At least that's what I tell myself when I witness the same hot guy commit mass murder three times in a few days. I'm either the luckiest mute boy ever or possibly the unluckiest. Who knows, maybe him kidnapping me will turn into the greatest love story ever told? Hey, it could happen! You never know how these things will turn out. I happen to believe in love and soulmates, and if nothing else, Arlington Fox doesn't treat my disability like a nuisance.

Maybe I have an overactive imagination, but the hot guy next door totally gives off serial killer vibes. Why else would he know how long it takes to bleed out from a wound? Yeah, ok, so I asked, but it was research. Being an author definitely makes for some odd questions (someone had better clear my browser history when I die, that's all I'm saying). It's not like I'm stalking my hot neighbor or anything—there's nothing wrong with watching him out my window. Although I might have my own stalker (and not the cute harmless kind), which is kind of terrifying.

Chase is crazy busy behind the scenes at the fraternity get-together, so when an alumnus comes in, he just notes a hot man in his vicinity and goes right back to work. When Ronan gets hurt and Chase feeds him, Chase's reaction opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Ones that Ronan wants to explore. Is Chase compatible with vampires? Or could he possibly be something more?

Dr. Verion Morrick is complicated. No, really. Not too long ago, Verion was simply a divorced research scientist on Frost Veil that wanted to reconnect with his estranged son. Now, a few years and one death and resurrection later, Verion is a new person - both Death the Crellic Element and Verion Morrick. One being that helped protect the galaxy from an insidious evil.

Raphael has resigned himself to being the matchmaker but never the match. Dating and intimacy are scary, but there’s something about Damien that draws him in. Maybe it’s the lightheartedness that Damien always projects. Maybe it’s his cute horns and dexterous tail. Either way, before Raphael knows it, he’s longing to have Damien as more than just his friend.

Angus grew up around the strange. With his mother able to see and speak to ghosts, he's grown up knowing there are things most people can't see or understand. When he accidentally catches Lance arguing with a ghost, he knows he has to step in before the man thinks he's going crazy. As Lance adjusts to his new ability, he also realizes seeing ghosts has its advantages. When several women are murdered in the area, it's up to Lance and Angus to work with the ghosts of the victims to catch the killer.

Leander Mast didn’t ask to come to Rivenfield, and he definitely didn’t ask to be thrust into the middle of a neighborhood battle over an ancient tree, but as a Giwoggle—who goes wherever a witch might conjure him—he doesn’t have much choice in the matter. And Leander definitely doesn’t count on getting stuck. While Leander attempts to get home, struggling against the magic keeping him from stepping outside the town limits, he butts heads with Ben, his new grumpy neighbor. And it doesn’t help that Leander cut down Ben’s tree.

Sascha has always felt powerless, the weak baby of a cruel family. But that’s fine. He has his looks, his ample allowance, and a smattering of one-night stands to keep him busy. But when Sascha’s oldest brother offends the wrong people, Sascha finds himself in hiding with a target on his back. And when poking around in his temporary home leads to accidentally summoning the hottest demon Sascha could ever imagine, he has to ask himself: does he want to feel powerless anymore?

What happens when you fall and hit the webtoons trope tree? You get killed by Truck-kun, get transported to a fantasy world by a sentient Fae coin, and become the first gay holy maiden. Jake Alexander is Not Happy to be sure. Fortunately in Jake's case, part of the trope tree includes the gorgeous Duke of the North, Theon. And starting a business from scratch, which he's always wanted to do. And revitalizing his new country which is on the verge of collapse.

Adam is not having a good day. First, he finds out his very long-time boyfriend has been having an affair. Then, his dramatic exit becomes a little too dramatic when he ends up dead. To top it off, he finds out that the afterlife isn't at all what he expected (he has no desire to learn to play the harp, thank you very much). Fortunately for him, some afterlife bureaucratic screw-up ends him up with the most smoking-hot demon he's ever seen, and he decides he's keeping him. Maybe the afterlife won't be so bad after all.

