Showing results by author "Lindsay Buroker" in All Categories

I’m Val Thorvald, assassin of magical bad guys and tenuous ally to the dragon lord Zav. He still calls me a mongrel and thinks I’m a criminal, but he healed my wounds after we fought those dark elves together. That’s progress, right? Maybe one day, he’ll deign to use my name. Not that this is my primary concern. I’m busy with a new assignment. Nin, the awesome lady who makes my magical weapons, has a werewolf problem. Specifically, sleazy loser werewolf competitors who want to drive her out of business. Or worse.

Casmir and his allies have struck a devastating blow to the powerful prince who sent invaders into their star system, but war still rages at home. Worse, the prince has escaped with a lethal bioweapon, and he intends to wipe out all human life on Odin. Casmir could lose his parents, his friends, and everyone he holds dear. On top of all that, the Kingdom fleet commander Jorg has captured two of Casmir's friends to ensure his “compliance." But Jorg wants a bioweapon of his own as well as the deadly crushers that Casmir has made. To side with him would be to side with the devil.

Moving into a rundown Victorian house with a vampire living in the basement isn’t as bad as I thought, but things go from weird to weirder when a badly injured gnome collapses in my back yard. The surprising part? It’s my friend Nin’s long-lost grandfather. Since he’s unconscious, we can’t figure out who’s chasing him or where he’s been all these years, but if we can’t help him, he’ll die. To make matters worse, there’s a new dragon in town. A female dragon.

In this anthology, you'll find 17 tales of conflict and heroism, exploration and discovery, endurance and triumph. Flee the apocalypse of modern-day Earth, fly a fighter in the cold emptiness of deep space, and find new life on the distant shores of an alien world. You might even discover something about yourself as each author opens a window on the soul of mankind.

After 10 years at war, Jev Dharrow looks forward to hanging up his sword, relaxing with a cool mug of ale, and forgetting that the love of his life married another man while he was gone. But when his ship sails into port, a beautiful woman wearing the garb of an inquisitor from one of the religious orders waits to arrest him. He’s accused of stealing an ancient artifact with the power to start another war. Jev would gladly hand over the artifact to stop more suffering, but he has no idea where it is or even what it looks like. The inquisitor woman definitely has the wrong person.

Luna is worried about Duncan, the new roguishly charming werewolf in her life. He’s gone missing, and she’s sure their enemies are behind it. She’s determined to find and rescue Duncan, but her attention is split because her son is home for the holidays. Before long, her enemies are after him too. Why is all the trouble in her life spilling over onto those she cares about? To fix her problems and help her loved ones, Luna will need all the power, potions, and chocolate (especially chocolate) that she can scrounge up. But against foes who know werewolves well, even that may not be enough.

Elven princesses aren’t supposed to fall for brutish human warriors, especially not warriors from an empire of ferocious conquerers. But when the tattooed Colonel Mrothgar stalks into the elven court, claiming to be there on a diplomatic mission, Princess Hysithea has to learn more about him.

Magically compelled by bad guys, Arwen Forester shot her half-dragon ally in the thigh. She longs to make amends to him, but she’s busy with a new quest: Get rid of the tattoo that lets dark elves control her.

After spending four years fighting for the Alliance, fighter pilot Alisa Marchenko wants only one thing: to reunite with her young daughter. But this involves a journey to her former home world, which has become the last imperial stronghold. Since the imperials have a lot of reasons to loathe members of the Alliance right now, just getting down to the planet will be a challenge, and it doesn't help that her passengers are stirring up trouble of their own.

Yanko White Fox is used to expectations. Since he was a small boy, his father has expected him to become a powerful mage and redeem his family’s honor. Even if his heart was elsewhere, Yanko always accepted his responsibility. He’s learned all he can about magic, practiced to become powerful, and fought great evil to free thousands of imprisoned people. But it’s not enough.

