Like a flame, desire kept me warm, and sometimes it devoured me. — Before my death, I had been a sensualist. The only moments that mattered were the ones filled with pleasure. Maria said that was the reason the darkness claimed me in the first place. I knew that wasn’t true. The darkness cares nothing for pleasure. It was 1927, and the Army…

Feast of the Nativity: Raphael reflects that God put flesh on the spirit for a reason. — Raphael left behind his life as parish priest on Christmas Eve. It was a tradition that none of the angels should remain enfleshed through the feast day of the Lord’s incarnation. So, he disposed of his possessions and shed his new body for the final time with a mixture of…

Having stood behind her father for over a decade, Avestine had learned to make the first cut the deepest. — This story continues from here. This story is a prequel to Darklaw Saga, published by Tantalizing Tales and Redemption Magazine. Read the series here. Avestine was in the throne room listening to another excuse for why the city walls were not repaired when a messenger arrived with an urgent request…

Dark motives and deception between two species of man — What It Means to Be Human is morally meaty and action-packed. It was also originally a novel. Maybe you’re wondering how an author edits down a seventy-thousand-word book into a five-thousand-word story. Maybe you’re wondering why she would. Virtue is a psychiatrist and agent for the Protectorate of the Virens…

What guaranteed her victory was that she was utterly ruthless. — This story continues from here. This story is a prequel to Darklaw Saga, published by Tantalizing Tales and Redemption Magazine. Read the series here. When warm skin rubbed against her, Avestine awoke. She rolled onto her back, and her chambermaid climbed on top of her. The small, naked body slid…

She had done what her father had failed to do, what the legates said no one could do. — This story is a prequel to Darklaw Saga, published by Tantalizing Tales and Redemption Magazine. Read the series here. The legions were Avestine’s joy, their strength resounding in the pounding of thousands of hobnailed boots on hardpacked roads. She swelled at the thought of the bodies, thousands upon thousands of…

Feast of the Epiphany: Raphael discovers Lillian’s prayer. — When Raphael left St. Mary of the Angels Parish, he left the parishioners to ponder their mysterious impersonator. Like most tales, it would grow in the telling. Still, Raphael’s thoughts never strayed far from Lillian, and he continued to listen, still bemused by her missing prayer. On the last day…