Struggling with the loss of a loved one, devastated Cara Pierce is determined to move on and piece her life back together. When finances force her to reluctantly barter employment to fulfill her sister's last wishes, Cara soon discovers she's not the only one being compelled to work under suspicious circumstances. Can the strong, silent cemetery landscaper help her grief bloom into something more?

Plucked is an MF paranormal romance short story that unfolds between Jax, a grief demon (luctus) and Cara Pierce, a grieving human woman who has just lost her sister. This story is the first step into the Moriverse, a new series full of death-centric myths, creatures, and plots, continuing with an upcoming 'Why Choose' novel, Styx and Stones, in late 2023.

This story originally appeared in the (now out of print / unavailable) Monsters in Love: Volume 2 Lost in the Dark monster romance anthology, published in 2022.

Please Note: Plucked opens at the funeral of the main character's sibling (passed on from an unnamed terminal disease.) Death, end-of-life care, and grief / mourning are discussed throughout. This story incorporates bedroom proclivities that rhyme with "ink" including praise and percussive (flogging) play. This story also contains attempted SA, murder - both previously alluded as well as on-page - unsanctioned corpse disposal, choking, implied servitude, implied financial fraud, and general skeeviness from a bad guy. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about story content, you're more than welcome to contact the author on social media for clarification.