Dark Fiction Short Stories

First published in the US in 1988 and in the UK in 1990, The Wine-Dark Sea contains eight unsettling stories that explore protagonists' fears and desires, at once illogical and terrifying, and culminate in a disturbing and enigmatic ending. Aickman's "strange stories" (his preferred term for them) are a subtle exploration of psychological displacement and paranoia; his characters ordinary people that are gradually drawn into the darker recesses of their own minds. For fans of the horror genre, Robert Aickman is a must read.

Fox is a demon-possessed immortal with many talents. Now, the keeper of Distrust has been marked for death, a winged assassin with rainbow-colored eyes tracking her every move, determined to avenge the males she accidentally decimated. If only she could control the desire to rip off his clothes....

This collection includes all three novels in The Shadow Changeling Series, a Colin McCool Junkyard Druid spin-off series set in M.D. Massey's Druidverse® urban fantasy setting. If you enjoy dark urban fantasy books featuring haunted antiheroes in the tradition of Snape, Walker Boh, and Constantine, you'll love this story about a shadow wizard who's searching for his long lost human family.

Dark and hazy nights were both their sword and shield... Liz Danger surrounded her. Escape seemed impossible. Hope came from the last place she expected. She knew his name...everyone did. But she knew nothing about the man he really was. Or if he had any chance at saving her. Sam The plan was a good one. If it worked. He had the perfect cover story. He’d be the one asking all the questions. Looking for answers was the story of his life and everyone knew it...expected it. This time though...the stories could turn out differently than expected. Sam and Liz knew the trip wouldn’t be easy ...

How does a con man survive with no one around to fool but himself? Who does a knight battle when the demons in the dark begin to pale next to his own? And what, exactly, does a minotaur do when he finally gets a vacation day? Here you’ll find scenes that didn’t have a place in the main series, with new events that fall between the first three books to expand the lore and give fresh insight into some of your favorite characters - all with the same snarky and sinister mix you know and love. And maybe a few secrets too, if that’s your kind of thing.

Adam Spencer loves women. All women. Every shape and size, regardless of hair or eye color, religion or race, he simply enjoys them all. Meeting more than his fair share as the manager and head bartender of The Odyssey, a hot spot in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter, Adam's comfortable with his lifestyle, and sees no reason to change it. A wife and kids, plus the white picket fence are not in the cards for this confirmed bachelor.

The mission was supposed to be simple. Infiltrate an enemy's stronghold outside Rome and eliminate its leader. For a Breed warrior as lethal as Ettore Selvaggio, aka "Savage", stealth assassinations are only one of his many coldhearted specialties. But the last thing Savage expects to find behind enemy lines - in his target's bed - is a woman he once adored.

The stories in Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart are about the abomination that resides within us all. That churning, clawing, ravenous yearning: the hunger to be held, and seen, and known. And the terror, too: to be loved too well, or not enough, or for long enough. To be laid bare before your sweetheart, to their horror. To be recognized as the monstrous thing you are. In these lush, strange stories, GennaRose Nethercott explores human longing in all its diamond-dark facets to create a collection that will redefine what you see as a beast, and make you beg to have your heart broken.

Discover six stories sharing one impactful message in this fantasy collection.

This is a collection of the eighth six short stories in the Caverns & Creatures series. It includes the following titles: This Poo Shall Pass, Hung Ogre, Fortune Favors the Kobold, Asses to Asses, Love on the Rocs, and The Winds of Cooper. If you've already purchased all of these books, there is nothing new for you here. If you haven't yet purchased any, you can save a few bucks by buying this collection. If you've only purchased some of these already, you'll have to do some math.

Fortune hunter Billy Newman is not a man of great strength or physical courage. Like a young Johnny Depp, he gets by on his wit, wiles and good looks. And he’s had quite a good run—striking gold in the Philippines and buying his very own island in the South Seas. . . . But there’s trouble in paradise, and Billy’s in the thick of it. The island’s crops are failing. The island’s people are dying. And the island’s owner—Billy—is taking the heat. Why? Because he’s angered the 75-foot-tall big-boss god of the island.

