Urban Short Stories

Valda Hemmingway, the top-notch agent for The Hunters who save the world from monstrum, is prepared for anything...except for being forced to work a New Year Eve party. Worst yet, The Bringers, the rivals in protecting the world from monsters department, are there as well, including the most annoying thorn in her side: Jeremey Darington.

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.

Iraq - The Americans are fighting a drawn out war against ISIS. With public support for the war draining, they find themselves under pressure to discover new ways of waging war against the enemy. At an isolated American air base, one scientist has come up with an ingenious idea - use zombies to defeat the Islamic State. The only problem is, the virus isn't ready and top brass are running out of patience. How can they deliver "the package" to where it's needed - straight to ISIS leadership? And meanwhile, at the air base, who is the mysterious man under the hood?

On Valentine's Day, a young vampire learns that love isn't always easy. Even as the love between her and the boy she likes grows, she learns that the darkness inside of her can't be controlled. This is a short story prequel to, Valley Vampire.

Here we find Max settling in with the realities of the world around him, becoming more relaxed with the Magical and Ethereal communities. The Balance has occurred, and the regular world is now aware that everything that goes bump in the night, for the most part, is real. In this short story, Max, well...Max is about to learn a valuable lesson about making bets at the bar with a stranger.

Becca has lived all her life underground, kept safe from the brutal war on the surface by the magic of the stone men and the mysterious woman who dreams in her crystal coffin. When the woman dreams that Becca must travel topside, she has no choice but to go. Her mission: pluck one special little boy from the jaws of death and bring him back with her. If she finds the boy in time - if they survive the journey - the fate that awaits him may be worse than death.

Satori in the Slipstream is a collection of dark flash fiction and short stories. Many of the stories are set in Japan and deal with challenges young adults face. There are also several stories about soldiers dealing with the aftermath of war. Homeless and the brutality of living on the streets is also a major theme in this collection.

A chilling short story featuring DS Sean Corrigan from Luke Delaney, ex-Met detective and author of Cold Killing. Perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Peter James and Stuart MacBride. Five women have been murdered.... All prostitutes. All with dark, straight hair. Snatched from the shadows of London's red-light districts, their mutilated bodies left out in the pouring rain. Enter DS Sean Corrigan. He's been drafted in to assist the Streatham Police Department - much to the displeasure of the existing DI.

Four bestselling Vampire for Hire short stories, including "Teeth" - Fang's very bloody and tragic backstory; "Vampire Nights" - Samantha Moon meets someone unexpected on a late night trip to Denny's, someone who seems to know all her secrets and has all the answers.; "Vampire Blues" - Samantha Moon is about to discover that not all men are created equal....; "Vampire Dreams" - Samantha Moon sets out to find the answer to a mysterious, haunting dream... a dream in which sees a young woman die, over and over again.

Best-selling urban fantasy and paranormal suspense author M.D. Massey welcomes listeners back to the world of the Junkyard Druid for his third short story collection. Blood Bound includes "Voodoo Ball", "Prince Mark's Price", and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do".

Like all great metropolises before it, when a city gets big enough, old enough, it must be born; but there are ancient enemies who cannot tolerate new life. Thus New York will live or die by the efforts of a reluctant midwife...and how well he can learn to sing the city's mighty song.

Farmer Eben Smith heads off to the big city to trade his wagonload of produce. But he barters a lot more than goods after he stumbles across a strange crossroads in time, bargains with different cultures in alternate realities, and accidentally wreaks havoc and chaos in each.

Penny never had a structured life growing up, so she has lived her whole adulthood according to her life goals and plans. She makes decisions based on thought-out reasoning, and she never ventures out of her comfort zone. All of that changes when she meets Jeremy. Jeremy is rebellious and wild but makes her feel free. She begins to fall for him before finding out that he is a billionaire rockstar.

Genie and Serena are just a normal couple of girls...just kidding. As a dormant mermaid (she hasn't activated her genetic abilities yet), Genie is actually kind of normal - except for being kind of sheltered. At least, she is compared to her cousin, the millennia-old siren Serena. But, as different as they are, the cousins are bound together by their mutual affection for each other - and their love of solving mysteries. Together, Genie and Serena form a paranormal investigation business to celebrate Genie's first time in the real world.

Kylie Porter needs a break. Novacore VR's Eternal Night is it - the VR vampire game that her editor wants her to write about. But she's not a gamer, so she's going to have to learn to fake it for her article. With a little help. Johnathan Masters is that help. An old friend who is doing her a favour, he's a lot more confident and good looking in the game, even if they've both touched themselves up. But she's a professional and this is just a game.

Black clouds of xenophobia gather over Radvadur, the western province of the Empire. The political climate is strained and fragile. A surge of Nymph refugees has stirred widespread hostility towards non-humans. When the investigation of a gruesome triple murder linked to the refugee camp ensues, it takes Inspector Käyru Skaer and his lover, Count Ellydhar Finn-Jánn, along an unusual path, at the end of which a precious gift awaits. Käyru and Elly are worlds apart in social standing, but they have found common ground in the bedroom - up against the wall and the stable doors, too.

At puberty, they’d called it. I, Naz Beauchene, was the first, official family dud. Born into a long line of illustrious shifters of the feline variety, my family fully expected me to blossom into a panther or maybe even a cherished lioness. They got neither. Not even one spark of magic stirred my blood. But then one day, a handsome Nether Reach Keeper crashed through the door where I worked as an imp trainer...and everything changed.

Art is a scientist who has developed DNA-splicing technology to end disease and heal the sick. Things take a turn for the worse when an ancient alien race tries to get their hands on his technology. They kill his wife. They kidnap his daughter. And force him to splice together DNA between a human and alien body. Their goal? Create a host shell for an evil Locrylian demon. He plans to find a body, overrun the planet, and enslave mankind.

Penniless, homeless, and virtually lifeless, the vagrant “Doughface” Jack is about to discover that where medical marvels meet the mysteries of the human mind, amazing things happen. The Tramp acquires a capability beyond his imagination and without equal on Earth. Riding the rails, Jack runs afoul of a local sheriff and ends up with a crushed skull. He’s as good as dead until a savvy country doctor performs a bit of medical magic.

Set in the enchanting land of Sang, a Blud series urban fantasy short story by the winner of Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Steampunk, Delilah S. Dawson, from the thrilling Carniepunk anthology. The question isn't whether Charlie Dregs has met Lydia, a Sang riff on Lydia the Tattooed Lady, but rather whether the woman has even met herself. Enter the mysterious steampunk world of Sang, and prepare to be amazed.