Dark Fantasy Short Stories

Family meant everything to Ayden Stratton. It always had even when he didn’t always allow it to show. Because of that, he understood the fury in Tobias Blaise’s eyes when they learned that his sister had been dragged out the backdoor of her restaurant despite every effort to stop her from being kidnapped. Fury didn’t begin to describe what he saw in his brother’s face. Cassidy Blaise might be Tobias’s sister, but she was Benjamin’s entire world. Tobias Blaise never expected to find any woman he wanted to spend his life with, let alone one who looked at him the way Ellis did, ...

Night Portals is a metaphysical series that explores the hidden secrets of life around us. Twelve "What If" short stories from the mind of Ernie Howard. Aida is the first story in the series. Love is a many splendid thing. It can make you blind. It can make you feel like you're floating on a cloud. It can make you go crazy. In this fast-paced romantic thriller, we see that love can be the end of all things. A kiss can contain eternal bliss or eternal madness. What would you do for Love? George would do anything.

Created as an homage to the 1980 classic horror anthology, Dark Forces, edited by Kirby McCauley, this collection contains 12 original novelettes showcasing today’s top horror talent. Dark Stars features all-new stories from award-winning authors and up-and-coming voices like Stephen Graham Jones, Priya Sharma, Usman T. Malik, Caroline Kepnes, and Alma Katsu, with seasoned author John F.D. Taff at the helm. An afterword from original Dark Forces contributor Ramsey Campbell is a poignant finale to this bone-chilling collection.

From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a dark fantasy story about retaining your dignity. The village of Bracklenock lies under a cloak of ash and sorrow, ruined in the shadow of devastation. Jayleigh Warmhollow, a Druid of the Ancients, must confront Uriah, a gorgon, the monster who destroyed everything. Charged with restoring balance to the region, Jayleigh is faced with a gutwrenching choice: the medusa must die or be convinced to forgive herself. Set against the backdrop of despair, this story weaves together the threads of identity, acceptance, and the quest for a place. Through the ...

From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a dark fantasy story about trifling with fate. In the heart of the Aevalorn Parishes, the halfling folk prepare to celebrate the end of the Dark Days with warmth and camaraderie. But for Elina Hogsbreath, owner of the Swindle & Swine, this time heralds a troubling tradition. Horwich Cobbleberry is a vain and pompous halfling who has made it his habit to drink from a magical cup once a year, again endangering the inn and everyone in it. Having enough of Horwich’s false promises to forego the ritual, Elina takes matters into her own hands. Fans of ...

- A henpecked husband makes a stand against his surly wife.- Is a mysterious stain on the ceiling of a prison cell a product of the inmate's imagination or something more sinister?- A woman trapped in a loveless marriage finds magic in a gift from a friend.- Something is alive in the outhouse…- A young boy longs to venture beyond the walls of his post-apocalyptic city, until he learns the terrifying truth about what’s out there.- A terminally ill teen’s forbidden love affair turns tragic.- A young witch and her talking dog are tasked with ridding their home of unwanted guests. Magic ...

From the author of Aevalorn Tales comes a dark fantasy story about the healing power of food. In the quaint halfling hamlet of Pondaroak, Elina Hogsbreath, a kitchen witch and the steadfast proprietor of the Swindle & Swine, manages the tavern's everyday magic. On a stormy evening, a rain-drenched, weary traveler arrives to stay for the night. He is burdened by grief and harbors a dark secret. Witnessing his sorrow, Elina prepares a meal to soothe the traveler's woes and confronts old fae magic threatening to consume him.Appealing to Brandon Sanderson, Travis Baldree, and S. L. Rowland fans...

She's stuck in a dark, underground dangerous medical experiment. He's on the hunt to find and rescue her... After being kidnapped and drugged, Renee keeps her wits about her while in captivity. With her fate tied to her ability to survive the medical testing, she focuses on staying alive and escaping. Sent to find her, super-soldier Dr. Bastian Fox will do anything and everything to rescue her from the atrocities of breeding experimentation. But from the information he's gathered, rescuing her might not be enough to save her life. He might need to make a permanent commitment and be willing ...

Nobody likes getting bullied, and Donny has had enough. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he solicits the help of the old Asian man at the end of his street to teach him Karate. During a grueling two days of training, Donny earns belt after belt, until he finally becomes a Karate Master.

A boy with a dream. A demon with no name. A childhood in suburbia like a lucid dream. It all comes together, in no way predictable. But, in every way true. The truth has emerged about life, and its parallel worlds. Many will never get it. Some, unfortunately, will forever fear it...

