Everyone in his life knows he doesn't do girlfriends. Or wives.
Then his brothers decided to prove him wrong... and the is wedding for Halloween night.
WICKED BLOODLINES is my Team Mobsters entry in 31 Days of Trick or Treat 2026: Biker & Mobster — the same collab that gave you Bloody Jack last October. Opposite side of the street this time and unapologetic about it.
Book Title: Cressida’s Agents
Author Name: Mikala Ash
Date Published: June 7, 2025
Genre: Steampunk, Murder Mystery, Romance
About the Book:
Replete with all the trappings of an alternate world -- airships, steam powered aircraft, automatons, moon bases, and witches with psychic powers -- Cressida’s Agents is a steamy thrill-a-minute ride in a universe of what could have been.
Cressida Troy, after being mesmerised into betraying humanity, is now the wife of Mon Ilson, the alien leader, and is crowned Empress of Space. While pretending to be the love of his long-life, Cressida is desperately seeking a way to redeem herself, and somehow save human civilization from destruction at his hands. Then her former fiancé, Jacob, is captured and brought to the moon. Can she earn back his love, or has her seeming betrayal hurt him too much?
Meanwhile on Earth, Marjorie, in the guise of brothel madam and casino owner is acting as an agent of Mon Ilson. Her goal is to learn from him the secret of immortality, and for now she must do his bidding. A violent assassination attempt on her airship Fortuna brings her into the strong arms of handsome Squadron Leader, Sir Christopher “Kit” Colby. Her attempt to uncover the mastermind behind the plot leads them both into deadly danger.
Retailer Link: https://books2read.com/CressidasAgents
Changeling Press: https://www.changelingpress.com/cressida-s-agents-empire-of-the-sky-3-b-3635
READ AN EXCERPT
Bauble-like, the Earth shone down on ash-hued desolation, embarrassing the barren scene with exuberant fecundity. Patches of white lace speckled the deep blue of the oceans and brushed the rich ochre of North Africa. Above was Europe and, if I squinted my eyes, I fancied I could see my island home, the lush green of England.
My breast ached with a fervent yearning.
My husband, Mon Ilson, the self-anointed Emperor of Space, drew me closer and kissed my neck. “It will all be ours, my love.”
“When?”
“In due time, my darling.” He pulled me to him, and I snuggled against his muscular chest. “Do you miss it so?”
I thought a moment and shook my head. “Not when I am with you.”
His lips brushed my earlobe. “We will return soon. I promise. Our plans advance by the day. Once again you will walk upon the green grass and feel fresh air upon your cheeks.”
I turned my head and returned his kiss, deepening it, allowing the stirring in my quim to mask the confusion of my thoughts. As homesick as I was, did I really want to go back? Could I conquer my guilt? I feared that with the first step the grass beneath my feet would turn to cinders as dead as the lunar dust.
Much had happened to me in the year since I’d left the world of my birth. I was no longer the same woman, the naive and selfish Cressida Troy who’d been fooled into betraying humanity. That silly girl had become Nil Ilson, Empress of Space, wife to Mon Ilson, and co-leader of the Lunarians. I was no longer responsible only for myself. Thousands now depended upon me, be they hideous goblins, or those who’d “adopted” human bodies.
In the deepest recesses of my mind, where I was safe from mental probing, I knew that I’d been possessed, mesmerised into being a traitor to humanity, deceiving my fiancé, Jacob McLeary, and then killing the two greatest threats to Mon Ilson’s plans, Fleur and Horatio Cumberland.
The problem was only the agent of my apparent treachery knew that. The spirit of a murdered girl, Marjorie Gilbert. She had taken over my mind and had deluded me into believing I loved Mon Ilson, and deceived him into believing it too. She’d also tricked him into giving her advanced knowledge of witchcraft. My anger at her was tempered by the realisation she had not done this to me out of maliciousness, but so she could regain her body which had been stolen by Mon Ilson’s goblins. Because she loved me, Marjorie had confessed this, and passed on all the magical powers and knowledge Mon Ilson had given her, including the ability to hide my deepest thoughts.
