In the beginning, there was peace. Then, a sickness spread through the Nine Realms, corrupting the very fabric of reality. Those affected by the contagion turned on the rest, sparking the Great War. Eventually, it all burned. Everything and everyone ceased to exist.

From the pulpy pages of Black Mask Magazine in the 1920s and '30s, through the film noir era of the 1940s, to today, noir fiction has lured many a reader and movie-goer away from the light and into the dark underbelly of society. Names such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James M. Cain; titles like The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, The Postman Always Rings Twice...these have inhabited our collective consciousness for decades. Humanity, it seems, loves the dark. And within the dark, one figure stands out: that of the femme fatale.

Reports to write, forms to fill, coffee to drink, leads to run down. Gus’s life was a tedium and boredom he’d grown comfortable with. One that he sought out after he’d come back from his tour of duty. A detective in the paranormal investigations department. A job he could work day in and day out in relative peace. One cold and forgotten cup of coffee at a time. It was an environment that made some sense to him. At least in comparison to civilian life where almost nothing did. On top of that, it gave him a chance to hide what he was from the rest of the world.

When 49-year-old Belladonna Barrone’s mobbed-up husband does her the favor of dying in a car accident, she thinks she’s finally free of the crime family she unwittingly married into. Then the boss tells her that she has to complete her husband’s last job before that freedom is truly hers. No big deal, she figures. Until things go south in ways she never imagined. Suddenly she’s thrust into a whole new world that makes the mob look like kindergarten. Vampires and werewolves are real? How is that freaking possible?

Sameerixis, or Sam for those who actually know him, isn’t what you’d call normal. He’s a door-to-door salesman, of sorts. One that peddles wares, wishes, and whims to anyone willing to pay his prices. Prices that usually involve a few years of your life, maybe a handful of days, or a single night of pleasure that’ll cost a few hours. He’s an incubus that solves problems. Mental, emotional, spiritual, material, and anything and everything in between. Sam can provide an answer and resolution.

The Succubus is beautiful, deadly, and prowling the night for victims as their leader creates a plan to take New York City for her own dark purposes. But Kurt is there, and by freeing Succubi from their ancient curse, he will build a team of elite killers who will stalk the night with revenge on their minds. Join the hunter as he tames succubi, magic, and a weapon as old as time in his search of destiny.

Daniel Carter was a London cop who just wanted to do the right thing. But during a raid on an organ-selling chop shop, he is almost torn to pieces by monsters. And no one believes him. Hurt and crippled, his career over, and his life in ruins, Daniel is suddenly presented with a chance at redemption. And revenge. It seems that more than two centuries ago, the monsters of the world disappeared - into the underworld of crime. Guild-like clans now have control over all the dark and illegal trades.

New York has a problem few are aware of. Creatures of myth and darkness prowl the night-shrouded streets, preying on those who won’t be missed. At least, those are the rules. Bodies are turning up, and their deaths are far from natural. Our kind’s existence depends on remaining nothing more than folklore and fairy tales, but someone has decided to break the rules. Now, it’s my job to stop a conspiracy before it threatens to expose the truth about vampires and werewolves. My name is Leo Malone.

Life as Aileen knew it ended when she woke up in a morgue sporting a new set of fangs after a wild night out. Now, as a courier for the supernatural world, she balances figuring out this whole vampire thing with making enough to support her ice cream habit. When a job goes disastrously awry and ends with a body on the ground, Aileen finds herself in over her head as she draws the attention of a powerful creature intent on her death.

He is living proof life can suck. Scraping by paycheck to paycheck, this desperate "nice guy" is hungry for any break. And after John Hunter learns his fiancée is dumping him, his roommate is a vampire, and LA is infested with; werewolves, magic, fairies, and witches, a paid gig to hunt down a rogue chimera seems like his last shot.

Alexandra Ascher isn't your usual private investigator. She lives on the fringes, making a living by doing odd jobs and aiding clients with problems that would raise eyebrows. Despite the unusual nature of her clients, as far as she knows she is simply a normal human. On the eve of her 21st birthday, her apartment is completely trashed. Tracking down the perpetrators leads her into a growing web of mysteries. Turning 21 adds a fresh wave of complications and a reveals a dark heritage that she would never have seen coming.

Kaliya Sahni. Tribunal Executioner. Bounty hunter. The last nagini. Her reputation is larger than the desert she lives in. Dangerous. Irresponsible. Antagonistic. When a friend asks her to look into a supernatural bounty on a human, Kaliya finds herself taking the first steps into a conspiracy that had been in the shadows for nearly a decade. Too intrigued to get out before it’s too late, she dives straight into the deep end, ready to discover the truth. When the mysterious bounty takes a personal turn, she knows there’s no turning back, no putting the lid back on the box.

Elle Dupree has her life all figured out: first a wedding, then her PhD, then swank faculty parties where she'll serve wine and cheese and introduce people to her husband the lawyer. But those plans disintegrate when she walks in on a vampire sucking the blood from her fiancé, Greg. Horrified, she screams and runs - not away from the vampire, but toward it, brandishing a wooden letter opener.

A child’s wish for her father comes true. The end of the world has never been so much fun. Conquering personal demons becomes all too real. It’s not always about winning; sometimes it’s about showing up for the fight. It’s about loving your life’s work, and jobs that make you question everything. In this anthology, 17 authors have woven together brand-new stories that speak to the darkness and despair that life brings while reminding us that good deeds, humor, love, sacrifice, dedication, and following our joy can ignite a light that burns so bright the darkness cannot last.

The world is infested with demons, vampires, and ghosts who clash with wizards on the fringes of society. Faced with these horrors, there's only one thing a small-time wizard can do: absolutely nothing. Doing something could get a man killed. Armed only with a modern view of magic, a snarky bloodthirsty apprentice, and no concept of the phrase "fair fight", Maker is far too weak to try and change the world. But then a new group of warlocks moves into the area with the goal of making his life more interesting....