impulse is to creep back upstairs and pretend I'm not home. But I know this cop. He's probably already gone around back and checked the garage. Both my Jag and the Ford Crown Vic I use for work are parked inside. He knows I'm home. Crap. I pull open the door. "Detective Harris. What a surprise." For a pain-in-the-ass cop, he's not bad looking. Five-ten-probably one hundred eighty pounds. Dark hair touched at the temples with gray. Square jaw, serious eyes. Beneath that off-the-rack suit, a body I suspect is neither lean nor flabby. Carries himself like he was once an athlete-a boxer, maybe. Now he's a fortysomething man fighting middle-age spread and from the looks of it, winning the battle. The suit tells me he's not here on a social visit. He gives me the once-over. I'm barefoot, wearing a pair of running shorts and a tank top. As a vampire, I'm not bothered by the effects of ambient temperature so I could be wearing anything. Or the nothing I was wearing two seconds ago when I crawled out of bed. A bed still occupied, by the way. Harris purses his lips, glances away as if uncomfortable. "Sorry to disturb you so early. Would you like to run upstairs and put some clothes on? I can wait." I pull the door open wider and motion him inside. He's the one who appeared at the door at seven a.m. on a Sunday morning. Unannounced. I'm not exposing anything more than the joggers he sees every day on the street. I wave away the suggestion. "I'd rather put the coffee on." He follows me to the kitchen. He watches silently as I go about filling the coffeemaker, grinding beans, setting the machine to brew. He still hasn't said why he's here. We're not friends. Our paths have crossed a few times. Most recently, with the death a couple of months ago of the ex-police chief, Warren Williams, a vampire, too, thoug of course Harris doesn't know that. Or that Williams was killed by another vampire. Could it just be a few weeks? Seems like much longer. Williams' death set into motion a chain of events that changed my life. Forever. I've got my back to Harris and allow a smile. To a vampire, forever takes on a whole new meaning. Harris clears his throat. I turn, grab two mugs and join him at the table. He takes one of the mugs, says, "Thanks." That's it? I pause, waiting to see if he's going to tell me the reason for this early morning visit. The bell on the coffeemaker chimes before he does. I take cream from the fridge and sugar from the counter, set out spoons and pour us each a cup of coffee before plunking myself down on a chair across from him. I take a sip, let the magic of caffeine awaken half-sleeping brain cells. Harris seems to be doing the same. He's avoiding my eyes now. Concentrating on the mug in his han

Other children get given xylophones. Susan just had to ask her grandfather to take his vest off. Yes. There's a Death in the family.It's hard to grow up normally when Grandfather rides a white horse and wields a scythe – especially when you have to take over the family business, and everyone mistakes you for the Tooth Fairy.And especially when you have to face the new and addictive music that has entered Discworld.It's lawless. It changes people.It's called Music With Rocks In.It's got a beat and you can dance to it, but...It's alive.And it won't fade away. The History This is a story about memory. And this much can be remembered . . . . . . that the Death of the Discworld, for reasons of his own, once rescued a baby girl and took her to his home between the dimensions. He let her grow to become sixteen because he believed that older children were easier to deal with than younger children, and this shows that you can be an immortal anthropomorphic personification and still get things, as it were, dead wrong . . . . . . that he later hired an apprentice called Mortimer, or Mort for short. Between Mort and Ysabell there was an instant dislike and everyone knows what that means in the long term. As a substitute for the Grim Reaper Mort was a spectacular failure, causing problems that led to a wobbling of Reality and a fight between him and Death which Mort lost . . . . . . and that, for reasons of his own, Death spared his life and sent him and Ysabell back into the world. No-one knows why Death started to take a practical interest in the human beings he had worked with for so long. It was probably just curiosity. Even the most efficient rat-catcher will sooner or later take an interest in rats. They might watch rats live and die, and record every detail of rat existence, although they may never themselves actually know what it is like to run the maze. But if it is true that the act of observing changes the thing which is observed[1], it's even more true that it changes the observer. Mort and Ysabell got married. They had a child. This is also a story about sex and drugs and Music With Rocks In. Well . . . . . . one out of three ain't bad. Actually, it's only thirty-three per cent, but it could be worse. Where to finish? A dark, stormy night. A coach, horses gone, plunging through the rickety, useless fence and dropping, tumbling into the gorge below. It doesn't even strike an outcrop of rock before it hits the dried river-bed far below, and erupts into fragments. Miss Butts shuffled the paperwork nervously. Here was one from the girl aged six: What We Did On our Holidys: What I did On my holidys I staid with grandad he has a big White hors and a garden it is al Black. We had Eg and chips. Then the oil from the coach-lamps ignites and there is a second explosion, out of which rolls - because there are certain conventions, even in tragedy - a burning wheel. And another paper, a drawing done at age severe. All in black. Miss Butts sniffed. It wasn't