That was the past. I had committed myself to saving humanity from enslavement at my husband’s hands. How I would accomplish this I did not know. I was impatient. Biding my time waiting for an opportunity to present itself was both frustrating and dangerous. Not only could I be discovered, but I ran the greater risk of letting my growing love for Mon Ilson blind me to the chance if it arose, and then could I bring myself to exploit it? That I had come to love him no longer surprised me. Over the last year I’d learned his dreams, ruled alongside him, and shared his bed. I’d seen firsthand what an extraordinary and charismatic man he was, and in other circumstances I would have unreservedly given him my heart and soul. However, those benign conditions did not exist. The reality was Mon Ilson was a murderer.
A moan escaped my lips as Mon Ilson caressed a hardening nipple. We were lying on a couch in the top deck of the royal barge, he behind me, with one leg draped over my hip. In the crease of my posterior his cock stirred.
I wiggled against him. “Make love to me,” I murmured.
“That was my intention.”
My husband deftly lifted the hem of my robe and pressed the swollen head of his cock against my quim. He gently nudged apart the moist lips and effortlessly slid inside. With a slight adjustment of his hips the tip of his cock touched that especially sensitive flesh on the roof of my cunny. Pure pleasure flooded my system.
Mon Ilson was over a thousand years old, and with countless sexual liaisons behind him he had developed techniques that ensured a woman’s complete satisfaction, and men too. He used sexual magic to bond his people to him after he transferred their spirits from their goblin bodies into the vacant husks of murdered humans, a process they termed Adoption.
When Marjorie had occupied my mind she would stimulate my senses from the inside, maximising my pleasure, and bonding me even more tightly to Mon Ilson’s influence, and made him even more convinced of his devotion to me. He had been trapped in Marjorie’s web of deceit just as tightly as I had. His hold over his people was not just through sexual magic, but the promise of eternal life. Only he could give them that. Only he could transfer their goblin souls into human bodies. That was why Marjorie stayed his servant, hoping to learn the trick. Though she had possessed me, she didn’t know how. That was the one secret Mon Ilson did not share with her. Marjorie wanted so much to live, over and over again, that she would do anything for him.
Now that she was gone from my mind, my physical reactions to his lovemaking were under my control. To overcome my natural aversion to him -- a murdering megalomaniac goblin in a human body -- I used magic to bury my repugnance, project lustful thoughts, and intensify my physical reactions.
“Fuck me harder,” I encouraged him.
His technique, with my magic, quickly filled my body with the pulsating energy that took me to the precipice of climax, a cliff edge from which I gladly launched myself, and was lifted like a skyrocket to an explosive culmination.
My response caused him to reach his own conclusion, and he filled me with his copious essence. He wanted children, and my tardiness to provide the gift was, from his perspective, the only negative aspect in our relationship. Not that he put any pressure on me -- he loved me too much, but I’d felt his need. The reality was that any unnecessary delay would need to be explained and defended. I knew of no reason to defer the inevitable any longer. Though I had control of my fertility, when and by whom I became pregnant, it was not something I expected to enjoy despite my intention to use magic to remove the more onerous aspects that plague many women. At most it would be awkward. Being with child might give me the leverage I needed to control Mon Ilson’s ambitions and hopefully mitigate the worst excesses of the invasion, if not avoid it completely.
My husband’s kisses became more fervent, and he resumed his lusty thrusts. He used his own magic to remain hard, and he fucked me to another shattering climax. Another glut of his seed filled me to overflowing, and those fireworks exploded in my head once more. We lay in each other’s arms, his cock still rigid, while our ragged breathing slowly returned to normal.
