Why Does The Hedge In 'Thornhedge' Guard The Castle?

Avani is the last earth dragon in the world. Not only that, but he is also the last male dragon. The other three remaining elemental dragons, air, water and fire, are all females. Unless he mates with one of the other three dragons, the race of pure dragons will die out. Since he snubs the idea of finding a mate, refusing to allow anyone to claim him and therefore control him, he has taken over as protector of the forest. The hunters are always searching for supernaturals to force into their Arenas, a modern-day gladiator fighting ring. And now, they are capturing supernaturals to experiment on, creating a new race of hybrid creatures. Because Avani can shift his emerald-green scales into the black of onyx, those he saves have started to call him The Dark Protector. Merethyl is an elven princess. She and her brother, Yhendorn, are captured by hunters when her family is attacked, her parents slaughtered in front of her. She and Yhendorn are held captive, experimented on, until one day they find a way to escape. As they flee, Yhendorn is re-captured sacrificing himself to make sure Merethyl gets away. As she runs, the hunters chase her, trying to run her down. Avani hears her and flies to her rescue, killing the hunters that are after her. When he realizes that she smells better than anyone he’s ever smelled before, he knows he must get away from her. He cannot allow her to have the total control over him that claiming him would give her. But Merethyl has nowhere else to go and she needs Avani’s help to rescue her brother. Will Avani be able to resist the charms of the elven princess, or will he fall to her, claimed, making her his dragonrider?

Bought as a defect. Destined as his mate. As the last heir of the Wolf Kings, Grey Stormborn carries the burden of a dying kingdom. Bound by an ancient curse to the Everlasting Tree, his people are losing their ability to shift, their fertility, and their future. Only a rare Rona—a woman blessed with the power of flowers—can save them. Desperate, Grey purchases the only Rona he can afford. Maya is mute, timid, and utterly useless by every measure. Her flowers bloom only to wither moments later. Forced into a one-year marriage contract, Grey plans to fulfill his duty, secure an heir, and part ways forever. But beneath Maya's silence lies a devastating secret. When dragons descend upon the kingdom, she unleashes a terrifying magic capable of commanding forests and bringing armies to their knees. Suddenly, the "defective" bride becomes the kingdom's greatest treasure—and the obsession of the ruthless king who once sold her. Now Grey must protect the woman he never wanted... before he loses the mate he never knew he needed.

A powerful witch. A cursed vampire. A castle built on blood. And a secret that could destroy them both. Delphine Ashwood has never fit in—not with her coven, not with polite magical society, and certainly not with anyone who prefers witches quiet and predictable. When she’s hired to repair the failing wards of the infamous Castle Thorne, she expects cold stone, ancient curses, and another lonely contract. What she doesn’t expect is him. Theron Valemont, vampire prince and ruler of the forgotten court, is everything she hates: brooding, controlling, and hiding far too many secrets behind those ice-blue eyes. He didn’t summon her—and he wants her gone. But the castle has other plans. As Delphine unravels the threads of the ancient spell holding the fortress—and Theron’s legacy—together, she discovers a power buried beneath the stone. A power tied to her own bloodline. A power that was never meant to wake. Caught in a slow-burning battle between duty, desire, and destruction, Delphine and Theron must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice. Because the truth isn’t just dangerous. It’s hungry.

Seventeen‑year‑old Raven has spent her whole life drifting through the foster system, never staying long enough to call anywhere home. With her eighteenth birthday—and the end of state support—only weeks away, she’s sent to the strange little town of Hallow’s Edge, a place obsessed with Halloween and thick with secrets. The Connors, her new foster family, are nothing like the others. Warm. Protective. Magical. And their son Noah? He’s distant, intense, and impossible to read… yet Raven feels an instant pull toward him she can’t explain. But Hallow’s Edge is waking up. Students are disappearing. Shadows move where they shouldn’t. And Raven’s dreams are filled with a crying woman and a warning she can’t escape. When Raven’s dormant witch powers begin to stir, she discovers she’s the last heir of a powerful witch bloodline—and Noah is bound to her by a fate older than the town itself. In Hallow’s Edge, nothing is accidental. Not her arrival. Not her magic.

What if the Little Mermaid fairy tale ended in a completely different way? Nokté did marry a prince, but after failing to bring an heir into the world, she was banished to the Black Cliff Castle. One day, on its northern shore, waves brought gutted newts. Who would want them dead? The little mermaid will have a lot to figure out and face her fears all alone.

“We’re equals, remember? And you’re the king.” He pulled her onto his lap, his right hand gripping her thigh. Their faces were so close, Violet could see the flecks of gold lingering in his irises. “To me, you’re king, Violet Bellerose.” *** Violet Bellerose lives in a jealous, elven world where everyone from royals to bounty hunters are after her unique ability to amplify magic to incredible heights. When she saves the Storm King from an assassin, Violet earns a post at his side as bodyguard, unaware they have begun to unravel each other’s secrets. Forgotten lovers, turbulent powers, and a political marriage push and pull at king and bodyguard. Their bond must strengthen to withstand court rivalries and the enemies at their borders. With only each other to lean on, they face the Blood King together and labor through every obstacle to make it to their coronation. The Elf King and His Bodyguard is created by Hayden Marlowe, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.