Cassandra Whitney is a New Woman, from her forward-thinking attitudes toward women and society, right down to her determination to take a lover—just as soon as she can find one who doesn’t dribble soup, or yell at her for her involvement with the suffrage movement.

Unfortunately, the only candidate she’s found worthy is the annoying, but sinfully attractive, Griffin St. John. It’s just too bad he appears to be central in a plot to destroy everything she’s worked for…

From New York Times Bestselling Author Katie MacAlister comes the first Dark Ones novella.

Battling a demon lord is all in a day’s work for the Dark One named Sebastian. But now he must take on a horde of unhappy zombies and an obnoxious teen vampire if he wants to win the hand of the one woman who can make him whole.

Ysabelle is a woman with a past, and not a whole lot of future if a certain demon lord has his way. With zombies, demons, and a little thing like death standing in her way, will she find happiness in the man who’s seen more darkness than she can imagine?

Note: this novella was published in 2006 and again in 2010 in the Just One Sip and My Zombie Valentine anthologies, respectively. Readers should be aware that this is a republishing of a previously published novella.

Hell hath no fury like a ticked-off dragon…

Ysolde de Bouchier has a lot on her plate, which isn’t unusual considering her Light Dragon mate Baltic is still at odds with just about everyone, starting with his former guard Thala and her outlaw posse, right down to his dragon god father. Ysolde herself fairs no better, since the First Dragon has her in his sights as well, demanding that she right past wrongs…and her time to do that is quickly running out.

With the help of some familiar friends, Ysolde sets into motion an elaborate plan that will have repercussions throughout the mortal and immortal worlds. But when a member of her family is held hostage, no one is safe from the fire of her rage.

Billionaire Greek playboy Iakovos Papaioannou knew his sister hired her favorite band to perform at her birthday party. He's just not sure how their six-foot tall, wild-haired, tempestuous manager has already ended up in his bed-and in his heart. Eglantine "Harry" Knight is so not his type. She's as infuriating as she is intriguing, and she's can't keep her hands off of him. But she just may be the woman who knocks him off the world's most eligible bachelor list for good...

Are you responsible for lifting a centuries-old curse from the sexiest vampire you’ve ever seen?

Does a demon lord want to destroy you?

Have you somehow inadvertently bound several mummies to your soul?

Are you the last hope for a lost little boy?

If you’ve answered “yes” to any of the above . . . you’re in big trouble!

Those are a few of the problems facing Nell Harris, a real charmer—no, really . . . a real Charmer—once she hooks up with Adrian Tomas. A devastatingly hot Dark One who’s earned the unfortunate title “the Betrayer” for selling out his own kind to a very nasty demon, Adrian needs Nell in the worst way. Though she’d be way better off keeping her distance, Nell can’t help but find this tormented, undead Betrayer dude just a little too tempting. And this time her penchant for bad boys might cost her more than her heart . . . but her immortal soul as well!

Corazon Ferreira is a jaded woman. Turns out she was a vampire's mate in a past life. And no matter how distractingly gorgeous he is, she just can't get the image of him killing someone out of her head. But when her life depends on him, Corazon's going to have to stop overthinking things-and start trusting her heart...

It's not easy finding love when you're nine hundred years old . . . And undead

Romance novelist Christian Dante is sexy and arrogant, a true alpha male. He's also a Dark One (aka vampire), doomed to spend eternity cruising the singles scene in search of the one woman who can redeem his soul. But finally he's found the love that Fate has chosen for him. Too bad she sees dead people and likes to play with demons.

Allie Telford is a Summoner—and she needs to rustle up a ghost pretty darn quick or her paranormal career will be over. Luckily, she's just stumbled upon a naked and unquestionably hot specter in a haunted hotel . . . who looks disturbingly like the tall, dark, handsome fantasy man who's been coming to Allie in her dreams. But it seems he's no phantom after all—he's a real flesh-and-blood- fed immortal who's determined to make Allie his lover for forever . . . or longer.

Which may not be a totally bad thing . . .

Ysolde Bouchier is still coming to terms with the dragon part of her, while at the same time trying to free a friend of Baltic-her Black Dragon lover-from the weyr, get Baltic to meet with the dragons who want him dead, rescue a half-dragon damsel in over her head, raise the shade of the man everyone says killed her, and once and for all clear Baltic's name of the murder charges that continue to plague him.

For Ysolde, being a dragon is starting to bite.

Joy Randall's Top 5 Tips for Vampire Hunters:

• Location, location, location. Vampires won't be caught dead (ha!) in places like discos, ten-minute lube shops, or Switzerland. Remember, if you wouldn't be there, neither would a bloodsucker.
• Trust your eyes. You know the handsome, annoyingly arrogant, self-assured man in the shadows with long hair and a cleft in his chin? He's your vampire.
• No matter how tempting it might be, do not "accidentally" acquire a paper cut on your finger and suggest your vampire kiss it to make it better.
• Play it cool. Don't offer to accompany your prince of the night on the talk-show circuit, and whatever you do, don't offer him your heart!
• Most of all, remember: being a vampire is nothing to laugh about.

If only a broken heart were all she had to deal with…

…but there are Viking ghosts, gods, werebeings, and one sexy as sin vampire on Francesca’s case. And her biggest trouble is Loki, the trickster god.

