Zaina thought she could run from her secrets, but they have finally caught up to her. She's willing to risk her life for those she loves, but even that might not be enough to stop what's coming. Einar has finally let down his guard, but when the woman he trusts takes off in the middle of the night with his people's only hope for a cure, he realizes what a mistake that was. They have been living under the shadow of the same monster for longer than either of them realize. But it's up to them to decide whether that makes them enemies or allies. You've heard it asked, who could ever learn to love a beast? But this time, the question is, could a beast ever learn to love?
Zaina
I never intended to plan my own death.
But then, so much of my life has been beyond my control that it seems only fitting that at least I will have some choice in this.
My eyes flit to a shadow hovering just outside the outer wall of the castle-one I might have missed entirely had I not known he would be waiting for me.
Damian.
The detached boy had turned into a sadistic man, one who had the nerve to call himself my brother just because we were both taken and raised by the same monster. I can't help but be happy that the world will be rid of him soon.
Still, I wouldn't have chosen to meet my end at his side if there were any other way.
I hadn't found one yet, though.
"Do you have the rose?" Damian's voice is barely above a whisper, only audible because he has pressed his head close enough to mine for his dark locks to brush my forehead.
I shudder in revulsion, backing away as I pull the flower out of my pocket.
It is impossible to discern his expression in the shadows of the towering pines, but I can imagine he is glaring at me for my show of disgust. He says nothing, though, he only runs his fingers over the rose in an intentionally suggestive manner, but I know what he is doing.
Aside from taunting me, he is checking it for authenticity, ensuring it isn't the artificial replica he gave me yesterday.
"If you're finished fondling the flower, we should get going." I pluck the rose neatly from his hand, grateful that I took the time to procure the real thing.
"We weren't going anywhere," he says, making a grab for the rose.
"We are," I counter, placing it safely in my cloak pocket. "Unless you'd like to walk to the alchemist's house from here. The only heart that will go unmissed is mine, and he only listens to me. "
Damian can sniff out a lie an ocean away, so I stick closely to the truth.
"I'm sure I'll manage." His tone is as neutral as ever, but I sense impatience brimming under the surface. "You'll be missed."
"My heart is fast." I carefully avoid commenting on his last statement; I avoid thinking about it at all.
Because I certainly will be missed, and so will this rose. I made sure of that when I left a very clear trail of clues, alerting Einar that the one I left behind was a fake.
My thumb absently rubs at the place where my wedding ring has rested for nearly two months. A small indentation remains, serving as a reminder of a life and a marriage that was never truly mine.
When Einar discovers my deception, so soon after our single night together, he will be furious. devastated. But he and his people will be safe, and so will my sisters.
"There is too much at stake for me to entrust this mission to you, Damian, not when you so often let your baser instincts get the better of you." I give him another reason.
"I would never jeopardize Mother's plans," he says with a deadly calm that sends shivers creeping up my spine.
"Then you'll quit wasting time." I stalk off toward the trees, hoping that he will follow me. This is the crux of my plan: that Damian will relent and allow me to come along.
Half a heartbeat later, his footsteps crunch through the snow behind me, and I fight not to sigh audibly with relief. My spirited hestrin' Gideon is tied to a trunk only a few paces away. His handler is the only person who might suspect I am leaving tonight, but I trust Sarah Agnes to keep her silence.
I have no choice.
I heave myself onto Gideon, who is easily twice as tall as the average pony, and Damian slithers in behind me. Gideon shuffles his feet, and I wonder at Damian's acquiescence to my plan until he speaks.
"I can't wait to see what this little rebellion costs you." His voice is a hiss in my ear, Gideon's lumbering steps giving him the excuse he needs to press up against me. "I wonder if it will be as exciting as the last one."
At his words, I see my younger sister lying in a pool of her own blood. I saw Damian's smirk as her last breath left her chest.
Back with the king… for one desert night! Twelve years after Sheikh Tahir almost lost his throne, the woman who betrayed him arrives at his palace gates. Lauren’s request to help her brother is Tahir's chance to—at last—make sense of her betrayal. On one condition: they spend twenty-four hours in the desert…alone. A night at Tahir’s command is more than Lauren bargained for. Any trust left between them is fragile. Yet with every passing hour, the inescapable intimacy empowers Lauren to lay bare the scandalous truth of their past—and her still burning desire for Tahir…
The King (2019), directed by David Michod, is a historical drama following the life of King Henry V of England during the 15th century. The character Hal, portrayed by Timothee Chalamet, began his journey as a drunk, rejecting his role as a royal while dismissing his father completely
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
"Then let's get a divorce!" With courage, Leora left her husband's house, after being accused of poisoning his mistress. Her in-laws and sister-in-law had planned various ways to kick her out of Peter's house and in the end Leora gave in. However, no one expected that things would turn 180 degrees after the divorce. When everyone who had hurt her was happy with each other's lies, Leora returned. This time, she was no longer the poor orphan girl from the orphanage. She has changed and not only that, she also carries a big secret that will make everyone turn to worship her feet.
Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he never gave a damn about rules and laws, as he only liked to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and lan begged her not to leave him?
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Ethan always viewed Nyla as a compulsive liar, while she saw him as aloof and insensitive. Nyla had cherished the notion that she was dear to Ethan, yet she felt coldly rejected when she realized her place in his heart was insignificant. No longer trying to break through his coldness, she stepped back, only for him to alter his approach unexpectedly. She challenged him, "If you trust me so little, why keep me around?" Ethan, who had once carried himself with pride, now stood before her with a humble plea. "Nyla, I've made mistakes. Please don't walk away from me."
My family was on the poverty line and had no way to support me in college. I had to work part-time every day just to make ends meet and afford to get into the university. That was when I met her—the pretty girl in my class that every boy dreamt of asking out. I was well aware she was out of my league. Nevertheless, I mustered all my courage and bravely told her that I had fallen for her. To my surprise, she agreed to be my girlfriend. With the sweetest smile I had ever seen, she told me that she wanted my first gift for her to be the latest and top-of-the-line iPhone. I worked like a dog and even did my classmates’ laundry to save up. My hard work eventually paid off after a month. I finally got to buy what she wanted. But as I was wrapping my gift, I saw her in the dressing room, making out with the captain of the basketball team. She then heartlessly made fun of my inadequacy and made a fool out of me. To make things worse, the guy whom she cheated on me with even punched me in the face. Desperation washed over me, but there was nothing I could do but lie on the floor as they trampled on my feelings. But then, my father called me out of the blue, and my life turned upside down. It turned out that I was a billionaire's son.