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.
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
Elin spent twenty years deeply loving her husband, finally marrying him just as she'd always dreamed. But reality shattered her illusions—he wasn't the man she believed. Instead, he callously destroyed her family, crushing her heart beyond repair. At her lowest point, Ruben, equally betrayed that night, approached her steadily. "Marry me, Elin. I'll help you take revenge." Yet, after their wedding, she quickly discovered he was dangerously unpredictable. "I made a mistake. Let's divorce..." Ruben slid his arm possessively around her waist, whispering a chilling promise, "Only in death."
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."
“Drive this woman out!” "Throw this woman into the sea!” When he doesn’t know Debbie Nelson’s true identity, Carlos Hilton cold-shoulders her. “Mr. Hilton, she is your wife,” Carlos’ secretary reminded him. Hearing that, Carlos gives him a cold stare and complained, “why didn’t you tell me earlier?” From then on, Carlos spoils her rotten. Little did everyone expect that they would get a divorce.
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.