Lilith has always been an outcast, rejected even by her own parents because of what she is. But when she leaves her home, she discovers there are others of her kind. Together they set out in search of the Earth Maiden, whom they believe has the power to cure the sickness which is infecting the land, bringing about the end of the world. 'I wasn't born the way I look. You know, many believe that fallen angels are usurpers and betrayers of God, who have no place in heaven or on earth.' Lilith has always been an outcast, rejected even by her own parents because of what she is. But when she leaves her home, she discovers there are others of her kind. Together they set out in search of the Earth Maiden, whom they believe has the power to cure the sickness which is infecting the land, bringing about the end of the world.
Chapter one
Rat Face
She stood before the cupboard in her home, grabbing hold of both the handles, and opening the doors simultaneously.
Within the cupboard, and beyond, was another world. A large town lit by hundreds of lanterns that hung above the dark streets, and everything was utterly still. The moon above was in its whole, shining down its glorious light upon the rooftops.
She leant forwards into the cupboard, and fell down towards the dark town. From her back wings erupted, and she soared through the sky above the town. She climbed higher towards the moon.
'Lilith!'
She opened her eyes.
'Lilith' came the voice again, singing teasingly at her.
She pushed herself up from where she lay resting on her side. Sitting up slowly and lifting her head to the figure that stood before her.
'What are you doing here?' she asked flatly.
'I could ask you the same thing' the figure named Joseph said.
Lilith lowered her eyes glowering.
You are not allowed up here' Joseph told her.
Lilith cast her eyes away from the pest before her and towards the rest of the library.
'I think it's so wrong, ' Lilith said 'to hide away all this knowledge from the world.'
'Whatever your opinion on the matter is' Joseph replied, 'is irrelevant. Think of the punishment you would suffer if caught.'
'Don't you mean when I'm caught?' Lilith replied meeting his gaze again. 'No doubt you will scurry to the teachers and tell them of my sins. Nothing would give you more pleasure I'm sure than to see me punished.'
'As you deserve' Joseph glared.
'You are not allowed here either. You would surely be punished also' Lilith said. 'If you tell them I was here, I will tell then you were here.'
'And who would believe you?'
'My father is a powerful man' Lilith told him. 'I have influence.'
'Not as much as you would if you didn't act like a freak' Joseph shot back. 'And besides, your family is small. Only your father and your servants can tolerate you. I have both my parents and their parents, and aunt and uncles and successful older siblings. If you want to play that game, I assure you, you will lose.'
Lilith gritted her teeth, nails digging into the sofa she sat upon. Her upper lip twitched as she thought desperately for a swift enough and decent response.
'You think you have influence?' Joseph went on. 'Yours is nothing compared to mine. You're just a grey haired freak with no friends.'
Lilith's hand went automatically to her head. All her life she had had grey hair, dirty like smoke. And all her life she had been forced to endure scorn and ridicule because of it.
'I have friends' Lilith muttered. 'But you're right; it's hard to get people to accept you, when you look different. It's hard to live in a city where the people are so judgemental of everyone around them, people who care only about what they see and not what is inside.'
'Even your own mother hates you' Joseph went on, pushing her further. 'My family never treated me like that. People see you for what you are. I will do great things in life, unlike you.'
'It must be nice' Lilith said. 'Living in the shadows of such a rich and powerful family, and using their success to your own benefit, as if you had a hand in anything they've achieved. You act so, but you don't.'
'And you think you are better than me?' Joseph sneered. 'You.'
'I know much of the world, and of life. I have learnt, I have travelled, and done far more good for this world than you ever will. You know nothing.' She lifted her heavy eyes to him.
'Uncultured swine.'
He slapped her.
Lilith froze in shock for a moment, head still turned to the side. Cheek burning.
She slowly turned her head back towards him; then rose, very slowly to her feet.
The two locked stares, each challenging the other, and for the longest time, neither moved.
Lilith was the first to act. She swung to the side, reaching for a medium stone statue of a naked woman that happened to be in arms reach, intending to strike Joseph with it. But a voice called out to stop her.
'ENOUGH!'
Lilith froze, still holding the statue high, arms outstretched as she had been ready to swing. She glared at Joseph. Eyes burning, brow furrowed and lips twitching in a snarl.
'LILITH!' came the same voice. 'Put that down!'