What do you do after you’ve crawled out of Hell to wreak bloody revenge? If you’re Stark you turn to bounty hunting, tracking and decimating whatever rogue monsters you’re paid to kill. Stark hates the work, but he needs the money, especially the big bucks Lucifer is offering. In town as an adviser on a biopic of his life, Lucifer needs protection, and he wants Stark as his bodyguard. But the gig isn’t all bad; there is the very sexy, very hot French porn star Brigitte Bardo, a friend of Lucifer’s in LA to remake her reputation as a legit actress. While it isn’t love, it’s pretty damn good, and after 11 years of demonic chastity, it’s enough for now.Stark has enough trouble juggling a diva devil and a scorching French bombshell without a zombie plague to complicate matters. And just what happens when a human-angel half-breed is bitten by the living dead? His human side begins to die, transforming him into an unstoppable angel of death—a killing machine devoid of emotion or thought, with no regrets or future to worry about. Not a bad way to be when your choices are limited. Now, Stark has to decide . . . if he does finds a cure for the zombie infection, will he take it? IMAGINE SHOVING A cattle prod up a rhino's ass, shouting "April fool!", and hoping the rhino thinks it's funny. That's about how much fun it is hunting a vampire. Personally, I don't have anything against shroud eaters. They're just another kind of addict in a city of addicts. Since most of them started out as civilians, the percentage of decent vampires to complete bastards is about the same as regular people. Right now, though, I'm hunting one that's trying for a Nobel Prize in getting completely up my ass. It isn't fun work, but it pays the bills. The vampire's name is Eleanor Vance. In the Xeroxed passport photo Marshal Wells gave me, she looks like she's about seventeen. Probably because she is. A pretty blond cheerleader type with big eyes and the kind of smile that got Troy burned to the ground. Bad news for me. Young vampires are all assholes. It's part of their job description. I love older vampires. A hundred and fifty, two hundred years old, they're beautiful. The smart ones mostly stick to the El Hombre Invisible tricks that urban monsters have worked out over centuries. They only feed when they have to. When they're not hunting, they're boring, at least to outsiders. They come off like corporate middle management or the guy who runs the corner bodega. What I like best about old bloodsuckers is that when you've got one cornered and it knows it's coffin fodder, they're like noble cancer patients in TV movies. All they want is to die quietly and with a little dignity. Young vampires, not so much. The young ones have all grown up watching Slayer videos, Scarface, Halloween, and about a million hours of Japanese anime. They all think they're Tony Montana with a lightsaber in one hand and a chain saw in the other. Eleanor, tonight's undead dream date, is a good example. She

In a place where ecstasy can cost you your life . . .She's a demon-slayer who hungers for sensual pleasure-but fears it will always be denied her. Until Tayla Mancuso lands in a hospital run by demons in disguise, and the head doctor, Eidolon, makes her body burn with unslakable desire. But to prove her ultimate loyalty to her peers, she must betray the surgeon who saved her life.Two lovers will dare to risk all.Eidolon cannot resist this fiery, dangerous woman who fills him with both rage and passion. Not only is she his avowed enemy, but she could very well be the hunter who has been preying upon his people. Torn between his need for the truth and his quest to find his perfect mate before a horrific transformation claims him forever, Eidolon will dare the unthinkable-and let Tayla possess him, body and soul . . . One The demon is a prince of the air and can transform himself into several shapes, delude our senses for a time; but his power is determined, he may terrify us but not hurt. - Robert Burton, Anatomy of Melancholy Had Eidolon been anywhere but the hospital, he would have killed the guy pleading for his life before him. As it was, he'd have to save the bastard. "Sometimes, being a doctor blows," he muttered, and jabbed the demon in a human suit with a syringe full of hemoxacin. The patient screamed as the needle passed through mangled thigh tissue, releasing blood sterilization medication into the wound. "You didn't numb him first?" Eidolon snorted at his younger brother's words. "The Haven spell keeps me from killing him. It doesn't prevent me from dispensing a little justice during treatment." "Can't escape your old job, huh?" Shade pushed aside the curtain separating two of the three ER