by Kat Lind
Ruby swallowed hard. “I did see Erik. And I did train him. But I did… I did not….” She could not again deny the strong bond that had united her to Erik. They had loved each other, and that love meant more to her than life itself. She would never have harmed Erik. Killing him would have meant killing herself. She had lied to William, Erik’s killer, but she could not lie to her superior. If only I had prevented that last wolf from killing himself! Then he could have—
Opal laid her hands on Ruby. Ruby shrieked in agony, and darkness claimed her.
<<<>>>
Ruby woke up into darkness. The Stone was gone. She glanced around and conjured a ball of light. Only no light appeared. Her magic, her essence, had been stripped of her.
Opal opened the silver door to Ruby’s cell. “The witches’ council is going to review the punishment of the curse of the werewolf. It is a dangerous weapon, especially now that the Stone has been recovered. However, they have allowed one more.” She pointed at Ruby. Sharp, mind-numbing pain seized Ruby’s body and forced her to arch her back.
Opal opened the silver door and closed it. Speaking through it, she added, “You will be trapped here for the rest of eternity, Ruby, with no means to kill yourself. No magic, no love, no life. Just emptiness and solitude.”
Ruby cried. They had removed the fey component in her blood, that which had made her a witch. Now she was human. Changing form before had been a pleasant experience, a rush of power and a warm, gentle sensation. Nothing compared to the burning pain, the stretching, the ripping, the tearing she now experienced. She thought of the hundreds of criminals she had condemned to this same punishment during her long tenure as Witch Judge.
She bashed her wolf head into the walls but the silver forced her back, and she could not physically touch them.
Alone.
No Erik.
A wolf.
Ruby howled and raged against the curse but to no avail.
The curse of the wolf.
Her own downfall.
The witches’ council will never stop giving this punishment. There will be other wolves. And one day, the wolves will take back what is theirs.
One day.
Contributing Authors
It is far more enjoyable to read stories when you have some idea of who is behind the story. That knowledge adds an extra dimension to any readers enjoyment. Rather than us creating that introduction, each of the authors was asked to create an introduction of themselves so that you can get to know them a little bit better. We also asked them to identify the books and stories that they think you might enjoy.
It is our fond hope that you will find the authors interesting, the books and stories intriguing, and the whole experience worthwhile.
Author Introduction – Taki Drake
The mixture of technology and magic is where my mind and heart live. In today's world, it mixes engineering and creativity. In the worlds of my mind, technology and magic live intertwined. I hope that you will find my stories interesting enough to be frequent visitors to where my heart beats.
I am continuing to write my stories of intertwined technology and magic. The challenges of that are fertile grounds for many story lines and series. Several of those planned for the next few months have been listed below. I am happily writing each of them, discovering new worlds, new situations and new challenges. The wonder for me is the number of readers that are enjoying my visions and tales.
Enjoy the stories in the emerging genre of techmage!
Please feel free to contact me via email at [email protected] or visit my blog or my Amazon page.
Unfettered Mage
We Are Not Prey
Fleet of the Mage - September 2017
Spatial Delivery - Late 2017
BattleMage Investigates
An Attitude Adjustment
Frozen Hands - October 2017
Maritime Madness - TBD
Badger Hole Bar
Thru the Badger Hole - Sept 2017
The Remembrance Wall - Sept 2017
Grand Opening - Sept 2017
Passage Beyond - October 2017
Becoming Sephera
A Learning Experience
You Just Go On - Oct 2017
Life Rebuilt - Dec 2017
New Paths - TBD
Standard of Honor
In the World of the Federal Witch
Shade of Honor
Coven Codex -October 2017
A Confluence of Covens -TBD
Familiar Shadows
Familiar Trials - Fledgling
Familiar Trials - Expert - Oct 2017
Familiar Trials - Master - Dec 2017
Familiar Trials - Adept - January 2018
Cookbooks
The Badger Hole Bar Food Cookbook
Fergus Favorites Cookbook
Marcella's Garden Cookbook
Marcella’s Summer Bounty Cookbook
Marcella’s Autumn Harvest - October 2017
Tasting Sampler
A Food Palate - Holiday Heartwarmers
Anthologies
The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of the Science Fiction Genre
The Tide: The Multiverse Wave
Inanna's Circle: Flight of Imagination - Thru the Darkness
Holiday Heartwarmers: An Anthology of Short Stories
Inanna's Circle: The Game Begins
Mysterious Hearts
Journal with a View
Journal with a View II - Oct 2017
CyberWar: Digital Battlefield
CyberWar: Byte Conflict - October 2017
Prime Fantasy
Author Introduction – B B Kern
B B Kern is an American writer, poet, and blogger. Raised in rural Western Pennsylvania, Kern attended a small, relatively insignificant liberal arts college in a small, mostly insignificant town. Kern writes thrillers, fantasy, science fiction, and drama for a growing global audience. Along with three cats, two dogs, and fourteen goats, Kern lives in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains and can regularly be seen hiking the Appalachian Trail, where most good story ideas are born.