Still holding up the statue, Lilith turned her head, seeing a tall dark haired figure striding towards her across the open hall. His tall black boots echoed with each heavy footstep, and his dark cloak billowed menacingly behind him as he approached.
Her heart sank at the sight of him. It was one of the teachers.
'What on earth do you think you're doing?' the teacher asked incredulous, glaring at her as he stopped beside her. His dark eyes, oiled pointed beard and narrow face gave him a very sharp look, like a vulture.
Lilith looked back at Joseph angrily. He had not moved or even flinched at her action, he just gazed back at her calmly. But below the surface, Lilith could see his uncertainty. He too was nervous at the sudden appearance of the teacher.
'Lilith' the teacher prompted.
Lilith lowered her head, placing the statue back in its place.
'You do realise that if you were a low-born you could be killed for being here. I wish you would act your class, act like a lady instead of a peasant.'
'Class' Lilith sneered under her breath.
'What!?'
'Nothing' Lilith replied clearly. 'I'm sorry sir.'
'I have a good mind to have you beaten' the teacher went on. 'This is a very serious crime. You do know that only the most important select few are allowed to be here?'
'Yes sir.'
'You know that only the high lords and ladies are allowed to be here?'
'Yes sir.'
'And students are not.'
'No sir.'
'If the headmaster knew about this...' the teacher went on, completely ignoring Joseph. He pursed his lips, puffing himself out, his cheeks growing red in anger. 'You should be beaten. You deserve to be beaten. But lords don't beat ladies; I will have to think of a more fitting punishment for you.' He waved her away arrogantly, like one would do a servant. 'Get out of my sight and return to your class.'
Lilith bowed her head submissively, as was expected behaviour from a student towards a teacher. She carefully walked past him, heading to the doors of the library.
'You too Joseph' the teacher snapped, as if noticing him for the first time. 'You shouldn't be here. Make your absence swift.'
Joseph automatically dipped his head, moving quickly away from the teacher. As he passed Lilith, he couldn't resist one last hurtful comment while he had the chance.
'Freak' he muttered under his breath as he overtook her, striding across the marble floor towards the entrance of the library.
His voice was low, but Lilith heard it clear, and she knew that even if the teacher behind heard it clearly too, he would have pretended he didn't.
Lilith reached the doors, pausing with her hand on the cold dark wood. She glanced into the library once last time, feeling a deep sorrow in her heart. It was a beautiful place, with an impossibly high ceiling made only of glass. Natural sunlight spilled into every corner of the room, lighting up the red and brown and black pattered diamond floor.
She didn't know when she would see the place again, if she would ever get the chance to see it again.
And then she noticed the teacher, standing a distance away glaring at her.
She dropped her gaze, and left through the doors.
High lords and ladies Lilith thought to herself. What is class in a world like this? Why is so much importance placed on breeding?
Lilith thought then of the high lords and ladies, the very purest, richest, most successful in society, with statuses within the city that nearly matched the king and queen themselves. The most obnoxious, selfish and arrogant people in the world, groomed to be blind to everything beyond their own desires. People who were physically unable to understand or even see those in poverty who suffered, those who were not so lucky in life as they.
She sighed, standing upon the stage and staring back at the many faces before her. Her punishment had been to stand upon the stage with the teacher, and balance several books on her head for two and a half hours. If she lost concentration, and one of the books were to fall, one of the other students in the room were to endure the same punishment beside her. She didn't want that to happen, she was unpopular enough as it was, and so, she stood there, as still as she could, and waited for time to go by.
One of the faces before her was that of Joseph's. He sneered up at her regularly as he continued on with his work.
Lilith sighed again, eyes sliding about the room as she looked for something to take her interest and make time pass quicker. The room the classes took place in were very large, and often one teacher would teach nearly a hundred students. All the chairs and tables faced the stage, the ones at the back higher than the ones at the front so that everyone could see.
Lilith sighed some more. She was used to this punishment, or at least as used to this sort of treatment as one could have been. This was not the first time she had to endure this. Lilith dared a glanced to the side of her, and towards the teacher who sat at the podium in the centre of the stage, the same one who had given her this punishment. He glared at her briefly, before returning to his papers.
There was not a friendly face amongst any of them, save for one. One of the few friends she had, a young girl seventeen years in age, the same age as her. Her name was Victoria. She smiled uncertainly at Lilith, and Lilith smiled back, more encouragingly. Victoria returned to her work.
Lilith let her attention drift away, and her eyes began to glaze over, the books on her head still balanced perfectly still.
