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You are enraptured by me. I am stained by love. Two souls series is a series of love, heartbreak, challenges, and acceptance. Ryland and Gracie have struggled their entire lives, both fighting their demons and keeping their secrets while just trying to make it through life and high school. They would rather pretend to be okay than share the truth with the ones closest to them, but that all changes the moment they meet. An instant connection turns into a strong bond. One that can't be broken. No matter how many people try to tear them apart. The love between them is something they never knew they needed; a love that helps them begin to heal. Join them on their journey from high school to college and find answers they never expected to find. With people trying to come between and their past catching up will they be able to make it through or will someone or something finally find a way to ruin a beautiful relationship that doesn't come around often in such a cruel world. Two broken souls become one, and Gracie and Ryland soon learn that their past doesn't need to define them, and if they stick together, they can get through anything.
Gracie
It was the last night of the summer holiday, and senior year is starting tomorrow-my last year of high school. When this is all over and I leave I will miss it, but I won't miss this damn town or most of the people that live in it. Everyone from our school year was having a party in the woods, a tradition of this town for many years. It was the one night of the entire year that we all get together before school starts when most of us won't even look at each other, let alone spend any time together. It was high school after all, what else can anyone expect
The bonfire lit, the music blaring, and the drinks flowing. People were making out, taking photos and acting like they were all friends. This wasn't my scene. For starters I don't drink due to personal reasons. When your father is an abusive alcoholic, who takes all of his anger out on you, it puts you off drinking. I have that fear inside that if I do drink, I will act like him, and that is not who I am. I could never imagine hurting anyone or anything. But according to everyone else, alcohol doesn't agree with me as it makes me sick, which is why I don't drink.
"Gracie, will you be OK here alone I promise I won't be too long" Lola, my best friend, said.
"I am a big girl. I am sure I will be fine," I laughed, "Go and do what you need to," I added.
I knew where she was going. Someone has caught her eye, and she was going over to him to make sure he knew that. Lola loves boys; she always has. I don't mean she screws around, I mean, she loves them in more ways than one.
"I will be right back, OK Don't you move!" she warned, in a slight slur.
My best friend was slightly drunk, just the same as most of the people here except the odd few, including myself. I nodded, waving her away. I knew she wouldn't be "right back" as she put it, but I know she will come back eventually, once she has had enough.
Lola gave me a quick hug before heading off. I watched her make her way towards Harry, one of the sweetest and quietest guy in our school. I believe she has a massive crush on him, something she will not ever admit to anyone, even me. Lola doesn't do relationships as they cause too much drama; her words, not mine. I never minded sitting alone for a little while. I like my own company sometimes.
Suddenly I felt like someone was watching me, making me look up. I soon realised that I was being watched by some guy I had never seen before, not at school nor around town. Trust me when I say I would have known if I had seen him before, he stood out from everyone else. This gorgeous and mysterious guy had jeans and a leather jacket on while most of the other guys were in hoodies or their letterman jackets. I could also see he had a tattoo on his neck, but unfortunately he was too far away for me to identify what it was. His hair was dark and slightly messy, it suited him. The way he was looking at me was intense, and he didn't look like he was pulling away anytime soon. I knew I should but I too couldn't take my eyes off of him; he was drawing me in, and I have no clue why.
I see a smile slowly creeping onto his lips, or maybe it was a smirk. I wasn't a hundred percent sure, but it was something. I decided that it was my cue to turn away from him. I quickly pulled my eyes away from the gorgeous stranger, looking anywhere but to the direction I knew he would be. I could still feel his eyes burning into me. I ignored the feeling, trying my best not to look at him again. It was not an easy thing to do. I stood from where I was sitting, walking away towards the lake. If I were away from him, I wouldn't need to be careful not to look at him.
I walked down the docks, sitting at the edge of it, letting my feet dangle over the water, thank God for my choice of sensible shoes, or they would be floating around on the water right now.
I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of the water. I loved the sound of the waves crashing, it relaxes me. I sometimes wish I could afford a boat to go sailing around the world. That would be amazing! Just me and the ocean, that is perfection to me. At least out there, no one could get me. Running my fingers through my long brown hair, I sighed to myself knowing this fantasy of mine will never happen, but that doesn't mean I can't dream.
"Why did you run away" I heard from behind me.
I jumped, nearly falling headfirst into the lake, only just managing to stop that from happening. I did not recognise the voice, but still, I knew who it was. It was him, the gorgeous stranger that I was trying to avoid.
"I did not run away," I said softly, not looking at him.
A part of me is hoping that if I do not look at him and say as few words as possible, he may leave. I heard feet against the dock, silently wishing that it was him turning and walking away, only to be disappointed when a figure sat down next to me.
"I would call that running away," he said with a chuckle.
"Maybe, but what do you expect I had some stranger standing there watching me. What was that even about" I said, finally turning to face the stranger.
Bad idea!
A small squeak fell from my lips when my eyes met his due to the close proximity, and wow, aren't those beautiful! I found myself getting lost in his almost emerald eyes. I swallowed hard, words unwilling to come from my lips.