When college kid Jude Adler wishes for a new life on a shooting star, he never imagined it would come in the form of a shapeshifting alien who nearly crash-lands his spaceship on top of him, let alone one who chooses to disguise himself as a man inspired by Jude’s wildest fantasies. Al’s ship is damaged and unable to make the flight home, and when he earnestly asks Jude for a safe place to stay until help arrives, how can Jude say no?

Getting kidnapped and held hostage in a human trafficker's basement was not on my bingo card. Getting rescued by a paranormal being was also not on my bingo card. (Apparently, I needed to trade in bingo cards.) The guy who took me may be dead, but I know there are more people behind the operation, and I plan to shut it down. If I need to get the help of one of the creepy glowing-eyed dudes to do it, I will. It turns out Liam is incredibly sexy and really good with technology, too. He may be great at hacking into computers, but I'm determined to hack my way into his life.

Erik Mitchell traveled the world uncovering art fraud and relic theft, which pitted him against spoiled billionaires, unscrupulous collectors, mobsters, and cartels. He worked with law enforcement across the US and Europe, but then a sting goes wrong, Erik ends up injured and returns to find his partner cheating. He decides to stop globetrotting and buy an antique shop in scenic Cape May, New Jersey, rebuild his life, and nurse his broken heart.

Who is the beautiful demonic stranger in my dreams? That’s what I want to know. But between my research at Hex Academy and preparing for my unfortunate nuptials to a fellow witch, I don’t have time to explore why the demon seems so familiar. I just know the demon is important, but why?

Recently graduated at twenty-six, and two months behind on rent, Oliver Barnes is desperate. So desperate, in fact, that he applies for a job in the Greed district of Hell's Pentagram. But when he misses his train and, subsequently, his job interview, he stumbles, instead, upon a strange little coffee shop in the middle of Purgatory's barren desert—and into an unexpected opportunity. It isn't the job he came to Hell for, but maybe it's exactly the job he needs.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

Annie has always had high hopes for her future. But the reality of her life just isn’t measuring up. She loves her fiancé, Greg–doesn’t she? She’s going to get her degree and open her own business–won’t she? Then, a strange old woman shows up outside her house, and she seems to know a lot about Annie. An awful lot. Annie could tell the old woman to get lost. Yet there’s something about her Annie just can’t shake. And what she learns could change her life forever–but is it the life she envisioned?

For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now... something absolutely impossible.

Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.

At least that's what I tell myself when I witness the same hot guy commit mass murder three times in a few days. I'm either the luckiest mute boy ever or possibly the unluckiest. Who knows, maybe him kidnapping me will turn into the greatest love story ever told? Hey, it could happen! You never know how these things will turn out. I happen to believe in love and soulmates, and if nothing else, Arlington Fox doesn't treat my disability like a nuisance.

Life beyond the walls of Eoam, the commune where my mother raised me, has never tempted me. My needs are fulfilled as long as I work, and if my life is full of more sorrow than most, it's because I was born for it. But even I have my limits, and when the people who've raised me do the unthinkable, I burn the walls down and walk away. My first steps away from the commune led me straight into the company of someone I barely knew existed. Edrick was once married to my mother, but the life she lived in the palace never touched me, and I was surprised when Edrick brought me there.

Dr. Verion Morrick is complicated. No, really. Not too long ago, Verion was simply a divorced research scientist on Frost Veil that wanted to reconnect with his estranged son. Now, a few years and one death and resurrection later, Verion is a new person - both Death the Crellic Element and Verion Morrick. One being that helped protect the galaxy from an insidious evil.

After his last boyfriend turned out to be a cheat, Liam Connelly has no interest in dating again, but his parents are determined to see him paired off. When they come to visit, he hires Ambrose to act as his boyfriend. If Ambrose can be a bad boyfriend, he can be a tolerable one too, right? But Ambrose plays the part too well and scores an invitation to spend the Easter weekend with the Connolly family at their winery, and Liam finds himself developing real affection for his fake boyfriend.

Adam is not having a good day. First, he finds out his very long-time boyfriend has been having an affair. Then, his dramatic exit becomes a little too dramatic when he ends up dead. To top it off, he finds out that the afterlife isn't at all what he expected (he has no desire to learn to play the harp, thank you very much). Fortunately for him, some afterlife bureaucratic screw-up ends him up with the most smoking-hot demon he's ever seen, and he decides he's keeping him. Maybe the afterlife won't be so bad after all.

