Tate James

Five years ago, I made a choice that I haven't regretted a day since. I protected the single most important person in my world, my little sister. I protected myself, and I seized control of the Tri-state Timberwolves. Since then, I've wielded that power with an iron fist. Done whatever it took to take care of my people. Kept us out of the public eye and kept us safe. Now a ghost from my past is threatening my position. Challenging me. Peddling their...

A corrupt King. A murdered Queen. A missing Princess ... Found. Once upon a time, The Royal Trials were a sacred ritual designed for a queen to select her king. But nothing is as it was in the kingdom of Tiech. Not since the brutal murder of beloved Queen Ophelia. The town of Ironforge revealed important secrets, but it all came at an unbearable cost. The streets run red with the blood of innocents and Rybet's heart is heavy as she returns to Lakehaven. Facing...

"I never miss." Riot Night changed my life. Coming back to Shadow Grove turned it on its head. I've been hunted, stabbed, stalked, tormented, and used. Hate fueled me, lies tore me apart, and in the end everything I thought I knew turned out to be fake. Except... Riot Night also brought Archer, Kody, and Steele back into my life. No matter how much I've fought it, hated it, been lied to, or discovered the deceptions-I want them in my life. No...

Every four years, the criminal underworld engages in a game. The Game. The challenges range from the impossible to the deadly to the truly insane. Things that only a crazy person would tackle. I've won the game five times. This time will be no different. I'm at the top of my field now, the best of the world's thieves. There's nothing I can't steal, and this time, the game is all about theft, subterfuge, and sleight of hand. Starting with a legendary...

One quest. One crown. One shattered heart. The Royal Trials were never meant to be easy, not even for an imposter like Rybet Waise. But nothing could have prepared her for the magical storms, mutated animals, and malicious gods standing in her way. There is no time for tears. Mere hours after being bathed in Prince Alexander's blood, Rybet must embark on a quest. The second trial dictates she find a missing magical artefact-Queen Ophelia's crown. Released...

Five years ago, I masterminded the infamous massacre of the Tri-State Timberwolves. The streets outside the Wolves HQ ran red with the blood of the old guard, and not one of those members loyal to my father were spared mercy. Not a single one. I let the media twist and distort the story. My new recruits eagerly proved themselves in spreading false news, in covering our tracks. To the general public, the Tri-State Timberwolves were extinct. But...

Three trials. Three weeks. Three Royal Princes. It should have been an easy task, for a skilled mercenary like Rybet Waise. Simply break into the royal palace, and rescue her friend from the executioner's block. But when Rybet accidentally qualifies for the Trials, she finds herself with little choice but to see them through. A thin veil of etiquette, elegance, and glamour hides the true nature of the Trials. Behind closed doors, they are brutal...

All I've ever known is the Guild. They clothed me, fed me, raised me. They trained me. In return I became their perfect weapon, their loyal soldier, their deadly asset. For as long as I can remember, the Guild has been my life. Now, it's about to become my death. Not everyone is cut out to be a mercenary. I've watched countless colleagues fail in their missions and pay the ultimate price. I've watched peers lose their minds with the weight of the...

Those who have reached a certain level within the mercenary guild know that it's not merely a job. It isn't a hobby or a career or a fun pastime. It's a calling. A fucking honor. Being in the Guild is our life … or death. Not everyone is created equal, and not everyone is truly cut out for the work we do. It's not pretty, it's not glamorous, and it's sure as shit not moral or good. The weight of the sins we carry can become too much for some,...

A series of prose poems takes an absurdist view of everyday life and examines the journey towards its inevitable end.