"Why can't I stay away from you? You're like a drug," he whispered into my ear, his breath warm against my skin. "I only have one option, my princess - I'm going to ruin you the way you have ruined me." *** Four years ago, Kat lost her memory and was taken in by a "family" working for the mafia - turning Kat into a thief. Enzo, scarred from a mission for the King, distrusts everything and everyone. However, when he runs into Kat, he finds himself drawn to her like no one he'd ever met before. He couldn't possibly be mated to a human, could he? Or maybe Kat was just the right person to steal the jaded Enzo's heart.
Kat POV
I pressed my ear to the door of the suite on the third floor of the Palazzo Hotel, hearing the steady breathing of the occupant inside. He must be fast asleep - just how I wanted him.
"This should be easy," I whispered to myself as I pulled the lock picks from where I had hidden them in my hair.
The hotel had been deserted as I had made my way through the foyer and hallways, as it should be at 3am. Only a sleepy looking desk clerk had possibly seen me, but I think the man was too busy scrolling through reels on his phone to even realise that I had snuck in.
Not exactly the kind of service you would expect to find at a five star hotel, but I was glad for it.
Within a few seconds, I had the door unlocked. With a slightly proud smile, I slipped off my shoes and pushed the door quietly open before I snuck inside. The room was lavishly decorated and my bare feet sunk into the thick carpet. Exquisite paintings hung on almost every wall and I had to stop myself from pulling one off the wall and cutting it from its frame.
One of those would earn me a bonus for sure, but I had to find the necklace first.
I moved slowly and quietly, grateful for the dim moonlight streaming in through the open windows and my ability to see well in the darkness.
"If I had a diamond necklace, where would I put it?" I mouthed, not daring to whisper in case I woke up the sleeping Castello man.
The man in question snored loudly and rolled over, facing the bedside table - and the large, velvet box which sat there.
"It had to be next to his bed, didn't it?" I thought to myself as I padded closer.
My eyes fell on the Castello, his sleeping face making him seem peaceful - well, almost peaceful. The scar which ran across his eye belied the peacefulness of his expression, making him seem like a Viking from the olden days. I could imagine him leading a group of fellow Vikings on a raid, the wind blowing in his dark hair which was slightly longer than the length I usually liked, but it suited him more than short hair would have.
My eyes trailed down his muscular torso, barely covered by the duvet and I bit my lower lip. "A sexy Viking at that," I thought.
It was a damned shame that the Castellos were the enemy. They had been at war with the Milano family for years, and I guess that meant he was supposed to be my rival too. It should be a crime to lust after a man who would probably smile as he slit your throat - but there I was, imagining what it would be like to feel his naked body against mine.
I may have still been a virgin, but I knew enough about the birds and the bees from Giulia. She was extremely open about her work as a prostitute. I just had no desire to launch myself at the Milano men who hung around the house, but that didn't stop me from imagining what sort of man I would like to be with. And the Viking was damned close.
I tore my eyes from the sexy Viking and edged closer to the velvet box. I picked it up and opened it carefully, my eyes watching the man's face for any signs that my close presence had awoken him, but he was still fast asleep.
I almost dropped the box when I looked down at the contents, the diamond necklace shining brightly even in the dim light. The necklace seemed familiar somehow with its zig-zag rows of diamonds encompassing the entire piece of jewellery, but I guess it wasn't so unusual to arrange jewels in that manner. I'm sure I had walked past dozens of jewellery stores and seen that same kind of necklace in the displays.
I lifted the necklace from the box, feeling its weight in my hand as I tried to figure out where the heck to put the piece. I had initially planned to string it around my neck beside my own necklace, but there was no way I could walk back to Mother's house wearing that thing. I would be robbed of it the second I walked through the Palazzo's front doors.
Without a second thought, I pulled the necklace from the box, closed the velvet covered casing and set it back down in the exact location I had found it. I was about to tuck the necklace into my bra - the only option of a hiding place that I had in the tight dress - when I felt something snake around my waist.
My eyes widened with panic as I stared down at the Castello man, his green eyes watching me closely. Before I could blink, he flung me onto the bed beside him, my face inches away from mine.
"Mine," he said in a voice that I can only describe as a growl, before he kissed me.
A strange warmth flooded me, and I found myself pressing into his kiss as his hands cupped my face. I closed my eyes as his tongue swept inside my mouth, igniting a passion inside of me I had never experienced before.
His hand ran down my body and I shivered at the contact, a soft groan tearing from my lips.
The sound was strange to my own ears, and it took me a few seconds to realise that it had come from me. That realisation was like a bucket of ice cold water poured on the flame of passion I was experiencing.
Panic surged through me and I pulled away frantically, rolling off the bed on the opposite side of the man. The necklace dangled from my fist, glinting in the moonlight and I could see the moment he noticed it. The passionate haze in his eyes turned ice cold and he lashed out, grabbing the other end of the necklace. He tugged hard on it, but I resisted, pulling in the opposite direction.
There was an audible snap as the necklace broke in two. The look of horror on the man's face was unmistakable, but I didn't wait around to see his reaction. I ran as fast as I could, escaping through the door as fast as I could. The roar of anger behind me told me that the man was following me, so I darted down the hallway toward the door which had a picture of stairs on it, choosing the stairs over having to wait for the elevator and risk getting caught by the Castello.
I heard the ping of the elevator opening and knew that he was planning to catch me in the foyer - something I could definitely not afford to have happen. It spurred me on, bursting out of the stairwell as fast as I could before I dashed through the foyer. I heard the desk clerk shout out in surprise seconds before I heard the elevator open. But it was too late, and I shot through the front door and darted into the darkness of the night.
