Showing results for "Happy" in Science Fiction & Fantasy

When it first gets announced, the Leteo Institute's memory-alteration procedure seems too good to be true to Aaron Soto; miracle cure-alls don't tend to pop up in the Bronx projects. Aaron can't forget how he's grown up poor, how his friends all seem to shrug him off, and how his father committed suicide in their one-bedroom apartment. Then Thomas shows up. The love Aaron discovers may cost him what's left of his life. But since Aaron can't suddenly stop being gay, Leteo may be the only way out.

For Ainsley, turning 18 means finding a mate - and fast. When she runs into an old acquaintance, it seems as though everything is falling smoothly into place. But it's not. When the wolves begin growing more bold and aggressive, a tremendous truth, hidden from her by her parents, is revealed and Ainsley will be forced to make a decision for the good of herself and her people. The kind of truth that affects not only the present, but the future. The kind that changes everything.

The end of days might be over for our newlyweds, but the dark nights are closing in, and what lies waiting in the shadows is what even nightmares are afraid of. Because the King of Hell is back, and now he has a new bride to keep hidden from the world below...a world that shows no mercy, right along with one of their rulers. Could it really be that Draven is keeping secrets from Keira, and if so, how is she ever to reach him when he is hiding in plain sight? A Demon King has finally returned home, and this time...there isn’t an Angel in sight.

This is a story from the The Happy Prince and Other Stories collection.

Smart men never dabble with demons. I never claimed to be smart, but at least, I’m powerful enough to control them. When I bound Havoc to me nearly 300 years ago, I never realized how difficult he’d make my life, although “accidentally” lighting him on fire every now and then does bring a smile to my face. Havoc is handsome, mysterious, and somehow, my closest companion, even if we don’t always get along.

Born talentless to a noble family famous for their supernatural abilities, Miyo Saimori is forced into an existence of servitude by her abusive stepmother. When Miyo finally comes of marriageable age, though, her hopes of being whisked away to a better life crumble after she discovers her fiancé’s identity: Kiyoka Kudou, a commander apparently so cold and cruel that his previous would-be brides all fled within three days of their engagements.

Fake spirit medium Gretchen Acorn is happy to help when her wealthiest client hires her to look into the unexplained phenomena preventing the sale of her bridge partner's struggling goat farm. Gretchen may be a complete fraud, but she's a beneficent one. So if 'cleansing' the historic property will help a nice old man get on with his retirement and put some much-needed cash in her pockets at the same time, who's she to say no? Of course, it turns out said bridge partner isn't quite who Gretchen imagined - Charlie Waybill is young, hot as hell, and extremely unconvinced by Gretchen.

The end of days might be over for our newlyweds, but the dark nights are closing in, and what lies waiting in the shadows is what even nightmares are afraid of. Because the King of Hell is back, and now he has a new bride to keep hidden from the world below...a world that shows no mercy, right along with one of their rulers. Could it really be that Draven is keeping secrets from Keira? And if so, how is she ever to reach him when he is hiding in plain sight? A Demon King has finally returned home, and this time.... There isn’t an Angel in sight.

Duke Marlow, an immortal alpha werewolf and PSI-Operative, whose latest mission is to track down Mercy Deluca. But she's not the villain she's made out to be; she's his destined mate, and together, they uncover a threat that could expose the hidden supernatural world. As they navigate a minefield of deadly secrets, the line between enemy and ally blurs, igniting a flame that could burn the very fabric of their existence.

This is a story from the The Happy Prince and Other Stories collection.

Dominic Hart was screwed. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, no money for treatment, and an athletic scholarship hanging by a thread...he didn't have many options. But the university clinic had offered him a free video game. Some sort of "therapy", they said. A way to while away the hours until he kicked the bucket. Yay. What Dom wasn't expecting was to get swindled by a surly casino owner right out of the gate. Or get dropped in a backwater hellhole voted the “number one worst starting location in Awaken Online".

Immortal Ops Team Captain Lukian Vlakhusha is having issues with his newest target, Peren Matthews. His higher-ups want her eliminated. He simply wants her. The alpha side of him demands he claim her—that is, if she’ll have him. After all, he’s what she fears most—a wolf shifter. But there is more to Peren than even she’s aware of and the enemy is closer than anyone imagined.

At a New York City wedding, in early summer, four people are trying to get their lives started. Yun has everything he ever wanted, but somehow it's never enough. Emory is finally making her mark, but feels the shame more than the success. Andrew just wants to be honest, but has lied to himself his whole life. Fin can't resist falling in love, but can't help wrecking it all either. That night they see something none of them can explain. Someone sits down, and simply gives up. Soon it's happening all around them. Is it an illness, or a decision?

Amy was never very keen on New Year's Eve - and that was before the time-travel accident that sent her spiraling back into the past. Now she's living every New Year of her life over again in reverse. As soon as each is over she is thrown back a year in time to the previous one. Starting at 39 years old, she grows progressively younger, revisiting snapshots of her life along the way. From dealing with an unfaithful boyfriend to trying to help her alcoholic mother, she attempts to make the most of her second chances, with varying degrees of success.

Bobby Dollar has a problem or four of epic proportions. Problem one: his best friend Sam has given him an angel's feather that also happens to be evidence of an unholy pact between Bobby's employers and those who dwell in the infernal depths. Problem two: Eligor, Grand Duke of Hell, wants to get his claws on the feather at all costs, but particularly at all cost to Bobby. Problem three: Bobby has fallen in love with Casimira, Countess of Cold Hands, who just happens to be Eligor's girlfriend.

Total surrender doesn't come easy to a natural-born alpha. Shape-shifting special operative Brad Durant has been held against his will by the enemy for nearly a year. He's given up hope and is fast giving up his will to survive - that is, until a hot-tempered, redheaded succubus is placed in the cell next to his. She calls to his wolf on a primitive level and he won't let anyone or anything harm her. Giving his body to the little minx is easy, but guarding his heart is much harder.

I can see and hear the dead. I can also talk to animals. As a natural-born witch and medium, I can do a lot of odd things. In most people's eyes, that makes me a loon. I like to think of it as being unique and eccentric. Plus, now that destiny has brought me back to the town I was born in, I'm not all that different from the supernatural residents of Grimm Cove.

Vampire and Crimson Operative Bhaltair hasn’t always played for the side of good. He’s walked a fine line throughout his immortally long life and has very few regrets. He’s always had everything he’s ever wanted - that is, until Meena. As a human descendant of the master vampire he serves, Meena isn’t on the menu. That is, until he learns he’s in danger of losing her to another supernatural male.

Cat-shifter Curt Warrick doesn't want to take a road trip with five other guys, but when his best friend leaves him no choice, he finds himself in a van headed to Louisiana. There is a bright side: The trip will give him a chance to expand his enterprise. Missi (Mississippi) Peugeot hates rich men who think they can throw money around to get what they want. When a flashy, yet fetching, stranger shows up in a van announcing he's looking to buy property and begin developing the town, she speaks out of anger and accidentally puts a curse on Curt.

High above the city, on a tall column, stands the statue of the Happy Prince. He is gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he has two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glows on his sword hilt. He is very much admired by the town officials, yet a lot of poor people suffer here.