Contemporary Thriller

Villains have all the fun - everyone knows that - and this anthology takes you on a wild ride through the dark side! The top villains from 16 urban fantasy series get their own stories - including the baddies of New York Times best-selling authors Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Kelley Armstrong, Seanan McGuire, and Jonathan Maberry. For every hero trying to save the world, there's a villain trying to tear it all down.

Ice: The fighting cage made me a monster, and that's what came out when they freed me. She thinks I saved her from monsters, but she just fell into the hands of an even bigger one. She also thinks we're falling in love. She's wrong. I forgot how to do that. Besides, love's not what I want from her. She should've run away from me when I told her to do it. Because now it's too late. Barbie: I'm not letting him toss me aside. I'm staying right where I am, in his arms, and in his bed, and on the back of his bike.

A knife that cut too deep, a slash that still burns, failures piled high and flammable. I held my losses at bay with knives, with guns, my hands, my bike, my brothers, my iron will. But not my heart. No, my heart was the flame that would light the match, ignite the blaze. I am the enforcer - the killer when called upon, the ruthless hound on demand, the one who cleans the mess left behind. I am the protector - I can make you bleed, smash you to pieces. But she smashed all my excuses, and I shattered hers.

It's been 18 years since TV crime reporter Andi Hollister's sister was murdered. The confessed killer is behind bars, and the execution date is looming. But when a letter surfaces stating that the condemned killer didn't actually do it, Detective Will Kincaide of the Memphis Cold Case Unit will stop at nothing to help Andi get to the bottom of it. After all, this case is personal: The person who confessed to the crime is Will's cousin.

We all have a façade, a concealed mask we wear to portray ourselves to the world. Fallon has never had to wear a mask. She grew up with two loving parents in Chicago, graduated from college and is now working a job she loves. But her untarnished world is shaken when Luca crosses her path.

Maggie Sullivan has returned to Wolfe Creek, determined to find out why her best friend vanished one fog-shrouded night a year ago. But it quickly becomes clear that if the residents of the secluded mountain town know what happened, they aren't talking. Sheriff's deputy Koda Wolfe reluctantly agrees to help Maggie, even as he tries to convince her to leave town for her own good. Soon he's compelled to protect her from herself, his family's ancient curse, and a killer who could strike again.

Blair is one step closer to finally getting her own wand and becoming a real witch-in-training. The only person standing in her way is the notoriously grumpy wand-maker wizard. One small problem: he's just hired her to find him a new assistant, and the job is cursed. With every possible employee turning into a rodent, it's up to Blair to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Blair Wilkes is having a trying week. Her best friend stands accused of murdering a vampire, and dead bodies are showing up in the forest. She knows Alissa is innocent, but with the vampires out for blood - more than usual - tensions in the small town of Fairy Falls are at a tipping point. As if that's not enough, Blair's witchcraft lessons aren't going well, with her wand gaining a life of its own - not to mention her familiar. And then she discovers something startling about her family that puts her burgeoning relationship with former paranormal hunter Nathan under pressure.

Two children from Sierra Leone, Liberty and A’shai, are brought together by chance, only to be forced apart by the most inevitable and tragic fate. Ashley & JaQuavis bring us this classic love story set against modern life’s most horrifying realities.

Lane Noble Graham stands accused of murdering her ex-husband. The one man who can help, Johnny Mack Cahill, vowed never to return to the town that scorned him - or the woman whose love he knew he didn't deserve. From the rusted-out trailers on the wrong side of the river to the stately pillared mansions along Magnolia Avenue, everybody has something to hide - but one secret could make Lane and Johnny Mack the next targets of a twisted killer who's struck once and is bent on striking again....

Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town. But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

It has been eight years since the Callahans defeated Avian Doers and conquered Chicago. Melody is now the Governor and public face of the family, while Liam rises as the Ceann na Conairte of both the Irish and Italians. Their reach is limitless; their power endless, but is it possible to have too much power? Can Liam and Melody raise a family, a city, and an empire? Only a fool would try to stop them now.

Many women are not willing to go the extra mile to please their men. For most couples, inviting someone into their bedroom is totally out of the question. Any normal woman would flip if her man even thought about trying a threesome with another woman. Jasmine is that woman, and more. It’s not until her husband James pressures her into having a threesome that their once happy lives get turned into nothing but drama.

Lily's quiet life was upturned the day she found out her sister was dead. Now, she only has one thing on her mind - to keep her sister's baby safe . . . at all cost. A new life, a new job . . . a new world awaits Lily in Paris, Tennessee. She's determined to make it work. Not even the sexy mountain of a man, Goliath, is going to stand in her way. She had no idea why her presence has him so riled, but she really doesn't care what he thinks. She's there for one reason, and one reason only - to protect her nephew. A brooding biker is the last thing on her mind.

Daniel Carter was a London cop who just wanted to do the right thing. But during a raid on an organ-selling chop shop, he is almost torn to pieces by monsters. And no one believes him. Hurt and crippled, his career over, and his life in ruins, Daniel is suddenly presented with a chance at redemption. And revenge. It seems that more than two centuries ago, the monsters of the world disappeared - into the underworld of crime. Guild-like clans now have control over all the dark and illegal trades.

As a member of Walker Security, Adrian Mack has found redemption for a walk on the dark side. For two years, the former FBI agent was undercover in the notorious Texas Kings biker club. For two years he changed, he became one of them, and when the bust happened, he didn't know who he was anymore. On a hit list with a price on his head, he disappeared and joined Walk Security, but now, the trial is set to start and witnesses are dropping like flies.

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: Survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why - or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch - and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes.

I never forgot her...Noni, the woman just as unique as her name who never failed to light a fire inside me. The last time I saw her I was in a bad place, a dark one that actually sent me to the Big Apple today. I was in the city to lead another one of my late father's corporate divisions yes, but running, escape, had been my true plan of intent. I had lots to get away from, my sins a laundry list, and it had been she, Noni, who got me out of them the last time. She did more than just fill a void. She fixed my messed up soul no matter how brief a time. So why had I let her go?

Other people gave second chances - I didn't. My modus operandi was to move on to the next girl in line and forget the previous one. So when Tawnee Milano said she needed her space, I let her go. Then I left our mutual employer for a new job with the CIA and didn't look back. But a coded distress message from her sends me right back to where I was when we first split up. The possibility of losing her forever forces me to relax my rigid stance. With her life in danger, I'm finally facing my true feelings for her. Now my hard line policy is to get her back - and keep her this time.

Fellow orphans, amateur vigilantes, and members of the Santitos, Loup Garron-the fugitive daughter of a genetically engineered "wolf-man"-and Pilar Ecchevarria spent their entire lives under military occupation in a cordoned off Texas no-man's-land that used to be called Santa Olivia, now known as Outpost 12.But now they're free, and they want to help the rest of the Santitos escape.