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Recently turned from human to vampire, Kylie wants nothing to do with her new life or with the clan that claims her. She certainly wants nothing to do with her mother, Belle, who is completely infatuated with her vampire wife and clan leader.

To escape her unwanted existence, Kylie befriends a human, Olivia, who has been abandoned by her family. But unknown to Kylie, someone is watching her. An enemy has targeted her as the perfect way to destroy her clan. While battling this enemy, Kylie also grapples with the surprising desires she feels for the human. Desires that she'd once seen as wicked and wrong.

Fighting for her life, Kylie must confront both the assassins and the beast within her that would do anything to keep her loved ones safe.

Vampire Riah Preston has made peace with her immortality and uses it, along with the others of the Spiritus Group, to fight evil. She is comfortable with her lengthy past staying right where it isuntil the cousin of her friend and ally, Ivy Hernandez, goes missing. An impromptu trip to Romania takes her back to a land she swore she'd never step foot on again, and when the universe further conspires to send her back in time over five hundred years, everything she's fought so hard for is in jeopardy: her friends, her life, her love. One man holds the key, but can she and the others survive their encounter with him? Or will the very real Vlad Dracula finally spell the end for Riah?

Paige Burton meets the love of her sexual life at a masked sex party when she's too young to realize how special their connection is. After years of searching for similar sexual bliss, she has officially given up. Now she pours out her frustration via her online blog and by dancing away her frustrations in her club.

Billionaire architect Mayson Montgomery made her fortune building eco-friendly offshore wind turbines. She learned quickly that money stood in the way of finding a happy ever after. But she still remembers her masked angel years ago.

When they meet again, Paige doesn't make the connection between her masked lover from the past and Galveston's raunchy rich heart throb. Fortunately, Mayson is a little more aware and won't give up until Paige has fallen head over heels for her.

Will Paige and Mayson grasp the love in front of them or will they let it slip away a second time?

Clarissa and Lexie couldn't be more different. Clarissa is a chirpy, optimistic do-gooder and a top rider on the school's equestrian team. Lexie is an angry, punk rock activist and the only out lesbian at their school.

When Clarissa declares she's bi and starts a Gay-Straight Alliance, she unwittingly presses all of Lexie's buttons, so Lexie makes it her job to cut Clarissa down to size. But Lexie goes too far and finds herself an unwitting participant in Clarissa's latest crusade. Both are surprised to find their mutual loathing turning to love.

A change in her family's fortunes begins to unravel Clarissa's seemingly perfect life, and the girls' fledgling love is put to the test. Clarissa and Lexie each have what the other needs to save their relationship and the people they love from forces that could tear them all apart.

When Charlie Porter meets Hazaar Alim her first year of university, she's instantly smitten. Hazaar has it all: beauty, talent, and brains. What she doesn't realize is that Hazaar's future has already been decided, and Charlie has no place in it.

Hazaar desperately wants to break with her traditions and stay with Charlie, but when forced to choose, she chooses her family over love. When she realizes the choice she made is the worst one possible, it's too late.

Years later, while working in Pakistan as a diplomat and negotiator, Charlie receives a phone call from a woman who says her British sister-in-law is to be killed for the family's honor and asks if someone can save her.

Charlie and Hazaar are on a collision course with destiny. If they make it out alive, can they believe in their love once again?

Andi Massey lives a secluded life in rural Tennessee. Since a brutal attack, she has avoided emotional connections. She is certain she has nothing left to offer anyone, but secretly wishes her life could be different.

Gwen Palmer has never been afraid to go after what she wants. Betrayed and tired of meaningless sex, she leaves her roots in the big city, seeking the quiet and peace of the mountains. The last thing she wants is another emotionally distant relationship.

Andi and Gwen find that small town life has a way of bringing them together whether they like it or not. But all may be lost when Andi comes face-to-face with her past and the man who has vowed to destroy everything she loves. Can Andi and Gwen overcome their past hurts and fearsas well as present dangersand accept love without boundaries?

Imagine if, after fifteen years as a lesbian couple, your partner turned to you and said, "I think I'm really a man." What would you do? How would you respond? For Diane and Jacob (née Suzy) Anderson-Minshall this isn't a hypothetical question. It's what really happened. Eight years later, the couple not only remains together, they still identify as queer, still work in LGBT media, and remain part of the LGBT community. How did their relationship survive a gender transition? The authors explore this question and delve into their relationship to reveal the trials and tribulations they have faced along the way. In doing so, they paint a portrait of love, not only to each other, but to the San Francisco Bay Area, LGBT publishing, and the queer community. Queerly Beloved is a love story that flies in the face of expectations and raises questions about the true nature of identity, sexuality, and love.

Tinsley Swann is cursed to change into a beast for seven days, every seven years. She keeps her distance from the world, and has more of a relationship with the antique erotic postcards she collects. With the time of her transformation approaching, she finds herself torn between two women. One woman is Sandra, Tinsley's new boss, and the two are having an affair. Sandra glimpses her transformation and is kind, not frightened. The other woman, Leda, bears a striking resemblance to one of Tinsley's turn of the century postcards, and she becomes obsessed with the young woman. Tinsley must choose between these two women and ultimately two factions, one that will save the world, the other with plans to destroy it.