I didn't stop running until Mother's house came into sight, my heart hammering loudly against my ribcage. Leaning against a nearby tree, I bent down to catch my breath and saw the strand of diamonds still in my fist.
"Darnit! Mother will be pissed if she sees that I destroyed her cousin's necklace," I swore to myself.
I looked down and noticed my bare feet and groaned. In my haste to run away, I had left my shoes behind.
The entire assignment had been a failure. And what was worse was the knowledge that I now had a Castello after me.
The Curse of Seasons is a Trilogy 1. Cursed for as long as she can remember to spend most of each year asleep, Lana is doomed to never lead a normal life or experience the normal issues teenagers usually have to endure. That is until Rhett, the neighbour's delinquent son comes into the picture. *** 2. Cole has spent the last six years hunting down the girl whom he fell in love with but has never met, their curse binding them to each other as much as the pages of the diary they shared as youths. Harley has no memory of a time before she was saved from death, but when her way of life is threatened, she must join in the fight or become a casualty. *** 3. Nathan can feel the winds of change, knowing that the inevitable war between his kind and the organization who created them is on the horizon. There is only one barrier to his involvement - the General's daughter.
I could hear his heart race as he spoke, my head pressed against his chest. "And were you pleased with what you found?" I asked, giving in to the urge to find out exactly what he thought of me. "I found you to be exactly what I had hoped for, after all these years. You're smart, funny and generally adorable. You drive me insane with your stubbornness. You have a gorgeously alluring figure and a pure, sweet face. Most importantly, you're someone who I could live with for the rest of eternity." He squeezed me gently, running his fingers through my tangled hair. *** Seventeen year old Callista is just your average teenage girl, however when she starts to have strange dreams after coming into contact with a mysterious guy in a coma things become complicated: especially when she begins to suspect that he is trying to speak to her through her dreams. Launched into an alternate realm with Greek gods, succubi and all things mythological, Callista struggles to balance her new-found destiny and her life in the human realm.
For seven years, Jillian pursued Bryan with unyielding passion, but he remained distant, his emotions tightly sealed. Disheartened, she left for overseas after graduating from college. Three years later, Jillian, now a successful attorney, sat provocatively on the lap of Bryan's competitor. She flashed Bryan a playful smile and taunted, "What's wrong, Bryan? Are you impotent?" Bryan's restraint shattered in an instant. In a swift motion, he scooped her up and tossed her onto the bed. The next morning, as Bryan woke up, Jillian flashed a mischievous smile. "Let's keep things casual, okay?"
Loraine was a dutiful wife to Marco since they got married three years ago. However, he treated her like trash. Nothing she did softened his heart. One day, Loraine got fed up with it all. She asked him for a divorce and left him to enjoy with his mistress. The elites looked at her like she was deranged. "Are you out of your mind? Why are you so willing to divorce him?" "It's because I need to return home to get a billion-dollar fortune. Besides, I don't love him anymore," Loraine replied with a smile. They all laughed at her. Some believed that the divorce affected her mentally. It wasn't until the next day that they realized she wasn't fibbing. A woman was suddenly declared the world's youngest female billionaire. It turned out to be Loraine! Marco was shocked to the bone. When he met his ex-wife again, she was a changed person. A group of handsome young men surrounded her. She was smiling at them all. The sight made Marco's heart ache severely. Putting his pride aside, he tried to win her back. "Hello, love. I see that you are a billionaire now. You shouldn't be with suckers who just want your money. How about you come back to me? I'm a billionaire too. Together, we can build a strong empire. What do you say?" Loraine squinted at her ex-husband with her lips curled in disgust.
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
Three years ago, Cecilia was left battered and alone by the man she loved most, Alston, yet she bravely completed the wedding ceremony while pregnant. Three years later, although they were married, they grew apart over time. Cecilia focused on her career, no longer foolishly believing in love. But her transformation instantly threw Alston into a panic... And what is the secret from 11 years ago that Cecilia has always been reluctant to reveal? *** "She went to a law firm, met with a lawyer..." A lawyer? Is Cecilia suing someone? Who? Is there any recent litigation against the company? Alston suddenly chuckled coldly, "Who could she sue? I'm the CEO of this company. How come such a matter doesn't come to me first?" The assistant swallowed nervously, speaking softly, "Sir, there's no litigation against the company. She met with... a divorce lawyer."
Warning: This book has high sexual assault displays, but does not support any form of rape. I, Alpha Edward Parker, swear that I will keep you tied to me until I make you pay for what you did to my mate," he swore, gripping my chin in a bruising hold. "Not only will you wish for death, but you will beg for it, and it will be too far from you." I could feel the eyes of the whole pack on us. They probably came to experience a normal wedding, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I was being married off to a groom because he wanted revenge. Tears welled, and I wanted to scream, "I am your mate; I'm the one who saved you, not her." But I knew no one would believe me. I was his mate, how could he not recognize me? Four years ago, Amanda happened to save a total stranger, but due to a string of misunderstandings, her sister took her place. The stranger then promised a vow of betrothal to his savior. Not seeing any use in correcting the error, Amanda allowed it. That was her biggest mistake because the stranger ended up being her own mate. Caught in a web of lies and confusion, she decides to set herself free by speaking the truth. But her plans are thwarted when her sister turns up dead, and she is pinned as the main suspect. A mate out to seek revenge for another, a forced marriage, an underlying plot, a web of lies, and many dark secrets. How can Amanda navigate all these without losing sight of herself? How will she speak the truth when she has already lost her voice and has been destroyed by her own mate?
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?