Stories

The Eighth Pass is over. At Fort Weyr, D’gar, Herebeth’s rider faces the future without his weyrmate, lost to Thread just two Falls before the last.
When Lessa brings the five Weyrs forward to the beginning of the Ninth Pass, he must face his fears, try to adapt to an altered world and take the risk of falling in love all over again.

As if it wasn't bad enough that Avion was a Yorkshire Terrier shifter with albinism, he also had to deal with his impending birthday and a crazy Alpha.

There is personal, and then, there’s stuff that’s not personal. Boundaries are good to have, and Mason Knight believes he knows the difference well, as he has known for a long time. That, until one weird day, he finds himself moved by music, jumped by a man who could make the heavens sigh with his looks, and … what else? Ah, a ghost suddenly wants to keep him company. Mason doesn’t believe in ghosts, except this guy, well, he seems pretty much real.

Keith, the Warlord Prince of Marmora, will do anything to save his people from an unwinnable war against the rest of the solar system. Anything, even if it means the end of the only life he’s ever known, moving to a planet where he will be the only member of his species. Even if it means marrying a man sent against him in battle, someone who he has tried to kill.
Admiral Shirogane is willing to accept the marriage for the sake of the Coalition and the peace treaty which will bring an end to the bloodshed, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy. Especially not if the Second Prince of the Galra still seems intent on fighting him at every turn.

One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl and four for a boy.

Five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told.

I am sure many of you, like me, learned this children's nursery rhyme about magpies. According to an old superstition, the number of magpies seen predicts whether you will have good or bad luck. Something I came across subsequently, was the existence of many variations on this rhyme, some more sinister than the children’s version.

One of those is incorporated into this short story about boyhood abuse.

Mark is a wedding videographer, expert at making every couples happy day look wonderful. But he's not yet ready to admit his own relationship is falling apart.

Psychologist James Mannigan is granted a series of interviews with the Vynx brothers, four men of unknown origin found naked wandering Dartmoor fifteen years ago who claim they are not human. Housed in the Seahaven Open Facility in a remote part of Scotland, they live unremarkably alongside other guests.

At first, through his questioning and study, James finds nothing he has not encountered before. Until Guardian, one of the brothers, insists on sharing their beliefs on reincarnation. As events unfold and finally reach a violent climax, James finally learns why he has been chosen.

Jett Huntsman has his business straight, which is to scare schmucks into paying back what’s due. And yeah, he’s making shit tons of money while at it. Mostly because he’s good at it. Not that he brags.

What he’s not good at, though, is how to deal with seeing a crying baby left in front of his house with the self-explanatory message: “Assume responsibility, asshole!”

Jett has no time to think things through. He has schmucks to shake for money. So his kid, if that’s his kid, will have to come with him.

(Full summary inside.)

Well known as a bully and antagonist by his peers, his arrogance is a thing of legend and scorn at the annual Congress of Alphas. Overconfidence in his own greatness led the beat down of his life. Self reflection takes him on a journey of how the unlikely wolf eventually became the alpha.

This started as a story for the Grid Game and has gotten bigger.

Simon is a newly turned vampire, he's made his home in a lovely cave on a mountain.

Unfortunately, someone else has decided they like the cave too.

My prompt was - A newly-made vampire (verb) deep forest on a mountain no one dares enter (conjunction/pairing word) the cat won't move.