by Nana Malone
Addictive
~Paranormal~
Reads
Halloween Box Set
Trick or Treat!!!
1 Deathly Epic-Length Novel
3 Seductively Spine-Tingling Short Novels
3 Nerve-Wracking Novellas
3 Spooky Short Stories
10 literary treats from 10 great authors!
All Complete Stories!
Nearly 1,000 pages of goodies!
All for only $.99 cents!
£.77 pounds
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This Box Set Contains:
Plus a brief seasonal introduction from each contributing author inviting you to knock on their door and catch a glimpse of what their favorite spooky season is like at their house.
Trick or Treat!!!
Be sure to take advantage of the COUPON-CODES some of the authors have offered at the end of their stories to get even more great reads. All coupons expire December 2013.
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Addictive ~Paranormal~ Reads - Halloween Box Set
Amazon Edition
Copyright 2013 - Addictive Reads
All Rights Reserved
Published via a temporary license for the purposes of this boxed set via Addictive Reads
All Stories belong to the individual copyrighted authors as noted at the beginning of each story
eISBN ISBN 978-0-9854896-4-9
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the distribution platform and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters and events portrayed in this boxed set are products of the authors’ imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarities to any person, living or dead, are purely unintentional.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
Cover art compiled by Seraphim Press using a stock cover image purchased from 123rf.com as credited:
ancello / 123RF Stock Photo
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Content Warning:
Most of the stories in this Boxed Set are rated for an 18+ audience and are not suitable for minors. The more risqué erotic romance stories (2 of them) are clearly labeled with an additional ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY' (18+) content warning.
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Table of Contents
Rising Above by Stacey Joy Netzel
Chapters 1-6
Chapters 7-12
Chapters 13-Epilogue
About Stacey Joy Netzel
Something to Live For by Natalie G. Owens
About Natalie G. Owens
King of Rats by Gregory Carrico
About Gregory Carrico
Reluctant Protector by Nana Malone - (18+)
Chapters 1-6
Chapters 7-12
Chapters 13-Epilogue
About Nana Malone
Dead Lily Blooms by Lizzie Starr
About Lizzie Starr
The Consuming by Rhonda Hopkins
About Rhonda Hopkins
Storm on the Horizon by Meredith Bond
Chapters 1-6
Chapters 7-13
About Meredith Bond
Big Trouble in China by C.C. MacKenzie - (18+)
Prologue-Chapter 6
Chapters 7-12
About C.C. MacKenzie
The Valentine Grinch by Sheila Seabrook
Chapters 1-4
Chapters 5-7
About Sheila Seabrook
Angel of Death: A Love Story by Anna Erishkigal
Part I - Whoever he be who giveth…
Part II - And if the people of the land…
Part III - My soul waiteth…
Part IV - And next … Moloch, Scepter'd King…
Part V - And they built in the high places of Ba'al…
Part VI - I opened to my beloved…
Part VII - Say the Angel of Death…
Part VIII - The vast universal suffering…
Part IX - This a fearful thing …
Part X - There is no man who…
About Anna Erishkigal
Navigation: to navigate back to this Table of Contents from anywhere within this document, CLICK on the five star symbol (* * * * *) at the end of each chapter or section.
* * * * * = TOC
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Foreword from Addictive Reads
Welcome to the Addictive Reads celebration of all things paranormal. In anticipation of the spooky season, 10 great authors have each chipped in one of their paranormal-themed short stories, novellas, or full-length novels, all rated 4-stars or above. Travel with us as we guide you on a Halloween-themed journey through some great paranormal reads. Unlike some neighborhoods that only hand out teaser-samplers, our candy is all full and complete stories, whether tasty truffle short-stories or an epic-length novel, guaranteed to leave the reader satisfied!
What will each author drop into your basket as you knock upon their door? Will you find a haunted house? Hot, sexy vampires? Evil witches or good ones? Perhaps a house of horror filled with rodents? Or maybe this year's Halloween spooks are benevolent creatures? Protectors? Fairies? Whispers from your subconscious and gut feelings? The last house on the block, however, is the most terrifying one. For Death lives there.
