11 stories of power exchange, love, and magic, including:

Fealty

Beloved, The baron, my husband, is dead. I am fighting to secure these lands and title in my own right as his widow. If you still feel as you once did, come to me now. I have need of you and your sword both.

With all my love,

Myrtle, Baroness Fireridge

Eryk folded up the well-worn letter and tucked it away in his jerkin. Six months ago Baron Balmont of Cliffside had invited him to swear fealty and become one of Balmont's knights. For the bastard son of the hated Black Baron, the chance to belong was a dream come true. He accepted the lord's invitation without a moment's thought. Three weeks later, Myrtle's letter reached him.

Three weeks…

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I Vant to Suck...

Marcus woke unexpectedly, groggy and disoriented. Before he opened his eyes, he knew he had woken early. Even buried in the basement, the sun's weight sapped his strength. Blinking, he strained to bring the world into focus. A huge man with ebony skin stood over him, holding a stake to his chest. So, the ancient vampire mused, there were still things in the world he hadn't seen.

The man met Marcus' eyes and froze. Marcus would have laughed if he could. "Go on, hunter." Speaking against the weight of the mid-day sun was like rolling boulders uphill, but then, nothing came easy. "I couldn't stop you if I wanted to. And I am not sure I do."

For a long moment, the hunter stared at him. The sun won, sending Marcus back into darkness.

~~~~

A Hole in the Pack

The pack gathered at the end of a successful hunt. Flopping down to rest in a clearing, their bellies matched the curve of the full moon overhead. It had been a good hunt, a good night, a good month. They should have been relaxed and playful until the sun sent them on their way. But they weren't.

One of their number was missing. The hole in the pack was an ache that pulled at them. Instinctively they left a space where he should be. At the kill, those below him in rank milled about uncertainly when it should have been his turn to eat. Those near him in rank snarled and snapped, seeking to establish precedence around the hole his absence left. He was one of them, but not one of them, and the pack was broken.

Sitting apart from the others, the pack leaders surveyed the world, ever alert for possible threat. But the greatest threat came from within. A glance, a flick of an ear, and a decision was made. It was time.