"I couldn't help myself," he said, "You seem different from all those other girls. Why is that" he added.
"You don't know me, how could you possibly know I am different from all those other girls" I asked.
"This entire night I have not seen you drink, make out or take anything," he said without even pausing to formulate his answer.
The entire night How long has he been watching me Should I be creeped out
"How long have you been watching me" I asked.
"You caught my attention the very second you arrived here," he answered my question again so honestly.
"What Why" I said, confused.
"Because you did, simple as that." he shrugged.
There was nothing simple about it! Out of all the gorgeous girls here, he happened to notice me! Yeah, I am calling bullshit on that one. I have nothing on most of the girls here tonight. And more to the point, why is he here This is for the students starting senior year tomorrow, and as far as I know, he doesn't even go to our school.
"Who are you" I said, sounding slightly bitchy. That was not the way I intended it to sound, it just came out that way. The handsome stranger laughed.
"You will know me soon enough, Gracie," he said, getting to his feet.
"Wait! How do you even know my name" I asked.
"You will find out soon enough. See you around, brown eyes," he smirked before rushing off.
I didn't even get a chance to get up before he disappeared. What just happened Who was he And the biggest question is, how does he even know my name I don't know if I should be flattered or scared. I sat there, confused and trying to work out what just happened. Right now, I wanted to find out who he was more than anything else in the world.
I jumped to my feet, rushing back to where everyone else was, hoping I would see him. If I never, it would annoy me for the rest of the night. So I looked around, and he was nowhere in sight. How can he vanish He only left the docks a few minutes before me.
"Gracie, who are you looking for" I heard Lola laughing from behind me.
"The strangest thing just happened," I said, turning to face her.
"What do you mean" she asked.
And I told her what happened and by the time I had reached the end of my story, Lola seemed as confused as I was feeling.
"I don't know if the full thing should freak me out," I said.
"I honestly don't know," Lola said, "What did he look like" she added.
"He has dark hair, green eyes, there is a tattoo on his neck, and he is wearing jeans and a leather jacket," I said, "Have you seen him" I added.
"I think I did see him, only a few minutes before you showed up. He drove away in his car, though," she said.
"Damn it! This is going to annoy me all night," I said, "I don't even know who he is. I had not ever seen him around before tonight," I added.
"Me neither," Lola said, "This really is an odd situation," she added.
All I could do was nod in agreement with her. He said I would find out who he is soon enough, seriously, what did he mean by that Ahhh! Who was he
"I guess you will have to wait and see if you run into him again," Lola said.
"I guess," I sighed.
I tried to push him and the whole ordeal to the back of my mind, but it wasn't working. I was both annoyed and intrigued by what happened. Annoyed because he wouldn't tell me who he was, and intrigued because of the way he acted.
All I can do right now is hope that either I see him again or he disappears out of my head. I am OK with either, but I would prefer the first option, at least that way I could get his name.
"Come on, let's ask around and see if anyone knows who he is," Lola suggested.
I was not too keen on that idea, but she insisted. I let her do the asking, but anyone we asked had no clue who he was.
"I swear if you didn't say you saw him, I would be close to thinking he doesn't exist," I laughed.
"He might as well not," Lola said, laughing too.
I groaned, feeling a little frustrated by now. I think I should stop before I frustrate myself further. He is only some guy, and I shouldn't be this adamant about trying to find out who he is. Maybe he will always be a stranger that I never knew. Who knows, time will tell. For tonight, I am going to try my best to forget about him.
We can be strangers who passed in a night of sorts.
Two Strangers. One night. That was the plan. Kyler showed up soon after I got my heart broken, and he was what I needed at the time. One night with no strings, no personal details, just names. Someone to take my mind off things. It worked. We would not need to see each other again. Wrong! Come Monday, I walk into class, and there he is! What are the chances that the man I believed I would not ever see again is standing right there, as my new Professor? I wonder what his thoughts are on having a repeat of our night together? I think I may want to break some rules! I don't think either of us realized that the first night we met would be the start of both of our lives changing!
When Corynn mustered up the courage to tell Elliot about her pregnancy, she unexpectedly found him gallantly helping another woman from his car. Her heart sank as three years of effort to secure his love crumbled before her eyes, compelling her to leave him behind. Three years later, life had taken Corynn down a new path with someone else, while Elliot was left grappling with regret. Seizing a moment of vulnerability, he pleaded, "Corynn, let's get married." Shaking her head with a faint smile, Corynn gently replied, "Sorry, I'm already engaged."
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Lucia Balstone thought she had chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with, but he was the one who ended her life. Their ten-year marriage seemed like a joke when her husband stabbed her with a dagger. Fortunately, God is never blind to people's tears. Lucia got a second chance. She was reborn at the age of 22, before all the terrible things had happened. This time, she was determined to avenge herself and let those who hurt her pay! She made an elaborate list of her goals, and the first thing on her list was to marry her ex-husband's enemy, Alonso Callen!
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .