Rank #345 in General Fiction, March 12, 2016 ----- "Oh, Marcus, Marcus, Marcus..." the demon drawled. "I don't like how you ignore me earlier you know." "When have I ignored you?" Marcus felt his skin hairs raise when Heron grazed his lips on the plane of his neck. "This lunch." "I didn't!" But then Heron's hand moved to pinch his nipples. This ultimately made Marcus whimper, "ahh... Sir Heron!" "I couldn't fucking fight this battle anymore, Marcus. I'm done being patient." His hands left the boy's shirt, traversing up and into Marcus' tensed face. "Oh, how I love the way your lips quake Marcus. Let's begin our training shall we?" And with that, Heron closed the gap of their mouths for the first time. ~ ISY ~ Short Blurb: With Marcus still deciding if he should pursue becoming an exorcist priest or not, he was left with an ancestral house to care for. He needs all the help he can get to clean the house spick-and-span and the demon general of Infernal Armies, Bael, posing as a human butler, Heron, is willing to help him do so. However, surely enough, cleaning is not the only thing the demon wants to do the whole day... ~ ISY ~ Yes, you know it! This is a manxman short story. Gosh, *blushes* This is my first time creating a story in this genre, so yeah... its uncomfortable yet interestingly exciting! Since most of my Sanctum readers ship Marcus and Heron (even though they are both male) and that they wanted a spin-off story of them, so here it is! Enjoy!

*Sequel to Paladin* The kingdom of Thule stands on the brink of civil war between two armies -- the Paladins and the Uriel -- each claiming the right to serve as Thule's protector. Once a Paladin trainee, Lady Samantha of Haywood -- Sam -- has been named a traitor to king and country by the Paladins' High Commander, with a bounty set on her head. Only Sam and her friends know what the people of Thule do not: the High Commander is no ordinary man but something more--something evil. The supposed military hero holds a dark alliance with the demons that have ravaged mankind for millennia, commanding them as easily as he does his men. Worse, he can control Braeden, Sam's half-demon lover, through blood magic long thought extinct. Sam and Braeden set sail across the sea in hopes of finding a way to nullify the High Commander's power. But the secrets they uncover reveal Thule faces an even greater threat. They must return to Thule and warn the Uriel...before it's too late.

Sam is the most promising swordsman among this year’s crop of Paladin trainees...and knows it. Brash, cocky, and unbeatable with a sword (well, almost), Sam is the kingdom of Thule’s best hope against the violence wrought by demons. The only problem is that Sam is really Lady Samantha, daughter of the seventeenth Duke of Haywood, and if her father has his way, she’ll be marrying a Paladin, not becoming one. But Sam has never held much interest in playing damsel-in-distress, and so she rescues herself from a lifetime of boredom and matrimonial drudgery. Pity that Tristan Lyons, the Paladin assigned to train her, is none other than the hero of her childhood. He hasn’t recognized her as Lady Samantha--yet-- but if he does, he’ll take away her sword and send her packing. Sam is not the only trainee hiding secrets: Braeden is a half-demon with a dark past that might be unforgivable. Sam, Braeden and Tristan set out for the western coast, charged with rooting out an infestation of demons that has made the West unlivable. As they travel, they uncover a deep-seated corruption of power that threatens to derail everything they stand for. Rebellion stirs, led by a rival faction of warriors who tempt Sam to join them with an irresistible offer. A war between men is coming, and Sam must pick a side. Will saving the kingdom cost her life -- or just her heart? Reminiscent of Mulan, but with a medieval fantasy twist, Paladin is a tale of adventure, action, and romance.

Darius escaped Envy's reckoning with his life, but lost much in the process. Mortal and vulnerable, he seeks a new reason for his continued existence, and may have found it lurking below the mage city of Itheria. The Sins and their immutable control are broken. The streets are bloodied by Wrath's wayward children. Magic clashes. A winged harridan descends. The King Below threatens Terrestria with destruction. Darius's quest to find redemption will lead him into the void itself, where the former Sin of Pride will be forced to decide just what he is willing to sacrifice for a world he has long ignored and the blue-eyed woman he failed to save. __________________________ Sequel to Bereft: Demise. [ORIGINAL DRAFT ONLY]

Sara and Pride escaped Verweald's dangerous streets, but their quest to kill the Sin of Envy has just begun. In search of a way to end the immortal creature's life, Pride and the dying woman find refuge in the manor of Crow's End, where the residents harbor deadly, secretive histories, and the walls breathe with the memories of a madman as old as time. As their time draws short, Pride must manage an impossible feat no other Sin has accomplished before while Sara tries to survive the madness of Crow's End and come to grips with her own limited mortality. ---------------------------------- [[SEQUEL TO BEREFT]] [[ORIGINAL DRAFT]] [[ Highest Rank: #3 in Fantasy ]] [[Winner of the 2017 Fiction Awards (Best Fantasy Story)]] [[Winner of the 2017 Cryptic Awards (Best Dark Fantasy)]]