Untouchable Darkness

To love a Dark One is to invite death... It is wrong to love her. It is worse to want her. It is sin to consume her. I desire all three. I've been given thirty days to prove my love to another immortal--as a human. Cursed to use nothing but the side of myself I've always despised to win her affection. I am Cassius, the King of the immortals, A Dark One. And today I tasted fear for the first time. How can I win her when my human emotions overtake every ounce of logic I possess? A darkness is brewing. One I cannot stop as a human. One that Stephanie, my love's visions, have shown will be my end. Thirty days ago I was King of the immortals. Today I know fear. Today I know how I will die. By her hand. The woman I love.

To touch a Dark One is death. To talk to an immortal is suicide. Yet, I've been marked by both. A Vampire. And the King of the immortals. My life is no longer my own. And now I know the truth, my life was never mine to begin with. It was theirs. It's always been theirs.

From New York Times bestselling authors Skye Warren, Kristen Ashley, Lexi Blake, and Rachel Van Dyken… Four Dark Tales. Four Sensual Stories. Four Page Turners. Behind Closed Doors by Skye Warren Marjorie Dunn is hiding in plain sight. The past can’t find her at the peaceful inn she owns in a quiet coastal town in Maine. Until Sam Brewer walks through the door. He arrives in the dead of night, with a dark suit and storm-gray eyes. Marjorie knows better than to trust this stranger, but she can’t resist his touch. Every kiss binds them together. Every night draws the danger close. She risks her heart with him, but more than that, she risks her life. The past has caught up with her. And it wants her dead. Gossamer in the Darkness by Kristen Ashley Their engagement was set when they were children. Loren Copeland, the rich and handsome Marquess of Remington, would marry Maxine Dawes, the stunning daughter of the Count of Derryman. It’s a power match. The perfect alliance for each house. However, the Count has been keeping secret a childhood injury that means Maxine can never marry. He’s done this as he searches for a miracle so this marriage can take place. The time has come. The marriage has to happen, or the contract will be broken. When all seems lost, the Count finds his miracle: There’s a parallel universe where his daughter has a twin. He must find her, bring her to his world and force her to make the Marquess fall in love with her. And this, he does. Delighted by Lexi Blake Brian “Boomer” Ward believes in sheltering strays. After all, the men and women of McKay-Taggart made him family when he had none. So when the kid next door needs help one night, he thinks nothing of protecting her until her mom gets home. But when he meets Daphne Carlton, the thoughts hit him hard. She’s stunning and hardworking and obviously in need of someone to put her first. It doesn’t hurt that she’s as sweet as the cupcakes she bakes. As Daphne and Boomer find themselves getting closer, outside forces put pressure on the new couple. But if they make it through the storm, love will just be the icing on the cake because family is the real prize. The Anti-Fan and the Idol by Rachel Van Dyken Ai-Ri has been training under YK Management in Korea for two years without any results. She doesn’t fit the typical mold for a successful K-POP idol image, literally down to her blood type. She has six more months before college entrance exams which means she only has six months to make it as an idol before her dreams are crushed. Things take a turn when two of the most famous male idols break away from their group and decide to form their own co-ed group. And wonder of all wonders, they need one more girl. It would be the perfect opportunity, except she hates them. **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes a new story in The Dark Ones Saga… I see everything. I feel everything. I watch people fall in love. I watch them burn with hate, anger, rage, and I see the cycle repeat over and over again. I take it on every night I work at Timber, aka Anubis’s bar in downtown Seattle, and then I help the rest of the immortals keep the very intense balance between Heaven and Earth. I see everyone's future but mine, and when I try to look, all I see is darkness, despair, need… Until she walks into my bar with bruises on her face, getting pulled by one of the lesser demons. I do what any good bartender would do… I beat him within an inch of his life and turn my eyes to her. By then, it’s too late. She already has me in her grasp. A succubus that has no other plan than to suck me clean of every inch of power that’s been bestowed on me by the Heavens. I never thought my future involved getting kidnapped and tied up or that I’d die by way of sex—then again, maybe that’s for the best. Dying at the hands of my enemy rather than being one more burden to my already mated friends. After all, giving into one last need before death, while selfish, may be exactly what my darkness means. My need is great. And she’s about to find out just how much. **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.** Reviews for Darkest Need: “What a fun romp into the Dark Ones world created by Rachel Van Dyken.” ~ KT Book Reviews “Absolutely fantastic!!! 10/10.” ~ Allies_book_corner “Fun and entertaining. Like once it’s got its proverbial fangs into you, you’re hooked forever. Five stars for Darkest Need.” ~ Dog-Eared Daydreams “Readers are in for a treat with Tarek and Lilith’s story. This is one paranormal that you want to one-click and download asap.” ~ The Romance Reporter “This was a treat to read and as a novella served as an enjoyable few hours among the gods.” ~ BMused12

