Bai adored the spotlight. Night after night of awed gasps and amazed cheers as he flew through the air with his acrobatics troupe and their exceedingly well practiced routine. On stage, he was a ghost, a phantom for the hero to defeat. With his flowing white hair, the shrill cry of his flute, and the fluttering of his ornate costume aided by his own wind magic, he made quite the spectacle. Off stage, life had been unchanged for as long as he could remember. With poor vision that left him unfit for many kinds of labor, he'd been sold to the traveling circus at a young age by his poor family. Everything for his use was always in the same spot, everything always the same bright colors. Life off stage, outside of practice, consisted of such exciting tasks as using his wind magic to keep the flies out of the mess tent, and helping the never ending quantities of laundry to dry. Indentured to the show, raised by the stage, he'd never known anything else. He'd never considered anything else. But one fateful night when a wealthy foreign noble has all the other performers anxious to perform their best, Bai learns he's still able to be bought and sold. Whether he wants it or not, heir to the throne of Gelsan, Prince Kamau, is going to thrust Bai onto an entirely different stage... This story can also be found on Royal Road 👋

Vampire mafioso Nino's addictive arrangement with human Ben is upended when Nino's sister drops her young daughter into their care, forcing them to masquerade as a happy family - or risk the child becoming a pawn in a high-stakes vampire divorce. Standalone in the Picky Eater series *** Everything between vampire mafioso, Nino, and a human with high-quality blood, Ben, has been about feeding, sex, and a place for Nino to stay in the city. The deal is simple - In exchange for paying Ben's living expenses, Nino can drink Ben's blood whenever he wants. Their routine is comfortable, and slightly too addictive, until Nino's sister, Bianca, crashes into their lives on the run from her ex-husband...who also happens to be a powerful vampire mobster. When Bianca offers Ben a better deal he can't refuse and drops Nino's niece into their laps, Ben and Nino must pretend to be a happy family before she's used as collateral for the century's most dramatic vampire divorce. Season 1 of Picky Eater WARNING: This story contains mature content that may not be suitable for some readers.