Fragments of Tender Hearts - Story List

The blurbs below contain content warnings after each blurb. If you feel content warnings contain spoilers, we encourage you to not read that specific section.

 

The Dragon and the Songbird by Cat Devlin ***
Imprisoned by a necromancer in a ruined tower above the sea, Liora knows there is no escape. She is hunted by the dead and guarded by the fearsome dragon, Morrdryn, with only her own voice for company. When Liora dares to risk everything on a bargain with the dragon, fear becomes a fierce spark of passion that will turn Liora’s desire for freedom into a choice that binds her to Morrdryn’s fate. Together they must stand against the Witch or they risk losing each other - and themselves - forever.
Content: Murder, Death, Violence, Scenes of a sexual nature

The Stealer of Names Proves Himself to be a Terrible Demigod by Anthony B.T *
A short story about a young man who inherits the Grim Reaper-like role of the Stealer of Names from his father following his untimely passing. The unnamed narrator reflects with his lover on the new reality of their future together and dares to ask what must be sacrificed in the name of preserving this person he loves.
Content: Death, Mentions of suicide, Grief

​​

Death Wears a Feathered Cloak by Kristen Bales *

Lark has never felt the warmth of a true dawn. By night, she is cursed to transform into a tree. At a sunless daybreak, she must ignite her branches to spark the Everflame—a fragile candle that grants her a human form. For centuries, she has endured this lonely cycle, until a curious bird enters her barren domain. Enchanted by the creature, Lark begins to dream of something beyond her desecrated wood: freedom. But the bird vanishes, and months later, a mysterious hunter appears in her forest, draped in a cloak of raven feathers. Bound by curses and shrouded in secrets, Lark and the hunter form an uneasy alliance. Together, they delve into the dark truth of their intertwined past, uncovering a fate they cannot escape alone.
Content: Murder, Death, Burn injury

 

A Fire Rekindled by Becca Ryden **
An enslaved siren.

A god of the undead.

Together, passion ignites —and someone at court is about to pay the price for her freedom.
As the saying goes: To enslave a siren is to beg for death—and the Valdir god always collects.
Content: Murder, Death, Servitude, Physical torture, Scenes of a sexual nature

 

Soulbound by Starr Z Davies **
Some wars do not rage on a battlefield, but in the heart.

Loralai a’Malik, a fierce elfin Shieldmaiden, is more than just a warrior—she is the princess of her kingdom. Her heart belongs to the charismatic human, Lord Commander Quade Martnarving. But their love faces a formidable challenge when her father forbids their courtship. Now, they must fight not only to protect her realm but also to preserve the love they share… and the future of their world could depend on it.
Content: Death, Scenes of a sexual nature, Pregnancy, Blood, War, Violence

​

Echoes of the Lost by Nastasia Bishop-McHugh *

Riley is bound to the Undercity - a place no human should venture. 

But there is only one thing that keeps her there: the bargain she struck with a demon.

She only wanted to escape the pain of heartbreak, but when her love arrives in the city, on the side only the dead walk, she'll do anything to bring him back to the living. Even if it means confronting the choices that led them there and following him into the darkest abyss. 
Murder, Suicidal intention, Mental torture, Implied sex
 

Bound by Flesh by Louise Heywood *

Resting in mist and shadows,

far from light and meadows,

clutched in metal throes,

waiting for cracks in windows.

Receive my poison that seeps,

drawn to your reflection that keeps,

sours, festers from the depths it leaps,

up, up, up your body, it creeps.
Content: Murder, Death, Physical Torture, Blood

 

Song of Brine and Bone by Hypatia Rhodes ****

Dariya’s life was cut short by the shadowy depths of the ocean—until Oceanus, the titan of the sea, intervened. Gifted with a stunning new form and a penchant for revenge, Dariya and her sisters spend their days luring sailors to their deaths and revelling in the suffering that once consumed her. But her newfound existence is disrupted by an encounter with Theseus, the son of Poseidon. With the ability to breathe underwater and an adventurous spirit that mirrors her own lost dreams, Theseus awakens a spark Dariya had thought long since extinguished.

As their worlds collide, Dariya is torn between her thirst for retribution and the prospect of a second chance at the life that was stolen from her. 
Content: Murder, Death, Scenes of a sexual nature, Sexual servitude

Even the Weeds Say Let Her Go by Sam Trathen *
In this lyrical and dreamy short story, Myre, a deeply troubled and sick young woman, has been sent into hiding with her beloved husband, Boru. Behind them, they leave a violent conflict that rages between Myre's father, the Lord of the Hunt, and her half-sister, the Queen of the Isle. Despite the tender love and gentle care Boru provides her during their sojourn, Myre can’t help but dream of someone else—someone she has never even met before. Does this comely yet strange young hunter dream of her, too?
Content: War, Grief, Pregnancy
 
The Jersey Devil by Rae Windsor ***
This story explores themes of social repression, feminism, and freedom through the dark lens of the New Jersey cryptid. When Handmaid's Tale meets American folklore in the 1700's, you get a dark and twisty story of death, sex, and freedom.
Content: Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, Religious trauma, Scenes of a sexual nature

 

The Are of Summer by Onika Howdyn **
In the realm of Earth, seasons ebb and flow, granted and taken away by Aré, the wind keeper. She has faithfully adhered to the currents through time, never questioning the natural order. However, as she ushers in the birth of Sumner, the fiery season, from the final winds of Spryng, a new purpose ignites in her heart. Fuelled by the vibrant passion of Sumner, she is now driven by love, a profound emotion she yearns to embrace eternally. What mysteries await Aré as she defies the laws of Nature, and what sacrifices will she make to attain everlasting love?
Content: Death, Climate catastrophe, Implied sex