Melody Lane is finishing up her last semester as a Hospitality major by completing a work study at a charming and luxurious hotel in Romania. As it turns out, the hotel is located just a few miles south of Bran Castle, where the famous Count Dracula ruled centuries ago. She is well aware of the history, since she has been a fanatic of myths and legends since she was a child. As such, she books a midnight tour on Hallows Eve to witness the castles historical beauty for herself. Unbeknownst to her, the events of this pivotal night just might alter her course of fate.... forever.
Melody Lane stepped off of the incredibly tiny 2-person airplane and was greeted by the crisp, chilly Romanian wind. Her long and curly, sandy blonde hair was having a fit in it, so she set down the small suitcase that she purchased as a set from Ross earlier this week, to throw the now-tangled mess up into a sloppy bun. After spending 24 hours either on a plane or stuck in an airport, she was finding it difficult to maintain a polished appearance.
'Oh well' She thought. 'I can always freshen up at the hotel.'
She grabbed a hold of her suitcase and looked over to the man who piloted the two-seated airplane. She tried having small talk with him on the way over, but he just smiled and nodded each time, which made Melody feel like he didn't speak enough English to understand what she was saying.
She waved goodbye with a small smile and was relieved when he did the same in return.
Inside, the Sibiu airport was bustling and warm with people coming and going on their way. Melody pulled her small suitcase towards the baggage claim and waited for the larger suitcase that she checked back in Houston.
As she stood waiting for the conveyer belt, she noticed the man standing adjacent to her. She normally isn't the type to stare, but the guy was accompanied by two other men, both of which were dressed in black suits and had earpieces in. The three of them held quite an intimidating presence.
Clearly, the two men were there for his protection, which was weird, seeing as the guy looked like the last person in the airport that needed it. In fact, his aura gave off a distinct 'Fuck with me and you're dead' vibe. It wasn't the fact that he towered over Melody's 5"7 frame, or the fact that his face looked as if it was sculpted by the Gods. It wasn't even the black Armani trench coat that brushed his pristinely polished boots. No, for Melody, it was the fact this he was wearing sunglasses in the middle of the airport. The gall.
Mel also found it odd that she seemed to be the only person who noticed him. She would have expected gawking women, at the very least. I mean, the guy looks like a walking Michael Angelo sculpture.
For a moment, she thought that he seemed as if he was sniffing the air, then he suddenly turned his head towards her and seemed to catch her staring directly at him. Melody felt her face heat up and her stomach drop to her toes as she quickly turned her head back towards the unmoving conveyer belt. She didn't have to take her earphones out, because she could practically feel the thickness of him as he took his time striding over to where she stood, the two men following closely behind as if they were a coordinated unit. The way he moved, Melody would swear that he thought he was taking a pleasant stroll through the park, which was a drastic contrast to the stiff movements of his trailing companions.
He stopped right in front of her and tugged at his ear, signaling for her to take out her earphones. As she did, he tugged his own glasses down onto his nose.
"Can you see me?" He asked with an curious yet reproachful look in his eyes. He held the slightest accent, as if he'd had decades to polish his English, although he didn't look much older than Melody's 25 years.
"Um, y-yes?" Melody replied hesitantly, as she craned her neck to look up into his eyes. At that moment, a small and humiliating hiccup left her lips. Her own eyes widened.
One of his perfectly trimmed eyebrows arches up at the sound, and he smirked as if he just found out one of her dirty little secrets. Heat pooled low in her stomach and a pleasant chill crept up her spine. He looked at her for a moment longer before smiling softly again.
"Interesting." he murmurs to himself as he looks down at the name tag hanging around Melody's neck. The hotel sent it with the welcoming package, and gave instructions to wear it to the airport so that she can be spotted by the driver. He lifted the ID between his long and slender finger and gave my picture a gentle rub. "Well, I'm sure we will be seeing more of each other in the future, Ms. Lane." he finished with a wicked grin.
Remembering herself, she snatched the ID out of his hand as she took a step backwards, shooting him a defiant look as the conveyer belt began moving and suitcases started pouring out. When she looked back at him, he still had a faint smile on his lips as he stared at her own. Seeming to remember himself, he pulled back with with what seemed to be some effort and headed over to the conveyer belt, grabbing a small black suitcase and handing it to one of his attendants. He turned to me and tipped his hat with another luscious grin, then filed out of the airport doors with the two men trailing behind.
She gulped in a breath before realizing that she hadn't taken many since he approached her, seeing as his very presence seemed to suck the oxygen right out of her atmosphere. Not only that, but she realized that the hair on her arms was standing at attention, and her delicate hands were shaking slightly as her heart raced inside of her chest.
'What was that?' she wondered to herself.
Mel shook her head to clear it, grabbed the suitcase that she finally spotted on the belt, and went outside to wait for her driver to arrive. It wasn't until she was laying in bed that night that she realized two things that made her nothing short of on edge- the first were his eyes. The color. They were a deep and rich shade of magenta.
The second; she couldn't shake the feeling that they had already met.
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.
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
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!”
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.