More by Jan Stryvant
Up until now, Sean has only been fighting battles. He's been fighting them against the demons coming through temporary gates, demonically backed agencies, magic users, or even just plain crazies. But now, now the war, the real war, is about to start as the date for the main gateway, which will be open for two years, draws near. A gateway through which millions of demons will be coming to conquer the world.
And yet there is just so much still to do. Help and reinforcements are flooding in, but people need to be sorted out, infected were necessary, and trained. Supplies need to be organized, and bureaucrats must be dealt with. Plans must be made and often updated as more and more is learned about their enemies and their allies.
It's a tall order for a young man who is barely past his twenty-second birthday, lion or not.
WARNING: "Firestarter" contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language (yes! bad language, bad, bad language - now go stand in the corner until you can behave!), robbery, murder, demons doing nasty things, faux preachers doing worse things, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, confiscation of public property, unscrupulous and manipulative people, polyamory, explicit sex, mayhem, more demons, people who aim to misbehave, gratuitous sex and violence, as well as dairy products gone bad.
As if Sean doesn't have enough problems, is seems that the crazies have finally decided to take him on. Whether it's fanatics who think he's the devil incarnate, or just people looking for any excuse to spread carnage, they've decided that Sean and the lycans present a problem that needs to be eliminated. Then there's that leak in Washington, apparently they didn't remove all of the demonic influences from D.C. like they thought they had.
But even with this added complication to the war, Sean's still very happy to be home once again and back in the arms of his loving wives and family. Estrella's also happy to be back on the side of the gateway on which she belongs, not to mention having finally found a husband and a family. Though things may have changed just a little bit since she left.
WARNING: "Trying Times" contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, robbery, murder, demons doing nasty things, spoiled rich kids, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, destruction of public property, unscrupulous and manipulative people, polyamory, explicit sex, group sex, mayhem, more demons, people who aim to misbehave, gratuitous sex and violence, some poor people who deserved better, and a nod to an old singing duo who were quite talented.
The war has finally begun and the duty of fighting it has fallen to Sean. Now if only he could convince the rest of the world that there really is a war on and it isn't just another 'art installation' at Burning Man. Maybe then he could get some help. Fronting the costs of a war isn't cheap, and while Sean may be making money hand over fist, he's spending it twice as fast. If he doesn't get help soon, the lack of money, food, and supplies will kill him faster than any demon.
Then there's the demons themselves. What comes out of the gates at times seems almost as random as the gates themselves. Some of the groups are obviously coordinated and very well trained making Sean's job of stopping them a hard one. As the gates are getting larger with time until the main one opens, Sean will find his resources and his people being stretched farther and thinner as the immortal demon lords bring their massive armies to bear.
Because humans are food to the demons and the larder is now very full, and they don't intend to leave this time until they've eaten every last one.
WARNING: “Demon Days” contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, robbery, con men, frame jobs, murder, military style raids, blitzkriegs, Burners, self-centered officers, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, destruction of private property, vandalism, planting evidence, polyamory, mayhem, demons, destroyed souls, people who aim to misbehave, gratuitous sex and violence, and a young girl who just knows that she's finally gotten to meet Aslan and ride on his back just like Lucy did!
Sean's found himself trapped in the realm of the demons, and he's also found a mystery there as well - a lioness. How and why she's there, and if she'll help him, he doesn't know yet. But if anyone knows the lay of the land, the demons, and how to get out of there, he figures it would have to be her.
Back home, Adam is doing his best to fit in and not make too many mistakes. At least he heals fast so no one notices the bruised shins from being kicked by Roxy all the time. The war however is already starting to heat up, even without the main gateway being open. Apparently Sean's actions are having an effect, and not necessarily a good one.
But people are pulling together and everyone is starting to discover just how high the stakes really are.
WARNING: "Simple Things" contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, robbery, con men, murder, theft of military supplies, blitzkriegs, demons doing nasty things, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, destruction of public property, an ancient being, polyamory, explicit sex, group sex, mayhem, more demons, people who aim to misbehave, gratuitous sex and violence, and a Senior Chief who thought he found the perfect place to hide while he made his thirty until some brash LT dragged him out and made him go back to work - the nerve of these kids!
Having killed Gradatim's pet demon, Sean now has to move onto Portland, a true Gradatim stronghold. When the Gradatim breaks the silence with an attack on Sean's family, Sean's response is drastic and immediate, yet the Gradatim cannot help but to escalate their own response. Pushed into a corner, Sean and the Lions' response is both drastic and deadly, sending shockwaves through both magical and governmental organizations.
