The aliens kill every human they catch, or in rare cases, put trackers on them to discover their hidden villages. When Natalie is caught in an ambush, she is unexpectedly released. But there is no tracker. The Saursunes have an entirely different motive this time. *** Run. Don't look back. When Natalie is trapped in an alien ambush, she is unexpectedly released. The first human to ever be let go. The Saursunes invaded centuries ago, and everyone knows that getting caught is certain death. Natalie is confused but grateful to be alive. As a porter, one of the few humans with the rare ability to teleport between special crystal formations, she must leave the safety of her desert village every day to help gather food. When other villages increase their raids on the Saursunes' farms, the aliens retaliate by hunting down every human they can find - except Natalie's group. Instead of trying to kill her and those helping her, they bring them food instead. Is it a trap? Or something else? Natalie isn't sure, but one thing is certain: the Saursunes aren't done with her yet.

On the run, Willow stumbles into a bandit ambush and is rescued by a lone traveler. He reluctantly agrees to help protect her on the forest paths if she can guide him to his destination. His distant demeanor suddenly changes after she returns his cloak, not realizing he is a selkie, nor aware that if someone returns a selkie's cloak, the selkie falls in love with them. As they travel, she discovers that he's everything she ever wanted in a husband, but learns that it comes at a cost - and that cost is his freedom. Note: If you're looking for a typical lore-based selkie story, I'm afraid you won't find it here. But if you're looking for a hopeful selkie and an uninformed human, then you have come to the right place. ONC 2025 awards: Ambassador's pick award, Round 2 winner, and Short List award. Based on the Open Novella Contest prompt #110: "20 days of freedom." Cover was made with incredible patience by: SayWatt74 (Cardin Watts)

Hordes of strange, unranked zombies are appearing and threatening to overrun the remaining human Strongholds, as Trinity and her companions race to find out who's behind it. Season 5 of The Virus Within *** As if a handful of zombies with strange traits weren't bad enough, they're now appearing in hordes...And there are still no leads on who's creating them or where they're coming from. Trinity tries to protect the humans while Nina struggles to understand the zombie triggers, only to make a surprising discovery. The triggers are coming undone on their own. The unranked will eventually disappear-but this means Wren will lose her mind and sanity unless Trinity can find the group responsible and help Nina save her. The clock is ticking and the hunt is on as both human and zombie lives are on the line in this action-packed fifth installment of 'The Virus Within' series.

Season 4 of The Virus Within Trinity is familiar with zombies, being one herself, but when strange zombies start appearing, she realizes that the world she knew might be changing yet again. When a dangerous set of scientific notes are discovered, Trinity and her friends don't realize anything is wrong until a frantic radio call comes in. Unaware of the notes, they race to the south and struggle to determine where the strange zombies came from. The zombies are unlike any ranks previously seen, and they aren't as predictable. Some have new tricks hidden up sleeves, forcing any Stronghold they encounter to quickly adapt to the new challenge or risk being overrun. Secrets never remain hidden, and zombie apocalypses never make life easy.

If you're a zombie, how far would you be willing to go to save the two people you care about the most? Season 3 of The Virus Within * * * * * Trinity isn't about to let anything stop her. Come hell or high water, she's determined to get Jess and Nicky back. And heaven help anyone who stands in her way. Whoever said 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' had clearly never met a Nightstalker on the warpath. The blood moon is shedding its red light upon the night, and the hunt is on. The question remains, whose blood will be spilled first? And who will survive? Forget the dish soap. Grab the rutabagas and the firecrackers for this rescue mission.

The third wave is looming, mere weeks away, but in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, problems never come just one at a time. Season 2 of The Virus Within * * * * * Life isn't easy, and that's doubly true when you're a zombie surrounded by humans, a crazy redhead, and a far-too-curious scientist. Once you add in a long-lost sister and a Terror who doesn't know how to zombie, peace and quiet are the last things you'll find. Reports of a Nightstalker attack come mere weeks before the third wave is due, and Trinity is one of the few who have the necessary skills to take on such a zombie. Leaving her sister in the safety of the Stronghold, Trinity joins the rest of the group as they embark on a road trip to locate the feral creature before it can kill anyone else. Trouble looms on the horizon like a thunderstorm, and where there's thunder, there's lightning. You better pack your dish soap because the third wave isn't waiting for anyone. Cover designed by Marie Tilmant

