Dark Occult

Thrust into a new world full of magic and monsters, Layla has finally come to terms with her supernatural powers - and left her old life behind. But her enemies are relentless. Sixteen months after her life changed forever, Layla and her team are besieged during a rescue attempt gone awry and must fight their way through to freedom. It turns out that Avalon has only grown since their last encounter, adding fresh villains to its horde. Meanwhile, revelations abound as Layla confronts twists and betrayals in her own life, with each new detail adding to the shadow that looms over her.

Layla Cassidy has always wanted a normal life, and the chance to put her father's brutal legacy behind her. And in her final year of university she's finally found it. Or so she thinks. But when Layla accidentally activates an ancient scroll, she is bestowed with an incredible, inhuman power. She plunges into a dangerous new world, full of mythical creatures and menace - all while a group of fanatics will stop at nothing to turn her abilities to their cause.

Fiona Garris never believed in ghosts or evil spirits. A loner by nature, all she wants to do is complete her latest freelance assignment and retreat to her city apartment. But when she suddenly inherits the sprawling estate of an uncle she barely knew, Fiona soon discovers that the supernatural is all too real. Deep within her uncle’s mansion, a vault has been hidden away from prying eyes, built to hold a very special collection of dolls. But these are no ordinary playthings. Each one is a vessel for a lost soul, an evil spirit.

Black magic murders, Satanic sex cults, and demonic possession are the diabolical practices that grab the tabloid headlines and reinforce the myth that evil and an unhealthy obsession with the occult are to blame for our increasingly violent society. But is the truth even darker and more disturbing?

The sexy, thrilling adventures continue in best-selling author Keri Arthur's new Dark Angels series, set in the realm of danger and desire known as the Guardian World.... Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones can enter the realm between life and death, and she can see the Reapers who collect the souls of the dead. Now, she is using her gifts - and the investigative know-how of a man who broke her heart - to find a cabal searching for the power to control time, reality, and fate. And this is besides her work for the Vampire Council, half of whom want her dead.

Something is wrong with the souls of Chicago's dead. Ghosts are walking the streets, and Agent of Death Madeline Black's exasperating boss wants her to figure out why. And while work is bad enough, Maddy has a plethora of personal problems too. Now that Gabriel has been assigned as her thrall, their relationship has hit an impasse. At least her sleazy ex-fiance Nathaniel is out of the picture - or so she thinks....

Night falls. It came like a malignant shadow with seductive promises of power. And somewhere in the night...a small girl smiled as her mother burned...asylum inmates slaughtered their attendants...in slimy tunnels once-human creatures gathered. Madness raged as the lights began to fade and humanity was attacked by an ancient, unstoppable evil.

Three neighboring villages on the Ukrainian/Romanian border are the final refuge for the last of the mythical creatures of Eastern Europe. Now, on the eve of the war that may eradicate their kind - and with the ruthless Night Police descending upon their sanctuary - they tell their stories and confront their destinies.

That there is darkness at the heart of the Yuletide season should not surprise. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is filled with scenes that are unsettling. The hideous children - Want and Ignorance - beneath the robe of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. In the finest versions of this story, the best parts are the terrifying parts. Best-selling author and editor Christopher Golden shares his love for Christmas horror stories with this anthology of all-new short fiction from some of the most talented and original writers of horror today.

After Cora Glass’s life was stolen by Harrow Faire, things just keep going from bad to worse. Unable to run, unable to escape, there seems to be no way to avoid what she’s become - the Contortionist. But a girl can only take so much. Haunted by an abandoned and seemingly sentient circus? Fine. The life of her best friend threatened unless she sacrificed herself? Fine. Tormented and stalked by a grinning madman who wanted to kill her, and now wants to do worse? That’s where Cora has to draw the line.

In late 15th century England, two young princes are given over by Merlin to the protection of their uncle, King Richard III. They soon vanish from sight, igniting tales of their demise at Richard’s hand and breeding unrest throughout the land. Nathanial Garrett, also known as Hellequin, is sent to London to decipher fact from rumor and uncovers a plot to replace the king. But his investigation quickly becomes personal when he learns that an old nemesis is involved.

