"Each short story is unique, carefully crafted, and memorable. A fun read from cover to cover." – MIDWEST BOOK REVIEWDesperados and yellow-bellies be warned: These ain't your typical westerns…Herein find legendary masters of anomalous Western and Horror stories—along with a posse of budding word-slingers—who all bring you an electrifying and frightening collection of extraordinary tales set in the Old West and beyond...

She's been beaten, stabbed, poisoned, and shot, but Hael refuses to die. In her pursuit for vengeance and her origin, the dhampir Hael hunts down the madman responsible for her fateful transformation. As this half-vampire juggernauts her way through a world at war, Hael battles hordes of Nazi soldiers and struggles to maintain her sanity. However, while Hael gathers knowledge on how to trap and kill her target, her adversary's network is expanding at an exponential rate; his sick obsession...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERLegend has it that Paxon Leah is descended from the royals and warriors who once ruled the Highlands and waged war with magical weapons. But those kings, queens, and heroes are long gone, and there is nothing enchanted about the antique sword that hangs above Paxon’s fireplace. Running his family’s modest shipping business, Paxon leads a quiet life—until extraordinary circumstances overturn his simple world . . . and rewrite his de...

FEBRUARY THAW is the second e-collection by Tanya Huff and brings together some of the short fiction that helped define the field. From an Imperial Dragon in Toronto's Chinatown, to a heavy metal retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, to the realization that the ancient gods are one highly dysfunctional family, Huff skews our world slightly sideways. These seven stories, each with a brand new introduction by the author, remind us that the weird and the wonderful is all around us if we only b...

Hell hath no fury like a selkie separated from his true love.The gate to the sea creature realm is finally open. Yara wants to bask in the glow of her budding relationship with Treygan and explore Medusa's world, but as the new leader of Rathe her powers are needed to save a sea creature she's never met.Rownan assumes the worst is behind him when he returns home to be reunited with his wife, Vienna, only to discover she's gone. She traveled to the evil real...

A Nightcreature prequel short story featuring Edward MandenauerFrance, 1944 and the Nazis are up to no good in the Black Forest. The leaders of the resistance have sent me, Renee, to find out what they are concocting in an isolated castle. On the way, I am captured by Gestapo Major Edward Mandenauer. But Edward is not what he seems. Together we infiltrate the castle and discover the beginnings of a werewolf army.Can we stop it? Will we be able to e...

In this short story aimed at younger readers, brother and sister Josh and Sonya are playing their favorite computer game. When lightning strikes the house they find themselves plunged into the game's virtual realm, only now it's all for real. In order to escape and return to the normal lives, they must first defeat the Dungeon Master.

The rise of a dark cult threatens all life in the Valley of Ten Crescents. Alone, betrayed, and on the run from the law, Tavera finds herself leading an unlikely group to rescue a local priestess who has been kidnapped by the deadly cult. Tavera can no longer be a little girl lost, but must become a leader and hero if she is to save the priestess and survive the RED MOON RISING.

Shigure finally has a home and friends who love him, and even a brother he's slowly building a relationship with after years of estrangement. He thinks his life is settling down, and then he discovers he's a vampire's mate. His focus changes completely when he offers his mentor's brother, Kyros, his blood and feels their connection. Loving others has always ended badly for Shigure, so he's afraid to believe the fates are truly blessing him with so many good things all at once.Kyros...

"Do you like magic, Athena?"Twelve year old Athena Ambrose has waited her whole life for something extraordinary to happen to her. So when a spell from an ancient book whisks her off to a faraway land where the king's alchemist, Tanoak Drake offers to take her on as his apprentice, it's like a dream come true. But there's something strange about Tan and his mysterious companion, Mephisto – who knows more about Athena's world than he's willing to admit – something sinister. Trapped, ...

WARNING*: This villain's origin story from the Witches of Etlantium series is dark and gritty.*To harness the power of fire, will she have to surrender to the inferno within?Aislin is a fire witch whose magic lies dormant until her mother dies and it becomes her inheritance. But a witch destined to inherit incredible powers isn't exactly worthless. That power can be exploited. It can be traded.When a band of brigands attack...

Charged with guarding a priceless relic, Neeka must escape a nightmare creature so horrifying the gods tremble before it. Her only hope of survival is the powerful mage who trained her. But Gehan's help will come at a price.When Gehan sees Neeka stumbling toward him from the dark woods surrounding his isolated home, he assumes she's a dream, a fantasy born of his obsession with her—until she collapses in his arms and begs for his help. To end his loneliness and keep her with him, h...