Kyle Alexander Romines

The authors publishing under the Hellbender Books imprint have gathered together to produce a volume of short stories. These spine-tingling tales of horror of suspense and by up and coming writers in the genre. Included in this volume: Foreword - Thomas M. MalafarinaIntroduction - Catherine JordanParallelism - Thomas M. MalafarinaPanty Lines - Catherine JordanA Modern Fable - John B. KachubaDelerium Tremens - Kyle Alexander RominesChirurgeon - Chris Pisano & Brian KoscienskiSuspect Number Twelve - Michael L. HawleyEscalation - J. B. TonerChihuahuas - Will FalconerThe Mimics - Travis LeibertLaney - Thomas M. MalafarinaMean Streak - Catherine JordanHeaven Scent - John B. KachubaThe Torment of the Crows - Kyle Alexander RominesIcelus - Chris Pisano & Brian KoscienskiThe Day in the Life of a Navy Helicopter Pilot, 1989 - Michael L. HawleyThe Kindly Dark - J. B. TonerThe Hangin' Tree - Thomas M. MalafarinaBurning For You - Will Falconer... and a handful of horror classicsBiographies

From the time she was a child, Morwen of Cashel has dreamed of becoming a mage. Finally, the day of choosing has arrived, and the entire kingdom waits with bated breath to see if she will join the ranks of the heroes of old. To earn acceptance into the order of mages, Morwen must first pass a series of rigorous trials, but no one could prepare her for the greatest challenge of all-choosing between her heart's desire and doing what is right.

Ravenna of Munster is the most dangerous woman in F l. A princess. A sorceress. A murderess. In Esben Berengar, she found a second chance at happiness. But revenge cost her everything-including her throne. Stripped of her crown and banished from Munster, Ravenna finds herself at her lowest point. But even in defeat, a dark sorceress is a formidable adversary, and Ravenna still has plans for F l...and Berengar.

Years ago, when violent purges plunged D n Aulin into chaos, Warden Esben Berengar was sent to restore order by any means necessary. He did so with such brutal efficiency he became known throughout F l as the High Queen's Monster. All is not forgiven. When the hunt for a mysterious enemy leads Berengar back to D n Aulin, an old friend's request thrusts him headfirst into danger. In the Ceremony of the Cursed Blade, the sword used by the Lord of Shadows in his conquest of F l will change possession, and it's up to Berengar to keep the blade from falling into the wrong hands. To do that he'll have to survive vengeful goblins, bloodthirsty monster hunters, Leinster's powerful Thieves Guild, and worse. Much worse.

When heroes fail, send a monster. When a dispute with a band of bloodthirsty mercenaries turns deadly, the townspeople want Warden Esben Berengar held accountable. The local lord offers to overlook Berengar's crimes in exchange for help finding his niece, abducted by a monster. But nothing's ever that easy, and Berengar soon finds himself cursed by a witch. He has three days to lift the curse and face the monsters--human and otherwise--that stand in his way to save the girl. Berengar's no hero, but he'll have to do. Darker times are coming, and the land of F l needs a warden more than ever. Step into a dangerous new world of fantasy and magic, where the greatest monsters are the ones that lurk inside us.

After the emergence of the destructive, godlike Titans, the world is more dangerous than ever. When drone pilot David Hunter is recruited to join a top-secret military program, he learns the government has captured the Titan Prometheus. Once considered a hero by many, Prometheus is now an empty shell, retrofitted with technology to serve as a new kind of drone-and it's David's task to use the Titan's powers on the government's behalf. David has his own reasons to distrust Titans, but when he discovers some vestiges of Prometheus' consciousness remain, it sets in motion a course of events that will cause him to learn what it means to be a hero.

The year is 1795. Frankenstein's monster has given his creator an ultimatum: Victor must build the creature a mate, or watch as the monster destroys everything and everyone he has ever loved. You know their story. You don't know hers. She is born into darkness, her destiny entwined with an unspeakable evil. Her sole companion is her creator, the inscrutable Victor Frankenstein, gatekeeper to a life she has never experienced. As her understanding of humanity takes shape, she must contend with the horrific nature of her intended mate and conflicting feelings for her creator. She wants more from life than to be the bride of Frankenstein's monster, but will she seek freedom, vengeance, or something else entirely?

The future. Millennia of scientific discovery have led to mankind's greatest feat: the invention of time travel, a technology with a potential for learning and scientific advancement rivaled only by its potential catastrophic consequences. To prevent such outcomes, the world government has carefully restricted the technology, limiting its use and study to a selected few. Dr. Amelia Lewis is a temporal historian charged with uncovering humanity's greatest unsolved historical mysteries during her voyages into the timestream. It is on one of these missions that she witnesses something more terrifying than anything mankind has ever encountered-a monstrous entity that exists outside of time itself. Amelia's journeys into the past have drawn its gaze, and now it seeks to devour her. As she desperately seeks a way a to save herself, Amelia discovers that everyone she cares about is being erased from existence. The fabric of her life is beginning to unravel. Soon, there may not be anything to go back to. BONUS, ALTERNATE ENDING INCLUDED