Showing results by publisher "Tantor Audio" in Dark Fantasy

Years ago, the dark queen was executed by witches, her cultists hunted down like rats and forced into hiding. Their black magic buried and put to rest, all was well in the world . . . or so we thought. Kitarni Bárány, witch and shepherd of her flock, has always been different. There's a darkness in her blood and a destiny beyond the border of her small village. Corruption is spreading, and the whispers of cultists stir through the woods once again. Betrothed to the heir of the Wolfblood Clan, she risks not only her life but her heart.

Princess Candra must remain locked inside a tower for seven long years in order to protect her people from their goddess's wrath. Seven years without a friend—or a lover—by her side. And locked inside the tower with her? A fearsome winged Fellian warrior, Nemeth. He's terrifying, cruel, and disturbingly magnetic . . . and the only other living being in the tower. Candra is torn between wanting to kill him for his supplies or having her way with him. After all, seven years is a long time to be alone.

Spirited, stubborn, and deeply loyal wolf shifter, Sasha, feels the pressure from her pack to claim another pureblood, yet no one is brazen enough to defy the elders and toy with her...no one besides a hotheaded half-breed. Tabor, a rebellious outcast, is the hollow's only wizard shifter. Constantly overlooked despite his strengths, Tabor believes Sasha is as shortsighted as the rest of the pack until she proves there's more to her than a blindly obedient lapdog.

I'm losing control. Past choices are coming back to haunt me, and an old curse threatens to drive me from the pack. Sky is the only person who can help me with the curse. To do so, she'll have to perform forbidden magic that will draw the attention of the witches. They've been vying for a reason to kill Sky, and performing forbidden magic will give them one. In the past, I haven't given Sky a reason to trust me, let alone the desire to save me. Now I need her to do both. Will she risk her life to save mine?

Tyrant magus Edrin Walker destroyed the monster sent by the Skallgrim, but not before it laid waste to Setharis, and infested their magical elite with mind-controlling parasites. Edrin's own Gift to seize the minds of others was cracked by the strain of battle, and he barely survives the interrogation of a captured magus. There's no time for recovery though: a Skallgrim army is marching on the mountain passes of the Clanhold. Edrin and a coterie of villains race to stop them, but the mountains are filled with gods, daemons, magic, and his hideous past.

Casia has survived her brother's attempts to crush her and her growing army, but the battle for their empire is just beginning. Bitter and wounded, carrying the curse of a dark and dangerous upper-god, and desperate for more allies, she charges northward to seek the elves who once walked alongside the divine beings. The elven Court of Moreth holds knowledge. Secrets. And power. The kind of power that could shift all of Casia's wars in her favor. If she can survive the dangerous politics and treacherous magic of the elf-kind.

Carmella's obligation to the djinn is over, so why does the world feel a little bleaker? There's barely time to ponder before a horrific massacre leaves her in charge of her first case with the IEPEU. Under the watchful eye of the organization's top investigator, and with the help of her friends, Carmella must uncover the identity of the creatures behind the attack and expose the person pulling their strings. If that wasn't enough, her asura power chooses this case to surge to the surface. Now Carmella must quickly learn to master a force bigger than she could ever have anticipated.

A shadowed past. A vengeful goddess. What price will Gwyn pay to discover her destiny? Wrenched from her mundane life as a herbalist's apprentice, teenage orphan Gwyn learns she is hunted by an ancient goddess. For 17 years she's been protected by her guardian, hidden away like a dark secret. But suddenly, she is thrust into the care of some unlikely companions, pursued by wizards and confronted by the dangerous powers she's spent her life suppressing....

Clyde Hatchett and the rest of the Skull & Thrones better play their cards right - otherwise their newly formed guild will fall in a war with the Iron Silents, the overpowered immortals fond of spawn-camping and, well, anything that puts them ahead. So much for resting on laurels, huh?

Welcome to the challenge. You're an absolute nobody here—nothing, a zero, a useless lump of meat filled with bones. You're but a delicious morsel for your antagonists and those who got lucky at the start. The only goal you can have in your miserable existence is to kick the bucket as soon as possible.

