How was I supposed to know that the incantations scrawled inside of it worked? That the first one I read would open a portal into a demon plane - or that the next one was an unbreakable vow to the seven foot tall shadow monster I unwittingly summoned into my bedroom?

He says his name is Malphas, that he's something called a Sombra demon, and I'm his mate.

Monster, demon... whatever he is, his muscles are bigger than my head, and that club between his legs... I don't know if mate means the same thing to him as it does me, but he's gotta be kidding.

Spoiler alert: he's not.

Mal has been waiting for more than a thousand years for the one woman meant for him. He's convinced that's me, and he's willing to do anything to prove it. And maybe there's something really wrong with me because, before long, I find myself eager to let him try...

* Mated to the Monster is the first in a monster romance series about the Sombra demons, a race of shadow-based monsters who will do anything to claim their females. Mal and Shannon might come from different worlds, but when it comes to fate, lust, and forever... they might just be a perfect match.

How was I supposed to know that the incantations scrawled inside of it worked? That the first one I read would open a portal into a demon plane - or that the next one was an unbreakable vow to the seven foot tall shadow monster I unwittingly summoned into my bedroom?

He says his name is Malphas, that he's something called a Sombra demon, and I'm his mate.

Monster, demon... whatever he is, his muscles are bigger than my head, and that club between his legs... I don't know if mate means the same thing to him as it does me, but he's gotta be kidding.

Spoiler alert: he's not.

Mal has been waiting for more than a thousand years for the one woman meant for him. He's convinced that's me, and he's willing to do anything to prove it. And maybe there's something really wrong with me because, before long, I find myself eager to let him try...

* Mated to the Monster ( 55,000 words) is the first in a monster romance series about the Sombra demons, a race of shadow-based monsters who will do anything to claim their females. Mal and Shannon might come from different worlds, but when it comes to fate, lust, and forever... they might just be a perfect match.

After another Christmas alone, I was preparing for a New Year's Eve party when I got the text that changed my life. Next thing I know, I'm bursting in on my old bandmate-and former friend-only to discover her apartment is empty.

Well, empty-ish. Because, as nosy as ever, I snooped a little... and that's when I found the old book that I've been dreaming about since I was a teen.

I don't really know why I'm so drawn to it, or how the hell Sierra got her hands on it, but I can't help myself. I flip it open and start reading a random page, and that's when they appeared.

Identical. Huge everywhere, and I'm not just talking about their horns, either. Made of shadows and with eyes glowing brighter than Times Square, they each grab one of my hands and away we go.

Where? Turns out they're from this immortal demon realm where they've spent more than two thousand years waiting for the one woman meant for them alone: me.

I've never had a partner who wanted me for me. I've been the other woman trashed in the press, and the one discarded for someone better. The idea that these big demons are utterly devoted to me is tempting-and so is how... eager they each are to convince me to choose him.

Throw in the offer of immortality and I'm thinking this might not be so bad... until I find out there's one teeny-tiny bit of fine print they forgot to mention.

Because demon twins are rare, and one thing that makes them different than any of the other monsters in this place?

Is that they have to share theirs.

Me? I'm the lucky chick who's supposed to belong both Damien and Lucian... unless I decide to reject the twins.

And I only have until the gold moon to make up my mind.

*Taken by the Twins is the seventh story in the Sombra Demons series. A holiday-themed novella that leads to the final book in the series, it tells the story of Tandy, a former party girl ready to settle down at all, and the twin demons, Damien and Lucian, who want nothing more than to share their new mate.

The moment I convinced one of my loyal customers to buy the leather-bound spellbook, I regretted it. At first I thought it was because I could've gotten more than fifty dollars for it-money that would've come in handy while I was on vacay-but while I was on the beach, all I kept thinking about was the book.

It called to me for some weird reason, and when I got Shannon's message that she had a question about it, I hoped that meant she would let me buy it back. Nope. She wanted to know where I got it from.