I will be your heart, if you will be my shield. In a world where magic supposedly didn't exist, Serena has spent years struggling to conceal her unpredictable singing magic. While wishing for a peaceful life where she can sing without fear, she sees a man in handcuffs being forced into a shady research center. Their eyes meet, and the soulbond is forged. Darien is not from this world, and he's been held captive for years. With the soulbond amplifying his strength, he can fight his way through almost everything, but not every danger can be fought with fists. Their love draws them together even as power-hungry enemies try to pry them apart. They want to control Darien for their own purposes, but he's too strong to be controlled by force. Their love is their greatest strength-and their biggest vulnerability. But magic has its own rules, and no song can go unanswered. Excerpt: I pitied the man, although with so many cops around him, he was quite dangerous. Who needed 30 police officers to supervise one guy who in handcuffs and leg shackles? I watched him walk down the gauntlet between the rows of officers. It was as if I couldn't look away. He paused and looked around. His brilliant glowing blue eyes seemed to meet mine across the vast distance. I couldn't even blink as his eyes seemed to hold mine. The trees of a park broke our locked gaze as the bus kept on driving. I took a deep breath, suddenly realizing that I had stopped breathing the moment our eyes met. I had never seen such blue eyes before-and they glowed! A shiver ran through me. I had been too far away to make out the color of the man's eyes. My eyes watched the trees, hoping for a break in them so I could see the man again. I had no such luck. --- Fade-to-black action fantasy romance Copyright November 2017. Readers may not copy, alter, translate, or steal this story. Fanfictions may use my *world* and *magic rules* as long as credit is given.

If dish soap, rutabagas, and firecrackers aren't an essential part of your zombie apocalypse kit, you better grab them now! Season 1 of The Virus Within (SERIES IS COMPLETED!) * * * * * * * Trinity fights against the bloodthirsty influences of the zombie virus as she searches for her sister, hoping to find her still alive among the scattered survivors. But even if Trinity manages to find her, how will Jess react when she discovers Trinity is a zombie? When a group of survivors gets stranded by a vehicle malfunction, Trinity decides to guide them to safety. Rediscovering her sense of humor was the last thing she ever expected, but it just might be her best defense in keeping her humanity, especially on a zombie-infested road trip with more bad luck than potholes. But time is running out as the third wave of the deadly outbreak rapidly spreads. Trinity must decide if she can trust a backwater scientist who thinks she can help her new friends, all while combating the effects of the virus that threatens to steal what's left of her humanity. Cover designed by Marie Tilmant

In the future, everyone who's bitten by a zombie turns into one... until Diane doesn't. Seven days later, she's facing consequences she never imagined. * * * * * As civilization collapses under a relentless wave of zombies, Diane and her friends take shelter in a military base. However, while she's rescuing another survivor, Diane gets bitten by one of the monsters. She hides it and runs away, knowing she only has days left to live. But she soon discovers she isn't turning into a zombie - she's turning into something else. --------- Excerpt: I looked up and stared. My reflection looked back at me in the mirror of the dark room. My eyes were literally glowing, there was no mistaking it. It was not a reflection of light, or any of the other excuses I had used or others had assumed. They were glowing a light sapphire blue color. It was not a bright glow, but it was definitely a glow. Glowing eyes were not normal. Okay, at this point I had to admit it, I was no longer normal. What was I then? For that, I had no answer [[Word count: 495,000]] Copyright August 2016. All Rights Reserved. Readers may not copy, alter, or steal this story. Fanfictions are allowed to use my *world* and *zombie rules* as long as credit is given. Cover was lovingly made by JimenaVivancoo.

When Desmond Mellow transfers to an elite all-boys high school, he immediately gets a bad impression of his new deskmate, Ivan Moonrich. Gorgeous, mysterious, and menacing, Ivan is exactly what Desmond doesn't need in his life - or so he thinks... ***** After causing trouble in his previous high school, Desmond is struggling to adapt to his new environment at Ivory High and to stop living in the shadow of his perfect older brother. As usual, trouble follows Desmond wherever he goes and nothing is going well. To make matters worse, he seems to have attracted the attention of The Class Prince, aka the infamous Ivan Moonrich. But despite their rocky start, Desmond begins to grow feelings for Ivan, discovering a new side of his identity that he never thought to experience. [[word count: 50,000 - 60,000]] Cover designed by Joe Resch