Brimstone (Martinez)

This is no way for the universe to treat a demon prince... When a steel trap of celestial and infernal politics threatens to close around them, Shax and Verin flee Earth's system in a stolen ship, leaving everything behind. It's an elegantly simple plan, with a new ship and a new life as carefree brigands among the stars. But the ship seems to hate them, and in order to have any sort of life they need funds. A frightened man offering them a contract to deliver three mysterious crates comes just in time, and Shax is sure their troubles are over. Out of his environment and in over his head, Shax scrambles to understand the players and the consequences of his new life. With cargo that's not what it seems, shadowy motives around every turn, and a gorgeous rogue named Julian for a dash of added confusion, Shax's grand schemes of a new start may be his demise before he can even begin.

The Brimstone. Cargo hauler, brigand ship, privateer. Crewed by the exiled, the misplaced, the uniquely strange and even a certain government assassin. Together, they've faced interstellar criminals, the wrath of archangels, the threat of frogs, their own terrors, nearly deadly buttercopters, and government paperwork. Through it all, as Brimstone's inhabitants expanded from two demons on the run to a complement of eleven various and sundry beings, they've become more than crew. They've evolved into family. Join us now for some snippets from the characters' timelines, flash fiction shorts between the stories from Shax and Verin as kids in Hell all the way to events after The Hunt for Red Fluffy. The Brimstone Journals, Collection Three also includes a novelette in which the crew discovers that sometimes the simple task of holiday shopping is much more dangerous than it should be.

Someone abandons a pedigree hellcat right where Shax can conveniently claim her and sets off a cataclysmic domino line of events. It's time for the other shoe to drop since the Brimstone has a shadow cabal after them-partly due to Shax's own, er, interesting decisions and partly due to the presence of Agent Julian Parallax onboard. As ship security officer, Ness has a lot on his mind-a dangerous new pet, even more dangerous criminals tracking the Brimstone, and yet another unexpected rescued guest. The last thing he needs is a distraction and Julian, who confuses and confounds him more every moment, is exactly the distraction he doesn't need. Between Shax's reckless gambits and Julian's disregard for his own safety, how is Ness supposed to keep anyone safe? The Brimstone and her intrepid crew do all they can to stay one step ahead, but this time the hunters are closing in.

Beware the demon prince who's sick and tired of running.Federico Duomo is dead, to begin with. But this is only the first bit of Shax's problems resolved. Powerful crime lords and an obscenely wealthy oligarch are still determined to destroy him and his crew, and Fluffy's original owner may be coming after the Brimstone now, too. It would be splendid to be able to take on one thing at a time.Adding to the external conflicts, life on board the Brimstone has only grown increasingly stranger. Shax has no idea what to do with the seven partly human children that Heckle rescued from slavers. Heckle himself has grown short-tempered, even with Mac. Someone from Julian's past catches up to them on Barbary. It's enough to put a demon off his cinnamon buns.Shax isn't panicking, though. In fact he's had it up to his handsome royal nose with the people he loves having to live in constant fear. The fox has turned at bay and the Brimstone's enemies are in for a shock. The demon prince of thieves is coming for them.THE BRIMSTONE SERIESPotato SurpriseHell for the CompanyFear of FrogsShax's WarBeside a Black TarnThe Brimstone Journals: Collection OneThe Brimstone Journals: Collection TwoThe Hunt for Red FluffyThe Brimstone Journals: Collection ThreeA Fine MessThis is a completed series.