When Fran arrives at Goth-Faire to deal with him, things go from bad to worse, for her immortal ex, Benedikt, is there…with a new girlfriend.

Shapesifters, Vikings, and a town filled with deranged opera fans…it’s a good thing Fran’s no ordinary mortal…

Katie Macalister takes on Steampunk-and romance gets hotter than ever...

When one of Jack Fletcher's nanoelectromechanical system experiments is jostled in his lab, the resulting explosion sends him into the world of his favorite novel-a seemingly Victorian-era world of steampower, aether guns, corsets, and goggles. A world where the lovely and intrepid Octavia Pye captains her airship straight into his heart...

May Northcott is at the end of her tether. Her demon boss has moved in and is making life hell. Her scorching hot dragon lover seems to think everything can be solved with a fiery kiss. And worse still, she's being shadowed by her ditsy twin sister -- a naiad who simply can't seem to stay out of trouble. The arrival of a nearly-dead man on May's doorstep could be the final spark that sets light to their tinder-box world. And with dragon war imminent, it's looking increasingly like it will be up to May (and her watery shadow) to stop it before the fire consumes them all, and their lives end up in smoke...

FOUR WOMEN ARE ABOUT TO DIG UP THE TRUTH

Tired of boyfriends who drain you dry? Sick of guys who stay out all night howling at the moon? You can do better. Some men want you not only for your body, but your brains. Especially your brains.

It’s true! There are men out there who care—early-rising, down-to-earth, indefatigable men who’ll follow you for miles. They’ll take the time to surprise you, over and over. One sniff of that perfume, and you’ll have to use a shotgun to fight them off. And then, once you get together, all they want is to share a nice meal. And another. And another.

Romeo and Juliet, eat your hearts out.

For a woman married to the vampire of her nightmares, the honeymoon's over— and reality bites...

Pia Thomason is torn between two Dark Ones: her husband Kristoff—who doesn't trust her—and his best friend, Alec, who is MIA. So Pia goes back to her humdrum Seattle life, but fate has other plans. And she realizes that if she and Kristoff are going to be shackled together for better or worse, she may as well start to enjoy it...

White picket fences can be dangerous to vampires.

Sometimes a woman's gotta choose...

Pia Thomason doesn't have a typical life, but she wants one. The husband, the kids, the house in the suburbs...With her fortieth birthday looming, she decides to do something drastic, and takes off on a singles' tour through romantic Europe. But the few guys on the trip leave much to be desired - unlike the two men Pia sees in a small Icelandic town. Handsome, mysterious, and very dangerous…Just the sight of them puts her in a dither. When their paths cross again, Pia knows one thing for certain: Where vampires are concerned, love isn't the only thing at stake.

Watch the Book Video

Though May Northcott's heart belongs to Gabriel Tauhou, leader of the silver dragons, being stuck in Abaddon has significantly cooled down her love life--especially since a demon lord is trying to woo her. So far, May has resisted his efforts, but it's getting increasingly harder to thwart disaster.
 

So May is shocked when Gabriel encourages her to give in to the demon prince. But her fire-breathing boyfriend has an ulterior motive. Since May was created in the mortal world, her surrender would give her master access to that world, where he would lose most of his powers.
 

It looks as though May will have to barter to gain her freedom and fulfill her destiny by Gabriel's side. But will a deal with the devil make life heaven or hell?

What newly married couple doesn't dream of a romantic retreat where they can escape the world for a while—but what happens when supernatural forces intrude on their wedded bliss? Nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors answer that question in this all-star collection of supernatural stories. Can a vampire-hunter enjoy her honeymoon when she’s just learned that her new hubby is a werewolf? How can newlyweds focus on their wedding night when their honeymoon suite is haunted by feuding ghosts? And what’s a wizard to do when a gruesome monster kidnaps the bride on her way home from the wedding? With so much otherworldly mayhem awaiting our newlyweds, will they ever get around to the honeymoon itself? Find out in…My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon.

On a trip to England, physicist Portia Harding is stalked by a heart-stoppingly handsome maniac.Theondre North is a nephilim -- the son of a fallen angel -- who needs Portia's help to change his fate. Problem is, Portia's down-to-earth attitude frustrates beings from both heavenly and hellish realms -- and gets Theo turned into a vampire. But at least he has Portia to satisfy his newfound hungers -- and possibly save his soul.

Aisling Grey is juggling being a demon lord, a Guardian, and a wyvern's mate, even though she's keeping her distance from said wyvern, Drake, these days. But her presence is still required at a meeting of the green dragons. Since several attempts have been made on her life, Drake is sure to get protective of her. Which might not be a bad thing when war breaks out and all hell breaks loose-literally.

Aisling Grey is back-and in more trouble than ever. She thought being a courier would be easy. It's not. She thought being a Guardian would come naturally. It doesn't. She thought she could get out of being a wyvern's mate. She can't. And she never thought she'd be irresistible to men. But she is.

Aisling Grey is a courier enjoying a free, work-related trip to Paris when she learns she's a Guardian. That's a keeper of the Gates of Hell, for those who don't know. She finds this out from Drake Vireo, who's scrumptiously sexy-at least in his human form. Now Drake has stolen the package Aisling was sent to deliver, and she must track him down, get the package, and try to resist the passion boiling inside her.