Time slowly ticked away.
When at last her ordeal was over, Lilith was allowed to leave with the rest of the class, once she was given permission by the teacher. Once everyone else had left.
She took the books from her head, placing them on the stage and walking carefully past the teacher, avoiding his glare.
She moved through the large expanse of the school, through its many halls and long corridors, and outside into the glorious awaiting sunlight.
She breathed a sigh of relief. It felt good to be out in the sunlight again.
Lilith looked at the world around her.
The city she lived in was the capital, and the largest city for miles around. It was congested, and in places filthy. The air was the first offense to those not very well acquainted to city life, especially this city life. Day and night great factories churned black smoke and sick air into the atmosphere, but one became accustomed to the dirt they breathed in. After a time, one stopped noticing it altogether. There were many building crowded here into this little area of land, and the streets were very narrow. Many large towers and tall building grew from its cement; the taller richer buildings were built in the centre. The not so tall buildings were built further away from the centre, and the poorest buildings, the dank and squalor homes, were at the very edges. These were the poor quarters, where those without money lived in filth, scraping a living at the edges of humanity.
This story is a soft-core yaoi/slice of life about Haru, a boy aged 17, living in boarding school where he meets his new friends. Weak both mentally and physically, he finds new strength when he meets Aubrey, a carefree and confident boy whom he falls in love with. But Haru is too afraid to admit his feelings for him, afraid of what might happen.....
When a famous model and actor falls on hard times, he decides to rent out a room in his apartment and find a tenant to help split the bills. That is when he finds Kevin. This story is a slice of life about Kevin, a 20 year old, trying to find his place in life after losing someone close to him. He moves out, and finds a place to stay with a man, the model and actor, who turns out to not be what he first thought. Kevin gets caught up in Justin’s life, a prisoner to his drive now, Kevin begins a physical relationship with the star, unable to free himself. Slowly, piece at a time, Kevin gives himself up, surrendering his body to another. Gay sex – mouth fucking – and constantly mounting the uke and treating him like a slut and making him moan like the little bitch he is.
In a world where magic is a well kept secret, two brothers, two guardians able to wield magic, stumble across a creature more powerful than anything in the three known worlds. A girl, a philosophers stone. Frightened and lonely, they care for her, bringing her into their home, in so doing become tangled in a chain of events that spiral out of control as they try to protect her from the two groups that seek her. One who claims to want to protect her, the other that wishes to harm her and take her powers for their own. But she is not the only one being hunted. There is another powerful like her, another philosophers stone, one older, stronger and wiser. The fight to save them both drags in more than the two brothers, but their friends also; changing lives forever as they discover the doorway to another world, a world where magic thrives, the world where magic was born. A light hearted fantasy set in the modern world. Follow the two brothers in the story where it all began, back when their lives were simpler, before the brothers entered the other worlds, before they turned on each other, and fought for the power they once tried to protect.
Descend into the chaos, ridiculousness and mayhem that is this book. Follow Waltz in this story where the events of a single day changed his life forever. After losing his own guild in tragedy, he realises a new dream of forming his own and being the leader. After he meets a woman who fell from the sky, events in his life lead him on a new path entirely. A story of monsters and magic, Waltz begins his adventures with his strange companions as they search for the truth behind the celestial woman, fight to break the hold a witch has over Waltz, and traverse the road to glory and riches, and become the strongest and most revered guild in the land This is the tale of how these unlikely beings all came together, and began their adventure…
‘Hardly anyone ever comes to this part of the library’ Ken said casually. ‘Is that right?’ Mustang said. ‘So…we won’t be disturbed.’ Ken’s heart jolted. He instantly tried to rise but Mustang stopped him, grabbing him by the arms and sitting on his lap facing him, pinning him down. ‘Oh no you don’t’ Mustang told him. He smirked again. ‘You practically ran into my trap…there’s no escape now.’ Ken stared back at Mustang in shock, wide-eyed and heart hammering in his chest. He swallowed at the lump in his throat. Mustang leant forward, resting his forehead against Ken’s as he spoke. ‘Are you going to call for help?’ he asked him. ‘There are people just on the other side of those bookshelves.’ He sneered. ‘But then what would they think if they saw us?’ ‘Don’t…’ Ken whispered. ‘Please…’ ‘I've wanted you for ages’ Mustang told him. ‘I can’t resist you any longer.’ Ken squeezed his eyes tight shut as Mustang leant forward, kissing him. He balled his fists, trying to lean away from him, but had nowhere to go. Mustang moved back slightly, looking into Ken’s face. He released one of his arms to stroke his face, his fingers coming to his lips. ‘Open your mouth’ he told Ken. When Ken didn’t listen, he said, ‘if you don’t, I will have you. Right here and now.’ Ken opened his mouth, breathing in a deep breath. Mustang descended upon him again, kissing him deeply, slipping his tongue inside his mouth, tasting him. Savouring him. After several seconds, Mustang drew back suddenly. He got off him, rising to his feet and simply walking away as if nothing had happened. He just left. Love Yaoi? Love sex? Love a good story? Ken had everything he thought he ever wanted, a future all planed out, a girlfriend, a loving family. But his life takes a different direction when he meets Mustang, a carefree and wild spirit, who challenges everything Ken thought he knew, as the events of a single day change his life forever. Thanks to Mustang, Ken begins to realise that what he wants in life, is not what he first thought, as he begins to experience feelings towards Mustang he never expected.
