Showing results for "The Natural" in LGBTQ+

Five short stories that give glimpses into the lives of Griffin, Jorie, and the other characters from Second Nature.

Hayden Walker might be trapped in Willow Lake by guilt and duty, but he's no one's alpha. It doesn't matter how many times people call him Alpha, with a capital A like it's his name, he just isn't—just ask his last pack. They had no problem rejecting him to follow his traitorous brother, Robbie, twelve years ago.

Central Park birder Christian Cooper takes us beyond the viral video that shocked a nation and into a world of avian adventures, global excursions, and the unexpected lessons you can learn from a life spent looking up. "Wondrous . . . captivating.”—Ed Yong, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of...

Cat shifter Simon refuses to jeopardize any of his nine lives, thank you very much. That saying "curiosity killed the cat" won't ever apply to him. No way, no how. Except...When he's out hunting for field mice one night, he finds the most wonderful whistle. It's magical and intriguing and so very, very pretty. He knows he should return it, but what's the worst that could happen if he blew on it first? Just once.

Jake is absolutely, completely ordinary, even if he has a weird painting affliction. Painting is relaxing, right? It helps. It's a form of art therapy. Even if his painting is the subconscious kind. The middle-of-the-night, paint-while-you-sleep kind. The kind that makes him puke every single time it happens. Okay. So, maybe that’s not exactly normal. But when a sexy but presumably imaginary guy with horns, who Jake's strange painterly alter-ego has been fixated on for the last year, suddenly shows up in town with horns and all, Jake doesn't know what to think.

Jeremy has always wanted to befriend mythical creatures, play with forbidden magic, and meet his fated mate. Okay, okay. He knows the difference between fiction and real life; he is an author after all . . . Or he would be if he ever got to "The End" on one of his stories. So he realizes his desire to live inside a fantasy romance novel is a touch unrealistic, but where is the joy in living a life that is boring and predictable and overwhelmingly blah?

Ash is technically a fire mage, but he can't do much. Turning his bedroom lights on and off without having to get out of bed isn't exactly awe inspiring, not when anyone with the right gadget could clap and do the same thing. Worse, sometimes he senses something bigger and brighter lurking under his skin, and it feels so familiar he knows it has to be his magic, but then he burps or sneezes, and the feeling passes. So it's probably just allergies . . . or gas. Yeah . . . Not exactly brimming with magical oomph. Not anymore. It sucks.

A riveting story of survival and hope, set in the not-too-distant future, about a young man forced to flee the United States and seek refuge across the Atlantic. As fires devastate most of the United States, Lark and his family secure a place on a refugee boat headed to Ireland, the last country...