*Mature Content* "You're mine," he growls, his grip on me tightening. "And I always get what I want." +++ One day, the Immortal Sin named Cian admitted himself into a mental care facility. Six years before Amolet started working there. With hope to finally have independence, Amolet took the job without thinking much of it. That is until she meets the self-admitted patient, with unspeakable powers, shrouded in darkness and mystery. When he refuses to speak to her, her curiosity only peaks, her desire to get to know this sinfully perfect man too hard to walk away from. But the deeper she digs, the more of his past she discovers, piecing together a sinister reality. But it's a reality she can't escape from, as she's tied to him in ways she couldn't have ever predicted.
¬Amolet
I stare back at myself in the reflection of the window, tucking a stray thread out of sight.
This is the first job I've ever applied for, and it shows. I've managed to pull what appears to be a formal outfit from the depths of my closet, having struggled earlier to pull my thick hair into a tidy enough bun. Today could be the day I finally gain financial independence. No longer will I have to rely on anyone other than myself. Through the window, I meet the silvery eyes of the shop's owner, who smiles warmly, motioning for me to come inside. The bell jingles above me as I step inside, greeted by the scent of old books and lavender incense.
My friend comes around the counter, tugging his apron off and he looks me over, noting my choice in formal-wear for this interview. "You don't have to do this, you know," he reminds me, leaning against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. Leven and I have been friends for as long as I can remember, and as soon as I could, I worked at his family's bookstore. For so long I've owed him everything, and now I'm going to apply at a local mental institution in hopes to start a real career.
"Working for you is nice, but I need my own job," I remind him, watching him tilt his head, thick golden waves brushing against his brows.
"That's the thing, you don't," he comments, raising a light eyebrow. "I can look after you."
I narrow my eyes at him playfully, picking a random book off the shelf before flipping through it. I knew that stopping in here from the small apartment Lev and I share before heading off to my interview would be a mistake. Since last night when I announced it to him he has been trying to talk me out of it. If he had his way, I would be working at the bookstore forever.
"You're my friend, Lev. I'm not going to do that to you," I tell him firmly, falling back onto the plush couch that is a part of the designated reading area. He joins me, knowing there aren't any customers in the store to watch on.
"But I want to look after you. Working in a prison doesn't suit you."
"It's a care facility for people who have been through a lot more than you and me," I remind him. My research has proven that most of the patients there have magic related injuries that have rendered them unable to participate in our society here in the Harmony Pack. Here, society demands perfection, and if you're not close enough to that, you're thrown into a place like where I will now find myself working.
"If you don't get the job, the position is still open for you at my shop," Lev offers, that grin he offers me so characteristically him it warms me from the inside. I sometimes forget he has no officially inherited this store from his parents. I used to have the biggest crush on Lev when we were younger, but once we came out of school and have been living together as friends, I've decided it needs to remain platonic.
"I appreciate you. I'll let you know how it goes," I promise, standing up to give him a hug before quickly pushing through the bookstore door, dodging customers as they breeze. Lev casts one more look toward me. If he wanted to say anymore to me, he decides against it.
***
I sit before the large desk, knees pressed tightly together in fear as I address who may be my boss as he sits before me. When I signed up for this job, I wouldn't have expected my boss to look like this. He lounges casually back in his seat, sifting through the paper before him as if none of it truly makes sense. He wears a back collared button-up shirt, the first couple undone, showing off a mass of tattoos and markings depicting patterns I've never seen before.
They creep up his neck, the ends of some finishing at his jawline. The more I stare at them, the more frightening they become, seeming to shift and move under the light like a living entity.
"What has made you want to apply for this position?" he asks casually, looking at my resume and then back at me, eyes a dark shade of brown.
"I care a lot for people, and I saw this position and decided I wanted to try something new," I say simply, deciding against telling him I need the money and this is the only place that may take me. He runs his finger along his lower lip as he thinks. I've decided this man before me is attractive in this dark, predatory way. Perhaps if a cold chill wasn't buried beneath my skin every time I glance his way, I would be enamoured. Instead, I stare at him warily. Stace, his name is.
