When an outcast vampiress meets the most desired Alpha CEO in the city, there should have been bloodshed. Fate, on the other hand, has different plans for them. Wolves, vampires, and the entire supernatural underworld will come between them. But those are simple to overcome in comparison with their own prejudices. For Paul, she's a tainted soul. In normal circumstances, he would give her what she wants, death. But the rules he loves so much compel him to protect her. For Laura, he's just a means to an end, someone who holds the key to what she desires. Love is just a stumbling block in a life she doesn't want to live.
Laura - 1963
Darkness. Fear. My heart thuds, almost breaking free from my ribcage. I gasp for air, but there isn't enough for my thirsty lungs. Fear can be a dreadful thing, killing you before your time comes. Reaching out in the dark, I touch a wall in front of me. Same on my left and right. A hard floor beneath my back as I am lying flat. Where am I?
Mama always tells me to be home by the time the darkness engulfs the land. But I am young and headstrong. Life screams at me to live it wholeheartedly. Mama talks all the time about creatures lurking in the shadows, waiting to catch children and young virgins. Mostly, I nod, rolling my eyes internally.
A sliver of light shines through the hinge of the door above me. Sounds. People are talking, but I can't understand a word they're saying. The roaring in my ears must cease for me to hear what is going on outside. I take long, slow breaths to calm myself and lower my heart's rhythm.
"The Council has reached a decision. You have been found guilty of killing another member of our kind. Your punishment is simple. A life for a life."
Through my wooden cage, I hear a man's loud, proud voice. "I'm ready to die. I've lived enough."
"We said a life for a life, not a death for a death. You killed one of our own. Therefore, you will sire a new one instead."
This time the man's voice gets shaky, trembling. "I... I sired no one before."
"Our thoughts exactly. It's time for you to do it."
My eyes can't see anything when the wooden board is lifted from above me. When the darkness of my cell has been all I could see for god knows how long, the light blinds me. To help my sight, I use my hands to lay shadows upon my eyes.
My legs shake like leaves in the wind as I rise to my feet. I couldn't stretch them inside that thing they kept me in. Maybe that's why my legs don't want to move. What is this place? Who are these people? What do they want from me? My eyes haven't yet recovered. All I can see are blurring shapes.
The neutral voice from whom appears to be a Council member - god knows what that means - speaks. "This woman is yours to own. Bring her into our fold. This is your cross to bear."
A chill breeze creases my skin. I slowly lift my head from my hands, warm tears rolling down my cheeks. The night is starry. A full moon brightens the sky. Three men in black with hoods covering their faces loom tall in front of me on a higher pedestal.
I glance to the side, where I see a face. And what a face... Pale skin, a broken nose, and an opened, toothless mouth. An iron circle rusts around his neck's punctured skin and chains hold his arms and legs. Yet those shackles pale in contrast to the ones that haunt his face. In his eyes, there is no hope, no desire to live. This man wants to die. He's been waiting for that sweet escape for a long time.
Gulping, I see myself in his place. Iron spikes penetrate my flesh, streams of blood seeping through the wounds and down my chest. This can't be happening to me. I won't end up like this ghostly man. Shaking my head, I drive away that dreadful image from my mind.
Footsteps approach, and my legs still won't budge more than the expanse of my shivers. A gentle touch on my shoulder and a warm voice. "Tell me, child, how old are you?"
It's the same voice, the man that is being judged here. I can glimpse through my eyelashes his sky-blue eyes. "Seventeen," I mumble as my voice fades away.
The man turns his back on me. "She is barely a child!"
"There were others much younger than her who thrived, even in the Council. We are done talking!"
Another man steps forward with a glass, punctures the toothless prisoner's flesh, and fills his glass with blood. My chest heaves and I freeze. My knees buckle as violent tremors shoot through my body. Cold sweat drips down my back. In my ears beats the rhythm of my heart.
I swoon at the sight of so much blood. But the man with blue eyes and a warm voice holds me steady when I sway. What in heaven is happening here?
The man holding the glass turns and consumes the entire amount of crimson liquid in one go. My whole life, I was wrong. There is no such thing as heaven, and I am in hell. Or perhaps in a dream. I must be hallucinating! These types of things only happen in dreams. I need to get up! No more!
"Please, let me go," I manage to say with a trembling voice. It doesn't even sound like my own. I don't feel like myself. "I want to go home!"
One of the hoods moves as a council member signals something to someone on my right. I turn in time to see broad shoulders too close to have time to run. The light flickers upon a silver blade.
My mouth opens to scream in dismay, but nothing comes out. Why? As I touch my throat, my fingers are bathed in a warm, thick liquid. A fine line along my neck ignites a pang of pain. I raise my hands only to discover they are painted in red. My muscles aren't mine to control anymore. My body falls to one side, blood pumping out of my neck as I suffocate and choke.
"It's your choice. Turn her or let her die!"
The last words I hear before the darkness takes me. Thoughts continue to swarm inside my head while my muscles succumb to numbness. Why me? Is this a nightmare? You get to wake up when you die in a dream, right? I'll wake up... I'll wake up...
Humans, robots, aliens, and energy life forms, all tend to like Tejeda for his easy-going personality, not knowing what lies beneath his ever-changing face. He is a Nubilae, a shapeshifting race known for their insanity. But Tejeda appears carefree and often amused even in the most perilous situations. His one-of-a-kind weapon of choice is a spoon, an old utensil that no one remembers anymore ever since eating has become obsolete. You will laugh at him. You will be scared by him. You will enjoy every step of his journey if you are a bit as crazy as he is.
"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!
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!"
Rose looked at the reports in her hand and was in shock... The reports said that she was one month pregnant, however, how can she get pregnant when she didn't have any man in her life... "Was it because of that dream? Could I get pregnant because I have sex in my dream?" She thought... She didn't have any mental problems, however, except for this she can't able to think about anything... However, she still didn't get out of her surprise when she met the man in her dream... Kevin Davis looked at the reports in her hand and asked, "Is this child mine?" However, Rose didn't answer but asked... "Was that night not a dream?" Kevin was angry because it was his first time and she thinks it was a dream... Kevin forced her to marry him however, Rose didn't want it... She wanted to abort the child but he didn't let her... In the end... Rose agreed to marry him... She looked at Kevin's blue eyes and said, "I will marry you, however, I had two conditions..." "First, after marriage, you can't control my freedom, I still had the right to do whatever I want. Don't worry I won't harm the child." "Second, if I ever found out that you had cheated behind my back then I will leave with my child and you can't stop me..." Both of them got married... However, after she falls in love with him... She found there are hidden secrets in his past...
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.
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.