The Challenge Page 3

  Her words only troubled Ondine further, her voice shaking a little as she said, “But… you asked me to identify who might be a danger to you. I’m sure at least two of them mean to do you harm, maybe more. How can I stop them if I’m meant to find my mate?”

  “Maybe you’ll do both at once,” Allendra said with a slight smile, and walked away without another word.

  Ondine frowned as she watched her go, then turned her gaze to Zaan. For a second, she looked like she might ask something from him—to help her, maybe, or at least intercede on her behalf—but all she did was incline her head in the smallest of bow and follow Allendra.

  Only when she had disappeared did Zaan raise the closed hand with which he’d reached out toward Allendra and opened it.

  In the center of his palm, encompassing his lines of heart, life, and destiny, a shade darker than the skin of his palm, lay a large circle, broken down by a curved line on one side. It was the same blended depiction of the full moon and rising moon engraved at his feet.

  He stared at it for long minutes, but by the time he lowered his hand he still had no idea whether Allendra had done this on purpose or whether the Source had acted on its own, the way it sometimes did. She couldn’t intend him to be part of her challenge, could she?

  What he did know, without a shadow of a doubt, was that his fated mate resided in this house—and that she wanted nothing to do with him. If all her chosen beings fulfilled her challenge, would she still consider it failed when Zaan was unable to conquer her heart again?

  We hope you enjoyed this introduction to the Fated & Forbidden world. And now…

  DISCOVER THE STORIES!

  While these stories belong to the same universe and all show the aftermath of the prologue you just read, they are stand-alone works and can be read in any order… except for the conclusion, Blood Moon, which should be read last! Some stories might be available from different stores at different times. If you have any question, feel free to contact us, or visit our series website for exclusive content!

  SURRENDERING SAUL

  Holley Trent

  If Saul Ade had known that stepping into his sister’s life would make him a player in the goddess Allendra’s unforgiving game, he would have never left the shadows. If he doesn’t accept the mate she has chosen for him by the rise of the next blood moon, the Sídhe will become human. Unfortunately, the woman he must make his love is a mermaid who once tried to drown his sister’s human best friend. If he’d wanted a mate at all, reckless Laurel O’Cuilinn wouldn’t be it.

  Laurel’s devastated to learn that Saul would rather cede Allendra’s challenge than to be with her, but she’s too practical to sulk. Four weeks isn’t much time to make Saul cast aside his grudges, and she’ll do what she must to help the Sídhe retain their magic—even if it means turning on some of the mermaid charm her fated mate finds so repugnant.

  Allendra’s not the only one who can play games. But unlike the goddess, Laurel plans to play for love—not with it.

  SERENA’S SALVATION

  Crystal Dawn

  Serena is a dark Fae princess who is not looking for a guy. Unfortunately, the powers that be have decided that she, and a group of other beings that represent their world, must mate in order to save what makes them special. The thought of being turned human makes her shudder. Her fae attributes are the biggest thing that makes her who she is.

  Instead of fighting against it, she gives into the threat and searches out her mate only to find he is a human. He is the second son of a king. At least he has royal blood. The problem is it’s human blood and her people have a law against mating with humans. The punishment? Well it’s only death.

  She knows she must go to the human world and convince her fated mate to join with her. Then she has to find a way for them both to survive it. No big deal, right? The fates must be laughing at her and enjoying her dilemma.

  DARK BURN

  Decadent Kane

  The challenge wasn’t meant to be easy. They were set up to fail from the beginning.

  Priya’s the last of her kind…

  After death takes the only family Priya has ever known, she ventures out to find others like her, those who catch fire and fly. But shadow hunters prowl the night ready to kill firebirds like her, and one has found her trail. After a narrow escape she runs into the kind of man she shouldn’t want…a man with silver eyes as if the very moon has been trapped inside his gaze.

  His help won’t be enough when Nicholas finds her.

  Doulzen is a shade by birth, shadow hunter by rite…

  When an extinct white firebird flies through the night sky, fire blazing behind the creature, he knows he has to have it. Pulling the shadows in, he notches his arrow and downs his prey, but when he arrives to catch it, he finds a female running from someone instead. He promised himself he wouldn’t be her protector, he’d get her where she needed to go, but when Nicholas shows up and takes Priya from him, Doulzen finds the mark that tells him she is his fated mate. With darkness at his heels, he will stop at nothing to get her back as his very existence relies on it.

  When Priya and Doulzen find out each other’s secrets, it will take a lot more than fate to bring them back together.

  DRAGON’S COWBOY

  Rinelle Grey

  Dragon shifter Wayrian only became caught in the middle of a fight because her grandfather insisted she be there when the new prince awoke. He wouldn’t be at all impressed that the strange dream suggested she mate with the human, Chase.

  When a reporter shows up and the dragon’s secret is at risk, everyone scatters. Chase takes Wayrian with him back to his father’s cattle station. Despite his fascination with the dragons, he has his own responsibilities.

  But perhaps this dragon shifter and cowboy have something to offer each other?

  COURTING FATE

  Cynthia Fox

  Carolyn Banks never left anything to chance. As the daughter of a cop, her life was always controlled by law and order. Every waking moment was planned from start to finish. Now that her advertising career is taking off, the last thing she needs is a client who drinks too much and ends up in the daily gossip magazines.

  Magnus Lang didn’t have time to worry about pitching his own brewery. Not when there was beer to drink and babes to bed. He’ll just leave the tedious details to Carolyn and her beloved graphs and pie charts. That’s all he really needs her for until a disturbing dream warns him that it was time to find his mate – or lose his shifter abilities and alpha status. Suddenly it’s Carolyn’s scent that has him tipsy and he realizes exactly who his mate will be.

