It's been a hell of a day for Abby Barlow. In just a few hours, she's survived an explosion, watched her employer die, had a startling dream, and now she finds herself in a seedy Chicago hotel with the sexy, unearthly Dante, a man she both desires and fears. For 341 years, Dante has stood as guardian to The Chalice, a mortal woman chosen to hold back the darkness. A terrible twist of fate has now made Abby that woman. Three hours ago, Dante would have used all his charms to seduce her. Now she is his to protect. And he will do so until his very death.

When an ally reveals that his younger sister was seized and is being held prisoner on Earth, Taelon descends upon the blue planet, intent on freeing her and exacting vengeance. However, all does not go as planned. Before he can find her, Taelon is captured and becomes the subject of torturous experiments. For what feels like an eternity, all he knows is pain and fury...until a mind tentatively touches his own and a woman's voice forever changes his world.

Paranormal romance authors Alexandra Ivy, Nina Bangs, Dianne Duvall, and Hannah Jayne present four original novellas in this exciting anthology.

In the depths of the bayou lives a secret race of puma shifters. The creators of a powerful magic, they have lived in peace until the threat of extinction drives them to seek the world beyond their homelands. Now the Pantera must discover the answer to their dying magic and halt an ancient enemy before it can destroy them all. Raphael, the brilliant and dangerous diplomat of the Pantera shapeshifters, has devoted his life to discovering the key to the infertility that is threatening the extinction of his puma race.

The first rule of being Alpha of the Canine Pack is to protect their secrets from the humans at all cost. One look at the dying human at his doorstep, and Holden Carter knows he will have to break it. The broken woman with no hope at survival is his mate. When he forces the change on her to save her life, he not only sets forth motions that could risk both their lives, but the lives of every shifter in the world.

Tayla is desperate for a place to call home. After years on the run, the young imp impulsively buys a teahouse and is determined to build a new life. Unfortunately, she's barely opened the doors when she's tracked down by the dragon who purchased her from troll slave-traders. He demands she pay off her debts...in his harem. Baine has devoted a quarter of a century to tracking down his beautiful concubine. And now that he has her in his grasp, he's not about to let her go. But he isn't the only demon hunting her.

Nikolai Wroth, a ruthless vampire general, will stop at nothing to find his bride, the one woman who can "blood" him, making his heart beat and filling him with strength. Coldly interested only in the power his bride will bring, he can hardly believe when Myst the Coveted awakens him body - and soul.

PhD student Angela Locke has a crush on her sexy professor, Dr. Nikolo Bartrev. When she learns he's actually a Sentinel with extraordinary powers, she joins forces with him to catch a psychopath. But soon, their hottest pursuit is of each other.

He is solitude. He is darkness. He is the ruler of the night. Yet Kyrian of Thrace has just woken up handcuffed to his worst nightmare: An accountant. Worse, she's being hunted by one of the most lethal vampires out there. And if Amanda Devereaux goes down, then he does too. But it's not just their lives that are hanging in the balance. Kyrian and Amanda are all that stands between humanity and oblivion. Let's hope they win.

Savannah Dupree is a freshman studying at Boston University on a full scholarship. But Savannah possesses something even more remarkable than a quick mind and an insatiable curiosity for learning. With a simple touch, she can see an object's past-a skill that puts her life in danger when her studies bring her into contact with a centuries-old English sword and the terrible secret hidden within the blade's history.

Lissianna has been spending her centuries pining for Mr. Right, not just a quick snack, and this sexy guy she finds in her bed looks like he might be a candidate. But there's another, more pressing issue: her tendency to faint at the sight of blood . . . an especially annoying quirk for a vampire. Of course it doesn't hurt that this man has a delicious-looking neck. What kind of cold-blooded vampire woman could resist a bite of that?

Cara Paulsen does not give up easily. A scientist and a single mother, she's used to fighting for what she wants, keeping a cool head, and doing whatever it takes to protect her daughter Janie. But "whatever it takes" has never before included a shotgun wedding to a dangerous-looking stranger with an attitude problem....

Ally Marshall isn't just a wolf shifter - she's a Seer. But a girl doesn't exactly need special powers to know that Derren Hudson despises her entire kind. Disdain practically rolls off the Beta of the Mercury Pack... disdain mixed with a healthy dose of desire. And no matter how much the ruggedly handsome male appeals to her, this is one call of the wild she's determined to ignore.

Damon DeMasters is a vampire warrior who has taken an oath to not only protect his own kind, but humans as well. Crimson Rush is the new drug on the streets, and it's their duty to find who is behind the selling of vampire blood and stop it. A social worker, Nicole Callahan, fights for the right of every child placed in her care. There's a war now, as vampires have stepped out into the spotlight taking their place in society, and the children are at the heart of it all.

In New Orleans, a pair of undead serial killers is about to turn Mardi Gras into a horror show - unless the immortal hitman Bones can hunt them down first. From Jeaniene Frost comes a thrilling novella featuring characters from her New York Times bestselling Night Huntress series. Originally appeared in the anthology Unbound.