An anthology of short fiction featuring the finalist selections from the 2014 Saints + Sinners Literary Festival.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Introduction by Jewel Gomez
• Voodoo John by James Russell
• Mum’s the Word by Jeff Lindemann
• Eleusis by Robert Hyers
• Sample Day by Jerry Rabushka
• Stinkbug by Rich Barnett
• If On A Dark Night Two Strangers Should Come by William Hawkins
• Corset by Sally Bellerose
• The Dark Symphony by Eric Andrews-Katz
• Love Thy Neighbor by N.S. Beranek
• Beanstalk by Clifford Henderson
• Rhinestone Magic by J.R. Greenwell
• The Red Coat by George E. Jordan

Bounty Hunter Luca Bennett's in a bind, which is nothing new, but this time it's her feelings, not a jumper, that's got her tangled in knots. She's finally decided she wants to be more than a friend with benefits to cop Jessica Chance, but when hot and dangerous attorney Ronnie Moreno returns to town, a new case and an old flame threaten to interfere. When the case puts her at odds with the entire police department, Jess included, Luca is forced to make a hard choice that could change her entire world. As the lines between right and wrong blur, she faces the biggest risks of her life. Luca loves to gamble, but the stakes have never been higher. Will she win big or will she lose everything?

Princess Katya Nar Umbriel has little left to lose. Her uncle Roland took her home, scattered her family, and forced her to abandon Starbride, her dearest love. Slim hopes and righteous anger carry Katya into Starbride's homeland to raise an army and take back all that was stolen from her.

Starbride never dreamed she'd lead a pack of foreign rebels against a Fiendish usurper. She holds the capital city out of love, denying any rumor of Katya's death. As the two strive toward each other, Roland dogs their every step, loosing Fiend-filled corpses on Katya's army and hypnotizing the capital's citizens into hunting Starbride down. If they ever meet again, it'll be over his dead body.

Brady Clark is a licensed physical therapist. She's trying to recover from the death of her only remaining family member and lives a life that is orderly and controlled, refusing to allow anyone or anything to upset that balance.

Skylar Preston likes to live on the edge, whether that means fast bikes or fast women. She depends on no one but herself because life has taught her one thing: no one hangs around long enough to matter. Before she can be released from the hospital after a serious motorcycle accident, she has to meet with one of the physical therapists. She's doesn't like depending on others, which makes Brady Clark's role in her life obtrusive and annoying.

They're both fighting demons, old and new. A relationship could be disastrous, but if they can listen to their hearts, it just might be worth the risk.

Seneca King is alone in life, the pain of her past her only companion. The idyllic confines of the women's college Seneca attends prove more isolating than she imagined possible, and her scars, emotional and physical, deter everyone from getting close to her. Until she meets Dylan Walker. Dylan, a college senior, sees more to Seneca than the fragile body and tortured soul. Dylan is looking for something real in her life, not the unattainable expectations of her family, or the superficial friendships she thought would last a lifetime. There is nothing more real than Seneca King. Carefully, slowly, they begin a delicate courtship, helping each other learn the meaning of true love. But when her dark past once again steps out of the shadows, Seneca is dragged back into the world that broke her in the first place. Can Dylan and Seneca stand together to vanquish the past once and for all, or this time, will it end up breaking them both?

Mob boss Helen Byrne loves the new breed of women in the Roaring Twenties. She loves them every chance she gets. But when she finds herself attracted to bad girl Maria Falco, things change. Maria's boyfriend is Franco Moretti, Al Capone's right-hand man. Helen has vowed to protect the men in her gang, but her need for Maria is powerful. Is the imminent gang war worth it to her and her men? Can she convince Maria to leave the powerful Moretti for her? And if she does, how will she survive being the target of the most powerful mob in town? Maria and Helen burn hot, but so does Moretti's firepower. Helen is determined to make Maria hers and hers alone. But at what cost?

What would you change about your past if you had the chance? What if you didn't have a choice?

Stevie Geller doesn't do conflict. She likes her job as a successful novelist and playwright because it allows her to peacefully ensconce herself in her New York City loft, avoid human interactions, and leave personal drama for the page and stage. When her agent asks her to return to her hometown of Darlington, Illinois, to accept an award, she agrees only because he promises the process will be quick and easy. One panic attack and concussion later, Stevie is forced to confront her past in ways that seem to defy reality. As if befriending a social outcast and confronting high school bullies weren't enough, she also finds herself falling for a closeted teacher. Along the way, Stevie must decide if some things are worth fighting for. In her rush to escape the past, will she leave behind a better future, or are some conflicts really timeless?

For seventeen-year-old Tabitha "Tabby" Morton, life sucks. Big time. Forced to move to London thanks to her father's new job, she has to leave her friends, school, and, most importantly, her girlfriend Amy, far behind. To make matters worse, Tabby's parents enroll her in the exclusive Queen Victoria Independent School for Girls, hoping that it will finally make a lady of her.

But Tabby has other ideas.

Loathing her new school, Tabby fights against everything and everyone, causing relations with her parents to hit rock bottom. But when the beautiful and beguiling Eden Palmer walks into her classroom one day and catches her eye, Tabby begins to wonder if life there might not be so bad after all.

When Amy drops a bombshell about their relationship following a disastrous visit, Tabby starts to see the need for new direction in her life. Fighting her own personal battles, Eden brings the possibility of change for them both. Gradually, Tabby starts to turn her life aroundand it's all because of her.

Alec Whitehall is old-fashioned—literally. Approaching his 123rd birthday, the steely vampire has nothing better to do with his time except to investigate and hunt murderous vampires as a means of regaining some sense of his withering humanity. While trailing his current case in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the last thing that Alec expects to find is his bonded matean unwelcome distraction, he's sure of it. But that's exactly what happens, and he's shocked to realize that his mate is a young attractive man named Aidan Copperfield.

How do two straight men deny an attraction that they have absolutely no power over? As their stony resolve begins to crumble and they start to succumb to the fiery magnetism between them, a sadistic killer continues to roam the city streets at night, narrowing his sights on the newly bonded couple.