“My Lord,” Gloria said diffidently. While we recovered, she had waited by the bed, head bowed, her hands clasped before her shaven quim. Gloria had befriended me after I’d been first kidnapped. She was blonde, with caramel eyes, and a deliciously curved mouth. Like all Lunarian women who’d adopted a human body, Gloria was not only beautiful with a spectacular bosom and narrow waist, but she was also obsessed with sex. I gave her a smile, and she nodded acknowledgement. “Nil Ilson, I am so sorry to interrupt. The humans have sent a vessel beyond the atmosphere.”
Mon Ilson sat up. “Have they really?”
Author Info:
Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress
Author on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikala.ash.9
Author on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ash_mikala
Aussie Mikala Ash used to be a mild-mannered training & development consultant by day, and a wild sci-fi and paranormal adventure writer by night. Now she is a brazen full-time writer and nature photographer who is concentrating on having among other things, “… bags, and bags of fun!” Mikala can be found on Facebook and on Twitter.
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Emma -- I’m a coward. I know it. Being with Josh is nothing but one long nightmare, and I need to leave him, but I can’t escape. He’ll hunt me down, and I’ll pay. I’ve survived for the sake of our son, Cody, but for how much longer can I hold out? I’m not afraid to admit I need help, but do I dare reach out to someone? Moving to a new town might give me the opportunity. I just need to find the courage to run.
Axe -- As an alpha wolf shifter, I’ve lived a long time. I have my brothers in the Devoted Guardians MC, and the townspeople of Wolf Creek. What I don’t have is a mate and family of my own. So I give back where I can. I accept an assignment to mentor a kid who needed a Big Wolf. Instead I find the family I’ve always wanted. Emma is my mate. My wolf knows it. But she’s in trouble. Before I can claim her, I need to get her away from the abusive human she’s with. Then I’ll tackle the biggest issue of all -- Emma has no idea shifters exist.
WARNING: This is a Devoted Guardians MC novella and contains adult scenes that may trigger some readers. Guaranteed happily-ever-after, no cheating, and no cliffhanger. For audiences 18+.
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2022 Harley Wylde & Jessica Coulter Smith
Axe
I stared at the message on my phone and scanned the area again. I’d agreed to meet my new Little Wolf at the park. The agency said the mom seemed nervous, and I could understand. Having a strange man meet with you and your kid had to be frightening. Even though the agency vetted everyone, I admired the woman for being cautious.
Just to be safe, I messaged the program director. She could send the mom a picture of me and let her know I was nearby. I’d had more than one mom freak out when I got close to their kid. Didn’t matter I was an alpha wolf. Our special town didn’t have one pack. It had many. Only certain wolves, like me and a few others, could handle being around other alphas without feeling the need to fight for dominance. Which was why not just any shifter would be permitted to move here. Each alpha had to pass a series of tests and interviews.
I finally spotted a kid who matched the picture the agency sent. Cody Carter. He looked small for his age. Most eight-year-old shifters were much bigger. Even if it looked like he wouldn’t officially be eight for another week, he still shouldn’t look so scrawny. Even rabbit shifters and deer weren’t as fragile in appearance as this kid.
Approaching the swings, I stopped a few feet away. From the corner of my eye, I saw a pretty blonde pop up from a nearby bench, her tense posture alerting me to the fact this had to be her son. She hadn’t so much as twitched until I approached the boy.
“You Cody?” I asked.
“Yes, sir.”
I smiled, liking how polite he was. His mother must have raised him right. “My name is Alexander, but everyone calls me Axe. I’m with the Big Wolf Little Wolf program.”
Cody’s eyes went wide. “Really?”
I nodded. “Yep. I thought we could get to know each other a bit today, and maybe set up our next visit.”
The swing stopped, and Cody shifted on the seat. He cast a furtive glance at his mother before focusing on me again. I wondered about that quick look but maintained eye contact with the kid. Until the breeze shifted. Every muscle in my body locked up tight, and my eyes shifted to that of my wolf. I felt a rumbling growl build inside me as the sweetest scent filled my nose. My mouth watered and my fangs ached. What the fuck? I’d never had such a reaction to a simple scent before.
