Edward Kendrick

I was an average man, not at all violent, until a bastard tricked my best friend into killing my lover, Mick. When that happened, with my best friend in prison for life, I took things into my own hands and killed the bastard. Not too soon after, a man contacted me. The man Mick had worked for -- as a vigilante. He convinced me to take Mick's place, once I'd been trained to do what Mick had done. I did. Now I'm a not so average man who might, just might, be falling in love with another vigilante. Coop Frost, to be exact. That is, if we can survive what comes next.

Caiden McNeil is a special being, a metamorph who can become any human necessary to stop the criminals his elven boss Zander sends him after. Caiden is also a loner, unable to trust anyone on an emotional level. He has reason to feel this way: in his over eight-hundred years, he has learned that caring for someone only leads to despair. After all, how could a human accept him for what he is really is, an immortal who will never seem to grow older than his apparent age of twenty-eight? Then two men come into Caiden's life -- Leander, a cougar shifter, and Theirn, a half-elf. Either may betray Caiden and his belief that their feelings for him are real. On the other hand, is one of them willing to fight to prove love is possible, if Caiden will only give it a chance?

A C21 Story Sean Miller is a professional thief. When he breaks into the home of C21 handler Jonah and is discovered, Jonah makes him an offer he can't resist -- join the covert organization and put his talents to a more legitimate use. C21 skirts the edges of the law, bringing criminals to justice that the police can't seem to catch, and they could use someone with Sean's talents. For his first job, Sean is teamed with Ken Ward, one of Jonah's men, to bring down a phony adoption racket. In the process, Sean fights his growing interest in Ken, certain it won't be reciprocated. Is he right? Or will the two men become more than just partners when they are teamed up again to stop a gang of jewel thieves? NOTE: The paperback also contains the story, Tate's Quandary. What's a C21 operative to do when his partner is kidnapped? In Tate's case, he unwillingly hooks up with Van, an FBI agent and his ex lover, to rescue Gwen from Barone, who runs a prostitution ring they are trying to shut down. Can Tate and Van put aside their past, to find Gwen and stop Barone? Or will working together only destroy the last vestiges of what they once felt for each other?

Vampire Philip Archer and his team of successful art thieves -- black panther shifter Duff, ghost Rob, and Duff's human girlfriend Liddy -- are asked by the handsome Ian Croft, a potential client, to break with tradition and rescue a kidnapped child. When the caper turns out rather differently than expected, Philip is bitterly reminded why he has remained single for so long. Yet, surrounded as he is by loving friends, he is not desperate. This is why, when he meets the newly-made vampire Ephram, he suppresses his attraction and focuses on being a mentor to the Fledgling. Ephram was turned by Virgil Ionescu, an ancient vampire known for casting off his Children before they are ready. Living off the streets, Ephram's future is precarious until he meets Philip. Ephram is immediately attracted to Philip and only too happy to be taken under his wing and taught the skills of surviving in modern New Orleans. But Philip keeps secrets. Ephram can sense it, but he can't penetrate the thousand-year-old Philip's reserve. What will Ephram do when he discovers the big secret his new group of friends are keeping from him? Will his love for Philip trump all, or will he betray them? And, to complicate matters, Ionescu arrives unexpectedly in town, coming to check on his Child.

When Terry and Kel Coleman run from their abusive father, they end up in Denver. The day they arrive, they meet three street kids named Rudy, Snap, and Josie. The brothers move into the trio's squat where Rudy and the others teach Terry and Kel the ins-and-outs of survival on the streets. While that happens, Terry and Rudy are drawn to each other and begin a tentative relationship. Then Kel is almost kidnapped by a man sent by his father to bring him home. Forced to leave their squat to keep Kel safe, they turn to a local pastor for help. Thanks to the pastor, the five young people may find hope for their future -- if they can survive the present. In the process, can the budding relationship between Terry and Rudy survive, or will it be torn apart by the life they're forced to live?

A murder in a small Colorado town closely resembles unsolved crimes committed by a serial killer almost thirty years ago. Private investigator Teague Donovan learns of the recent murder and is instantly drawn to the case, because one of the victims in the past was his best friend, and he is determined to bring the killer to justice. Hoyt Newman, the detective in charge of the most recent case, is none too happy with Teague's interfering. At least not until a second homeless boy is tortured and killed. As the two men work together, they begin to develop an interest in each other -- one that seems fated not to come to fruition since Teague is city, through and through, and Hoyt is definitely country to the core.

Undercover cop Dan Hudson is framed for blackmail and kicked off the NOPD force. Enraged about that, and the fact that his lover refuses to stand by him, Dan moves to Denver, where he becomes Dirk Steele. He finds a job working for the Powells, who are pawnbrokers ... and fences. When he proposes to them that he put together a team to steal on demand for the Powells' less than legitimate clients, a deal is struck and the team is formed. The team consists of Maverick, a thief; Tripp, a street kid who shoplifts to survive; and Fey, another street kid who is an excellent pickpocket and petty thief. Now the question becomes, will the team succeed? And, equally important, will the attraction between Dirk, who has sworn off love, and Maverick -- whose credo is only down and dirty sex -- grow into something more? Or will they remain just 'friends with benefits'? Time will tell as the team takes on increasingly difficult jobs and a man from Dirk's past shows up who could possibly throw a monkey wrench into the works.

Mick is a hit man sent after Gavin. Can Gavin, an ex-conman and a shifter, convince Mick they should join forces before Mick kills him? Mick Whalen is a hit man hired to kill Gavin Wilde. However, when he tracks Gavin to a remote mountain cabin, he discovers that killing the coyote shifter is not in the cards. Especially when Gavin offers sex as an incentive to spare his life-an offer Mick does not refuse. At Gavin's insistence, they find out who hired Mick before someone else is sent to finish the job. The most probable person is a vampire with an ax to grind because of something Gavin did to him in the past. With the help of Gavin's bear shifter friend Torben, and Torben's vampire friend Brynja, they set out to stop the vampire-perhaps permanently. Mick and Gavin decide to join forces since, as Gavin points out, he can teleport Mick away after a hit. The contracts come, and their rough bouts of sex heat up in the process. However, they're almost killed on a job-a job no one knew about except Mick's friend and handler Johnny. When Johnny is murdered, they team up with the two other hit men who also once worked for Johnny, to find and eliminate his killer as well. With death and destruction now both men's way of life, will it draw them closer together-or destroy what has become more than just a friendship?

Scene designer Charlie Cox is in a clandestine relationship with the theater's lead actor, Ricky Moore. Charlie knows it will never be more than that because Ricky is too egotistical to want to be seen in public with a man who has deep burn scars on one arm. Not that Charlie blames him, since he's certain he's a freak in almost everyone's eyes. Jace Parish, the scene shop boss, is in love with Charlie but will never let him know. Jace thinks he's uninteresting because he's thirty and starting to bald, which makes him look middle-aged. He also has never admitted to anyone he works with that he's gay. Liam Dolan owns the gym where Jace comes to work out his anger and frustration. Liam has been drawn to Jace from the beginning but believes Jace is straight, so has never revealed his feelings to Jace. Ricky Moore knows he is using Charlie for his own selfish ends. What Ricky can't figure out is why, when he can and does have anyone he wants in his bed, he keeps coming back to Charlie. These four men have preconceived ideas about themselves and each other. What will it take for them to realize love is possible, if they will only give it a chance?