Too bad I had no idea. Almost as if by fate, it popped up in one of my boxes of stock, but I couldn't trace it. Believe me, I tried.

So when Shannon offered to drop it off so that I could get a closer look at it, I jumped at the chance. And that's how I found the true love spell in the middle of the book.

I don't know what made me decide it was a good idea to read it out loud, or what came over me when the beastly shadow monster appeared in my bedroom and crooked his claw at me...

One thing led to another and, suddenly, I'm the bonded mate to a horned demon who doesn't speak English, who stole me away to a terrifying world of shadows and skulls, and who I can't stop touching even so.

When I finally understand him, there's only one thing my new mate wants to make sure is clear: I'm his. He has no intention of letting me go, either in Sombra or my world.

And it isn't long before I start to wonder if it would really be so bad to be forever bonded to the beast... especially when I discover just what mating during the gold moon in Sombra leads to.

Then again, Nox was never as imaginary as he was supposed to be, and while I thought of him as my friend, he watched over me because he knew we were meant to be more than that.

He knew that we were fated.

Me? I had no freaking clue, but that made sense. The last time I saw him I was twelve. He was a shadow monster that kept me safe.

But, like all imaginary friends, he was just gone one day. And, as I grew up, I forgot all about Nox.

He never forgot about me.

Fourteen years later and he's still as much a protector as he always was. When I'm stalked by an ex who just can't accept that we're over, Connor isn't the only one who likes to hide in the shadows. Too bad for him that Nox is the shadows.

He's changed, though. My old imaginary friend is wrapped in golden chains, his shape unlike any he ever showed me before. He's big, and he's fierce, and he saves me from Connor only to take me for himself.

And I... I'm kind of okay with that.

*Stolen by the Shadows is the second book in the Sombra Demons series. It tells the story of Amy and Nox, the bonded couple introduced in Mated to the Monster.

As if the weekend wasn't enough of a disaster already, right on the heels of discovering how my boyfriend really feels about my best friend, I walk into our apartment-and straight into a trap.

Is it a surprise that I initially think that was meant for her, too? That when I get grabbed and pulled through a portal by a massive demon with horns, he mistook me for Sierra?

Only... he didn't. And when he stuns me by speaking English, he explains that his name is Glaine, and he's my fated mate.

Do I believe him? Of course not. Demon or human, after what happened with Trevor, I was ready to swear men off for good. Besides, he might be sure that I'm his, but how does he know?

And how am I supposed to get back to New York?

I'm determined not to fall for the grumpy demon, especially when my first escape attempt lands me in the dungeons, with Glaine as my cellmate. We're chained together, even after he breaks us out of there, and all I want to do is get away from him... which would be a lot easier if he wasn't dedicated to proving that I'm the mate for him-and he's the guy for me.

*Grabbed by the Guard is the sixth book in the Sombra Demons series. It tells the story of Billie and Glaine, a stubborn city girl and the demon guard who wanted a mate so badly, he stole her... and is ready to do whatever it takes to keep her.

I'm a librarian. I love books.

But the one I found in the depository?

Yeah... there's something off about that one-and not only because I had a hard time figuring out if I should shelve it under foreign, occult, fiction, or out of print selections.

I think... I think it's following me.

Does that sound crazy? It might. With my anxiety ratcheting up to eleven after a recent rush of break-ins near my house, I'm more on guard than usual. But robbers usually steal stuff, right? They don't snatch library books and plant them in the librarian's home.

And yet, somehow, that's where I find the book.

That's not the only strange thing that's happening to me. I get this feeling like I'm being followed, but when I look behind me, all I see are shadows. I swear I hear a voice calling to me, too...

Okay. Maybe I am going crazy, but when I finally discover that I'm being haunted by a towering shadow monster with horns and a mournful gaze, I decide it's not so bad.

Especially when he finally finds a way to let me know that I'm his fated mate... and he's mine.