The sound of dry grass crunching drew my attention to Cody’s mom. And that’s when I realized how truly fucked I was -- because the tantalizing smell was coming from Emma Carter. I breathed in deeper and realized something was seriously wrong. These two didn’t have a drop of shifter blood in them. In fact, they were one hundred percent human. What the hell were they doing in Wolf Creek?
She tugged at her sleeves and crossed her arms, then dropped them to her sides again. The way she shifted from foot to foot told me her fight-or-flight response was kicking in. She might not realize I was a predator, but something inside her could feel it. Didn’t matter, I wouldn’t hurt her. I’d sooner cut off my paw.
The woman jolted and pulled her phone from her pocket. The way her face relaxed told me it was likely the text from the program director. Better later than never, but the timing sucked. I should have held back and not approached for another minute or two, given them time to reach out to her. Perhaps she wouldn’t have been as frightened.
She turned her face away, and it felt like someone had punched me in the gut. Even though she’d done her best to hide it, I could see the bruising under her makeup. Some asshole had dared put their hands on her? I’d slaughter them!
The intensity of my feelings startled me, and I nearly took a step back. Sure, I hated the thought of anyone abusing a woman or kid, but not once had I reacted like this. Something seemed different about these two, and I wasn’t entirely certain what it was. If this were a fairy tale, I’d say I’d just found my mate. Except fated mates didn’t really exist. This town was proof enough. Shifters paired up much the same as humans did, with the caveat that it would be forever. We didn’t believe in divorce, which meant we entered relationships with a shit ton of caution. And yet… every breath I took pulled in more of her scent, and the longer I looked at the bruising on her skin, the angrier I became. No, anger didn’t encompass the emotion. Rage. Pure hatred for whoever had touched her.
My gums ached and saliva pooled in my mouth. My beast wanted to sink his teeth into the person responsible and rend him limb from limb. I decided it had to be a “he.” Even our most volatile female wouldn’t have done this, and a human woman wouldn’t have done so much damage. Otherwise, I felt certain Emma would have been able to dodge the blow or run away.
I took a deep breath. Then another. Slowly, I calmed the wolf inside me before he decided to come all the way out. The last thing I needed to do was scare either of them. Something told me neither of these two knew about shifters. I forced myself to smile and wave at Emma.
“I’m Axe Tremaine. You must be Cody’s mom, Emma. It’s nice to meet the both of you. I was just telling Cody that I’m with Big Wolf Little Wolf.”
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. “You’re the one they sent? I thought…”
Part of me wanted to be offended, but compared to her tiny stature, I probably seemed like a huge beast. Pretty accurate. Despite the wolf lurking under my skin, I still wouldn’t have done something like beat on someone weaker than me. Whoever had hurt her needed to be taught a lesson. Or possibly buried in the woods after being torn apart. I was leaning toward option two at the moment.
“Guess I’m not what you imagined.”
Harley Wylde is the International Bestselling Author of the Dixie Reapers MC, Devil's Boneyard MC, and Hades Abyss MC series. When Harley's writing, her motto is the hotter the better -- off-the-charts sex, commanding men, and the women who can't deny them. If you want men who talk dirty, are sexy as hell, and take what they want, then you've come to the right place. She doesn't shy away from the dangers and nastiness in the world, bringing those realities to the pages of her books, but always gives her characters a happily-ever-after and makes sure the bad guys get what they deserve.
Find Harley Online: Website | Facebook | TikTok | Patreon
Award-winning author Jessica Coulter Smith has been in love with the written word since she was a child writing her first stories in crayon. Today she's a multi-published author of over seventy-five novellas and novels. Romance is an integral part of her world and she firmly believes that love will find you at the right time, even if Mr. Right is literally out of this world.
