Asexual

Nerissa has always been fascinated with humans, but when her seal skin goes missing, she's trapped in human form—which is way more human that she wants to be. Desperate to find the missing trunk that holds her skin, she winds up at Lorelei's bakery and soon finds herself drawn to the other woman. Lorelei offers Nerissa a place to stay, and friendship soon turns to further...

Wes loves his life traveling the Pagan festival circuit, but he loved it more when he wasn't harangued by women a little too fond of his picture in a popular charity calendar—a calendar that mucked up his bio by stating that he's single, but leaving out that he's not straight. Wes's appeals to the company to change the bio come to nothing until Nash, a lawyer from the company, shows up and...

All proceeds from this anthology will be donated to the Hispanic Federation to assist with hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. A Faire Encounter by A.M. Valenza—Elena is working the Renaissance Faire with her cousin Luís when she spots the Cutest Girl Ever, a yawning, shivering, chubby little thing dressed up in a dragon onesie. The only problem is getting her attention. She...

Maika is the right hand and occasional lover of the notorious sand raider known only as the Dust Rider. When they raid a caravan he expects the usual bounty of food and gunpowder. He does not expect Dani, the soft, beautiful, stubborn gardener delivering plants to a prince's pleasure garden, but he's happy to take both plants and man back to the sand raider's home. Though Dani is far from happy...

The London of tomorrow is a city under strain, its people divided by the very technology meant to bring them closer together. At surface level, the capital is a bright, neon lit metropolis. But in the tunnels of the former underground network, an older way of life persists—one where people aren't constantly monitored by artificial implants. A life-saving surgery has left Allyn Morgan...

Liang is a painter. While there's nothing else he'd rather do, he's ready to be finished with his current commission; he's been in one place far too long and it's starting to wear. His only relief is in the lucid dreams he's been having. They feature the same strange man, and though he seems to find Liang incredibly frustrating, he keeps returning to Liang's dreams. The conversations are often...

Clara Gutierrez is a highly-skilled technician specializing in the popular 'Raise' AI companions. Her childhood in a migrant worker family has left her uncomfortable with lingering in any one place, so she sticks around just long enough to replenish her funds before she moves on, her only constant companion Joanie, a fierce, energetic Raise hummingbird. Sal is a fully autonomous robot, the...

Every time something goes missing from the village, Sir Violet makes his way to the dragon's cave and negotiates the item's return. It's annoying, but at least the dragon is polite. But when the dragon steals a person, that's a step too far. As Sir Violet ventures out to get the missing baker back, however, he quickly realizes things are not at all what they seem... Content notes (possible...

Renna has just qualified as a mage and been offered a lucrative job halfway across the country. But getting there is another matter entirely, for the Galloway is lined with the bodies of those who dared to cross her new employer, and old songs relate tales of long-dead kings and graveyard courts. Hired to protect her on the journey is a grumpy mercenary who spends more time drinking than talking...

Princess Anette doesn't love her fiancé, Prince Everett, and despite constant assurances from everyone around her, knows she never will. It's not that he's terrible, it's simply that she doesn't love anyone, or want to be with anyone, the way the rest of the world says she should. But princesses must marry princes. She's expected to have her proper happily ever after. So Annette tries her...

Ninety-nine years after going into cryo, Matty wakes up to a world he doesn't know, with no memories of the world—or the man he loves—that he left behind. This new world is full of suspicion and darkness, humanity having moved underground in the aftermath of the mysterious Event. And as Matty's memories return, along with his beloved Arkady, instead of his life getting easier, he...

Carnack rules a vast kingdom, with millions of people looking to him for leadership and protection. But he wasn't born royalty, and never had any interest in taking care of anyone but himself. So what changes a cold and ruthless mercenary into a trusted and caring king? That story begins with a belt buckle, and the unexpectedly complicated adventure required to obtain it... Content notes...

Dexter Wu's life is hectic, but he's managing—mostly. He's on the verge of finishing grad school, and that means putting the final touches on his number one project: HAL, a social robot and children's storytelling companion. But his best friend is leaving the country for good, his birthday's coming up, he's swamped with studying for finals, and he hasn't slept in days. He's also going to...