I'm used to getting all sorts of fan mail - but a spellbook?

After an incident on tour leaves me cooped up in my penthouse apartment, on 'vocal rest' for the unforeseen future with only my grumpy pet cat for company this weekend, I'm desperate for a distraction.

At my manager's suggestion, I do something I haven't done in ages: I go through my fan mail. There was enough of it to keep me occupied until she comes back on Monday... but I only get through one bag before I find a package addressed to me.

To me. Not my stage name. Not the name I've gone by since I was sixteen, but my real name.

Color me intrigued

There's a book in there, an old leather-bound book that has me curious. Inside? There's something called a 'true love' spell that, in a whisper since I'm not supposed to be speaking, I read out loud for fun.

Forget vocal rest. When a seven-foot-tall horned creature with glowing red eyes appears in my apartment, I scream so loudly that I think I scare him even more.

I get over it, though. After the life I've lived, I thought I've seen everything - but then I find out that Dagon is an immortal shadow demon, I'm supposedly his fated mate, and he thinks I should give up all the glitz and the glamour and the fame to live with him in his shadow world all because he's claimed me.

Well... I wanted a distraction, didn't I?

*Claimed by the Creature is the fifth book in the Sombra Demons series. It tells the story of Sierra and Dagon (and Three, her cat), a bored starlet with an impulsive streak and the devoted demon who will do anything to make her his...

A year ago, everything was different. I had just left my home, joining the infamous Mountainside Pack. The daughter of an omega wolf, I've always been prized-but not as prized as I would be if my new packmates found out my secret.

But when my fated mate-Mountainside's Alpha-rejected me in front of his whole pack council and my secret got out, I realized I had one choice. Going lone wolf was the only option I had, and I took it.

Now I live in Muncie, hiding in plain sight. If the wolves ever left the mountains surrounding the city, I'd be in big trouble. Good thing that the truce between the vampires and my people is shaky at best and Muncie? It's total vamp territory. Thanks to my new vamp roomie, I get a pass, and I try to forget all about the call of the wolf. It's tough, though. I... I just can't forget my embarrassment-and my anger-from that night.

And then he shows up and my chance at forgetting flies out the damn window.

Ryker Wolfson. He was supposed to be my fated mate, but he chose his pack over our bond. At least, he did-but now that he knows what I've been hiding, he wants me back.

But doesn't he remember?

I told him I'll never be his mate, and there isn't a single thing he can do to change my mind.

To Ryker, that sounds like a challenge. And if there's one thing I know about wolf shifters, it's that they can never resist a challenge.

Just like I'm finding it more difficult than I should to resist him.

I never believed in the paranormal mainly because I never had any reason to-at least, not until I received a telegram from a grandmother I didn't know existed, inviting me to a small town that was nearly impossible to find, full of shifters and witches that shouldn't be real.

Of course, I didn't know that until after I agreed to visit her in her secluded home.

When I pull into town, I almost regret my impulsive decision to take this trip. Bordered on all sides by rivers and mountains and dense forests, Winter Creek is a trap. Once you get in, it's just as difficult to leave. No one has cars here or internet service, and my own phone is a glorified paperweight as soon as I step off the train.

Speaking of the train... I discover too late that it arrives on its rickety tracks once a week if you're lucky. And, of course, there's the small matter of the town's curse.

Turns out there's a reason why my estranged grandmother finally got in touch with me for the first time in twenty-five years. In Winter's Creek, there's a curse involving a coven of witches, the feral wolf who haunts the dark forest, and a woman from seventy years ago who looks enough like me to convince my grandmother that I'm the only one who can break it at last.

When I refuse, I discover that my grandmother isn't just the head witch of Winter Creek-she's the one responsible for the curse that's kept the town in stasis for the last seventy years. To break it, she's willing to do whatever she has to, including sacrificing me to the big, black wolf that's been lurking in the shadows, watching me since my arrival.