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Rachel Van Dyken, Sawyer Bennett, Claire Contreras, and Darynda Jones. Four Dark Tales. Four Sensual Stories. Four Page Turners. Provoke by Rachel Van Dyken The music industry called me a savant at age sixteen when I uploaded my first video and gained instant fame. And then Drew Amherst of Adrenaline became my mentor, and my career took off. And then tragedy struck, and I wondered if I’d ever be able to perform again. I fought back, but all it took was a falling light to bring it all back to the fore. So, I walked away. Because I knew it wasn’t just stage fright. It was so much more. Enter Piper Rayne, life coach, with her bullshit about empowerment, rainbows, and butterflies. She smiles all the damn time, and I'm ninety-nine percent sure there’s not a problem she can’t solve. Until me. Rafe by Sawyer Bennett As the second line center for the Arizona Vengeance, my mind has been on one thing—helping my team bring home a championship. But that all changed when I found out my dad had cancer and only months to live. In that moment, nothing mattered more than getting home to North Carolina to be by his side. Now I’m home and in the midst of my grief, I find comfort from the one person I never expected. Calliope Ramirez stole my heart at a very young age. The beautiful, smart, headstrong girl next door, she was my first...everything. She has never forgiven me for leaving her, believing that I chose hockey over a future together. What she doesn’t understand is that every decision I made was for her, and I’ve never given up hope that one day we’d be together again. The Naughty Princess by Claire Contreras Princess Pilar is sick of the spotlight and being seen as the uptight goody-too-shoes the media has cast her to be. She’s especially tired of the fact that her brothers are allowed to run off and do whatever they want while she sits inside watching the world pass her by. That’s why she decides to quietly pack her things and travel to the one place her parents have always forbidden her to step foot on—Ibiza. As the star of the French premiere fútball league, Benjamin Drake has it all—the money, the cars, the clothing contracts, and any woman he wants. Problem is, the only woman Ben has ever wanted badly enough to stop partying is Princess Pilar, the one he can never, ever have. The Graveyard Shift by Darynda Jones Garrett Swopes was the ultimate skeptic until he met a certain hellion and her husband. They vanished after stopping a catastrophic event and left him, a mere mortal, in charge of protecting their gift to mankind. But when she disappears as well, he needs the help of another breed of hellion. One who can see past the veil of space and time. One who betrayed him. Marika Dubois’s son—a warrior in the coming war between heaven and hell—was foreseen long before his birth. But to create a child strong enough to endure the trials that lay ahead, she needed a descendant of powerful magics. She found that in Garrett Swopes and tricked him into fathering her son. A ploy he has never forgiven her for. **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Rachel Van Dyken, Lexi Blake, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and J. Kenner. Four Dark Tales. Four Sensual Stories. Four Page Turners. ENVY: An Eagle Elite Novella by Rachel Van Dyken Every family has rules, the mafia just has more.... Do not speak to the bosses unless spoken to. Do not make eye contact unless you want to die. And above all else, do not fall in love. Renee Cassani's future is set. Her betrothal is set. Her life, after nannying for the five families for the summer, is set. Somebody should have told Vic Colezan that. He's a man who doesn't take no for an answer. And he only wants one thing. Her. Somebody should have told Renee that her bodyguard needed as much discipline as the kids she was nannying. Good thing Vic has a firm hand. PROTECTED: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella by Lexi Blake Years before, Wade Rycroft fell in love with Geneva Harris, the smartest girl in his class. The rodeo star and the shy academic made for an odd pair but their chemistry was undeniable. They made plans to get married after high school but when Genny left him standing in the rain, he joined the Army and vowed to leave that life behind. Genny married the town’s golden boy, and Wade knew that he couldn’t go home again. Fifteen years later, Wade returns to his Texas hometown for his brother’s wedding and walks into a storm of scandal. Genny’s marriage has dissolved and the town has turned against her. But when someone tries to kill his old love, Wade can’t refuse to help her. THE PRINCE: A Wicked Novella by Jennifer L. Armentrout Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him. Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. Yearning for him feels like the definition of insanity, but there’s no denying the heat in his touch and the wicked promise is his stare. PLEASE ME: A Stark Ever After Novella by J. Kenner Each day with Damien is a miracle, each moment with our children a gift. And yet I cannot escape the growing sense that a storm is gathering, threatening to pull me away, to rip us apart. To drag me down, once again, into a darkness to which I swore never to return. I have to fight it—I know that. And I am waging the battle with of all my heart. But it is Damien who is my strength, and we both know that the only way to push away the darkness is for him to fold me in his arms and claim me completely. And for me to surrender myself, once again, to the fire that burns between us. Every Dark Nights tale is breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic.