Find Jessica Online: Facebook | Website
Provoking Odium
Cynthia Sax
(Cyborg Unity, #1)
Publication date: June 21st 2022
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction
A Beautiful Cyborg
While accompanying his leader on a mission, Odium, an E Model cyborg, hears a distress call over the communication lines. The voice on that message makes his circuits surge with energy and all his systems light up. He has to respond to the mysterious female, would risk his lifespan and the lifespans of everyone on board their ship to protect her.
A Human Female Others Call Beast
Briella gained her nickname due to her flying abilities, her fearlessness, and her scarred countenance. Her verbal-only relationship with the sexy cyborg who answers her distress call is a steamy yet short-lived fantasy. His kind is physically perfect, and she is…not. He will uncover that truth when…if they survive the attack upon her freighter.
***
Provoking Odium is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a human female intent on remaining mysterious, a cyborg warrior determined to uncover her identity, and an enemy seeking to destroy them both before they have the opportunity to meet.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
—
EXCERPT:
Briella should leave now, before Mohini and Odium met. Seeing the two of them together would tear her soul apart.
But then the doors opened, and the toes of two huge black boots became visible.
She lifted her gaze and her breath caught. That footwear was attached to an equally large male.
Odium was built like the warrior he was. The body armor barely contained his muscular form. Well-maintained weapons decorated the garment. His stance was strong. His hips were narrow. His shoulders were wide.
Desire hit Briella like a missile, almost knocking her over.
She’d researched E Models, had seen some of his kind on Mercury Minor, and she believed she knew what to expect.
But her overly active imagination had fallen far short of envisioning Odium. His hair was the blackest black. His skin was gray. Not one scar marred his countenance. His eyes were dark.
His face. Stars. His face.
All the cyborgs she’d met had been handsome. Odium, however, was Mohini-levels of beautiful. He was that exquisite female’s physical match.
Briella’s desolation escalated. She took a step backward.
Odium’s nostrils flared. He turned his head, gazed directly at her.
She froze in place. That was impossible. There were hundreds of beings stationed between them. He must merely be looking in her direction.
Seeking to test that theory, she shifted to the right.
His gaze tracked her.
Her warrior had somehow located her in the crowd.
Briella’s palms dampened. Her stomach knotted.
Others sought to speak to Odium. He didn’t look at those beings. His focus was on her.
It was heady, exciting, worrisome. She brushed her fingers over her goggles. They were in place, so her eyes were hidden.
He saw her scars. Those couldn’t be concealed.
But he couldn’t view the worst of her disfigurements, the part of her that had evoked fear and hatred in her kind, that made the toughest of warriors avoid her.
She could endure his perusal, could stand her ground and—
Mohini approached Odium.
His gaze flicked toward the female.
Her friend was impossible for any male to ignore. And her cyborg was certainly a male. He vibrated with vitality, with power.
Briella wanted him with every cell in her body.
Mohini appeared as enthralled with Odium. Her eyes glowed with interest. Her lips moved. Her friend’s words were too softly spoken for Briella to hear.
But she could imagine what was being said, and every flirtatious comment, every glance, every movement was a dagger stuck deep into her face. The pain, the torment lashed her again and again.
It was unbearable. Panic filled her. She couldn’t do this, couldn’t stand by passively and watch her friend seduce the male she wanted. That was beyond her capabilities.
She turned away from them and ran.
Author Bio:
For updates on characters and for very bad jokes, sign up for Cynthia's monthly newsletter at http://cynthiasax.com
USA Today Bestselling author Cynthia Sax is currently writing cyborg and alien romances with high heat levels. These stories are set in a shared dark, gritty, sometimes violent world. There is always a romantic happy ending between the main characters and this happy ending is FOREVER. But everyone else is in danger.
Her stories have been featured in Star Magazine, Real Time With Bill Maher, and numerous best of... top ten lists.
She loves writing fated to mate or instalove romances as this is her personal experience with love. She fell in love with her Dear Wonderful Hubby at first sight and 25 plus years later, they're still very much in love. This is what she wishes for her characters and for her readers.
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