Voyeurism comes with the territory, whether you're a gargoyle assigned to roof duty or a half-fae/half-human constrained by a magical contract. Rhain Beauchêne's perch is the roof of the Winslow's Park Avenue mansion. He's a Watcher, a position custom-made for gargoyles and one that suits his physical appearance and grouchy demeanor. He knows he can manage this second and final year of his contract without losing his mind to the monotony of his days--until the building across the street gains an intriguing new occupant. Maddie Meadows lucks into the chance of a lifetime when a mythological creature in need of a break makes her an offer she can't refuse. All Maddie has to do is care for Medusa's snakes for an entire year. The biggest challenge? Maddie's got to keep lovers out of her bed. If she can do that, she’ll be financially secure for the rest of her life. And maybe even befriend Medusa in the process. There's a perfect solution to Rhain and Maddie's mutual longing for physical touch—but first they've got to learn to trust.

The International Web Content Caching and Distribution Workshop (WCW) is a premiere technical meeting for researchers and practitioners interested in all aspects of content caching, distribution and delivery on the Internet. The 2001 WCW meeting was held on the Boston University Campus. Building on the successes of the five previous WCW meetings, WCW01 featured a strong technical program and record participation from leading researchers and practitioners in the field. This book consists of all the technical papers presented at WCW'01. It includes 20 full papers and four R&D synopses that were presented at the workshop.The collection reflects the latest research in this important area, including such topics as Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), tools and methodology of performance measurements, Web characterization as relates to caching and content distribution, scalable web server architectures, cache prefetching, emerging new edge services, and delivery of streaming content.

A demon once fated to wed another meets a goddess in need of protection. Arkė spent untold centuries in the hidden catacombs of Tartarus. All the recently freed messenger goddess wants is her wings – and to put as much distance as possible between her and her sister, Iris, goddess of rainbows. Kai’s competency as a warrior masks a broken heart. Wanting to distance himself from reminders of what he cannot have, the Reformed Realm demon takes a job in Tartarus, the Underworld’s famed prison. Now Kai is tasked with getting Arkė to safety. He knows he can do this—he’s an elite guard with an impressive wingspan. Except the sensations coursing through his wings’ sensitive membranes tell him Arkė might be more than just a high-risk client. She might be his future.

Habonde Barleywine – immortal, yet fading, goddess of the hearth – has lost her temples, her acolytes, and many of her key memories. How is she going to persuade other goddesses, like Demeter and Brigid, to support her grand idea for a proxy program, when she needs to put her own house in order? Baubo, goddess of mirth and Habonde’s BFF, offers support in her own bawdy way. But things begin to get complicated as Hades shows up in need of a favor, and Zeus’s ego is threatened. And then there’s Habonde’s unfinished business with the Woodsman and the unsettling fact that he seems to remember every moment of their shared past.

The Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld is out of balance with who she’s meant to be. Though Persephone shares domain of the Underworld alongside Hades, she struggles to get a handle on her growing frustrations. The constant pull between the King – her husband in title only – and the demands of her mother, Demeter, have forced Persephone into an untenable situation. Regular Godsrests keep her refreshed and renewed – and protected from reality. The rests also propel her further and further from her origin story – at least the one most commonly told – forcing Persephone to re-examine every assumption she has about herself. Though her quest to find her voice and stand up for herself doesn’t signal a complete break from her duties and obligations, it does require the beloved immortal to craft a wholly new balance between her dual roles as Goddess of Spring, and Queen of the Underworld. *** This sapphic fantasy romance contains kissing.

This box set includes: Paper Dragon, Blood Dragon, and Moon Dragon.

A Python community leader teaches professionals how to integrate web applications with Python.

In this Closed Door version of MAGIC RECLAIMED, the safeguards have collapsed. A clan of fae is seizing lands vital to all Magicals. A Keeper of the ancient trees is using tainted magic against her mother’s command. And a bladesman exploited by his longing for redemption is about to commit the unforgivable. A growing circle of witches, druids, and other Magicals make offers to help Calliope Jones and her sons. But for Calli, trust is earned - whether in forming alliances, making friends, or becoming lovers. Tanner Marechal, the leader of the druids, wants to be more than her friend. To properly pursue Calliope, he must confront his tangled history with his former partner and now nemesis, the Apple Witch. The promise of a magic-filled future shimmers in Calliope’s imagination. All she has to do is grant Tanner the time he needs, survive the life-and-death machinations of two factions of Fae, and fulfill her given mission: to fix the system of magical replenishment that broke long before she was born.

In this closed door version of MAGIC RESTRAINED, Maritza Brodeur - born to a witch in a graveyard in México and blessed with the ability to commune with the deceased and cross into realms where spirits dance and secrets are buried - is set to welcome her new apprentice over dinner. The moment they set eyes on each other, Maritza watches her life come undone by the revelation of the Brodeur family curse. Alabastair Nekrosine - descended from a line of celebrated necromancers - has tended to the departed from the moment he could grasp a child-sized Death Rattle. Meeting his new mentor, his extreme confidence may salvage the evening’s festivities--or cause his ruin. With less than twenty-four hours to answer the curse’s summons, will Maritza and Alabastair reject its demands and suffer the consequences, or embrace the restraints of fate?