C E Clayton

It was an attraction, no, a distraction she couldn't afford, and that was before she found herself coiled up in a blackmail scheme. Olline Tavos is a brilliant software engineer. But that brilliance is suspiciously absent in her romantic life. After a humiliating break-up, Olline does the only sensible thing she can think of: take a high-paying contract far from home and the emotional baggage she'd rather leave behind. With her specially grown houseplants and her earth magic to keep her company, Olline is determined to lose herself in work, and only work. At least, that's the plan. Then a mysterious and dangerously handsome man attacks Olline outside her office. At best, she hopes he's a jumpy security guard. At worst, a thief she'll have to flatten with her magic. What she's not expecting is for this man's sudden appearance to reveal the conspiracy she is, unknowingly, at the center of. Schemes that can cost Olline not only her magic and life as she knows it, but the freedom of countless others as well. Can Olline outwit the people looking to take advantage of her talent? And can she protect her fragile heart in the process? Olline has worked too hard to stand on her own and she won't let someone's vile corruption (or a gorgeous man who flirts as easily as he breathes) undo her hard work. But they'll have to work together if they want any hope of outsmarting their common enemy. Despite the danger, losing her heart may be the bigger threat.

Ellinor is done-running and hiding.Cosmin has made it violently clear that wherever Ellinor and Kai go, he will find them. And, he will gladly make their families suffer until Ellinor returns what she stole from him. But Ellinor cannot, and will not relinquish Fiss; not to those who would bind and shackle him to serve their greedy agenda, not to anyone.Even with her magic returned, and with Fiss, Kai, and Jelani to help, they are still no match for Cosmin, a point made agonizingly clear when Ellinor and her friends tangle with an old foe. Without more power, Ellinor has little hope of saving her family before there is nothing left to save. The power is there, but learning how to harness her upgraded magic is complicated, and time has run out. Then there are other distractions, in the guise of feelings Ellinor would never have thought possible for her again, if it weren't for the charming Jelani and her growing attachment to him.Allies are in short supply, and any help will come with a price, but that won't stop Ellinor from returning to Euria. She will face Cosmin von Brandt and save her family, or die trying.

Welcome to CROOKED V.2, the second volume of sci-fi crime stories edited by Jessie Kwak. In this volume you'll find 18 stories of mayhem and tangled loyalties. Bounty hunters chase targets who aren't what they seem. Private eyes hunt wrongdoers in mean, futuristic streets--and are hunted in return. Easy jobs go wrong. Hunted bounties get wily. Mysteries are solved, only to lead to more horrifying mysteries. Sometimes the bad guys win, sometimes the good guys do. And, hey. It's a crime anthology. Most of the time it'll be pretty damn hard to tell the two apart. These folks are just trying to do their best (or not) in morally gray worlds. The mission of the CROOKED anthology series is to introduce you, the reader, to authors who are currently writing sci-fi crime stories. Many of the short stories in this collection are set in larger universes, which means that if you read something you like, you'll find plenty more stories by that author to keep you busy. This anthology contains stories by C.E. Clayton, Austin Dragon, Jim Keen, G.J. Ogden, Patrick Swenson, Maddi Davidson, Kate Sheeran Swed, Frasier Armitage, Mark Teppo, E.L. Strife, Greg Dragon, William Burton McCormick, Erik Grove, Mark Niemann-Ross, Caitlin Demaris McKenna, R J Theodore, Andrew Sweet, and Jessie Kwak.

"There are those willing to fight for you, if you fight for yourself."The plan was always to go to Amardeep, just not like this.Ellinor Rask always planned to head for the Ashling's island in order to hunt down those who had killed her husband, but now she's going for something she didn't expect: help. With Ellinor's magic still beyond her reach, the only ones capable of removing her magical shackle are the sentient androids Ellinor has vowed to destroy. If only she can tolerate the Ashlings long enough to aid them in return, of course.But getting the attention of those who could help proves difficult, and more dangerous than anticipated. Knowing whom to trust becomes a frantic dance as Ellinor and her friends traverse the toxic island in disguise, going from fight-club dance arenas to drug labs all in their search for assistance. Ellinor discovers, however, that hiding a dreeocht who is becoming more unstable by the second is increasingly deadly.If hiding was all Ellinor had to worry about, she might have a chance at survival. But something waits beneath the glitter of Amardeep that Ellinor and her friends are not expecting . . . something they may be unprepared to face.This special edition hardcover of Deadlock is in full color and includes bonus character art

Desperate to thwart their ultimate foe, Tallis and her army sail for Selkirk. Urban has the advantage, however, as he has the lead and a maniacal determination to unlock a holy power capable of destroying the world. Tallis and Tomas have not stepped foot in Selkirk in over a year, having fled once the elves were free of their madness. Rosslyn had warned them of the growing civil unrest, but it did not prepare them for what they would face upon landfall in Kincardine. Low on resources, Tallis finds herself caught between two princes vying for the throne, and a cruel queen who is tempted by Urban's fanatical allure, just as Konrad was. Now, Tallis must convince those who once hunted her to aid her, for if they do not work together, all of Selkirk will burn. Urban is unlike any enemy they have ever faced; he knows all too well what Tallis is capable of, and how to manipulate the venomous voice within her. Everything is at stake for Tallis-the fate of Selkirk, her friends and loved ones, and her own soul. Urban will exploit those perceived weaknesses, making Tallis choose whom to save; for nothing will stop Urban on his quest to bring back his silent god as he enacts the long dreaded prophecy. Tallis and her friends are coming to the end of their journey, one that will prove to the world once and for all who is the true monster of Selkirk.