Come … as we journey to the first house…
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Sinfully Sexy Treats at the Netzel House
Stacey Joy Netzel
~Rising Above~
Beware the eerie, spooky sounds leaking from the dark window of USA Today and New York Times Bestsilling author Stacey Joy Netzel's house. You may get to pick your 'candy' from the bowl on the porch, but after you've chosen a sinfully sexy hero from one of her heartwarming romances, the murderous villain from one of her romantic suspense's could get you on the way out…
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Rising Above (Still Waters Part Two) - Back Cover Description
Imagine you’ve lived before, but don’t remember or believe it’s even possible. Therein lies the danger. For in not believing and learning from your pasts, the power shifts to the one who would see you dead. Again.
Ryan James never gave much thought to ghosts or the idea of reincarnation—until the appearance of the beautiful Ali Whitman triggers terrifying visions that feel like real life. As he pieces together their past lives, he discovers they aren’t the only players. Worse, if he can’t convince Ali to believe before their past adversary makes the next move, he’ll lose her all over again.
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Rising Above
Copyright 2012 Stacey Joy Netzel - All Rights Reserved
Published via a temporary license for the purposes of this boxed set via Addictive Reads
eISBN: 9781301164295
This ebook is licensed f
or your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Editor: Stacy D. Holmes
Cover art: Indie Author Services
*Pleasure Fairy and *Lover’s Amulet descriptions printed with permission from Meta Pot.
(Any inferred magical abilities of these amulets within this story are entirely fictional.)
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Dedication
To the authors of the TALES FROM THE MIST anthology: Rhonda, Catie, Greg, Mitzi, Natalie, Cate,*lizzie, Marty, Tamara, Meredith and Scott ~ You are all wonderful writers. I appreciate your friendships and look forward to working with you in the future.
Special thanks to those of you who encouraged me to write this sequel to Beneath Still Waters, and to Catie and Rhonda for your feedback.
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Author’s Note
Rising Above is a second, standalone book in a series of related romances. While it is not absolutely necessary to read Beneath Still Waters (Part One) before reading Rising Above (Part Two), in order to get the full scope of the overall story, it is recommended. Here's a summary to catch you up on what has gone before:
Beneath Still Waters
(Part One)
An old legend tells of a beautiful witch unjustly persecuted who became a ghost bent on revenge...
The danger lies in not believing.
On a sorority camping trip in the Colorado Rocky Mountain National Park, Becca scoffs at the story of the Ghost of Still Waters, despite the convictions of her fellow campers, Liz and Shane. When Liz challenges her to summon the witch’s spirit, will Becca’s disbelief seal her fate?
Beneath Still Waters is available at all major e-book retailers as part of the highly-acclaimed TALES FROM THE MIST anthology.
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Chapter 1
Late. Not good for the first day of class with a professor he was dying to meet. He rushed toward the door, but paused for a quick assessment of the situation through the slim window instead of shoving inside blind.
Students populated the theater-style seating, and at the front of the class, a slim, red-haired girl commandeered the professor’s attention. Whew. I should be able to slip in undetec—
Darkness registered. His hand froze on the door at the murky mass surrounding the redhead, curling around her in rolling, undulating waves. His gut clenched. Unexplainable dread weighted his limbs.
The girl and the professor seemed oblivious to the malevolent presence as wispy tendrils extended outward, smoke-like fingers of malice making their way from person to person. Seeking. Testing.
The closer they crept along the slanted aisle toward him, the faster his heart beat. Thumping in his chest, banging against his ribs, urging him to run. And yet, not even his little toe so much as twitched. Fascination kept him rooted to the spot, barely able to breathe.
Without warning, the tendrils were sucked back into the murky cauldron encompassing the girl. Was she the source, or the recipient?
When she laughed at something the professor said, the melodic sound dissipated the evil and filtered through the crack in the double doors, drawing him inside. His pulse eased. Oxygen filled his lungs once more.
Both the redhead and the professor turned toward him as the door swung closed with a loud creak. They smiled. Beautiful.
Then the darkness reappeared.
Mushroomed.
Exploded.
Black arrow-like projectiles shot through the air toward him. He tried to run, but tripped and fell back against the door. Searing, white-hot pain paralyzed his entire body when the first arrow pierced his chest—
Ernt...ernt...ernt...
