I used to be a hero. Then I grew up. I'm Kieran Thorne, the world's only living half-fae. The gig comes with a few perks—immortality, magic I can't control, fae assassins constantly on my heels. And the chance to protect the good and the powerless against those who are neither. For hundreds of years, that's what I did. Until I got tired of the humans I saved repaying me by burning me at the stake or shooting me in the heart. I traded in my white hat for a mansion on the beach, and started living by a new creed: look out for myself, and let the humans solve their own problems. But now Winter fae are going missing, and someone has planted a trail of evidence leading right to my door. I have two choices: let Queen Mab's feral enforcer carve me to bits, or help her find the real culprit. Looks like I'm back in the hero business. But this time, I'll remember the lesson it cost me so much to learn:...

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. At least that's what he wants me to think... The good news: I finally know how to defeat Arkanica. The bad news: it means partnering with Charles Engstrom, the company's founder. He says he's changed. That he wants to atone for what he's done. I have my doubts. As if trusting Engstrom weren't bad enough, to put his plan into action I have to team up with my ex. Who happens to have moved on... with none other than Charles Engstrom. Yeah, this isn't going to be awkward or anything. And Arkanica isn't the only enemy I have to worry about. I've got problems a lot closer to home. My out-of-control magic will crush anyone who stands in its way—me included—to get me what I want, whether or not it's what I need. And apparently, what I want is Charles Engstrom dead.

Sometimes even the good guys have to make a deal with a demon. I'm that demon. When a fallen angel killed God, not all priests lost their faith. Some rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Like the ones behind Seed of Renewal—a charity on a mission to create a better world here on earth, since we can't count on heaven anymore. Whatever they're doing, it's working. Crime is down. Kindness is up. Even someone as cynical as me has to admit they may be on to something. I guess someone out there doesn't like that. Because priests from the charity keep turning up in the hospital, their minds wiped clean. These guys are great at handing out food and free hugs, but when it comes to fighting the kind of evil that's gunning for them, they're out of their depth. That's where I come in. I'd be the first to admit we're hardly natural allies. There's no place for people like me in the future they're creating....

Demons are bad. Politicians are worse. The city's next would-be mayor is in bed with demons—literally. He's got big plans to renew the founder's demonic pacts and turn Jarvis back into the hub of glamor and decadence it used to be... by feeding the city's undesirables to the hungry maw of Hell. Politics isn't my game, so where do I come in? Well, demons don't like to leave their wins up to chance. If he can't win the old-fashioned way, he'll do it by going after his opponent's son. I've been hired to protect the kid, which means I'm on babysitting duty until I find a way to shut this guy down. The election is in a week. I've got that long to stop him before he becomes the next mayor and turns the city into an all-you-can-eat demon buffet. And I have to keep the kid safe while I do it. Oh, and did I mention my client has forbidden me from getting my hands dirty? He wants to win this thing fair and square or not at...

The wrong kind of help is worse than none at all... I'm Kieran Thorne—half-fae, former protector of humanity, and currently the only thing standing between the Faerie Courts and the human corporation trying to harvest their magic. Or that's what I used to think. Turns out someone else has been working against Arkanica too—someone with ties to both Faerie and the human world. But his cure might be worse than the disease. Queen Mab agrees... which is why she's sent Vicantha to kill him. This newcomer's plan is foolish. Reckless. Certain to get him killed. If he's lucky, he won't take the rest of the world with him—but I know better than to rely on luck.And now that I've learned about his connection to my own past, I have no choice but to help him send the world to hell.

Say no to drugs... and yes to demons? I thought I'd enjoy seeing the straitlaced Detective Sullivan brought down a peg or two. But now I just feel sorry for the guy. He's had to swallow some harsh truths lately—like that his old-fashioned law-and-order attitude doesn't cut it against demons. He's not taking it well. These days, he looks as worn out and used up as I feel. He doesn't even iron his slacks anymore, which may as well be a sign of the apocalypse. Plus, he keeps knocking on my door with bogus tips about demonic activity. I've got enough on my plate as it is, and most of it I can't do with a cop looking over my shoulder. When he warned me the cops behind a teen anti-drug program are actually demons in human skin, I rolled my eyes and sent him on his way. But it turns out he might not be crying wolf this time. Because some guy with a fancy suit and a government business card just walked into my office,...