When Jelena Marchenko learns that her parents have incurred a huge debt due to her previous actions, she's determined to find a way to pay it off. But running cargo doesn't pay anything off quickly. She comes up with a scheme to turn herself and her eclectic crewmates into mercenaries, at least for long enough to make some money. Unfortunately, Jelena has no interest in maiming, killing, or otherwise tormenting people, the typical things mercenaries are hired to do.

A mission to a foreign land has left Captain Trip Yert with a responsibility he never anticipated: watching over two dozen magical stasis chambers containing half-dragon young, including eight that are half-human. As bewildering as he finds it, all of them are related to him. He’s vowed to ensure they make it safely back to his homeland where the sorceress Sardelle can, he hopes, advise him on how to care for them. But while he, Rysha, and Major Kaika are investigating a friend’s death and trying to arrange passage home, someone steals one of the baby girls.

As a cartography student, Jak has always dreamed of finding the lost dragon gate and exploring and mapping distant worlds. Developing magical powers and becoming a powerful wizard? Not a chance. But when he and his archaeologist mother unearth the gate, they attract the attention of the very wizards they sought to avoid. Even more troubling, Jak starts developing magical powers of his own, powers that could rival those of the great rulers.

Starseer, pilot, and animal lover Jelena Marchenko wants to prove to her parents that she's ready to captain her own freighter and help run the family business. When she finally talks them into getting a second ship and letting her fly it, it doesn't faze her that the craft is decades old and looks like a turtle. This is the chance she's craved for years. But it's not long before the opportunity to rescue mistreated lab animals lures her from her parentally approved cargo run and embroils her in a battle between warring corporations.

Just as Morgen and Amar overcome most of her problems and officially start dating, trouble from his past arrives in town. The powerful enemy who long ago slew his parents has come to finish off the family. As strong as Amar is, he may not be able to handle his old nemesis alone. But will he let Morgen help? And is it within her fledgling power as a witch to do so?

Thanks to her grandmother’s legacy, Morgen Keller has spent the summer learning about her witch heritage. She’s also spent the summer falling for the sexy werewolf next door. As an unemployed divorcée, she never expected to find love again. But the gruff Amar has been her protector since she arrived in Bellrock. He’s fierce, loyal, strong, and he hardly ever rolls his eyes at her vegetarian ways. He’s a keeper. There’s just one problem: Witches and werewolves are mortal enemies.

All Kaylina ever longed to do was open her own meadery and prove her worth to her family. She didn't want to develop feelings for the haughty royal ranger, Lord Vlerion, and she definitely didn't want to be accused of trying to poison the queen. But a conniving competitor has framed her, and now the Kingdom Guard is hunting her down. Caught in a city far more dangerous and chaotic than she expected, Kaylina must avoid capture while finding evidence to clear her name.

Crown Agent Jev Dharrow’s good dwarf friend Cutter is missing, as is the city’s master gem cutter. Jev doesn’t know who would want them, but he’s determined to find out. He hopes his fellow agent, Zenia, can help him locate the missing dwarves. Even though she rejected his offer of a romantic relationship because of their status differences, they have become good friends, and she has years of experience finding criminals. But this kidnapping is anything but simple. Jev and Zenia find themselves entangled in a snarled plot that threatens the entire kingdom while making them realize their true feelings for each other.

McCall Richter finds criminals, con men, and deadbeats better than anyone else in the empire. She’s proud of her success and that she owns her own spaceship, especially since she struggles to understand human motivations, can’t tell when people are lying to her, and is horrible at recognizing faces. Being autistic in the empire is frowned upon—and there’s a handy normalization surgery to correct it—but she’s managed to prove her worth and avoid irking the tyrannical regime.

Jev Dharrow is trying to convince his father to cancel his arranged marriage so he can wed Zenia, the woman he loves. But when elven assassins arrive in the city, all his personal problems must be set aside. They are after his good friend, Lornysh, an elf who has saved Jev's life a dozen times over the years. The assassins consider Lornysh to be a traitor to their people, and they’ll kill anyone who stands at his side.