Contact Information:
Email Address: jess@jessmahler.com
Books By Jess Mahler
Word Count: 13090
Summary: Not every fight ends with glory and honor: sometimes the best you can do is live on. Just when the wolves of Long Valley thought the war couldn't get any worse, a sneak attack cost them everything. Assaulted on two fronts and looking down the abyss of total extinction, the Pack Father will offer full surrender to the lesser of two evils. Now, forced to serve their conquerors and ground down daily into the dirt of humiliation and desperation, the pack will discover: can they afford to pay the price of survival? Pack Father Navin must live with the 'choice' he made for the pack. Pack Second Cyneburg must bow to the conquering general who will use her authority but refuse to heed her words. Elizabet must face bringing a child into a world that cares nothing for them. Follow them as they struggle on and reach -- uncertainly, painfully, endlessly -- for some hope of continuation and a new beginning. Because the true price of survival is this: you need to find a way to go on afterward.
Word Count: 26000
Summary: Reimund Swiđhun has it made. With the king's blessing, he will capture Lady Mildthryth, marry her, and finally have land to call his own. Lady Mildthryth Rúna has been fighting off would-be 'suitors' for months. She will marry on her terms or not at all. On their world, a noblewoman is expected to marry and accept her subordinate place. Unfortunately for Reimund, Milthryth's people have other traditions. She refuses give up and be a broodmare for any of the knights and lordlings the king sends after her. And before long, she has Reimund right where she wants him. For Reimund, the only thing more shameful than being captured by a woman is bending knee to one, but he will do what he must to keep his friends and followers safe. Even if it means spending the rest of his life Bound by His Oath.
Word Count: 2500
Summary: Long has spent months recovering from an encounter with dragonsbane. When Nia recalls him to her service, they try to return to the life they knew. But the dragonsbane has permanently weakened Long. Can he find a way to serve his lady, or does Nia's life have no place for her broken dragon?
Word Count: 32000
Summary: 11 stories of power exchange, love, and magic, including: Fealty Beloved, The baron, my husband, is dead. I am fighting to secure these lands and title in my own right as his widow. If you still feel as you once did, come to me now. I have need of you and your sword both. With all my love, Myrtle, Baroness Fireridge Eryk folded up the well-worn letter and tucked it away in his jerkin. Six months ago Baron Balmont of Cliffside had invited him to swear fealty and become one of Balmont's knights. For the bastard son of the hated Black Baron, the chance to belong was a dream come true. He accepted the lord's invitation without a moment's thought. Three weeks later, Myrtle's letter reached him. Three weeks… ~~~~ I Vant to Suck... Marcus woke unexpectedly, groggy and disoriented. Before he opened his eyes, he knew he had woken early. Even buried in the basement, the sun's weight sapped his strength. Blinking, he strained to bring the world into focus. A huge man with ebony skin stood over him, holding a stake to his chest. So, the ancient vampire mused, there were still things in the world he hadn't seen. The man met Marcus' eyes and froze. Marcus would have laughed if he could. "Go on, hunter." Speaking against the weight of the mid-day sun was like rolling boulders uphill, but then, nothing came easy. "I couldn't stop you if I wanted to. And I am not sure I do." For a long moment, the hunter stared at him. The sun won, sending Marcus back into darkness. ~~~~ A Hole in the Pack The pack gathered at the end of a successful hunt. Flopping down to rest in a clearing, their bellies matched the curve of the full moon overhead. It had been a good hunt, a good night, a good month. They should have been relaxed and playful until the sun sent them on their way. But they weren't. One of their number was missing. The hole in the pack was an ache that pulled at them. Instinctively they left a space where he should be. At the kill, those below him in rank milled about uncertainly when it should have been his turn to eat. Those near him in rank snarled and snapped, seeking to establish precedence around the hole his absence left. He was one of them, but not one of them, and the pack was broken. Sitting apart from the others, the pack leaders surveyed the world, ever alert for possible threat. But the greatest threat came from within. A glance, a flick of an ear, and a decision was made. It was time.