The Kinker Killer series was sparked by memories of a family trip to the circus when Kern was a grade schooler. Surely, the precision, the incredible strength, and utter gracefulness exhibited by circus performers could be used elsewhere. Thus, the perfect assassins were created in the Tok twins. This first series is Nova Tok’s story, and how she became a deadly killer quite by accident.
In the premiere book, Oblique Descension, Nova finds herself on a one-way journey into a covert universe where you kill or get killed. Nova kills, and she does it with style—all for love of a sister.
Author Introduction – Ryland Thorn
Ryland Thorn is a bookworm and movie nerd who lives in the spectacular Nelson-Tasman region of New Zealand with his wife and two crazy cats. When not in front of the computer or reading, Ryland can be often be found on the beach near his home, or out on the water in his kayak.
He loves writing unsettling tales of magic and darkness where the characters have real depth and the stories can shock. Shorter tales are a specialty, and he enjoys teaming up with other authors in anthologies of all types.
Stay in Touch
Email
Amazon Author Page
Twitter
Website
The Fae-Born Narratives
Dragons and potions and psychic powers
Blood
Anthologies
Phoenix Fantasy
Phoenix Galactic
Prime Fiction
Flight of the Phoenix
Author Introduction – Nicole Zoltack
Nicole Zoltack is a USA Today bestselling author who loves to write romances. Of course. She did marry her first kiss, after all!
When she’s not writing about knights, superheroes, or witches, she enjoys spending time with her loving husband, three energetic young boys, and precious baby girl. She enjoys riding horses (pretending they’re unic
orns, of course!) and going to the PA Renaissance Faire dressed in garb. She’ll also read anything she can get her hands on. Her current favorite TV shows are The Walking Dead and Stranger Things.
To learn more about Nicole and her works, visit her website or her Amazon page. Everyone who signs up for her newsletter receives a free book, so sign up now!
Stay in touch!
FB
Twitter
Bookbub
Goodreads
Authorgraph
Once Upon a Darkened Night
Twisted Fairy Tales
Of Cinder and Madness
The Cost of Love
The Cost of Grief
The Cost of Power
Of Slumber and Discord
The Cost of Magic
Of Rose and Cruelty
The Cost of Rage
The Cost of Enchantment
The Cost of Treachery
The Cost of Forgetfulness in Anthousa, Xanthousa, Chrisamalousa, a Primed Fairy Tale
Of Bones and Ashes in Twisted: Flipped Fairy Tales
Of Gold and Deceit
The Cost of Dominance
The Cost of Intolerance
Bedlam in Bethlehem
Cops plus Supernatural Creatures
When Vamps Bite
When Wolves Howl
How to Stake a Vampire
How to Fuel your Revenge in Summer of Magic Anthology
How to Enjoy a Fang-Free Vacation in Wicked Magic: A Badass Collection
When Sirens Screech
How to Slay a Werewolf
Magic Incarnate
Magic + Faith + Teens
A Question of Faith
A Matter of Doubt
A Balance of Power
A Journey of Despair
A Measure of Gloom
A Glimmer of Hope
Marion’s Misery
Crystal’s Conviction in Prime Fiction
Kingdom of Arnhem
Knights. Magic. Romance.
Woman of Honor
Knight of Glory
Champion of Valor
Heroes of Falledge
Superheroes need love too!
Black Hellebore
White Hellebore
Scarlet Magi
Beyond Boundaries
Can love cross class boundaries?
Masked Love
Starry Love
Standalones
Bloodlust
Epic fantasy with forbidden love
The Test of Time
Unpredictable time travel
Love Before Honor
Medieval knight. Regency lady. Magical Christmas.
Joy to the World
One lady. Two dukes, one an imposter
Christmas Kisses
Two gentlemen, only one Lady Anna’s mother approves of
Starving for Love
The Little Mermaid with a zombie twist
Guns and Fangs
A vampire huntress turns into that which she hates
Shattering Souls
A medical student discovers another has healed a cancer patient… with magic?
The Matchmaker’s Match
A brewer of love potions just may have met her match
Anthologies
Phoenix Romance
A Collection of Romance Shorts from Phoenix Prime Authors
Phoenix Galactic
A Collection of Scifi Shorts from Phoenix Prime Authors
Phoenix Fantasy
A Collection of Fantasy Shorts from Phoenix Prime Authors
Under Your Spell
Every day is magical with this spellbinding collection!
Autumn’s Kiss
Fall into love with these romances
Candy Cane Kisses
A Romantic Holiday Short Story Anthology
Love & Grace
An uplifting love story for everyone
Viva Las Vegas
Finding love in Las Vegas
Shiver Me Timbers: A Pirate Anthology
All the pirates you could want!
Love And Diamonds
Valentine’s Day Short Stories
Scare Me to Sleep
Horror Short Stories
Keep Connected
There are many ways to keep connected in today’s social media world. If you have specific questions and would like to email the editor of this anthology, you can reach Kat Lind at [email protected]. If you would like to learn more about our Phoenix Prime authors, please visit us at the community website where more information can be found concerning their activities and upcoming books. Please feel free to catchup on things there! http://pprcollective.com.
Thanks for joining us for this brief time.
Cheerfully, Kat