My name is Scarlet Jones, and I'm a witch... sort of. At least, that's what I've come to believe. Growing up, everyone saw me as the spoiled brat nobody wanted around. Sure, I broke things on purpose, stole a few items, and maybe set half my school ablaze, but can you blame me? They were too hard on me! In a family of powerful Blood witches, my peculiar magic always felt out of place. I thought I was the only one like me-an undeniable freak of nature-and I relished the uniqueness. I lived independently, hunting mindless creatures that drained my magic whenever they got the chance. I even threw a party for them, hoping to teach them some manners. But my plans unraveled when four strangers crashed the party-people who were just like me. Suddenly, I didn't feel so special anymore. With four unconscious bodies at my feet and no clue about what had just happened, I figured things couldn't get worse. I was dead wrong. Now, my journey is just beginning, and it looks like it's going to be anything but smooth.
The way I figured it, if those mindless things were coming after me, whether I liked it or not, why not throw them a welcoming party? I'd take pride in being the best hostess they'd ever had. Everything was laid out for their hearts' desire-never mind that I had no idea if they even had hearts. I aimed to please and surprise them so hard they'd drop dead on the spot. If I were a lucky girl. But I was a believer, and that's why I was at a construction site in the middle of Manhattan, making sure my guests had everything arranged for their pleasure: thirteen hearts, two Desert Eagles, some throwing knives, and last but not least, my two Butterflies-Butter and Fly.
I never claimed to be creative. The hearts were among my favorite weapons, metal shaped into perfect hearts-almost paper-thin and able to cut through anything, except bone. My Desert Eagles, a heaven of black aluminum and stainless steel, fit perfectly in my hands. My throwing knives had become like removable fingers to me, and my Butterflies were my most prized possessions. The blades were as long as my forearm, making them easy to conceal and carry. They were identical, with longer-than-usual crossguards that allowed me to hold them in several different positions; their single-edged blades sliced through bone with ease. I loved my babies, and I was pretty sure my guests were going to... Oh, shoot. I blew it, didn't I? I'd arranged everything for my pleasure, not theirs. Bad, bad, Scarlet.
Resisting a smile was impossible. I'd waited for this night for over two years, and it was finally coming together the way I wanted it to. My magic surged in short bursts of energy. I couldn't see it, but I felt it. I intensified it while holding my breath, because I needed my guests to arrive soon. Rain poured heavily outside. It was cold up here, on the ninth floor of the building under reconstruction. The walls were missing, and tools littered the ground-tools I'd use as weapons if necessary.
And my guests... I wasn't sure what they were, but they looked pretty ordinary if you missed their pupils, which were vertically slit like a cat's. Oh, and they were all men, too. No idea why. The first time I saw one was almost two years ago. He chased me like a hawk its prey until he cornered me in an alley and began to suck me dry. Vampires were bad, but this guy? He was horror incarnate. He drained my powers and left me for dead. I didn't wake up for a full day afterward. At the time, I had no idea what had happened or what he'd done to me. I thought he'd taken all my magic, never to be restored again. To this day, I still can't figure out if I was happy or sad about it. But my magic returned, just like always, and within forty-eight hours, I was as good as new.
It was another three months before I encountered Mindless Thingies Two and Three. They did exactly what the first one had, and I bounced back just the same. I called them mindless because they never spoke. I'd never heard any of them utter a single word or make a sound. They came, they stared, they smiled, and they sucked power. They felt it, too. That's how they found me four times in a row before I learned to shield myself. Shield my powers.
Which was another thing I had no idea about, because I'd never met anyone like me or anyone who knew others with the same kind of magic. I had magic; I felt it and could use it, but didn't. Using it meant attracting the mindless thingies, and you never knew when they might decide to end me for good. I'd spent a lifetime hiding my magic, but hiding it from them was a whole other story. They felt it, even when I wasn't using it, so I had to teach myself how to lock it deep inside. It took me a year, but now it was as easy as breathing.
My eyes closed as I focused on my ears. When I heard footsteps a floor below me, I let out a long breath and turned around. It was time to properly welcome my guests. With Butter in one hand, Fly hidden under my sleeve, and four throwing knives in the other, I was ready. Guns were fun, but they didn't seem to hurt them-at least not unless I got close and personal, the barrel kissing their skulls. It was just a theory, one I had yet to prove, but I was taking my chances.
The first one who stepped onto the open floor, surrounded by dirt, tools, and a few pillars, was really tall. His black hair was slicked back, his muscles rippling under his black shirt. After him came three others. They all looked somewhat alike, but not quite. At first glance, you'd think they were brothers, but if you looked closely, you'd spot the differences-like how the second guy's eyes were wide-set, the third was bald, and the fourth had muscles like he was on steroids. A chill crept up my spine. I was prepared for only two, because they always came after me in pairs. Fear snaked its way to my throat, forming a lump that made it hard to breathe. The thunder outside shook the building in response to my hammering heart.
