Sandinista Jones is a high school senior with a punk rock name and a broken heart. The death of her single mother has left Sandinista alone in the world, subject to the random vulnerability of everyday life. When the school system lets her down, her grief and instability intensify, and she ponders a violent act of revenge. Still, in the midst of her crisis, she gets a job at The Pale Circus, a funky vintage clothing shop, and finds friendship and camaraderie with her coworker, a boy struggling with his own secrets. Even as Sandinista sees the failures of those with power and authority, she's offered the chance to survive through the redemptive power of friendship. Now she must choose between faith and forgiveness or violence and vengeance.

Angelyn Stark has a secret.One day, her neighbor and friend, Nathan, saw something happen. Something between Angelyn and her stepfather. Then he told his grandmother, who was always looking out for Angelyn, and it turned into a mess. But Nathan didn't know what he was talking about then, and he doesn't know now.Three years later, Angelyn is in high school and she thinks she's getting along fine--but there's a young teacher who wants to help her. He says she has potential she isn't living up to. Nobody has ever cared this way about Angelyn, not since Nathan's grandmother, anyway. But what does Mr. Rossi really want from her? And once Angelyn starts falling for him, does she really care?

Is a little time alone with the man you love too much to ask?Well, it may be—when you’re Persephone Alcmedi, Lustrata of the witches, and your lover is Domn Lup of the wærewolves. For once, however, the disturbance is not Seph’s foster daughter, Beverly, her wacky grandmother, or her newly rediscovered mother. This time, it’s the ancient and incredibly sexy vampire Menessos, bearing bad news: because the vampire council fears he is plotting a power grab, Menessos is being hunted by a trio of truth-seeking vampire sisters so dangerous they are usually kept locked in stone.His dreams imperiled, Menessos needs Seph more than ever . . . and she needs him. Now, Seph has magical promises to fulfill for the wæres, multiple mundane family challenges to meet, vampire politics to confront . . . and into the bargain she’s balancing two sexy supernatural males. It’s enough to drive any woman insane, especially when you throw in a dragon and—even worse—a government investigator. As danger threatens, Seph isn’t sure she can stay alive for the rest of the day . . . let alone long enough to accomplish all that needs to be done.

Jewel Markess and her den of street children have been given shelter in House Terafin. The price for them to remain there is that Jewel must prove her value to the House.Jewel has been assigned the task of finding entryways to the ancient undercity that lies beneath the streest of the empire's capital. But even with the aid of the most powerful First Circle Mage of the Order of Knowledge, Jewel's search seems hopeless.All of the ways into the undercity seem to be magically disappearing before Jewel can lead the mage to them. And if they can't find a means to reach the undercity, they will not be able to prevent the demon kin from achieving whatever they are planning.Then the unthinkable happens -- a direct attack on House Terafin -- and suddenly the stakes are raised to a whole new level....