Tallis is now the secret weapon in Lady Zofia's attempts to claim the Arcadian throne. But as the players vying for the crown are revealed, victory is far from assured. Marcelina's rescue becomes the key to unlocking the army Tallis so desperately needs. But with Tomas and Colben sent on a mission without Tallis, Rosslyn, or Adelaide, things get more complicated-and bloodier-awakening something in Tallis she's not certain she can cage ever again.With the elves god-like trees falling ill and driven to madness under mysterious circumstances, Tallis suspects she and Colben may not be as unique as she originally thought. As Tallis races to uphold her end of Lady Zofia's bargain and confront Lord Bogdan, the presence of pirates from Andor and a familiar face from Theda put all their lives in jeopardy.Tallis and her friends soon discover that Tallis isn't the only one capable of enacting a catastrophic prophecy, and if Tallis doesn't return to Selkirk soon it may be lost forever.

After fleeing Theda, all Tallis wants is to return to Selkirk. But the bounty on her-and her friends'-heads means she needs reinforcements before attempting to return. Following the advice of Seneschal Isabetta, Tallis, Tomas, Rosslyn, and Colben set sail for Arcadia.Once there, they discover they won't be able to achieve their goals without becoming members of Arcadian society-which means competing through battle, often to the death. But if the fighters don't kill Tallis, the complex political machinations of the nobility might, for only they can give Tallis what she needs. Not all their exploits on the road to achieving their goals are as simple as survival, however, especially as a missing child pulls them away from their tasks and duties. But when they encounter an elder elf searching for his son, Tallis is set on the irreversible path of seeking the facts regarding half-elves and their bloody history. She must delve into their shared history beyond the prophecy, and what those truths could mean for her and Tomas's future.

Trying to put the events in Selkirk behind them, Tallis and Tomas find themselves in a land where people and machines have created a newfound relationship. Tallis wishes to hide and heal in this strange land while giving the people of Selkirk time to forget and perhaps forgive her. For with no one but once feral elves to verify her claim that she was not responsible for the recent carnage, who would give her an opportunity to explain?Despite Theda's golden coastline and amazing technology, something odd is happening throughout the port city of Aelius and Theda's mechanical hub in Cato. Something nefarious is taking root in Tallis, making her bones ache; her dreams constantly torment her with visions she can't ignore. But as Tomas isn't affected, none believe Tallis's claims that Theda is not as idyllic as it appears.All Tallis and Tomas want is to rest and explore their budding relationship, free from the fear of death, but that desire is quickly crushed. How can Tomas and Tallis figure out what they mean to each other when a brilliant student sets her sights on Tomas, and a pirate makes secret plans for Tallis? Not to mention Theda's elves have taken an uncomfortable interest in Tallis. Theda may be a land full of wonder, but Tallis is finding that wherever she goes, danger trails her like a mischievous shadow, following her every step.

Tallis is learning how to deal with loss, and violence as she and her friends traverse the forests of Selkirk trying to find the reason behind the elven uprising. Not to mention why they keep hissing her name. But the further into the forests they go, Tallis is finding that the elves' depravity can still surprise her, and thoroughly test the bonds of friendship, family, and love. Tallis's journey eventually leads to answers they're not prepared for. Now Tallis begins to wonder just who she really is, and if she's the evil that will end up destroying Selkirk. But she cannot stop to process these revelations, as an unforeseen betrayal lands those she loves at the feet of the very monster responsible for all the hurt and heartbreak. Coming face to face with her foe, Tallis discovers all too late she has no idea how to deal with this level of pain, and death. One way or another, the monster's path ends here, and all Tallis can hope to do is bring those she loves safely out of the heart of the forest.

Monsters do not hide under the bed on the Island of Selkirk. Monsters haunt the forests in the form of feral elves with knife sharp teeth, vicious talons, and sickly, glowing yellow eyes. For centuries the people of Selkirk have fought these monsters, enacting a Clearing every four years to push the elves back from their borders. Then, after one such Clearing, a babe is found abandoned in the wreckage. Tallis only desires a path of her choosing, to live without attention or interference. Along with her friends, she dreams of leaving Kincardine and going where no one knows them, to live unhindered by the prejudice that comes of being poor, an outsider, an orphan. All Tallis needs is enough coin, and she'll be free. But the monsters have other plans. Hissing her name like a battle mantra, the elves pour into Kincardine, devouring and burning everything in their path. Fleeing her home in secret, Tallis and her friends must discover why the creatures are so intent on finding her, and stop them from framing her as the real monster of Selkirk.