Arlen walked alone through the woods. He glanced up as he saw a band of men riding swiftly along the dirt road before him, as fast as their steeds could take them, they tore through the countryside. They were some distance away. Arlen squinted, seeing the figures only as blurred silhouettes. Before him the sun in the sky blinked several times as the branches of the trees waved up and down in the breeze, flashing the light in his eyes. When the riders were gone Arlen jogged forwards, heading towards the road and listening to the sounds of the falling hooves growing ever fainter. A strange feeling of trepidation seeped into him, chilling his skin. Something felt very wrong to him, and Arlen wondered who the men were and what they were doing near his home. He glanced first one way, and then the other, turning to walk in the direction the men had come from, some instinct within telling him that something terrible had happened. And then he saw. He froze in mid-step as his heart jolted in his chest. A feeling of terror struck him like a bolt of lightning. Arlen broke into a run, his whole world crashing around him. He reached the spot where it had happened, slowing to a stop and falling to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks as darkness descended over him. This is a story of a man searching for the woman he loves, who was taken from him twelve years ago in a day that changed his life forever. Since that day his life has fallen into ruins, and to find her he is forced to remember a past he wishes he could forget. To mend his sins he must re-visit these painful memories, and learn the true reason why she was taken. What he discovers, is beyond anything he could have ever imagined. This is a story of love, loss, grief and forgiveness
Eight years ago, Eleanor was a pampered and arrogant young heiress, while Andreas was just a nameless talent from a humble background. Although she had taken him in, she never treated him with any warmth. Their fates flipped, and now Andreas was a business titan feared by all, while Eleanor wallowed in shame and despair after her fall from grace. Upon their reunion, he pinned her with a venomous glare and declared, "It was my hatred for you that drove me into becoming what I am today."
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
Rose looked at the reports in her hand and was in shock... The reports said that she was one month pregnant, however, how can she get pregnant when she didn't have any man in her life... "Was it because of that dream? Could I get pregnant because I have sex in my dream?" She thought... She didn't have any mental problems, however, except for this she can't able to think about anything... However, she still didn't get out of her surprise when she met the man in her dream... Kevin Davis looked at the reports in her hand and asked, "Is this child mine?" However, Rose didn't answer but asked... "Was that night not a dream?" Kevin was angry because it was his first time and she thinks it was a dream... Kevin forced her to marry him however, Rose didn't want it... She wanted to abort the child but he didn't let her... In the end... Rose agreed to marry him... She looked at Kevin's blue eyes and said, "I will marry you, however, I had two conditions..." "First, after marriage, you can't control my freedom, I still had the right to do whatever I want. Don't worry I won't harm the child." "Second, if I ever found out that you had cheated behind my back then I will leave with my child and you can't stop me..." Both of them got married... However, after she falls in love with him... She found there are hidden secrets in his past...
The night before her engagement, Valerie was tricked by her boyfriend and stepsister into spending the night with a stranger. After the night together, the man vanished. Later, her boyfriend accused her of cheating, revealing his affair with her stepsister. Pressured by her father, Valerie married an unconscious man in place of her stepsister. Valerie exposed the scheme, sabotaged her father’s ambitions, and transformed herself. When her husband woke and chased her to the airport, she calmly refused him, saying, "It's over between us." He held her firmly. "You married me, so you must commit."
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."