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Rachel Van Dyken, Laurelin Paige, Kylie Scott, Heather Graham, and Jill Shalvis. Five Dark Tales. Five Sensual Stories. Five Page Turners. Abandon by Rachel Van Dyken I, Ty Cuban, was taken down by two psychotic women in front of the entire world. Lucky for us the audience thought it was part of the breakup song my band and I had just finished performing. I was thirty-three, hardly ready to settle down. Except now it's getting forced on me. Seaside, Oregon. I’m teaching freaking guitar lessons at the local studio for the next two months. Part of my punishment, do something for the community while I think deep thoughts about all my life choices. It doesn't help that the other volunteer is a past flame that literally looks at me as if I've sold my soul to the devil. She has the voice of an angel and looks to kill—I would know, because she looks ready to kill me every second of every day. The Open Door by Laurelin Paige I knew JC was trouble the minute I laid eyes on him. Of course I married him. Now years have passed. Kids have been born. We’re still in love as always, and the sex is still fantastic... And yet, it’s also not. Like many who’ve been married for a while, I long for the high intensity of those days of the past. I’ve heard rumors for years about the Open Door. An ultra-exclusive voyeur’s paradise. A place to participate in—or watch—any kind of display you can imagine. So when an invitation to come play arrives, how could we turn it down? Closer by Kylie Scott When a stalker gets too close to plus-size model Mae Cooper, it’s time to hire some muscle. Enter former military man turned executive protection officer Ziggy Thayer. Having spent years guarding billionaires, royalty, and rock n roll greats, he’s seen it all. From lavish parties through to every kind of excess. There’s no reason some Instagram stylista should throw him off his game. Even if she does have the most dangerous curves he’s ever seen... Blood Night by Heather Graham Any member of the Krewe of Hunters is accustomed to the strange. And to conversing now and then with the dead. For Andre Rousseau and Cheyenne Donegal, an encounter with the deceased in a cemetery is certainly nothing new. But this year, Halloween is taking them across the pond—unofficially. Their experiences in life haven’t prepared them for what’s to come. As All Hallows Eve looms, they’ll be in a race against time, seeking the truth before the infamous vampire has a chance to strike again. Twist of Fate by Jill Shalvis Daisy doesn’t believe love is ever-lasting, so it’s ironic as hell that she parlayed a business degree into a wedding planning business. More ironic still is her latest job bringing her back into contact with the man who’d taught her that love can’t last. To say Diego has been taught the hard way to bury emotions is an understatement. But when he’s called home to help the brother he hasn’t seen or spoken to in years, that’s one thing. It’s another entirely to also come face to face with the first woman he ever loved. First and only… **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**