A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series. Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back. Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate. Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.

A general plans to use a nobleman's bride to teach him a lesson. After meeting her, he decides to keep her for himself. Content notes/warnings: ableism, blood, death of secondary characters, dubious consent, infertility, violence

A general plans to use a nobleman's bride to teach him a lesson. After meeting her, he decides to keep her for himself. Content notes/warnings: ableism, blood, death of secondary characters, dubious consent, infertility, violence

A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance. Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again... Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was…. Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance. Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again... Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was…. Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

Magic built their empire. Blood will decide who rules it next. When a CEO falls, one family’s battle for control becomes a brutal game of betrayal, desire, and power in this sharp, seductive debut for fans of Succession—with fangs. A hundred years ago, magic ran wild—belonging only to the fae, the witches, the vampires. Then the mortal Martin Maddock stole its secret. With it, he forged Mythos, a company that bottles spells for humankind. Now his descendants rule a trillion-dollar empire—and Valentina Maddock is determined to inherit its throne.The world’s wealthiest elites descend on the Maddock estate for a lavish, ultra-exclusive weekend to unveil Mythos’s latest magical breakthrough. But when Valentina’s CEO father suddenly collapses, the race for his heir begins—and the claws come out. Valentina is pitted against her playboy brother, her brilliant scientist mother, and her father’s long-time CFO. Even the guests and staff are choosing sides—and someone intends to eliminate Valentina entirely.Then an unexpected guest arrives: a vampire. Luc Sayle has no known ties to Mythos, yet he carries a private invitation from the CEO himself. Drawn to the enigmatic and dangerously handsome stranger, Valentina senses Luc may be her only ally. But his polished words hide a bite, forcing her to question who the true monster really is.Set in a world of dark enchantments, glittering wealth, and cutthroat ambition, The Age of Blood and Magic blends paranormal fantasy, locked-room mystery, and romantic suspense into a razor-sharp, intoxicating tale where magic is power—and everyone’s out for blood.

From USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw comes The Salt Grows Heavy, a razor-sharp and bewitching fairytale of discovering the darkness in the world, and the darkness within oneself. You may think you know how the fairytale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes. On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three 'saints' who control them. The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruellest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive.

An antimeme is an idea with self-censoring properties; an idea which, by its intrinsic nature, discourages or prevents people from spreading it.Antimemes are real. Think of any piece of information which you wouldn't share with anybody, like passwords, taboos and dirty secrets. Or any piece of information which would be difficult to share even if you complex equations, very boring passages of text, large blocks of random numbers, and dreams... But anomalous antimemes are another matter entirely. How do you contain something you can't record or remember? How do you fight a war against an enemy with effortless, perfect camouflage, when you can never even know that you're at war? Welcome to the Antimemetics Division. No, this is not your first day.This ebook is an official release by me, qntm from the SCP Foundation wiki! PM me if you require confirmation. This ebook collects all of my Antimemetics Division SCP-055, SCP-2256 and the complete serials There Is No Antimemetics Division and Five Five Five Five Five.

What happens to all the mind-controlled minions when the evil villain is finally vanquished? When Oaklin Nettlewood (accidentally) joined an evil cult, they and the rest of their small community were promptly whammied by mind control magic and forced to do unspeakable things. Now, years later, the realm's heroes have saved the day, defeated the villain, and shattered the last remnants of the spell...leaving destruction in their wake. Because the minions who were nothing more than obstacles were Oaklin's last remaining family and friends, and now as the entire realm celebrates, Oaklin is left alone to pick up the pieces. And so, with a spell-damaged memory and whole bushel of trauma, they buy a small farm on the edge of Mossley's Rest and swear an After all the things they were forced to do with their magic, they will never use it again. Ever. But the gentle ghost who lives in Oaklin's house has other ideas. And as she coaxes Oaklin out of their shell and back into the world, Oaklin begins to find companionship (a grumpy horse and a very good boy dog), friendship (a local bard and magical baker who should just kiss already), and even romance (a paladin-librarian who makes Oaklin's heart flutter.) Healing comes in gentle waves, and Oaklin doesn't have to do it alone. So what does it mean when an inquisitor comes to town just as Oaklin begins to think that maybe, just maybe, they deserve a happy ending after all?