The sequel to the best-selling Zombie, Ohio, this explosive supernatural thriller from Scott Kenemore tells the story of three Chicagoans who have been thrown together by a bizarre, interconnected series of events during the first 24 hours of a zombie outbreak in the Midwest's largest city. A partnership is crafted between a pastor from Chicago's rough South Side, an intrepid newspaper reporter, and a young female musician, all of whom are fighting for survival as they struggle to protect themselves and their communities in a city overrun with the walking dead.

This is a collection of short stories in the Caverns and Creatures series. It includes the following titles: "They Fight Three Giants", "From the Bowels of Hell Hounds", "Tossing the Salaad", "The Fuccubus", "Fistin' the Furious", and "Pixie Dicks".

Beyond the Veil: Three Dark Tales of Life, Death, and the Unseen Step into a world where the line between life and death blurs, and the shadows whisper of things unseen... Cappuccino Heaven: Journey into the afterlife with Elizabeth Walker, who discovers that Heaven isn't quite what she imagined. Amidst familiar faces and endless cappuccinos, a darker realm looms, pulling her toward secrets that could unravel everything she once believed. Dead Dreams: For Adam and Summer, living on society's fringe seemed like the perfect escape—until they realize not everyone can see them. Plagued by ...

This is a short story set in the Narcoscape of the Book of Dreams series. It is named "Dreaming of a White Christmas" and was originally printed in the collection A Cozy Christmas. In this brief installment, Nicodemus Smith has her hands full tracking down a lost philanthropist who fancies himself to be Santa Claus. Enjoy the yuletide oddness with Nic and the gang no matter what the season. I'll see you on the dreamside, ---Melanie

In his Locus review of Two Worlds and in Between - the first volume of The Best of Caitlín R. Kiernan - Gary K. Wolfe wrote, “...it makes you wish the second volume were here now.” Well, the long wait is over. This second volume completes this ambitious undertaking, collecting the finest of Kiernan’s stories from 2004 to 2012, selected by the author herself. The book includes 25 short stories and one poem, plus the short novel Black Helicopters - more than 200,000 words of fiction, including the World Fantasy Award-winning “The Prayer of 90 Cats”.

What William Gibson did for science fiction, China Miéville has done for fantasy, shattering old paradigms with fiercely imaginative works of startling, often shocking, intensity. Now from this brilliant writer comes a groundbreaking collection of stories, many of them previously unavailable in the United States, and including four never-before-published tales - one set in Miéville’s signature fantasy world of New Crobuzon.

Get ready to be spellbound by "Curse of the Hallow Moon," a spine-chilling Halloween horror anthology that will haunt your dreams long after the last page is turned. Delve into the darkness with thirteen tales of terror, where ancient curses, sinister creatures, and malevolent spirits lurk in the shadows, waiting to ensnare unsuspecting souls. From the eerie depths of the forest to the desolate corners of forgotten towns, each story in this collection is crafted to send shivers down your spine and quicken your pulse with every twist and turn. Whether you're drawn to the macabre or the ...

Night Portals is a metaphysical anthology series that explores the hidden secrets of life around us. Twelve "What If" short stories from the mind of Ernie Howard. The Old couple is the second book in the series. Pete checks on his elderly parents at least once a week. The countless visits all melt into one, but it doesn't matter how many boring visits he has with his parents. He makes these visits with a sense of foreboding. Will this be the last time? Pete and his wife have a different visit this time around. One that is far worse than death.

Five tales of dragons are included within this special Young Adult fantasy collection. The overall theme is dragons and features a sample of J.E. Feldman’s work. There are no triggers. Inferno A time traveling grandma and her granddaughter discover the true cause behind the burning of the Library of Alexandria. The Loch Legend An orphaned teenager harboring a secret of her own discovers the Loch Ness legend is real, but can she trust her new family with the truth? Instinct Vaccines made from dragon shifter blood turns the world into apocalyptic chaos and there’s no promise of surviving ...

A Hot Erotic Story Designed for MAXIMUM AROUSAL. *Adults Only 18+* *Read On Your PC, Mac, Smartphone, Tablet Or Kindle! * Wet & Sticky: Vol. 9 (A Preview): Like most people their type, they wanted nothing more than a night of fun. He was a struggling young writer with a hankering for booze and a hunger for sweethearts. She was the perfect blend, cute, smart, and coy to a fault; the type of girl who had no idea just how beautiful she really was. But her silence belied a powerful lust. For behind closed doors, it is the quiet ones who make the most noise... Seize Your Copy NOW Tags: erotic ...