Synesthesia is the ability of one feeling to activate another. For instance, a taste with a sound or a color brings up a smell. When I thought about killing, it made all my senses buzz louder than a fire alarm. It felt bright as the sun, tasty like Shanaya’s burger, and sounded like birds singing ...

Andre stands at the dock as we arrive and greets us. “Here are your groceries, Miss Galton. Did you and Tamara have a good time together?” Jessica grins, “Oh, we did! Tamara’s a sweetheart. Fizz likes her too!” Fizz honks in apparent agreement at her side. I smile and remain silent. “Nice meeting you, Tamara. ...

We hit the surface with a loud thwack, my heart leaping into my throat. I force down the granola bar still clutched in my shaking hands, washing it down with water when it gets stuck in the back of my throat. “You should have eaten breakfast, babe.” Xander glances at me with concern in his ...

Despite the look on Wesic’s face when Luna tossed his ship, building a case against him would be harder than making him jump at the accusation. She paced the lift on the return trip to the command center. Thus far, the evidence she’d collected was circumstantial, little better than the case some asshole could build ...

We were designed to feed for survival. What began as simple sustenance, a bulwark against decay, evolved with time into pleasure—and then, in sin, transgression. Killing others had been the same—just another necessity, now forbidden. But prohibitions meant nothing to someone like me, long severed from faith or its comforts. Holiness never tempted me—not even ...

The Hangar is teaming with activity. Crewmembers weave in and around the submersibles. “Wow, this is as busy as I’ve ever seen this place,” Sophie comments. She sidesteps two crewmen carrying an underwater drone. Nathan nods, watching groups of three stock each sub with torpedoes of every size. “We started when Xander messaged me what ...

My first reading of “Little Red Riding Hood” left me pondering the wolf’s ability to impersonate the grandmother, leading to the girl’s demise. Years later, it’s clear it was not about the girl being too naïve but about the beast’s commitment to his goal, and I truly related to it. Years passed, and my father’s ...

The clamor of her ringing cell phone earned a groan from the hungover blonde. With a swipe of a hand, the device sailed to the floor to disarm the blaring ringtone. Shifting away from the noise, she peered out the window, trying to tell the time. Her estimated guess, was midday by the bright sun ...

The following silence is deafening. I try to wrap my head around this information. Nathan frowns. “Are you sure?” “I’ve been staring at that thing for the last two days.” Sophie swallows. “I’m sure.” “Christ. Aren’t they extinct?” Xander runs his fingers through his hair. “How are they in the sixteenth century?” Eddie clears his ...

Even with Astor’s head on her shoulder and her fingers tracing post-coital patterns along her side, Luna couldn’t get Dunnagan’s stupid expression out of her mind. Inhaling the floral scent wafting off her golden waves only strengthened Luna’s conviction of her innocence, but left to the stillness of her thoughts, the irreconcilable information she’d learned ...