Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
About the Author
Katalina Leon
Alchemy With Benefits
Alchemy With Benefits
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
About the Author
Boone Brux
To Catch Her Death
To Catch Her Death
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
About the Author
Eric Padilla
Shadowling
Shadowling
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
About the Author
Izzy Shows
Blood Captive
Blood Captive
1. Grayson
2. Nina
3. Nina
4. Nina
5. Nina
6. Grayson
7. Nina
8. Nina
9. Nina
10. Grayson
11. Nina
12. Nina
13. Nina
14. Grayson
15. Nina
16. Grayson
17. Nina
18. Nina
19. Nina
20. Grayson
About the Author
M.H. Soars
Savage Dawn
Savage Dawn
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
About the Author
Myths and Magic
MYTHS & MAGIC sends you on a wild ride across universes where a safe return cannot be guaranteed.
Abolished magic returns to Earth. The Minotaur and Achilles clash. Telekinetic sorcerers, witches, and fairies discover their powers. Humans become cyborgs. Dragons prowl the depths of Iceland’s volcanoes.
All this and more is packed inside one boxed set overflowing with stories from today’s hottest USA Today and International Bestselling authors!
From dystopian thrillers to steampunk romance, from gothic fantasies to paranormal adventures, come journey with unlikely heroes, valiant shifters, rogue vampires, and even a sensual brujo. Dabble in scientific espionage, thwart scheming sorcerers, and challenge hordes of vengeful demons. And maybe fall in love...
If you’re ready for 21 exclusive full-length novels and novellas, including some BRAND NEW material, in a boxed set where vampires, shifters, ghosts, demons, and even Djinn haunt the pages, then fall into MYTHS & MAGIC, a collection of science fiction, fantasy, and a dash of paranormal romance that will take you to the edge of your imagination.
The Guardian of Blackbird Inn
Kerry Adrienne
The Guardian of Blackbird Inn © 2017 Kerry Adrienne
Copyright notice: All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
The Guardian of Blackbird Inn
Saving the inn might mean losing her life.
Sophia Yates travels to Blackbird Inn to help its mysterious owner, Garren Amsel, research its history. The state wants to lay claim to the haunted property, but the historic inn has been in Garren's family for generations.
When Sophia learns the truth behind the inn's biggest mystery, and why Garren stays, she realizes saving the Inn may come at the cost of her life.
How far will she go to protect him?
Chapter 1
“Welcome to Blackbird Inn, Miss…”
Sophia pushed her rain-soaked hair behind her ears and studied the tall man a moment before replying. He stared, probably at the frizz her red hair took on when wet. Either he hadn’t been expecting her, or he wasn’t used to guests at all. Being that this was a popular tourist inn, she assumed the former. With his good looks, he didn’t appear to be the desk clerk type, and he seemed really uncomfortable, picking at pages on the desk and fidgeting as he talked. A chill rolled through her and she stepped up to the small registration desk and stuck her hand out. “Sophia Yates. I’m here to help with the research. Oh, and I have a reservation.”
“Ah, yes.” He grasped her hand and squeezed, his gaze lingering on hers a moment. Lightning flashed outside, illuminating him in blue and searing his image in her mind. Tall, dark, and mysterious didn’t even begin to cover it. Handsome was too common a word. The man was divine, his features aquiline and his hair jet black.
She licked her lips and pulled her hand from his, certain he’d felt her palms dampen. “And you?” She fidgeted with the handle of her wheeled suitcase, noting the trail of water she’d brought in with her. The storm hadn’t le
t up since her bumpy landing in Philly a few hours ago. Good thing the rental car had fog lights because the remote inn had been difficult to find, even after stopping for directions in the tiny town nearby.
The man behind the desk wasn’t answering. He smiled, the sort of crooked smile a man might give you before he tied you up and…
“Garren.” Thunder boomed outside, and the vibration traveled through the inn, rattling the foyer windows. “Garren Amsel. I’m the owner of the inn, but you probably know that by my name.” He paused. “And I’m the desk clerk, occasionally.” He pushed his hair out of his eyes.
You’ve been reading too many scary stories. She shivered. Driving through a thunderstorm to the rocky inn on the side of a mountain in remote Pennsylvania didn’t help. The place looked like something straight out of a horror movie, with its stone façade and overgrown hedges. A movie where the girl dies. “Nice to meet you.” I think.
“Likewise. I hope we can get this issue taken care of quickly.” He shuffled a stack of papers then set them aside. “But I can see you’re cold, and probably exhausted from travel. Let me show you to a room. If you want some hot tea, I can have it brought up to you.”
She nodded. Cold and tired explained her nervousness. That, and a day of traveling. Her unease had nothing to do with all the research she’d done about how Blackbird Inn was haunted, or about the disappearance of a young woman almost a hundred years ago. All stories to drive in business to the isolated inn, she was sure of it. She was here now on business, nothing more. Not to solve a mystery or be afraid of a ghost.
It didn’t matter that Halloween was in two days. The only sign of decorating she’d seen was a pumpkin and haystack arrangement on the front lawn. The inn didn’t need anything added to be spooky.
