Texas was the first to declare independence when martial law was imposed on the citizens of the old US. Given the wars in Central America along with the economic collapse, the "Gang of Four" ruling Washington could do little to stop the states in the west and southwest from declaring secession. A shoot-on-sight policy was implemented for curfews, which led to dozens of incidents involving US troops firing on civilians. Ev...

Belgium, late May 1815 It had been a month since Thomas left the Farm, and the green peace of Spain now seemed like a hallucination—a dream conjured under silk sheets and candlelight. Here, in the churned mud of Belgium, there were no velvet walls, no warm hearths. Only smoke, sweat, and the thunder of boots against ruined roads. The Rifle Brigade had received him with mixed eyes—respect for the insignia on his shoulder,...

Their last kiss was laced with a passion meant to linger and sustain. Then, he marched to war, head high, ignorant of the horrors ahead. When his eyes clenched to the red, she appeared in a yellow dress. Soft breasts pillowed his head in the hardened trench. Her pink lips soothed his sores, and rose scents masked the stench. They made love in the bedroom of his mind. Impassioned cries became the birdsong, drowning out dea...

~ooOoo~ My husband is back, Approaching with his devilish grin, Remembering that spot on my neck, That relishes his lips. ~~~ As his fingers explore me, He reminds me my lover's returned, Caressing my needy flesh, Slipping inside me with ease. It's like he never left, or so I thought, Until his intensity becomes palpable. Kisses bruise, then linger, Squeezing hugs dent my skin, As if he's afraid I might disappear any mome...

Arden The rain made quick work of the fire, and I directed my men to help move the family whose house had been struck to a nearby barn, where they could stay for a couple of nights until we could repair their house. They finished quickly, and with a nod, I dismissed them to their drinking and debauchery for the evening. The revelry in the town square would be done for the night, but the tavern was still open. My men would...

Sadice I thought I was over her, until she rode into town with her company of one hundred and fifty men. Arden had aged since the last time I saw her. A scar ran down one side of her face, and her hair had a white streak where the scar disappeared up into her scalp. There were lines where there had been none, and her normally quiet face kept a slight frown in place as if it belonged there. But I would know those eyes in a...

Although all his friends laughed at him Blake knew that mermaids are real. It was a strange thing for a cowboy to talk about, since he lived and worked, well, inland, away from the ocean. However, after every cattle drive instead of hitting up a cathouse or saloon, he went to San Francisco. He spent all day sitting on a pier and watched the ocean, looking for his beloved mermaid. Blake was a veteran of the War Between the...

Skeldergate Hill laid bare in squalor that cold morning - upturned earth, the stink of decaying man flesh, drying horseshit. The King of Sylfur's nostrils dilated as it overfilled with the all-too-familiar stench of a hard battle waged. He was resplendent in yellow-gold armour among the grey metal of his army. The King with gritted teeth surveyed the opposing forces ten thousand strong just two fields away. It was day two...