'Outstandingly weird and memorable' GUARDIAN 'Deliciously creepy' NEW SCIENTIST Fear never dies… Featuring stories from Susan Barker, J K Chukwu, Bridget Collins, Mariana Enríquez, Michel Faber, Lewis Hancox, Emilia Hart, Ainslie Hogarth, Robert Lautner, Adorah Nworah, Irenosen Okojie, Lucy...

Published in 1927, Scottish writer John Buchan's Witch Wood is set in a rural parish located in the Scottish Borders during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The story centers around newly ordained minister David Sempill's arrival in Woodilee in the wake of the Church of Scotland's acceptance of the Solemn League and Covenant and explores themes and issues surrounding religious tolerance and seventeenth-century Calvinism. With pagan rituals, an outbreak of the plague, and rumors about fairies and the devil, Witch Wood also delves into the supernatural and occult.

A series of seemingly motiveless murders of supernatural creatures points to a vigilante targeting the supe community of Scranton. Markowski wouldn’t normally have much of a problem with that, but his daughter may be next on the killer’s list... Justin Gustainis was born in Northeast Pennsylvania in 1951. He attended college at the University of Scranton, a Jesuit university that figures prominently in several of his writings. He is currently a Professor of Communication at Plattsburgh State University.

Five years after a tragic expedition put New Hope Island back in the headlines, past-his-prime crime author Dennis Thorpe leads a writers' retreat to that secluded corner of the Hebrides.... The group is never seen again. Ruthie Gillespie, the beautiful, heavily tattooed, hard-drinking author of dark tales for children, was supposed to be among their number, but something stopped her at the eleventh hour, and it isn't long before the police come knocking.

After years of struggle, Layla Cassidy has finally mastered the dark powers that threatened to control her and turned them to good. She’s ready to fight, but the next battle will be her greatest test yet. The forces of Avalon are growing ever stronger, reinforcing their dominance with almighty displays of brutality. When Abaddon comes close to crushing Layla and her friends, it’s clear that the thunder of war is about to give way to lightning—and that they have no chance of surviving it alone. The final battle against Abaddon is drawing closer.

A new dark comedy series by the creator of DeathCreator! Shtulls had fought a bloody war for the human kingdom despite not being one himself. He watched his men die and struggled on until he beat the demonic emperor and returned home a hero. But on the eve of his medal ceremony, he encountered a being that changed his life for better or worse. Now he is cursed, poor, homeless, and without mana. His curse forces him to say or do whatever he thinks is the worst thing possible and has robbed him of his honor and dignity.

Fiona managed to save her town from demons. Now there’s a bounty on her head. When Fiona consumed the demon king’s aether, she half expected that it would kill her. Now she’s stuck with Lord Balor’s dark energy ravaging her soul. Gabriel has left Mountain Shadow, and the town has been invaded by ghost hunters and the crew of a hit reality-TV show. To make matters worse, Fiona’s fight at Busk Fest attracted the attention of the most powerful hunters in the Brotherhood. They’ve put a bounty on Fiona’s head, making her a target for freelance hunters.

On what is supposed to be a night of joyous reunion for Lance Brody, instead he witnesses a terrible crime. A human life taken. The murderer does not flee the scene. Does not attempt to fight back. Instead he only offers Lance these words: “The devil in the woods made me do it.” Knowing that the universe has guided him to another town that needs his help, Lance Brody and his group of new companions begin to dig deeper into the evil that has plagued the town’s woods for centuries.

The year is 1492, and Cristopher Columbus has just sailed the Ocean Blue. But in the town of Kessel, Germany, the club-footed Adolphus von Kessel finally finds the strength to leave his hometown after he is invited to work for Doktor Lommel, a well-known physician who works in the large, prosperous town of Wiesbaden. Leaving behind his rural life, Adolphus becomes a Barber-Surgeon apprentice with Dr. Lommel, and marries Sofia, a pretty and well-adjusted girl who even has a daughter, Hilde.