"You understand how demanding this position can be. There are many patients who are seriously mentally ill," he murmurs, dark brows raising beneath his black hair, the thick curls concealing them from view. I swallow painfully, my dry throat aching.
"That doesn't mean they shouldn't have a chance to try to live the best life possible, which I'm willing to help with," I tell him firmly. He breathes in for a long moment, studying me.
"This position will have you on the lowest level, where those patients will have magical inflictions. This means they will be beyond repairs," he tells me slowly, clearly predicting I'm hoping to change them, to make them better despite my lack of experience. Yet the undertone of his warning says more than he is letting on. Is he referring to a particular case? Or maybe more than one person?
"Then I will try to nurture them," is all I respond with. Even if they are beyond saving, they are worth taking care of. I just hope I can do it and manage everything else going on in my life. Once Lev knows, he's going to try to convince me to not take this job. Stace leans back, looking over me.
"You live around here?" I nod. "Just down the road."
Stace sweeps his hand back through his dark curls which fall back effortlessly around his forehead and ears. He doesn't look like he should live here, in the Harmony Pack. He doesn't have the common features, yet I've already established he must be a foreigner. Yet there is something more to it than that..something otherworldly, with those markings, those eyes. Don't convince yourself out of this. There is nothing going on.
"So you understand the rumours?" he questions, snapping me from my foolish thoughts.
"Rumours?" I hadn't realised there were any. Stace tilts his head back and forth, quietly considering something. I've lived in this part of the Harmony Pack since I was young. After my parents died I was sent here to live with my Uncle, which is how I met Lev in the local school. Now I live with him, trying to scrape together money to get by day to day. Even if I had heard the rumours here, which I haven't, I would likely still apply to work here.
"Never mind. It seems you will work just fine for the position. Is starting Monday next week work fine with you?" he questions, writing something on the paper before him. I nod eagerly.
"Yes, that's perfect."
"Would you like me to show you where you will be working?" he asks, raising an eyebrow as if it's a challenge, as if he expects me to change my mind. How bad can this place truly be? How badly are the patients here damaged? I have no experience dealing with any magical injuries, yet I'm curious to see how it has affected those here.
"Absolutely." I allow him to guide me out to the main foyer and into the elevator. Watching anxiously, I make note of the fact he has to put a security code into the panel, sending us quickly plummeting downward. He's too tall to be normal, too broad in the shoulders. The way he looks at me suggests he is waiting for me to mention something, but I keep my mouth firmly closed.
"The lowest floor is underground, so there isn't any natural lighting," he comments as the elevator glides to a stop, the light above us flickering eerily.
"I hope that's not an issue."
"No, that should be fine," I reply uneasily. Stepping out of the elevator, we emerge into the underground complex, a long hallway extending out in front of us. Looking around, there are closed doors everywhere, no windows to see inside. I shiver imagining the patients hidden behind, suffering away from the outside world.
"Most of these patients are despondent, so don't worry about holding a conversation with any of them," Stace mutters, leading me down a separate hallway.
"Why is that?"
"Most of them are trapped within their own heads," he admits. As we pass by another hallway, I can't help but look down, seeing darkness, and then as my eyes adjust, I realise I'm looking at cells. The iron bars are a stark contrast to the rest of the facility. This is meant to be a hospital substitute for those with magical injuries. I hadn't realised a cell would be necessary.
"Sad," I breathe. Stace pauses, leaning back against the wall, following my gaze down the hallway lined with cells.
"There's on patient in particular I recommend you avoid." I frown.
"Why's that?" As we meet gazes, I get a sense that he wants to tell me, yet something stops him. Instead, he clears his throat, turning away, motioning for me to follow.
"That doesn't matter," he murmurs. "Let's go get your uniform." I nod as I follow after him, but not without casting one last glance down the dark hallway, wondering what Stace's warning really means.
