IntroductionBy Lori PerkinsIt seems that everywhere you look everyone you know is talking about doing it with a vampire and/or werewolf lover. Team Edward or Jacob. Bill and Sookie. Makes you kind of feel like you''re missing something if your alpha male is just a plain old alpha man.Not to worry. Fang Bangers brings you fourteen tales of love and lust redefined with every fanged and/or clawed creature imaginable-and some you probably never even thought of in quite that way before.You may ask yourself, why are we, as an American culture, suddenly so in love with these supernatural creatures? Where did all this paranormal panting come from? The answer lies in the reflection (or lack thereof) we see of ourselves.The paranormal part of the equation comes in the freedom to break the "rules" of traditional romance story telling (alpha male meets damsel/heroine, grave misunderstanding ensues to keep couple apart, but hero or heroine figures out how to fix the problem and they live happily ever after) and allows the heroine to also be an alpha, and perhaps, even kick his ass before saving it. When supernatural creatures are involved, all rules can be broken/inverted/suspended along with our disbelief. The only romance rule that continues to apply is the possibility of some sort of happily-ever-after or happy-for-now ending.Both the vampire and werewolf mythos as interpreted in American popular culture continue to be flexible and work well in partnership with the romance alpha male format.The vampire and werewolf mythos is malleable, and can therefore be adapted to the zeitgeist of the times-in the late ''70s, the vampire mythos stood for the androgyny of glam and gender politics as seen in the homoerotic elements of Anne Rice''s novels. In the ''90s, we saw the emergence of the greedy blood-sucking vampires, which were a sign of those boom times. Buffy and Anita Blake were products of the change in gender roles of the times.Today, we find the paranormal a fluid metaphor that allows for a lot of cross-pollination of supernatural creatures. As a result, we have seen an explosion of created universes where werewolves and vampires and zombies and ghosts and shapeshifters all inhabit the same sphere (and vie for the same female, be she human or even some hybrid). It''s a brave new paranormal world.This reflects our global reality. In these first years of the twenty-first century, our vampires/werewolves and creatures of the night represent that new world we are forging with new alliances among nations we never imagined and new socio/racial/sexual global politics.So, in these pages you will find traditional paranormal romances such as Elizabeth Thorne''s werewolf tale in "The Best Man" and Melanie Thompson''s historical vampire story in "Red Devil." And you will find taboos-a vampire who lusts after a shapeshifter in "Forbidden Pleasures" by Rebecca Leigh, or a dominant/submissive relationship between a werewolf and a fairy in Sascha Illyvich''s "Jan''s Punishment," and the touchingly lovely story of the last human and the last vampire in a world overtaken by zombies in Kilt Kilpatrick''s "Love Bites: A Survival Guide." The possibilities are truly endless.As long as writers figure out new ways to interpret the vampire/werewolf mythos, we will continue to be gifted with compellingly relevant paranormal fiction. I hope that''s what Fang Bangers brings to you.Lori PerkinsJuly 9, 2010Forbidden PleasuresBy Rebecca LeighEven from the great distance between them, Marcus Valiant could smell her blood.The wind whipped wildly around his body. His long blond hair thrashed against his face and shoulders and his black trench coat beat violently against his legs. Despite the ferocity of the passing storm, Marcus stood motionless, stalwart against the tempest. There was no doubt he could withstand the forces of Mother Nature. But Marcus was doubtful he could withstand the allure of Juliet Jackson much longer. The scent of her blood was the most enticing aroma he''d encountered in over seven hundred years. Her blood called to him; it enslaved him.From his vantage point at the summit of the mountain, he could see her. She stalked the night, like him, a predator seeking her prey. She moved with erotic grace through the thick overgrowth of the forest below him, weaving in and out of the trees, silent and agile.Like the rest of her kind, Juliet only hunted at night. Choosing to feed under the cloak of the protective darkness. Marcus had come here to find sanctuary on this lonely cliff, unaware that tonight this would be her chosen hunting ground.Damn the coincidence.He watched as she hid behind an outcropping of rock on the side of the mountain, concealed from the view, invisible to her prey. But she was not invisible to Marcus. He could always see her, always find her. Her scent was too powerful for him to ignore.He felt himself lurch forward as she stalked her prey, following the wild boar deeper into the cover of the jungle. She closed in on the creature quickly, making no sound, even when her paws contacted with the dried leaves and twigs of the underbrush. Marcus watched as she pounced and sank her teeth ruthlessly into the animal''s neck. He tensed when the creature squirmed and weakened under Juliet''s grip. He moaned when she bit the boar''s throat, tearing at the meat, blood pouring freely into her mouth.The frenzied spectacle nearly brought Marcus to orgasm. He felt his cock pulse inside his skin-tight jeans. He threw his head back and growled.He wanted to taste Juliet. He needed to drink from her. But he also craved more than her blood. Much more. Marcus longed to thrust his cock deep inside her; hear her scream in delight as he massaged her clit and made her come. Marcus needed to possess her, to take her as his mate.Her kill complete, Juliet moved once again through the dark forest. Marcus continued his vigil. Each time she would pass from beneath the tangled canopy, her silver hair would catch the light of the full moon and shine in the dark night. Her beauty was unsurpassed.Her power inescapable. Her appeal undeniable.Marcus could think of nothing more tempting than a female silver panther, hot and wet from her most recent slaughter.The moon''s glow reflected in his dark eyes, signaling his hunger. His passion. At the mere sight of her, his mouth watered and his loins pulsed.Forbidden.Juliet was forbidden to him. Centuries of law stood between him and the only woman he''d ever wanted with this much intensity. The elder vampires did not take kindly to disobedience, especially defiance of one of their most sacred laws: Never mate with a shifter. If any of his kind was found to have violated the law, the punishment was immediate. Execution. He''d known others that had suffered the fate of being strung out upon a cross and left alone to face the rising sun.But even the fear of death could not compete with the passion welling inside Marcus as he watched Juliet disappear into the distance.He breathed deeply, one last smell of her forbidden fragrance before taking flight. He could no longer deny his desire. He would have Juliet as his lover, law be damned.He knew where she would go after her kill. Juliet had a predictable routine, one he''d memorized in his obsession to learn everything about the woman who had ensnared his every thought. Even before he realized she was a shifter, before he knew she was forbidden, he''d been unable to get enough of her. He''d kept an eye on her, learned her every move.Tonight was Friday. So Juliet, the woman, was on her way to the Overstreet Bar. It was the only pub open to non-humans in this small town nestled at the foot of the Rockies.Panthers rarely traveled in their shifted form, so Marcus was able to get to the bar much more quickly than Juliet. He found a table