Because the beast in the woods is hungry, and I'm the perfect prey...

There's no escaping him...

Fate sucks.

As a shifter, I've always known that Fate-in the form of our goddess, the revered Luna-would have the final say when it came to my life. That includes everything: my pack, my rank, even my forever mate.

And I hate it.

I want to choose. I want my life to be mine, and if that makes me the odd one out in our pack? Oh, well. As a delta, it's not like the higher ranks-our Alpha, his Beta, and the pack council-have much use for me anyway.

Still, even I'll admit I've always been drawn to the Beta of the Sylvan Pack. When I discover that he's my fated mate, it seems like giving in to the Luna's demands might not be such a bad thing after all-until he rejects me for a female he can't even have.

Because, yeah. Not only does Fate suck, it has a twisted sense of humor when it comes to me.

So that's that. I have to pretend like my broken bond isn't a constant ache while watching as my fated mate begs for table scraps from another wolf.

Is it any wonder that I start spending my free time in the woods surrounding our territory?

I wasn't afraid. Even at my low rank, I know I'm scarier than anything else that lurks in the darkness of the trees. But I was wrong-and when I see those insane golden eyes staring at me, I know I'm in deep, deep trouble.

My name is Quinn Malone, and I've just been captured by a feral...

This is a collection that features the two full-length novels in the Stolen Mates series:

The Feral's Captive (Stolen Mates #1) Quinn and Chase

When shifter Quinn is rejected by the wolf who was meant to be her fated mate, she flees to the woods to nurse her wounded heart. But she's not alone - and when Chase, a feral wolf, takes her captive, she discovers just how powerful a bond can really be...

The Beta's Bride (Stolen Mates #2) Helene and West

After learning her fated mate is Rafael, a future Alpha, Omega Helene has no choice but to accept the arranged marriage - but her true love, Beta wolf Weston, is not so quick to give up on love. And he soon proves that he'll do anything to keep her for himself....

*This collection also includes the bonus short story, Chase and the Chains.

Never His Mate (Claws and Fangs #1)

A year after Ryker rejected her in front of his pack, Gemma is shocked when her fated mate returns to make things right. She has no interest in taking him back - but it may be impossible to resist the alpha shifter... especially when he not only knows her secret, but he has a few of his own.

Always Her Mate (Claws and Fangs #2)

Still determined to prove that they belong together, Ryker is willing to do anything to claim Gem as his - these days, she's more than happy to let him. But old enemies and threats for the future begin to interfere with their mating dance as news gets out that she's a rare female alpha. With the another full moon approaching, will Gem finally have Ryker... or will she lose him?

Forever Mates (Claws and Fangs #3)

After their mating ceremony is interrupted by Ryker's former Beta, Gem finally claims her fated mate. She's looking forward to their forever... until the Wicked Wolf summons her to visit her birth pack. When she refuses, he makes a member of the Mountainside Pack pay for it. But Gem's determined not to let anyone ruin her happily ever after...

Hint of Her Blood (Claws and Fangs #4)

After losing her pack, wolf Elizabeth finds herself free at last yet totally alone. But then alluring vampire Aleks appears, willing to do anything for a taste of her... As her dangerous past catches up to them, could Aleks prove to be her fated mate?

Taste of His Skin (Claws and Fangs #5)

With Elizabeth struggling to accept that Aleks wants to take her as his beloved, she uses the looming Claws and Fangs war to reject him in a bid to save her heart. Too late does she realize she's already given it away-and Aleks isn't about to let her take it back. For two hundred years he waited for his second chance, and he found it in a haunted female who needs him to save her.

Stay With Me (Claws and Fangs #6)

The other woman gets her chance at a HEA... Duke is so good for Trish, and even though she might still be the selfish female who once schemed to come between Gem and Ryker, once she sets her sights on him, the big guy doesn't stand a chance. And, after what happened to her in the Wolf District, she's earned him.