FAE WORLDS
One veil . . . Five worlds.
One veil keeps the human world separate from the Fae born. Some believe it’s safer this way. That magic and mundane simply shouldn’t mix. But what happens when worlds collide, and the veil is crossed? Or worse, broken?
Fae Worlds is a limited edition fantasy romance anthology featuring five never before published novellas ranging from sweet and playful, to downright dark and dangerous.
Join us as we travel into diverse new worlds of magic and possibility, danger and desire, brought to you by five unique and imaginative authors. We promise it’ll be magic.
Fae Worlds is available at all major online booksellers:
Forbidden Hearts
By Lisa Kessler
Excerpt:
Scott carefully slid the dagger into his belt and took her hand. There’s no way he would ever forget her. He memorized every curve of her face. “I’ll find you.”
Her lips curved into a hint of a sad smile. “I hope so. The ceremony will take place next week.”
His pulse jumped. “But time moves differently on your side of the veil, right? How much time will I have?”
She didn’t want to think about it. “Maybe a month in the human world.”
Fuck. If he didn’t remember the blade, she could be sacrificed. The stakes were too high. He pulled out his cell phone and quickly typed in a note.
Cross the veil. Save Kathryn.
She got up, walking toward the balcony where her frozen guard still stood at the ready to launch an arrow. Scott followed, his heart pounding in his ears. He caught her arm, and she turned to look up at him, her lips parted slightly. His voice softened to a hoarse whisper. “You stay alive for me.”
She nodded, a ripple of color washed through her blue eyes. Everything about her was magic. Before he could stop himself, he bent to brush his lips to hers. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek, and she tilted her chin up, returning the kiss with so much tenderness, he was weak and strong all at the same time.
She smiled up at him and whispered, “Tromhad múirn laoch... Come back to me, my warrior.”
“I will.” He rested his forehead on hers, reveling in the realization that she made him forget he was an auto mechanic, like a warrior might be his true self. “That won’t be our last kiss.”
Without another word, she turned away and ran to the railing of the balcony. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she snapped her fingers. Sound washed over them, intruding on the silence as time resumed. The guard marched toward them.
“Kathryn, wait!” Scott called, but it was too late.
She sprang forward, slapped the guard, and then leapt off the railing. Scott rushed to look over the side, but she hadn’t fallen. Kathryn soared over the bay. How did no one else see? Was it glamour? Who knew?
She blew him a kiss before diving into the water. The moment she broke through the glass of the bay’s surface, a shockwave of magic knocked him back onto the floor.
He blinked, clearing his vision as he looked around. His head throbbed, fuzzy and out of focus. Wasn’t he with someone? He got up, puzzled. How did he get out on the balcony? He rubbed his temples, struggling to piece together the missing time.
He ran out here. They were in trouble. Weren’t they?
They.
Scott stood up and glanced out at the water. He was forgetting something. Someone. Maybe he hit his head when he fell. Scott sighed and reached for the door back into the exhibit hall, when his hand brushed over something on his belt. He frowned and withdrew a tiny dagger.
The stones shimmered with his touch. Images crept back into his mind. A woman with blue and violet hair.
Scott smiled. Kathryn. He remembered. The magic and her fathomless blue eyes. Tucking the dagger back into his belt, he turned back toward the bay. “I’ll find a way through the veil, Princess. I will...”
And with that, he disappeared back into the throngs of people.
The Lost Boys Bar and Grill
By C.C. Dowling
With the help of exiled Lost Boys assassins, can a desperate Fae princess and an ex-Army soldier save Faerie from a horde of Elven invaders, and their own hearts from a fate worse than death? Find out in The Lost Boys Bar & Grill by CC Dowling!
After arriving on Earth, the Fae princess is attacked by a creature sent by her enemies. Being the hero he was born to be, Deryk steps in to help, and lays eyes on a goddess he isn't even sure is real.
Wearing nothing more than a gossamer shift, not even covering her bare essentials, is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my weary, jaded, definitely single-too-long eyes on. Figures, after the shit text I just got, and the reminder why I’d sworn off women, someone like her would fall into my life. No, not fall. Fight.
Drops of blood from my wound drip onto the ground as beams of moonlight, and the dull rays from the scattered garden lights, shimmer off her skin. The deep, rich tone reminds me of the black calla lilies my grandmother used to grow outside her window. She’d always said getting them to grow in New York’s climate required a lot of love. I wonder if that same love is what made this woman into the nymph before me.
Pull yourself together, Deryk, my inner voice warns. The hotter they are, the more likely they’ll run, and the more it’s bound to hurt when they do. Another lesson thanks to Mariana, and screw this. I might know better, but I can’t help but drink in the stranger’s body with my eyes like a shot of whiskey after a year of sobriety.
The creamy smoothness of her thighs and arms, and the swell of her breasts, is unblemished perfection. It’s clear she’s never had to spend one day in the harsh reality of New York winters. Her hair looks as if strands of moonlight settled on her head and curled in on itself to get closer to her body. I want to get closer, too.
Dammit. When did I become such a sappy, romantic poet? Moonlight hair. Calla lily skin. It’s a good thing the boys from the bar can’t see inside my head right now. They’d never let me live this down.
C.C. Dowling's Contact Information:
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The Enchanted One
By Linda Thomas-Sundstrom
Will Teryn Clark’s arrival kick off a deadly contest over which kind of Fae will claim her - Dark Fae, or the Lords of Light? And actually, can that handsome neighbor really be a Dragon?
Excerpt:
Aedan’s neighbors had otherworldy features. That was the only way to describe the beauty each one of them possessed. They had thin faces and smooth, pale skin. More silver wrapped around their foreheads in twisted bands that winked in the light like jeweled diadems.