  Unfortunately for Magnus, Carolyn’s father already hates him and another wolf is trying to claim her as his prize. The odds are against him, but he won’t go down without a fight.

  FIRE BRAND

  Kristen Strassel

  Pirates have made an absolute fool out of me. After a violent invasion, I lost my crown and control of The Bay. My fellow sirens have vowed to take our invaders out one by one, luring them to their death with the one thing they can’t resist—sex. But I want to drive those bastards to their knees. I must form an alliance with the King of Chronopolis, the only man who can survive the night in my bed—phoenix shifter Asher MacKay.

  Asher insists he loses a little bit of his humanity every time he spends the night with me. I think ruthless looks good on him. And each night I set his ashes free, I feel something more for him. Damn it. Falling in love was not part of the plan.

  Now that the pirates have checked The Bay off their list of Things to Destroy, they’ve turned their sights to the city of Chronopolis. Asher must choose a Queen that will strengthen his alliances in the region, and apparently, I’m not an option. I’ve already got a proven track record of failure.

  I’ve woken up with the hangover from hell and a fire tattoo on my wrist that tells me what I’ve known all along. Asher and I are meant to be together. The clock is ticking—if we have any chance of saving our cities, I must convinc
e him that I am his Queen before the Blood Moon.

  FALLEN ASHES

  T.F. Walsh

  As the last of her kind, Fallen awakes in a holding cell, but being locked up is the least of her problems.

  She discovers she’s magically bound to a cocky Queen’s Guardian named Saber. Because she’s the last dragon shifter in Tapestry, she’s on everyone’s hit list−especially his−but she doesn’t have time to die by his hand. Fallen has to find her life mate in four weeks or else all of creation in her world will be destroyed.

  Saber never asked to be brought to life. He certainly never asked to be hexed and forced to transform into a mindless shadow assassin. Exiled from the Kingdom, he must rescue his stepfather from the Collector to prove his innocence, otherwise he’ll be hunted and killed. But his plans are temporarily put on hold when he’s captured, imprisoned, and bound to a mysterious blond-haired vixen with a major fire problem.

  With time ticking away for Saber and Fallen, will the two be able to come together to defeat the Collector and save themselves, along with the rest of the world?

  LONE WOLF

  K. de Long

  The Blood Moon’s coming, along with the deadline for Dante to find his fated mate. But he has no intention of going along with the creator Allendra’s plan to pair him off. And he knows he’s not the only one to object.

  He’ll need help, and power. Ria Warren’s got the power… if she can pull her head out of a bottle long enough to lend it to him. Ria’s largely untrained, her powers of divination overwhelming her ability to cope. No one will miss her, when he takes her hostage.

  The road hunting Allendra is long, and he’s gonna drag Ria along kicking and screaming. If only he could make himself stop wishing she’d scream for him a different way instead.

  BLOOD SECRET

  Jacqueline Sweet

  Matthew is a vampire, one of the best earners in the organization. Every night he hunts the streets of San Francisco and brings back fresh blood for his elders. If he keeps it up, he could be looking at a promotion–in a hundred years or so. He wants out but there’s no escaping the organization once you’ve been recruited.

  But then Matthew gets involved in a wager between two gods. If he can avoid falling in love for one month, he’ll be cured. Every supernatural creature will be cured. The gods mean it as a threat, but to Matthew it’s hope. All he has to do is not fall in love, and he’s free.

  It sounded so simple. But then he met Naomi. She was a curvy, desperate field researcher looking into a mysterious blood-related outbreak in the city. She should have been just another prey for Matthew, but she was so much more.

  UNTAMED HART

  Kim Faulks

  The Blood Moon’s rising. Just like all the other summoned creatures, I can feel her call–all the meetings in the world won’t change that. And, I’m like the moon. I serve one purpose and that’s not to find my future–because my future, is as black as my past. I’m the dark wolf of the family–the outcast–the loner. And, I’m here to kill. It’s what I do best. So the clans have turned to me to do what needs to be done. Kill this so called Creator and we’re all free. All I have to do is find a way to get to her in time, because there is no way I’m turning mortal, and there’s no way I’m finding a mate.

  BLOOD MOON

  Kallysten

  When Zaan sensed power gathering across the world, he followed his instincts all the way back to Allendra. He already knew what she was planning to do just as he knew he would not be welcome after centuries of estrangement. He soon finds out he’s right on both counts.

  After he pleads with her to change her mind, Allendra challenges the breeds they created together. They will have to choose love over everything else before the Blood Moon, or risk losing their powers. Zaan realizes he, too, has a role to play here… but is it a role Allendra chose for him, or did he get caught in the challenge by accident?

  Either way, trying to find a way back into her heart will not be an easy task when Allendra seems intent on living in the past…

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF THE CHALLENGE / BLOOD MOON

  Kallysten’s most exciting accomplishment to date was to cross a few thousand miles and an ocean to pursue the love of her life. She strives to give her characters the same ‘happy ever after’ she found… although their lives are significantly stranger than hers! But whether they have fangs or an inner beast, whether they play with magic or with whips, whether they’re looking for ‘the one’ or a single night of fun, in the end it’s all about love…

  To see her other stories, visit http://original.kallysten.net. Subscribe to her readers group for free stories, and to get notices about new releases, discounts and giveaways.

  Table of Contents

  Description

  Copyright

  Contents

  The Challenge

  Discover the stories

  About Kallysten