I know you've gone through a lot, but trust me, it was just a glimpse of something worse than a nightmare. -Hell

Antique store owner Liz brings home a Victorian taxidermy hound from auction, unwittingly unleashing dark forces on her wife and son. ***** Nat Loman has finally married the love of her life, Liz, and is getting used to her role as stepmother to Liz's 5-year-old son, Liam. The Loman family runs a bustling antique business so they attend a sale where a striking, black taxidermied hound is up for auction. Liz picks it up for the business, but it ends up being stored in their home, where Nat notices strange things occurring. She quickly discovers the past residents had died violently. Then she hears from a friend about the myth of "the devil's dog", a hound that perches in the shadows, tearing families apart from the inside. Soon, people around the Lomans are dying, and Liz is changing, darkening. It's up to Nat to save the woman she loves from the darkness closing in, and to save Liam from danger no matter what she has to sacrifice. [[Winner of the 2018 Wattys "Hidden Gems" category]] [[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]

"I have just one thing to add. Use everything you have, and you will succeed. Use anything less, and you will fail. Keep in mind, this is not only your future... this is your destiny. Welcome to The Academy.” When Cassie Elliot is accepted to an elite private school, she isn't quite sure what she's getting into. There seem to be no rules, but cameras everywhere; no tests, but still a way to fail; no way out, but people disappear. It quickly becomes clear that everyone is here for a reason... but what exactly is it?