Forced now into a two front war as Sean has to deal with the consequences of his own actions, other parties start to take an interest in him and his crusade as politicians start to wrangle inside the government and council heads look to settle old scores as well as new ones, doing their best to take advantage of the changing dynamic in their own bids to gain power.
But allies have a way of turning up in the places that you least expect, and when it comes time to take a stand, there are still people who will stand for what is right.
WARNING: “Secret Treaties” contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, arson, robbery, attempted murder, actual murder, military style raids, mass combat, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, destruction of private property, thermonuclear devices, vandalism, breaking and entering, kidnapping, secretive government officials, tantric magic, polyamory, mayhem, demons, people who aim to misbehave, gratuitous sex and violence, and a dandelion that was just minding its own business and being all proud because it was the first dandelion to ever grow in Africa, and some guy just picked it, and now there aren't any again.
Once again, Sean's home has been attacked by one of the Councils, only this time they've committed what they hoped would be an overwhelming force. While Sean and his family win the fight, Sean has been seriously wounded and taken out of action. For Roxy and the others, saving Sean's life has become the priority, but there are still things that must be done to secure their victory. Those tasks fall to Sean's other wives as they pick up where Sean left off.
While the Vestibulum may have lost this last battle, they are be no means giving up on the war. They know that they've hurt Sean, so their leaders are hoping that without his leadership, they can launch a new attack and kill him before he has the chance to recover. Word of Sean's difficulties has also spread to some of his other enemies, who are also keen to try and capitalize on these events.
Thankfully, Sean has allies, and they are moving to try and save his life. But can they get there in time?
WARNING: “Stand On It” contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, rabbits fornicating, attempted murder, actual murder, military style raids, mass combat, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, destruction of private property, vandalism, breaking and entering, misleading of government officials, robbery, assault & battery, tantric magic, polyamory, mayhem, people who aim to misbehave, gratuitous sex and violence, and a group of guys who are willing to do whatever it takes to prove to their girlfriends that they really do love them, no matter how embarrassing it is (and trust me, it's embarrassing).
Fresh from his victory in Reno, Sean's now in Las Vegas to fulfill his promise to help the lycans there with their own slavery problems. Thankfully there aren't any mages councils in Las Vegas, the mob took care of that years ago. However, there are a number of casinos that are still very entrenched in the use of lycan slaves, not just as workers, but as entertainment, both public and private.
Then there are all those magic users who come to 'sin city' to play, and many of them play rough when it comes to both the lycans and the mundanes. While shutting down those casinos that won't see reason will help, Sean still has to figure out ways to help Roxy's father and the others in their quest to rein in the worst of the excesses.
They may say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the truth is, what happens in Vegas could very well send a notice to the rest of the nation councils that things are changing, and this lion plays for keeps.
WARNING: “Vegas Rules” contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, arson, robbery, attempted murder, actual murder, military style raids, mass combat, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, destruction of private property, vandalism, breaking and entering, misleading by government officials, tantric magic, polyamory, mayhem, people who aim to misbehave, gratuitous sex and violence, and a guy who makes werewolves play fetch in the park for dog biscuits. (They're really good biscuits, trust me, that's why they haven't killed him yet).
Things are starting to heat up for Sean and for some of his allies as well. The Sacramento Vestibulum council is starting to act in ways that no one had anticipated, and the Gradatim national council is by no means standing idly by either. When several of the councils decide to ban together in a move to eradicate Sean's followers and remove him as well, Sean has no choice other than to try and teach them a painful lesson.
But those aren't all the problems that Sean now has to deal with. More and more people are counting on him as the days go by and the burdens he must shoulder are quickly growing. Between the magical work he must do, the people he must lead, the battles he has to fight, and the money he needs to earn, Sean barely has time for his wives, much less himself these days.
And if dealing with the magic users isn't enough, there are some very 'mundane' issues on the horizon that he may soon find himself dealing with as well.
WARNING: Desperate Measures contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, arson, robbery, attempted murder, actual murder, military style raids, mass combat, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, destruction of private property, blocking of interstate highways, vandalism, breaking and entering, secretive government officials, tantric magic, polyamory, mayhem, demons, people who aim to misbehave, gratuitous sex and violence, and a guy who just wants to send his daughter to the best cooking school in the country.
