The truth won’t set me free—but it will probably get me killed ... As Gin Blanco, aka the assassin the Spider, I’m used to having a target on my back. But ever since I started investigating the secret society known as the Circle, that target seems bigger than ever. Still, I’m trying to relax and enjoy the events leading up to my friends’ wedding when I learn that an old enemy has returned to Ashland. And that’s the just beginning of my latest nightmare. Soon, I have Circle goons watching my every move, but I have no choice but to continue searching for a key piece of evidence against the evil group. The deeper I dig, the more horrifying secrets I uncover, and the more dangerous things become for me and my friends. Just when I think I finally have a handle on things, a shocking revelation shatters my heart and leaves me with an ugly realization—that betrayal is the sharpest sting of all ...

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep serves up an Elemental Assassin short story collection featuring danger, magic, and a touch of romance. Perfect for fans of Ilona Andrews, Anne Bishop, Patricia Briggs, and Faith Hunter. Flash back to one of Gin Blanco’s many missions as the assassin the Spider. Learn more about Gin’s relationships with her mentor, Fletcher Lane, and her foster brother, Finnegan Lane, and see what trouble the other characters get themselves into when Gin’s not around. From a ghost’s lost love to a villain’s origin story, this action-packed collection has something for every urban fantasy and paranormal romance fan. The Stings and Stones collection features ten short stories told by various characters: “Spider’s Bargain” — Gin Blanco “Web of Death” — Gin Blanco “Web of Deceit” — Fletcher Lane “Poison” — Finnegan Lane “Wasted” — Finnegan Lane “Tangled Dreams” — Jo-Jo and Sophia Deveraux “Tangled Schemes” — Bria Coolidge “Spider’s Nemesis” — Mab Monroe “Haints and Hobwebs” — Gin Blanco “Parlor Tricks” — Gin Blanco Note: Stings and Stones is a 67,000-word collection of Elemental Assassin short stories. Some of the stories previously appeared on Jennifer Estep’s website, while others have been featured in anthologies.

This book contains 70 short stories from 10 classic, prize-winning and noteworthy authors. The stories were carefully selected by the critic August Nemo, in a collection that will please the literature lovers. For more exciting titles, be sure to check out our 7 Best Short Stories and Essential Novelists collections. This book contains: - Émile Zola: - Captain Burle The Miller's Daughter Jean Gourdon's Four Days The Fete At Coqueville The Flood Death of Olivier Becaille Nana - Stewart Edward White:The Girl Who Got Rattled Billy's Tenderfoot The River-Boss The Saving Grace The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes The Girl in Red The Fifth Way - Sarah Orne Jewett:A Winter Courtship Going to Shrewsbury The White Rose Road The Town Poor A Native of Winby Looking Back on Girlhood The Passing of Sister Barsett - Willa CatherA Burglar's Christmas A Wagner Matinee On the Gull's Road Paul's Case The Enchanted Bluff The Namesake The Garden Lodge - George AdeThe Fable of the Preacher Who Flew His Kite, But Not Because He Wished to Do So The Fable of the Two Mandolin Players and His Willing Performer The Fable of the Parents Who Tinkered with the Offspring The Fable of the Man Who Didn't Care for Storybooks The Fable of the Kid Who Shifted His Ideal The Fable of How Uncle Brewster was Too Shifty for the Tempter The Fable of Lutie, the False Alarm, and How She Finished about the Time that She Started - Robert W. Chambers:The Messenger The Repairer of Reputations The Purple Emperor Passeur The Key to Grief A Matter of Interest Pompe Funèbre - George GissingThe House Of Cobwebs A Capitalist Christopherson Humplebee The Scrupulous Father A Poor Gentleman Miss Rodney's Leisure - Lord Dunsany:Chu-Bu and Sheemish The Hoard of the Gibbelins The Quest of the Queen's Tears How One Came, As Was Foretold, To The City Of Never The Wonderful Window The Bride Of The Man Horse The House Of The Sphinx - Ruth McEnery Stuart: Sonny's Christenin' Solomon Crow's Christmas Pockets The Two Tims Old Easter Saint Idyl's Light Little Mother Quackalina Blink - Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson:The Railroad and the Churchyard The Father The Bridal March One Day Mother's Hands Thrond Absalom's Hair

Arnot's thoughts on selected texts offer practical instruction and spiritual direction for a Christ-centered life.