Dark Fantasy Short Stories

The box has been in Panea's family for generations. Like the women before her, she has no idea what's inside, just that she has sworn to protect it. When the box is accidentally destroyed in a fire, Panea learns the truth behind her oath and like the hope from Pandora's box, Panea's box gives her something of its own.

Dreamy fantasy stories have actually been a trend. They’ve inspired millions. As opposed to the lengthy novels, these stories are short but cut to the chase in an instant. They light up the weird and the uncanny, the marvelous as well as the fantastic: All the things we know are going beyond the reasonable and instantly realistic - into looking-glass, beyond the songs of the impossibly haunting violin, with the twisted trees of the ancient timbers.

Winter's Night features two Christmas stories included in number-one New York Times best-selling author Sherrilyn Kenyon's short story collection, Dark Bites. From demons to cowboys, from werewolves to mistletoe, this two-in-one will keep you warm during cold December nights.

Destinies can’t be ignored. No one knows that better than Annita. For as long as she can remember, it's been foretold she would find a dragon. A real-life dragon. She’s beginning to think it was all some kind of mistake until she’s swimming in one of the many caves around the island and discovers none other than a dragon. There is no fear as she approaches, utterly transfixed at the sight of the creature. Then he shifts into the shape of a thoroughly gorgeous man who spears her with bright blue eyes.

A decade of blood stained his hands. None of his victims had ever weighed down his conscience. He was merely the tool, the living weapon wielded by his employers. His victims had begged for their lives, had cursed him with their dying breath, and stared in uncomprehending disbelief. But none had ever been calm in their final moments. None had ever stared up at him with such serenity.

The vampire empress has a harem of human men. Every night she goes to satisfy her needs. They happily use their willing mouths to satisfy her dark desires, stimulating multiple areas at once while thrusting deep inside her.

Fifty-One Tales is a collection of fantasy short stories by Irish writer Lord Dunsany, a major influence on J. R. R. Tolkien, H. P. Lovecraft, Ursula K. Le Guin and others. Each story is a short vignette, a single moment of strangeness or horror in the face of death.

Like the tanning of a leathered corpse, the inaugural release of Grimoire seeks to stretch the fleshy bounds of dark fiction and horror. Included within these unhallowed book are tales of medieval horror and cacophony, Lovecraftian delights and wretched Kaiju, accursed djinn and pestilential priests, all brought together for the very first time in one horrific collection. Engaging and provocative, these tales of the damned stalk the graveyards at night, crawl up from the empty and wet places of this world, and haunt the dreams of all who hear them.

An incurable sickness has infected a fishing village along the coast of Ishalar. The sick do not die - they vanish, leaving behind footprints and ashen shadows. Delanis, the fourth throne of Ishalar, has already lost his wife to The Vanishing, and now his daughter is deep in the throes of the illness. More in his village are succumbing almost every day.

In Book One, four witchy friends find their way back to each other to defeat an enemy, the Shadow who hunted their parents, with the help of the Gargoyle that has protected their family for centuries. Now, in this bonus short-story, Morgan is faced with using her new power as a witch and discovers she has a special affinity for one particular wand. Now, she just need to face her fear of magick.... But can she learn in time to save them all?

Alec Bailey knows a thing or two about the supernatural world and its dangers. When the local news crew shows up to do a piece on his hotel, he knows he should send them away…especially with that unchecked demon lurking on the property perimeter. Supernatural protocol dictates he call in Jacquelyn, McCall’s own demon hunter, but he isn’t ready to say goodbye to the beautiful crew member who reminds of a time in his life long past.

The End. Those two little words can mean so much. But how will things end...and will it hurt? That's what we really want to know. Delve into the darkness and join us at the end of the world. From a blighted sky to an invasion from beyond, from untethered time to one person driven beyond the edge of sanity, from a child's game to an unseen apocalypse...it's all imagined here, and imagined darkly.

New York Times best-selling author Marjorie Liu (Monstress) leads you deep into the heart of the tangled woods. In her dark, romantic, and spellbinding short fiction, you will find dangerous magic and even more dangerous women: a body-stealing sorceress, a bone-collecting apprentice-witch, a princess-turned-actress, and a warrior protecting China from her jealous ex. Concluding with a gorgeous full-length novella, Liu's first short fiction collection is an unflinching sojourn into her thorny tales of love, revenge, and new beginnings.

Viking magic is real, not all knights are honorable, and ancient magic comes with a price in these incredible epic fantasy tales. Bonus: Included are 17 bonus stories not available anywhere else, bringing this collection to many hours of incredible storytelling. These tales don’t have a happy ending. Dark, gritty fantasy at its finest.

Jacob is a small-time criminal who dabbles in everything from drugs to prostitutes to illegal weapons. When he finds a gun that seems to be of supernatural origin, he begins to dream of the big time. His dream turns into a nightmare when he realizes some supernatural beings want their toy back.

A fugitive from the Sprytes, one of the most dangerous supernatural cults on Earth, Betty has refashioned herself as a revealer of dark conspiracies and a killer of misogynous conspirators. On her crusade, she has successfully stayed off the radar for months. When the Sprytes close in, however, Betty may find herself entangled in a conspiracy too dark to escape.

Even though he’s one of the Heartland Security Agency’s Peacemaker agents, a man sworn to help protect and preserve the morality of the United States, Neal can’t give up his habit of patronizing prostitutes. When one of them steals the prototype of a top secret device, however, he has no choice but to come clean in order to rally fellow agents for a recovery mission. His situation goes from bad to worse when he is tricked into a plot to take down one of the Agency’s most powerful secret allies.

Wellman’s work will be remembered, and should be preserved because it combines the dark gothic tradition of the American pulps with a detailed snapshot of regional history and culture. This mixture is shown through the lens of the American modernist tradition, revealing something that is larger than the sum of its parts.

Longing for the days of savage brutes, buxom wenches, and evil wizards? Look no more! Literary Rebel is proud to bring you a fresh new crop of monthly fantasy fiction by talented new authors. In the second issue: A dangerous shield maiden does battle with creatures from the deep, a barbarian is tasked with stealing a precious gemstone, and a hunter stalks epic prey.

Before Jak became a hero, a horrible secret surrounded her birth. Witness the beginning of that secret as we follow her father while he searches for his wife, and finds more than he could possibly imagine.