Ryan James jerked awake with a gasp, kicking in panic. It took a moment for his brain to register the sheets tangled around his legs. His hands covered his chest where his heart pounded and the arrow would’ve been, if the whole damn freaky experience hadn’t been a dream.
Ernt...ernt...ernt...
“Jerkwad—shut off your damn alarm!” an annoyed shout echoed from across the hall.
He reached over and silenced the noise. After drawing a deep breath, he rubbed gritty eyes with the heels of his hands before brushing them across his chest once more for reassurance. A glance at the clock made him swear under his breath.
If he didn’t hurry, he really would be late.
Twenty minutes later, hair still damp from his five-minute shower, he jogged across the aspen-leaf carpeted grounds of Colorado State University, juggling his laptop bag and a cup of coffee from one of the campus cafes. Disjointed bits and pieces of the dream floated in his mind. The edges were already blurring in his memory with each additional minute that passed. By the time he reached class, any remnants would be completely gone.
The realistic dreams followed by rapid memory loss were something he’d become accustomed to over the years. Since high school, he usually took the time to write down every possible detail for a future story, but this morning was too important. He wanted to impress his new creative writing professor, not annoy her with a tardy arrival.
A glance at his watch told him he had three minutes to spare as he slipped into the classroom. The door creaked closed behind him. Chilling tingles of déjà vu made the hair on the back of his neck prickle. After a moment’s pause, he pushed the feeling aside and made his way down the slanted aisle.
Many students filled the back seats, chatting amongst themselves, but Ryan kept going. He wanted to be noticed, but not appear too eager by sitting in the very front like the girl bent over her desk, furiously scribbling in an open notebook. Third row back seemed a good choice, so he plopped his bag and coffee down and slid into the aisle seat.
While organizing his things and opening up his computer, his gaze strayed to the redhead two rows ahead of him. Something about her tugged at his memory, hovering just on the edge, but he couldn’t bring it into focus.
Had he met her before? His gaze narrowed in consideration. No, he’d have remembered those gorgeous curls streaked with blonde highlights.
The door at the back creaked again, and as the seconds ticked by, the chatter in the back of the room slowly died. Ryan turned in time to catch a glimpse of a woman’s profile before her tall figure swept past with purposeful authority. The professor.
Anticipation twitched against the wall of his stomach.
Ebony hair swept past the middle of the woman’s back in silky-looking waves. A small waist gave way to flared hips that moved with an alluring sway. Beneath a slim, knee-length, gray skirt, tanned, toned calves led his gaze down to a sexy pair of high heels.
Ryan shifted forward in his seat. He’d taken the class because he knew the woman was an amazing writer. He also knew from pictures she was beautiful, but damn, in person, even from the back, Professor Fielding was smokin’ hot.
She extended her arm out to the side as she drew even with the redhead in the front row. “Good morning, Ali.”
Caught up in whatever she was writing, the girl startled when the red, manicured fingertips brushed her shoulder. The professor continued toward the front of the room as the girl raised her head with an embarrassed laugh.
“Morning, Aunt—um, Professor.”
Ryan’s gut clenched. Not in response to the husky seduction of the professor’s voice, not from the girl’s revealing slip-up, but because of the redhead’s laugh. The pretty sound should’ve been music to his ears. Instead, it sparked a flood of trepidation in his veins.
&
nbsp; “There are a few rules you should all know before we begin,” the professor said, her tone crisp as she spoke over her shoulder while depositing her briefcase on the table next to a podium. With her back still to the room, she stepped up to the whiteboard covering the front wall of the room and began writing. “When I’m speaking, you don’t. Period.”
A giggle from the back was cut short. Whispered voices that Ryan had just become aware of behind him fell silent.
“If you have a question, do not ask the person next to you. Raise your hand and I will be happy to answer. Secondly, I will not tolerate tardiness. If you are not in a desk by precisely eight a.m. don’t waste my time. I don’t care why. I don’t want to hear excuses. Your wisest choice at that point is to not even enter the room.”
She paused for a breath while adding an emphatic period after the words, Do not be late, on the whiteboard. “Lastly, you will be expected to write. A lot. The class is called creative writing for a reason, so I will expect you to be cre-a-tive. If you took this course thinking it would be an easy credit, I suggest you leave now and get your money refunded while you can.”