After having their success against the Ascendants used by the Vestibulum as a cover for the mass murder of their old enemies, Sean has discovered that the Vesti's are far more ruthless and dangerous than the previous two councils he's fought. After two hundred years of holding on to the leadership position among all of the councils, obviously the Vestibulum isn't going to give up anything to anyone.
While Sean promised not to start a war, it's looking more and more like that choice isn't going to be his to make. Especially when the other Ascendant chapters come calling to avenge their dead. Thankfully for Sean, he has witnesses to just what happened, witnesses that will hopefully keep all the other councils from rallying against him. But now will they instead rally against the Vestibulum instead? That could be just as bad for him.
Then there are the people that Sean saved from the Ascendants during the raid, all of whom he's responsible for, and for now has to provide with a place to live as well as protections from the magic of their former masters. Then there are the four dark elves that were freed during the raid, two of which are now very interested in Sean and one of which isn't at all afraid to let him know, constantly.
And just how do you go about introducing your mother to your (several) wives when she shows up in a few days?
WARNING: “When It Falls” contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, attempted murder, actual murder, military style raids, mass combat, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, destruction of private property, vandalism, breaking and entering, robbery, assault & battery, tantric magic, polyamory, mayhem, people who aim to misbehave, gratuitous sex and violence, an opportunistic goblin, and an old man who gets broken out of an old folks home in order to cheat at roulette.
Sean's still up to his neck in trouble, but at least he's finally found an example of his father's work, along with all of his notes. Now all Sean has to do is figure out not only how to reproduce his father's greatest achievement, but to solve the one problem his father wasn't able to. Holed up in a cold war era bomb shelter, all Sean wants to do now is keep his head down and his family safe, while he untangles this latest problem. Like it or not however, Sean has set events in motion that will change the future for all of the mages and supernatural beings involved, should he prove successful. While many may welcome these changes and the freedom it will bring them, some of the more powerful councils will most definitely not. “Over Our Head” contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, attempted murder, actual murder, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, destruction of private property, vandalism, breaking and entering, tantric magic, polyamory, mayhem, gratuitous sex and violence, an opportunistic goblin, and a little girl who knows all about guilt trips.
Things are starting to look up for Sean, he has a safe place to stay, allies, way too many wolves and a couple of dangerously cute werefoxes around now as well. However the other Councils now know that he's serious, after the raid on Gradatim that left several important people dead.
Battle lines are starting to be drawn and the Council of the Ascendants realizes that they're next in line and starts to take precautions while the other councils start to play politics and jockey for position. Even the Council of Vestibulum, the most powerful in both Reno and the rest of the country, is starting to be concerned.
And how could any conflict between these major powers be complete without the assassin hired twelve years ago, being brought back to deal with the son of the man he killed?
WARNING: “Head Down” contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, attempted murder, actual murder, military style raids, mass combat, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, destruction of private property, vandalism, breaking and entering, tantric magic, polyamory, mayhem, bad movie quotes, gratuitous sex and violence, an opportunistic goblin, and Sean being completely and totally clueless about why his friend is embarrassed.
During his junior year in college, Sean finds himself suddenly dropped into the middle of a world that he didn't even know existed. A secret world of magic and magic users, lycanthropes, goblins, and all the other things that go bump in the night. To make matters even more difficult, the very same magic users who had Sean's father killed now believe that Sean will somehow inherit his father's work when he turns twenty-one, which is just a few days away.
Needless to say most of the magic users' councils seem to be in two camps: The first camp wants him dead. The second camp wants him captured and then will probably kill him after they've learned all of his secrets. The only solution Sean sees to any of this is to finish his father's work, the very thing that got his father killed. But in order to do that, Sean must first find out just what his father was working on! He's also going to need to learn magic himself, find a safe place to stay, raise some money, and gain a lot of allies.
Fortunately for Sean he's got two good women at his side: Roxy, a cheetah lycanthrope with a lot of experience in fighting; and Jolene, a tantric witch with more than a few connections in the supernatural black market.
WARNING: “Perfect Strangers” contains explicit sexuality, nudity, violence, bad language, attempted murder, actual murder, self-defense, pro-active self-defense, destruction of private property, vandalism, breaking and entering, tantric magic, polyamory, mayhem, gratuitous sex and violence, littering, breaking speed limits, a used car dealer, one Plymouth hemi, and some poor guy who just wants to earn a paycheck as a cashier.