Fun with Nic and Jane I keep women at a distance for a reason. Jane most of all. She thinks my life in the shadows is exciting and glamorous. I know better. If I let her get too close, my world will eat her alive. But when her ex gets himself into the kind of trouble I specialize in solving, she's got nowhere else to turn. What am I supposed to do? Watch her get herself killed trying to save the guy on her own? I've got no choice but to let her into my office. Doesn't mean I'm letting her into my life. Because I've got a bad feeling this is no ordinary demon problem. This smells like Heaven's work to me... and considering the well-deserved grudge that place has against me, by my side is the last place anyone should be.

When human justice fails, the desperate call me. You know things are bad when a fallen angel is one of the good guys. Only I'm not much more than human myself now. Not since I lost my magic in the war that defeated the big boss in Heaven for good. I stay away from the supernatural these days. I've got enough regular old human wrongs to right without borrowing trouble I no longer have the firepower to handle. Besides, I paid my dues in the war, and have the scars to prove it. If anyone deserves a little peace and quiet, it's me. That rule worked great until today. Now there's a beautiful woman on my doorstep with a demon problem. She's too innocent for the world she's stumbled into. She doesn't stand a chance on her own. But if I let her in, it's only a matter of time before this job brings me face to face with the consequences of what I did in the war—the secret I've worked so hard to leave behind.

Speak of the devil... So here I am, trouncing an angel as usual at our weekly chess game, when I get the news: God is dead. As the big guy's worst enemy, I should be celebrating, right? Only I had nothing to do with this. My days of rebellion are long over. These days, I'm more interested in living a simple life on Earth—and whoever did this just ruined that for me. Now every demon in Hell is on my case. Lord Lucifer, this is our chance—we need to strike at Heaven while they're weak. Lord Lucifer, the humans are defenseless—we can burn their world to ash. As if I have time to lead a war when I have a date with myself this weekend to try out a new cookie recipe. And sure, burning the humans' cities might be fun, but then what would happen to all the nice restaurants? Worst of all, the one friend I've got has no time for me anymore. He's back to his big-shot angelic duties in...

Cops may be annoying, but vampires just plain suck... Ah, the ever-irritating Detective Sullivan—goody-two-shoes cop and perpetual thorn in my side. He's at my door again demanding answers about strange happenings in the city... what else is new? Only this time, he's not here to threaten me with prison. He needs my help. Humans are turning up dead all across the city, with puncture wounds in their necks and no blood in their bodies. Even a committed skeptic like Sullivan can put two and two together. The city of Jarvis has itself a genuine vampire. And when a vampire claims a city for his own, it's for keeps. But no bloodsucker is going to make my city into his personal snack bar on my watch. All I need is for Sullivan to stay out from underfoot long enough to let me handle this my way. When it comes to Sullivan, though, that may be too much to hope for...

Nic Ward wasn't always Hell's most infamous fallen angel. This is how his story began... In Higher Justice, a guardian angel by the name of Nicariel makes a deal with a demon to bring a killer to justice. In The Dizzy Fall, an Inquisitor is called in to investigate the murder of an angel. And in Devil's Crossroads, Lucifer's quiet life in the suburbs is upended by impossible news: God is dead... These three short stories take place before the start of the Nic Ward urban fantasy series. You can start here or with the first full-length novel, Nothing Sacred.

I'm Kieran Thorne—immortal half-fae and wanted criminal. Don't worry, I'm innocent. Mostly. Arkanica is on the verge of going public with their new "miracle fuel"—blood harvested from captive fae. To stop them, I need to track down the elusive Mr. Engstrom, the man at the center of their operations. A man so deeply hidden that as far as the mundane world is concerned, he doesn't exist. I'm prepared to cross any line to get to him. The part I'm not prepared for: how to stay incognito when every law enforcement agency in the world is after me. And did I mention my magic keeps quitting on me at the exact wrong moment? It's almost like it's trying to get me killed. Good thing death is just another Tuesday for me.