Alden Walker—sport pilot and skydiver—finds himself and his light airplane mysteriously transported into an alien world: a parallel Earth peopled by exotic-looking humans as well as a host of animals that have evolved into human-like form, with human-like powers of thought, but which have retained their appetites for flesh and blood. Especially human flesh and blood.

Accompanied by a beautiful indigenous woman with a score of her own to settle, Walker must set out upon a covert mission to retrieve a vital element from the creatures who have stolen it, employing his piloting and parachuting skills in combination with her superb swordsmanship.

On their quest they will encounter a host of anthropomorphic predators, until they finally reach their goal: a mountain fortress occupied by a coldly calculating race of humanoid vampire bats. And upon the success or failure of their mission hangs the fate of both their worlds.

When Miami drug lord Raul Rodriguez tires of his string of current mistresses, he knows he can''t afford to turn them loose; instead, he commissions his on-call assassin to eliminate them.

Assuming a false identity and affecting a disarming manner, the hit man earns the trust of his victims before terminating them. He relishes playing the chameleon.

But when he finds himself emotionally drawn to his latest target, a woman who says she could easily love him, the assassin faces a dilemma: will he run away with her, hoping to drop off Raul''s radar; or will he execute the very woman he envisions a future with?

NIGHT SWEATS: Geoff has covered over a horrible crime he committed as a youth. But sometimes the past just won''t stay buried. MAYA: An exotic Latin beauty brings her American lover back to her Mexican village to receive her family''s blessing. His welcome exceeds his expectations. But it includes something he never unexpected. SEED: When all the women in the pre-colonial village become pregnant overnight, the only explanation is that a witch lives among them. The village pastor, son of a witchfinder, is tasked to find her. Multiple accusations and executions follow. But when all the babies are born deformed on the same day, and die that same night, the panicked villagers demand an accounting for their pastor''s failures.

Four distinct stories sharing one theme: How losing your first love can pave the way for a deeper, more sensitive, more mature love with another.

BRONZE STAR: Marine vet Matt Hayes returns to teach at his old middle school and enters a romantic alliance with the principal''s secretary. When he discovers her ingrained racial prejudice, he ends the relationship. She retaliates by accusing him of unbecoming conduct with a student. Though faultless, Matt is compelled to resign. But in the midst of the darkness, someone else will bring him back to the light.

TWO TWO TANGO: Having lost his job as an airborne courier, Vic is desperate to find a way to keep his private airplane with its extended cabin. He resorts to advertising Mile High Club rides, and his new business thrives. But as his business soars, Vic''s own love life takes a nosedive-until someone else intervenes to bring him back to cloud nine.

SECOND TIME AROUND: Jay, a newly-divorced romance novelist, has fallen in love with his former sister-in-law Casey. Seeing her as forbidden fruit, he sublimates his feelings into the plot of his latest novel. Casey reads the book and admits she loves him too. But the reality of their love can''t live up to their mutual expectations, and Casey must leave. Jay finds solace with Casey''s best friend, an African-American college professor, whose loyalty to Casey is tested as her interest in Jay becomes more personal than professional.

LAST DANCE: On their wedding day, a drunk driver kills Donald Greene''s bride and leaves him alive but wounded, both physically and emotionally. Eleven years later, as a college instructor, he still carries the wounds-until, in one of his adult classes, he meets an exotic-looking woman who may have the potential to heal them. Like Donald, Hannah Soong has wounds of her own, and sharing them only brings the couple closer. But Hannah harbors a secret, one she fears she must withhold to keep their relationship alive-a secret which, when ultimately revealed, leads to acts of unspeakable violence.

Alden Walker—sport pilot and skydiver—finds himself and his light airplane mysteriously transported into an alien world: a parallel Earth peopled by exotic-looking humans as well as a host of animals that have evolved into human-like form, with human-like powers of thought, but which have retained their appetites for flesh and blood. Especially human flesh and blood.

Accompanied by a beautiful indigenous woman with a score of her own to settle, Walker must set out upon a covert mission to retrieve a vital element from the creatures who have stolen it, employing his piloting and parachuting skills in combination with her superb swordsmanship.

On their quest they will encounter a host of anthropomorphic predators, until they finally reach their goal: a mountain fortress occupied by a coldly calculating race of humanoid vampire bats. And upon the success or failure of their mission hangs the fate of both their worlds.

When Miami drug lord Raul Rodriguez tires of his string of current mistresses, he knows he can''t afford to turn them loose; instead, he commissions his on-call assassin to eliminate them.

Assuming a false identity and affecting a disarming manner, the hit man earns the trust of his victims before terminating them. He relishes playing the chameleon.

But when he finds himself emotionally drawn to his latest target, a woman who says she could easily love him, the assassin faces a dilemma: will he run away with her, hoping to drop off Raul''s radar; or will he execute the very woman he envisions a future with?

NIGHT SWEATS: Geoff has covered over a horrible crime he committed as a youth. But sometimes the past just won''t stay buried. MAYA: An exotic Latin beauty brings her American lover back to her Mexican village to receive her family''s blessing. His welcome exceeds his expectations. But it includes something he never unexpected. SEED: When all the women in the pre-colonial village become pregnant overnight, the only explanation is that a witch lives among them. The village pastor, son of a witchfinder, is tasked to find her. Multiple accusations and executions follow. But when all the babies are born deformed on the same day, and die that same night, the panicked villagers demand an accounting for their pastor''s failures.

Four distinct stories sharing one theme: How losing your first love can pave the way for a deeper, more sensitive, more mature love with another.

BRONZE STAR: Marine vet Matt Hayes returns to teach at his old middle school and enters a romantic alliance with the principal''s secretary. When he discovers her ingrained racial prejudice, he ends the relationship. She retaliates by accusing him of unbecoming conduct with a student. Though faultless, Matt is compelled to resign. But in the midst of the darkness, someone else will bring him back to the light.

TWO TWO TANGO: Having lost his job as an airborne courier, Vic is desperate to find a way to keep his private airplane with its extended cabin. He resorts to advertising Mile High Club rides, and his new business thrives. But as his business soars, Vic''s own love life takes a nosedive-until someone else intervenes to bring him back to cloud nine.

SECOND TIME AROUND: Jay, a newly-divorced romance novelist, has fallen in love with his former sister-in-law Casey. Seeing her as forbidden fruit, he sublimates his feelings into the plot of his latest novel. Casey reads the book and admits she loves him too. But the reality of their love can''t live up to their mutual expectations, and Casey must leave. Jay finds solace with Casey''s best friend, an African-American college professor, whose loyalty to Casey is tested as her interest in Jay becomes more personal than professional.

LAST DANCE: On their wedding day, a drunk driver kills Donald Greene''s bride and leaves him alive but wounded, both physically and emotionally. Eleven years later, as a college instructor, he still carries the wounds-until, in one of his adult classes, he meets an exotic-looking woman who may have the potential to heal them. Like Donald, Hannah Soong has wounds of her own, and sharing them only brings the couple closer. But Hannah harbors a secret, one she fears she must withhold to keep their relationship alive-a secret which, when ultimately revealed, leads to acts of unspeakable violence.