They all smiled at me, and I smiled back. "Scared" didn't even begin to describe how I felt, but I wasn't backing down. I was tired of running. It was time to serve them a few refreshments-my throwing knives. Locking down my magic tightly inside, I threw all four knives at once and ran forward in the same breath. They were ready, as ready as ever, charging at me in an instant, oblivious to the knives now buried in their bodies. Swinging my arm, I caught the first one across the face with my sword. Blood exploded, spraying my face as I spun around and took out the next. They each tried to grab my hair-a move I expected. I dodged away and swung my arms as fast as I could.
There were four of them and one of me, and no matter how much of a kick-ass I thought I was, I had to step back while they came after me with fists and kicks. But that was a move I anticipated. I left my other weapons in the middle of the room, and now I was barely four feet away from them. Good thing the mindless thingies didn't use weapons. Bad thing: their fists were huge and felt like hammers-like the one the bald guy hit me with on the jaw. No teeth came out that I could tell, but my vision blurred long enough for one of them to kick me straight in the chest and send me flying. I landed on my back on the concrete floor. The fist that came for my face sent my senses into overdrive, and I began swinging my arms uncontrollably. The next thing I knew, a fist was actually on my face-except now it was detached from the rest of the arm.
My husband is the love of my life-gorgeous, powerful, and full of secrets. We had one perfect year of marriage before everything fell apart. Now, he reeks of cheap perfume and beautiful lies. But giving up on us, after all we've been through, is unthinkable. So, when I hear about a mechanic who fixes broken relationships, I waste no time tracking him down. The only issue? Doc doesn't meet with wives. But I'm desperate, and I'm willing to break the rules. I need to convince him to make an exception, or I might lose my husband forever. Will Doc take me on before my husband destroys our marriage completely? And even if he does, will his methods work on a relationship this damaged? I still believe in love, even though it's torn me apart. My husband is the love of my life, but I'm not sure he'll ever change. Can Doc repair a marriage this broken?
Imogen is a lady on the brink. Due to her mother's therapeutic condition, she's been constrained to live out of her car, in her workplace's car carport, no less. She can scarcely make closes meet, and her as it were center is how to survive fair one more day. Tobias and Theo are her bosses, and it doesn't take them long to find her mystery, but unbeknownst to her, they have a mystery of their possess, one that may alter everything.She's their mate, and they'll do anything they have to in arrange to keep her for themselves, indeed if that implies breaking her to begin with. Imogen knows she will never be free of them, and being human against a Lycan and vampire, she might as well donate up; As it were presently, she was not as it were battling to elude her mates who captured her but battling for her humankind. Constrained into a world she never knew existed, one thing gets to be clear. No people permitted! Imogen before long finds the most secure put for her may really be with her mates, but at what taken a toll? Will Imogen truly fair let them take anything they need, or will she battle back?
I was never meant to be discovered. After my father's death, my mother severed ties with the Jacksonville Pack and retreated into the swamps to hide a secret-me. Raised in this dangerous, isolated wilderness filled with ogres, panthers, and bog hags, I've never had contact with anyone except my mother. That is, until the Alpha of the Jacksonville Pack shows up, claiming that we share the rare and fated bond of True Mates. Unfortunately, my awkwardness and lack of social experience make me an unsuitable match, and he quickly breaks our bond, sending me back to the swamps. Just when I've given up hope, a mysterious man rescues me and brings me to his home, where I meet his two rough, biker brothers. Cast out from the pack for defying its Alpha, these triplets are also lone wolves. Unlike others, they don't mock me for my lack of social skills-they take care of me, heal my wounds, and show me the world I've been kept from. But dark forces are closing in, and they're determined to claim my life just as they did my father's. Can these three protectors save me from the same fate? "True Mate Rejected " is the first book in a trilogy of steamy, near-future paranormal romances featuring an innocent, sheltered heroine and her multiple, tough, protective mates who share her love. There's no choosing between them. The book contains mature scenes for readers over 18, with mild kink and an age gap. All intimate moments are consensual.
Sequel to chasing my estranged wife; I want you back. ******** " You promised me!'' I screamed. "You promised that you wouldn't hurt me, you made the vows that you would stand beside me, Ryan, and what did you do? You broke me into smithereens. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. When I said we were done. I meant it!" Falling in love with him had come in a whirlwind, she couldn't account for how exactly it had happened but what she knew was that she didn't want to let go once she was in. For Ryan, when he made a vow, he had meant it, but nothing had told him about marriage, that it wasn't just a bed of roses, but it had thorns in it as well. When secrets piled up between them and vows broken, they had no choice but to let go of each other, but years later, he wanted her back. Like the air he breathed, he chased after her, but she was gone. Left with the remnants of his actions, he is torn between getting her back and damning all consequences or letting go of her and his children, which would it be?
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."
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.
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
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?
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!”