“Arturo Beck will be in tomorrow night.” She gazed around the small foyer, taking in the dark woodwork and high ceiling. “I hope we can find something useful before he gets here.” The inn was over a hundred-fifty years old, but seemed to have been well maintained. Ancient navy blue silk wallpaper lined the foyer, making it appear smaller than it actually was, and an antique clock rested against one wall. In the center of the tall ceiling, a chandelier draped in small crystals dangled on a lone cord. One bulb was out, and dust concealed the refraction of the prisms.
“He told me you’d be here first.”
She jerked her gaze back to Garren. “Yes, of course.”
“We can get to work tomorrow. Right now, you need rest.” He filled out notes in a book then pushed it toward her. “Sign your name, please. Here. Mr. Beck is taking care of the bill, but I like to have an accurate ledger of who stays here.”
In case they disappear? Sophia studied the guest register. She wasn’t the only visitor at the inn, but that wasn’t surprising. Late October would see the last of the fall tourists traveling through to catch glimpses of nature’s final show before winter. She signed her name, her hands still a bit shaky. “You still do this by hand?”
“I find it…practical.” He took the book and snapped it closed. “Besides, there’s no Internet here.”
What! She grabbed her phone from her jeans pocket. No service.
Garren set the book aside and leaned on the desk. “That’s right, no cell service, either. You’ll have to go into town if you have to get online.” He smiled. “But every room here has a landline if you need to make a call.”
She slipped her phone into her pocket. Anxiety crept up her spine. How would she function without Internet? Sure, it was only for a couple days, but it’d been a long time since she’d had to do without. She wouldn’t miss emails, but how would she do research? “That wasn’t in the brochure,” she muttered.
He raised his eyebrows. “You read the brochure?”
“Yeah.” She smirked. “Online, ironically. Mr. Beck showed it to me. Beautiful pictures.”
Lightning lit the foyer again, followed almost immediately by another clap of thunder. The desk lamp flickered once but stayed on, casting its yellow pall over the room. The clock ticked heavy beats.
“Then I guess you know.” Garren stepped from behind the desk and took her suitcase handle. “That’s good.”
“Know what?” Sophia reached for her suitcase. “Hey, I can get that.”
“Allow me.” He moved his hand on top of hers, his fingers curling gently over her own. “Hotel policy.”
Shivers skittered up her arm, but not of the scary variety. These were sexy shivers. Garren was even hotter up close. His black hair hung to his shoulders and flipped in disobedient ways. The darkness set off his pale skin, making him almost glow in the half-light.
“Good thing I know what?” She repeated, aware that her voice had just come out a half-octave higher than normal. She sucked in a breath and pulled her hand from under his, immediately sensing the loss of his touch, his warmth.
“You know about the ghosts we have here. I wouldn’t want any surprises.” He clenched the handle and set off toward the long hallway leading from the foyer, the suitcase bumping on the wood floor behind him. “Come. I’ll show you your room.”
Oh, he was good at playing the part of the spooky innkeeper. No wonder tourists flocked to the out of the way inn. Everyone liked a good, safe scare and obviously Garren was used to performing. She stuck her hands in her pockets and followed him down the hall. Well, she was at the inn on business and Garren was going to have to cut the act or they’d never get anything done. Mr. Beck expected things to be mostly in order when he flew in on Friday night, and if they weren’t, she might not get paid. He’d been quite insistent when he’d hired her to research that she get things done promptly. Not getting paid would be unacceptable. She needed the money.
The sound of the rolling suitcase on the heavy wood floor reverberated off the wallpapered hallway. Sconces lit the path, albeit dimly, and they passed door after dark door with large brass numbers.
Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen…
At the end of the hall, Garren stopped. “Your room is upstairs.” He motioned to the staircase, enclosed in one of the inn’s two hexagonal towers. The wide steps meandered up in a gentle spiral of stone or maybe marble. What a grand sight the place must have been when it was built. People probably hadn’t seen anything like it unless they were from the city. She gazed up the stairs. Amazing. She tucked her hair behind her ears, prying the damp locks from her neck. A hot shower would feel really good about now.
A column of tall, stained glass windows ran up the height of the tower to the third floor. With pointy arched tops and red glass, they looked more like windows one might find in a cathedral than an inn. She sucked in a breath as lightning lit the staircase and the stairwell glowed bloody red. Why think blood? Why not rose red?
“After you,” he said. “Second floor.”
She ran her hand along the cool handrail and started up the stairs. “How many floors does the inn have?”
Garren lugged the suitcase and, for a moment, Sophia regretted packing so heavily.
“Only two for guests,” he said. “Third floor is my residence, and then there’s the attic.”
She nodded and headed up the steps, careful not to let her wet shoes slide on the slick stone. Heavy rain beat against the red windows like a cat scratching against a fence post. The storm had grown heavier since she’d been inside, and she wondered if it would continue all night.
The inn was exactly the type of place she would’ve loved to explore when she was in college. Historical and full of character, the inn felt alive with its creaks and groans. Dark shadows loomed in every corner and she wondered how much sweeping it took to keep the cobwebs and mustiness at bay.
She pushed open the heavy oak door that opened onto the second floor and Garren moved past her with the suitcase.
“Not much farther.” He struggled with the heavy bag. “You coming?”
Taking one last look down the staircase, she nodded. A bright flash of white caught her eye and she stopped, ice running through her veins. The white, al
most translucent blob flew up the staircase, winding toward her. The thing pulsed and gave off iridescence like it was lit from within, and it trailed a shower of tiny sparks.
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