🔥"HUNGER GAMES Meets DIVERGENT—with a Gothic Twist!"🔥 🌟 From New York Times, USA TODAY and Amazon Top-100 Bestseller Tamara Rose Blodgett, comes a poignant glimpse into the emotional core of her #1 Dark Fantasy bestselling series. 💬 “Unexpected and beautiful... the perfect in-between moment of the series.” — Verified Reviewer What’s Inside: Set between Unrequited Death (Book 6) and For the Love of Death (Book 7), this 6,300-word novelette explores the quiet, sensual bond between two beloved side characters: John Terran and Tiff Weller. As the world unravels around them...

Years ago, Jake Mallory fell in love all over again with Ashley Donegal - while he and the Krewe were investigating a murder that replicated a horrible Civil War death at her family's Donegal Plantation.

Now, Ashley and Jake are back - planning for their wedding, which will take place the following month at Donegal Plantation, her beautiful old antebellum home. But Halloween is approaching and Ashley is haunted by a ghost warning her of deaths about to come.

Chloe Lake is finally living her dream. As the daughter of the Governor, she’s consistently in the spotlight, and after being dubbed the Most Eligible Bachelorette of NYC, both her career and personal life has exploded. Fortunately, her work as an advocate for animal welfare requires constant publicity and funding, so she embraces her role and plays for the camera - anything for the sake of her beloved rescues. But when a big case is on the line, she’s faced with the one obstacle she never counted on: the boy who broke her heart is back.

From a childhood as an abandoned orphan to life as one of the city’s most skilled burglars, master thief Rafiq has long lived high off the wealth of Avanasia—its trade, its jewels, and its women. The vaults of Avanasia's merchants are as open to him as the legs of its most beautiful courtesans. For in Avanasia, there is but one paramount truth: There are those who have, and those who take. And Rafiq is one of the latter. But when he steals an ancient heirloom blade from a powerful merchant, he sets in motion a series of events that will shift the balance of power in the city.

Follow Jake Thornclaw as he plunges into a world where the full moon reveals the beast within, unleashing a nightmarish struggle between human and monster. Feel every heart-stopping moment as society unravels and the shadows come alive with unspeakable horrors! This isn’t mere storytelling; it’s an intense experience that will haunt you long after the last word fades. Prepare for unnerving twists that will challenge everything you thought you knew about humanity. Can you handle the howls that echo through the darkness?

Poison-tongued film critic Reginald Wright is known for his creative insults and intolerance for the garbage culture, insufferable rudeness, and thoughtless racism of predictably common people. Now, against his better judgment, and with a marriage in crisis, he’s attempting a getaway in the Poconos that quickly fulfills his every low expectation. In fact, it’s becoming a nightmare. And that’s just what Reginald needs to wake up.

On the lonely planet Satu, where sun sunlight is a precious commodity, and fear is a constant companion, Hana lives a solitary existence. Her world is shattered when a mysterious stranger seeks refuge from the terrifying Rugaru, creatures who stalk the night. They forge an unlikely bond as they navigate a treacherous landscape of secrets and survival. But their fragile alliance is tested when a sinister truth begins to unravel, forcing them to confront a destiny neither could have imagined. The line between hunter and hunted is blurred with each heartbeat, and their survival hinges on a ...

Ryder Hammond and Sierra Knight were high school sweethearts. Despite him being her brother's best friend, their relationship burned hot and fast...and ended with heartbreak and regrets. Years later, she’s at the altar, about to marry another man. He’s only there for closure, to finally put the past behind him. But when the preacher asks if anyone has a reason the couple shouldn’t wed, she turns around and her gaze locks on his. Suddenly he’s out of his seat. Objecting. Claiming. And ultimately stealing the very pissed off bride and taking her to a secluded cabin.

They say that confession is necessary to purify the soul. However, there are some deeds that are so sinister, so wicked, that even the most remorseful admission of guilt is not enough to atone for them. From the mind of Vincent V. Cava comes his most twisted book to date: Nine frightening stories told through the voices of those who witnessed them.