Showing results by narrator "Patrick Cronin" in All Categories

Four stories from the Demon Accords universe starring some favorite characters and introducing a new one.

Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, having forged a bond through the abuse and neglect they endured as residents of Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down - after the disappearance of several kids - the three were split up. Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live accomplished - if troubled - lives. They haven't seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them.

The war with the Tahni has dragged on for over two years, taking its toll on the lives of all involved. On the Aphrodite colony, Marine turned cybernetic commando Ryan Hendrix is readying his civilian militia to make one final strike against the enemy, in what they know could be a suicide mission. Back in Commonwealth space, Travis Miller and his task force have finally been given clearance to take back the occupied colony system, but the Tahni have had a year to prepare their defenses and the price in blood will be dear.

Ajaya is back in the Zone again - training soldiers to survive the unsurvivable, and using his time inside to hunt for answers of his own. And what he finds reaches far, far outside Manhattan. Human life has been extinguished from the Zone, but what's brewing there is far from satisfied. Racing to contain the danger, Ajaya must protect his own from threats in every direction, both outside and inside the deadliest Borough on the planet.

We've secretly lived among the humans for centuries. Anonymity is our weapon of choice. But that's about to change. An altercation between were-animals was caught on video and went viral. Now a vital member of our pack is sitting in jail, and if I can't get him out before he shifts during the full moon, then our existence will be discovered. If we are outed, there is a risk we'll take the rest of the supernaturals with us. They'll do anything to prevent this from happening, including ridding the world of were-animals. We were once a pack of hunters. Now we are the hunted.

As the slow machine of war starts to turn, allies and enemies alike move their pieces in a bid for victory. Territories are claimed and lost. Skirmishes in deep space determine ownership of the jump lanes that crisscross the galaxy. As Barton battles his way through selection for the Special Operations Group, his old friends from Odin Nine-Five are outside the wire, protecting a politician.

It’s the 22nd century. The galaxy has opened up to humanity as a hyperactive beehive of stargates and new technologies, and we suddenly find ourselves in a vast playground of different races, environments, and cultures. There’s just one catch: We are pretty much at the bottom of the food chain, and there’s only one way for humanity to move up - by becoming mercenaries. In every mercenary’s life, though, there comes a time when things go wrong and even the best laid plans go awry.

Savid DelaCrotia, leader of Princess Brona’s Shadows, finds himself facing multiple threats to the Kingdom of Montshire. The return of his horrifically changed friend and battle buddy, Ash Newberry, is almost the least of his worries as a traitor is revealed close to home just as a conspiracy on Montshire’s valuable coastline leads him far from Haven. Once again Savid finds himself a vulnerable game piece in the deadly politics of the king’s court at the worst possible time.

Volume two. Four more stories: the mind of a mind reader, babysitting the supernatural, packing up, and what's it like to be a queen.

In his oppressively small 10x10 cell at the Norfolk Naval Station’s Brig, Captain Galvin Quintos sits awaiting his impending court-martial when he's unexpectedly contacted by Fleet Commander Admiral Block. He’s proposing an off-book, secret operation, coming at the request of the Pleidian Weonan Empress Shawlee Tee. For Quintos, telling Shawlee “no” was never an option. Unfortunately, according to the admiral, this very well could be a mission of no return.

Sometimes the only way out is to fall further in…

As Earth's leaders gather to usher in a new era of interplanetary cooperation, a remarkable discovery in the skies above New Kerguelen threatens to destroy the peace on both worlds....

Stark Enterprises has unleashed the Infinite Engine, which promises to be an energy source unlike anything ever seen before. But saboteurs from both A.I.M. and Hydra have set their sights on the engine as well - along with Dr. Doom. When a respected scientist is killed and the Engine taken over, Spiderman and Iron Man join forces to safeguard the Infinite Engine - and all of humanity.

In one harrowingly destructive instant, a mysterious seismic pulse in the Scottish Highlands rips away all semblance of global security. Complacency grew in the years since Dan McCarthy brought humanity into contact with intelligent aliens, but those days are gone. When peace is shattered, fear takes over.

A simple distress beacon.... A mining colony in the outer reaches.... Supposedly another routine deployment for Mike Barton of the Combined States Marine Corps, but what they find on the surface is unlike anything anyone had ever encountered. Horribly wounded in a battle with an unknown quantity, Barton only survives through a chance encounter with two special operators. As if the skirmish wasn’t enough, what comes next will be beyond his imagination.

Both sides take a step back to regroup, after a desperate battle over one system leaves the Combined States and the New Russian Confederacy reeling from heavy losses. Utilizing the might of their allies, the Combined States push for control over systems that would cut the NRC’s supply lines and force them to sue for peace.

Cursed by a blind witch in a remote corner of Waristan, Special Ops Captain Jason Wolfe finds himself transforming into a creature of local legend, a lupine referred to in fearful whispers as Blue Wolf. Faster, stronger, and more lethal, he’s the perfect soldier - but not for the US military. To break the curse, Jason must join a war between ancient tribal foes: blue werewolves and the formidable White Dragon. In a battle spanning from the peaks of Central Asia to the valleys of Manhattan, Jason will push himself to the breaking point.

After five grueling years, Robert Worth is just days away from making partner at a powerful Santa Monica law firm. When a client confides in him that senior partner Jack Pierce sexually assaulted her, Robert breaks two of his mentor's cardinal rules: Never let yourself get emotional about clients. And never make an enemy of Jack Pierce. Robert crosses Pierce and is fired on the spot, losing not only his job but also his reputation. Advised to go quietly, Robert vows revenge against the ruthless man who betrayed him.

Cam is a Marine, not a spy. That’s what he keeps trying to tell Fleet Intelligence. But when he and Vicky signed back up, they agreed to follow orders. And their orders are to keep working for the Corporate Security Force, and find out what the private paramilitary force knows about Zan-Thint's plans to use Predecessor technology against the Commonwealth. Stuck leading a crew of cutthroat mercenaries - who want nothing more than to slaughter the wildcat miners, and take their rhenium ore - Cam and Vicky try to figure out why the Corporate Council is really interested in the mine.

With a credible threat to the US and a plane stuck on the tarmac, Grant Walton is 30 seconds from full-blown panic mode. He's the only one in the airport who knows the truth. When the power goes out, he can't waste another second. It's the beginning of the end and every man for himself. Leah Walton is wrapping up a 12-hour shift as a nurse in the heart of the city. When the power goes out, the hospital operates on crisis mode. She can't stop to breathe, let alone check her messages. When she finally listens to her husband's frantic calls, she's faced with an impossible choice: leave or die trying.

From New York Times best-selling author Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., comes a science-based call for the immediate removal of the dangerous mercury-containing preservative Thimerosal from vaccines. Over a decade ago, following a sharp rise in developmental disorders such as autism and ADHD, the mercury-containing preservative Thimerosal was widely believed to have been eliminated from vaccine supplies in the United States and abroad.