All three of these Fae turned to go. But they had the last say in letting Teryn know things were still stranger than she knew, without them uttering a word.
Raising their arms, they drew the wind from where it had been waiting. As that wind reached where they stood, their gleaming bodies began to stretch and grow. Long tails appeared. Wings with a span of twenty feet or more unfolded as these Lords of Light left the term impossible behind and rose moonward together as a trio of rare great white dragons.
Linda's Contact Information:
Web site: www.lindathomas-sundstrom.com
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Night Bloomers
By Jillian Stone
 |
| Dark doings and mysterious goings-on around Paradox Lake. |
Owen bravely steps into Elsbeth’s mysterious fae world, only this time around will he risk his heart?
Excerpt:
Owen climbed into the driver’s side and immediately wanted to haul her into his arms, taste those soft pliable lips, run his hand under that little sweater with all those cute buttons…
“Nice truck.”
He nodded. “Bought it a few months ago—last years model.” Nothing but moonlight lit the interior. “So where am I taking you, Elsbeth?”
She stared at him. “Where would you like to take me?”
His eyes narrowed. He knew what he would have done with most women. “I understand you live near an ancient woodland on the north shore. Strange lights have been reported around the lake these past few nights. Maybe you could give me a tour? Show me where the faeries hang out.” He grinned. “I seem to have captured a Moonflower. I figure I’d better take advantage.”
She stared at him wide-eyed. “Who have you been talking to?”
“Nate Goodson, Francis MacLeod, both of them mentioned you. Also, there’s an old trapper named Beckworth Adams who lives on the south side of the gulch—know him?”
“Am I being questioned about the Henry Hazlitt thing?”
“No rush, doesn’t have to be tonight.”
“I can only imagine the kind of crazy faerie stories you’ve been told, especially by Francis.” She stared at him for the longest time. And she chewed her lip which was so damn distracting he had to look away. “Nate Goodson probably complained about me being against the waterpark—the petition and all.”
Owen nodded.
“So am I a suspect?”
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| Night Bloomers is chock full of interesting fae creatures, including walking trees (spriggans) and seductive water nymphs (naiads). |
“And you’re thinking…what?”
“Something happened out there, Elsbeth.”
Moonlight edged the shallow rapids of the La Chute River. They both peered out the windshield at the fast-moving water.
“I suppose you could drive me home. Along the way, I could show you a few faerie hot spots.” She turned away from the river. “No guarantee you’ll see anything. The fae are leery of coppers.”
“What about you, Elsbeth Moonflower, are you leery of coppers?”
“Depends on the copper—I try to keep an open mind.”
“So there’s a chance for me.”
“Maybe.” She wagged her head a bit. “Maybe there’s more than a chance.”
He turned the key and the engine rumbled to life. “Seatbelt.” She pulled the strap around and he helped her buckle up.
“When did you get so cute and sweet, Owen?”
He gazed into large liquid-blue eyes. “Cute and sweet? Not—too hot to handle?”
She stared at him. “Better than arrogant asshole.”
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The Hidden War
By Marie Andreas
Eladrea knew the next arrow would be through her or Lachie.
Silence filled the area. No animals, no birds. Just the trees rustling gently.
Finally shapes came through the trees. Two males and two females. Taller than even Sadlin, they were thin and graceful. And beautiful. There was no doubt they were Fae. Long hair was pulled up in elaborate knots exposing their delicately tapered ears. Three had the same silvery hair that had been on the one murdered by the villagers and carried bows nocked with arrows. The leader’s hair was ebony and, even in knots, flowed down to his knees. He had an elaborate bow across his back but walked forward empty-handed.
“We would rather not hurt you, actually. A scouting party of ours came through here and two of our kind were murdered. We are seeking answers and justice, nothing more.” His voice had grown softer now, the type of voice who wanted nothing more than to keep you from harm. “If you had nothing to do with their deaths, we will leave you with naught but a memory.”
Eladrea found herself transfixed by his mouth. It was perfect. The words coming out of it were perfect. He was perfect. Of course, the Fae hadn’t drained their land of magic and fled. The destruction to those villages wasn’t them at all.
“We sent envoys to try to reestablish contact with our human companions, but all were thrown back. This time, two were killed. The first was beheaded. The second was stabbed with a single blade. A perfect fatal strike.” He held his hands out in supplication. “All we want is to help your people once again, but first we need to find these murderers. Won’t you help us?”
He seemed so rational, so calm, so trusting of her to help him. His eyes were the deepest blue she’d ever seen. Eladrea found herself nodding and getting down off her horse. As she moved, her hand rested on her pack and the dagger spoke to her. It released her from the spell the dark-haired Fae cast.
The world appeared brighter than before, as if the Fae’s words had somehow stolen the colors from the land around her. She took a deep calming breath. Lachie and both of the horses were still spelled, and Conall had either run off or already met the same fate as Meyrick.
It was up to her to stop this.
Marie is an award-winning fantasy and science fiction reader with a serious reading addiction. If she wasn't writing about all the people in her head, she'd be lurking about coffee shops annoying total strangers with her stories. So really, writing is a way of saving the masses. Besides, this novella, Marie has the first five books in her humorous fantasy series- The Lost Ancients- out (with drunken faeries no less.
An A Curious Invasion—a steampunk adventure—is also available.
When not saving the masses from coffee shop shenanigans, Marie likes to visit the UK and keeps hoping someone will give her a nice summer home in the Forest of Dean.
To find out more about the books, and future series, please visit her website at www.marieandreas.com--especially if you happen to have a small cottage to give.
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