Sienna has been in love with her Alpha since she could remember. He's rough, dangerous and the epitome of raw sex appeal. The problem is, he is her best friend, and strictly off limits. Tradition mandates he marry a woman of noble birth, and that is not her. She knows this is for the best, until she becomes his mistress, and things start to change. As she falls for her best friend, she must reconcile a deadly secret she has been keeping from him for years, that could change everything. Onyx has sacrificed everything to become Alpha. So, not marrying for love shouldn't be such an issue. His entire life he has denied his feelings for his best friend, until he is forced to take her as his mistress to grant her protection. With threats growing against them, and when his prospective wife candidates start showing up murdered, he make some difficult decisions.
On a quiet Spring morning, Avila awoke, six months after her death. By some miracle, she was suddenly alive, with no memory of her life. Confused, Avila is thrust into a world of where she is a Princess with a secretive family who battles a vicious rebellion. And, she is engaged to a wealthy, handsome Prince who couldn't stand who she was before she died. Avila is forced to piece together her previous life while making sense of her current one, but with a rebellion member who is in love with her, and the attraction growing between her and the Prince, things are only getting more complicated.
"I can't tell what is real and what is a dream," I murmur, looking up to his silver eyes, glistening mist swirling within his irises. "But I know I can't hold myself back from you any longer. Luella has been having the same dreams every night involving two silver eyed men, who remain elusive during the day, but come alive from the shadows by night. After visiting a therapist who tips Luella off on what could be the cause of these dreams, the start to become more frequent, to the point she can no long tell the difference between dream and reality. Who are these silver eyed men? One wants her desperately until he doesn't, while the other is always there when she needs him, until he is not. That is, until she swears she is seeing them in her waking life. And suddenly, her dreams might just be coming to life.
Having survived the River, Akara wakes alone, and with a decision to make. Find Marek, the mysterious hunter who saved her life through deception and lies? Or find Taius, the King, who's lies are coming to the surface. And through the decision on who to trust, Akara must battle through her emerging powers, and her torn feelings between Marek and Tai. And her decision will reveal a connection far deeper than what she ever thought she was capable of.
“I...I’ve never had an orgasm before!” I blurt out, backing away a few steps. He sits up, dark hair ruffled and messy from the fingers I ran through it. His eyes, once wide, slowly darken. “You what?” He breathes. *** Running from a dark past, a girl stumbles into a territory ran by a notorious Alpha. He's cold, dangerous and poisons her, forcing her into his proximity. But she harbours a dark secret, which when revealed to the wrong people, causes her to become tied to the Alpha in an arranged marriage that reveals more about them than anticipated... Including the bond they share when they touch. And the Alpha too has a secret, an obsession. For her. __ Themes: Fated Mates, Forced Proximity, Arranaged Marriage, Werewolf (Alpha), Romance, Smut, Dominance. (18+)
"So you're a virgin, then." He says it so blatantly it rattles me to the core. "No! I mean, would it matter if I were?" "I suppose not," he muses, his gaze shifting back to me. "But when I look at you, I want to violently fuck you until you cannot move for days." ---- On a hiking trip with a friend, Meara accidently breaks an ancient curse, releasing a powerful Alpha from another time. He wants revenge from who imprisoned him as much as he wants her, and Meara may be the only one who can stop him. But she has a life she isn't ready to give up. And yet, there is no escaping a seductive Alpha and a deadly curse that has been unleashed across her Pack that threatens her life.
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
Desperate to handle her grandmother's towering medical bills, Gianna agreed to a contract marriage with Tristan, the enigmatic man she'd once shared a one-night stand with. She assumed they'd fulfill each other's needs and dissolve the arrangement once the terms expired. Unbeknownst to Gianna, this marriage was a dream Tristan had clung to for ten relentless years. Certain she was just filling someone else's role, Gianna prepared to leave when that other woman returned. But Tristan, his eyes burning with unspoken emotion, seized her trembling hand and declared, "You’re mine. Now and always."
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?