Frank and his team have their work cut out for them. The club needs new guests, drinks, trophies, and employees, not to mention a good mopping of blood after every shift. Guests love him, but the bounty hunters aren't pleased at all with Frank's success. Hector, their leader, knows just what it takes to knock his former friend down a peg or two. Just when Frank thinks things can't get any crazier, he gets invited to a bizarre nightclub owner meeting. New alliances will have to be forged, and dangerous waters will threaten to swallow him.

Aranos destroyed a Nightmare Beast and wounded a god. The Darkness cannot let his actions stand. Armies are marching, and the lands of the Light are scattered, disorganized, and unprepared for the battles to come. Cities lay under a pall of Corruption, their leaders serving the Darkness while pretending to follow the Light. It's up to Aranos to unite the lands and forge their armies into a force that can withstand the Darkness. To do that, though, he'll have to face hidden enemies, battle the rulers of nations, and convince the people of the Light to march under his banner.

A band of outlaws attacks an English manor in the dead of night. The bloody trail leads to the dark heart of Sherwood Forest, and Richard is certain that his old enemy, William de Ferrers, has returned. But England is in turmoil. The barons have erupted into armed rebellion against King John, and a French army has invaded the south, seeking to crown a French prince as the King of England. Richard must do his duty to save England. But he must also journey deep into Sherwood to destroy William and rescue the Lady Marian before she is devoured or turned.

Keeping our existence a secret protected the pack. Now the wrong people know about us. That's the reason the Alphas and I have been abducted to be hunted for sport, but we have no intention of going down without a fight. Escape seems nearly impossible once it becomes apparent that we've been betrayed by those that we once considered allies and that many of our secrets have been exposed. If we are to survive this, we need our pack.

After eight years of marriage, surgeon Mike Bowman and his police officer wife have snuck time into their busy schedules to celebrate their anniversary. But work is never far from Mike's mind, which is why he finds himself in the morgue in the middle of night instead of in his wife's arms . . .

For Carmella Hunter, a witch blood with practically no magick, being surrounded by powerful friends has taken its toll. For once it would be nice to be the one doing the saving. Stuck in a dead-end job in Piccadilly's favorite bakery, Carmella spends her days making cinnamon rolls and her evenings feeding the homeless, all the while dreaming of making a difference. One huge pastry order for the Covens annual meet and an attack of flu germs leaves Carmella delirious with a fever - too delirious to avoid a fateful bargain with a djinn named Paimon.

Melena Sanders faced her fair share of danger with insurgents and terrorists when she served in the U.S. Army, but now she is about to go up against a new threat. Her best friend, Aniya, has disappeared while on a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska - a supernatural haven. Most humans have no idea darker races lurk amongst them. Mel knows better. If she wants to get her friend back, she's going to have to go in alone - but not unarmed. Melena has a few special skills the Army didn't provide, but the odds are still against her.

Say hello to the new and improved Clyde Hatchett...who's only a level-four nothing. He's on a (seemingly never-ending) quest to get back to his life in Glaton. And now, all that stands in his way are the Empire-hating Carchedonians, a death cult, and a traitorous party member. Oh, and a mythical city that very probably doesn't exist.

Some call him a madman. Others call him a warlock. Both are true. But if it wasn't for Aon, I'd be dead. I was mere seconds away from dying by Edu's hands when the King of Shadows appeared in a flash of lightning, saving me from Edu's murderous plans. Now I'm under his protection, living in his home. The more time I'm forced to spend with him, the more I start to piece together the puzzle of why Aon and Edu are at war. Despite how everyone else seems to hate Aon, there's something that pulls me towards him - like gravity, refusing to let go.

The supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too real . . . tales of the dark. Such stories have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Chosen from a wide variety of venues, these stories are as eclectic and varied as shadows. This volume of The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror offers tales from some of today's finest writers of the fantastique. Sure to delight as well as disturb!