I don't ask for much from life; I get paid, and then I get laid. And piloting spaceships across the galaxy keeps my solo lifestyle well-funded. I don't need a relationship or any of the baggage that comes with it. I like my men like I like my coffee; to go. That is, until the most boring job in the universe goes horribly wrong and I'm snatched from my ship by a seven-foot alien. He's huge, he's purple, and he's ripped as hell. I'm sure I'm a dead man. Only it turns out he doesn't want to kill me. What he wants is far worse.

Join us as we celebrate the THIRDS universe with this collection of flash fiction stories written to prompts submitted by fans. Sometimes we want to know more about our favorite characters. Where they came from, how they became who they are, their families, friendships, and past heartaches. These snippets of moments in time offer an inside look at the lives of our favorite THIRDS characters. Whether it’s first shifts, the forging of unbreakable bonds, or a night full of shenanigans, these stories are sure to enrich your THIRDS listening experience.

Paris's path is clear, his future settled. He's trained his whole life in politics and the running of a kingdom. He's going to be an adviser to the future king, his beloved prince. But when his father dies unexpectedly, the current king takes the opportunity to get rid of him, sending him to the barbaric southern tribe lands of Nemeda as a diplomat. No one has ever returned from the tribes alive.

What happens when you fall and hit the webtoons trope tree? You get killed by Truck-kun, get transported to a fantasy world by a sentient Fae coin, and become the first gay holy maiden. Jake Alexander is Not Happy to be sure. Fortunately in Jake's case, part of the trope tree includes the gorgeous Duke of the North, Theon. And starting a business from scratch, which he's always wanted to do. And revitalizing his new country which is on the verge of collapse.

After two thousand years of providing peace for his people, Notalus was ready to pass on his kingdom to his heir and live out the rest of his days gardening in his fields in the land of Autumn . . . alone. But the Gods had other plans for him. Notalus knew he should've stayed away from the Earth realm after Dustin Constus Hill—the handsome wolf and harvester for the Volkov pack-lands—had imprinted on his soul. Falling for such a divine mortal could not have come at a worse time.

His birth magic leaves Prince Nikola with nothing but bad choices: live as another man's possession, subject to his whims and his desires, or remain dependent on a potion that stunts his powers and prevents him from knowing love. Andreas vows to protect the prince with his life—whether Nikola wants him to or not. After all, the queen pays his soldier's wage. Nikola's nothing but a job to do. But when they find themselves stranded, with Nikola's potion running out, Andreas has to… improvise. Because what Prince Nikola needs to survive is the opposite of a lowly guard's respectful protection.

Chase is crazy busy behind the scenes at the fraternity get-together, so when an alumnus comes in, he just notes a hot man in his vicinity and goes right back to work. When Ronan gets hurt and Chase feeds him, Chase's reaction opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Ones that Ronan wants to explore. Is Chase compatible with vampires? Or could he possibly be something more?

Weirdly, people don’t react overly well when you’re caught standing over the dead body of a murderer who’d walked free. It’s not that I thought my fellow homicide detective would rejoice when he saw what I’d done, but is a pat on the back too much to ask for? Maybe a gold star at the very least? The problem is that the person who caught me is Gabriel, the only person I care for and adore… and he’s prepared to look the other way if I leave homicide and promise to never kill again.

Boraleashe Cavalerie was the opposite of his titan brothers. He was stoic, disagreeable, and his attitude towards others was just as biting as his frost. All titans were required to gift their pure hearts to another—to fall in love—as praise to the divinities for their dominion over an element. Refusal to pledge their heart was considered an act of defiance to the gods. There would be judgment . . . and atonement.

I was born to kill the emperor, but first, I must marry him. I trained as an assassin while my twin sister trained to be the empress. My life will be forfeit once I murder the most powerful man on the continent, but I have no choice. If I fail, the Imperium will consume our nation and anyone who rises against them. Too soon, we walk into the glittering imperial court, each step taking us closer to the dangerous man on the black throne, my sister’s future husband, the newly crowned Emperor of the Southern Imperium.