I'd never known a man like Hunter. Dreaded at his calmest, a calm before the storm, Death and Enigma are his sustenance. He unleashes turbulence upon me, snuffing the life out of everyone I know. And now he's coming for me; to ruin me. As I taste the bitterness of guilt at the tip of my tongue, I'm bent on grasping the very thing causing my misery by the neck. If only I wouldn't have to deal with these emotions-old feelings clashing with new ones; love and hate-that make me want to squash Hunter's heart one moment, then piece it up the next. But I know I can't hang between these feelings forever. First, I need to escape Hunter's web. Then I have to choose, and quickly. ~ A Blood Oath-kill the girl. She's supposedly dangerous, a being forbidden from existence. Yet, I find myself gravitating to her. I shouldn't, but I am. Then I realize she isn't the threat. Where danger lies is with my Desire-a longing to have her squirming beneath me. And as the Prophecy hanging over us proves adamant, an animosity lingers between us. Even nature has signed a Fate and will see to its vow that one of us is destroyed. Now all that's left of me is to crawl out of laid traps with my head intact. Because only then can Heidi truly live.
/ HEIDI /
The scene before me is a bloodbath.
Bodies lay scattered across the floor, the once vibrant celebration now turned into a grotesque beano of death.
My legs feel like lead as I force myself to move. And I hear another piercing cry with two more almost immediately, thuds resonating in my ears, each sound paralyzing me with fear.
The terror grows so much that it becomes numbing, leaving me to stare blankly at the blood-pooled floor. But then a thought slices through my foggy mind-Hunter.
Is his corpse among these? How about Dad Griffin, Dad Tad, and Morton-where are they?
"Saturn, I need help!" I scream, except I don't hear my voice, as the words barely escape my lips in a hoarse whisper.
I frantically begin to search the hall. There has to be someone alive, someone who isn't lying in this gruesome display of devilish deeds. Fortunate if that person is Hunter or other members of my family. But unfortunate when I spot a familiar satin cloth shimmering under the dim light.
Now that certainly is not Saturn, is it? No, I hope not. However, rushing over, I find the girl's pale body in the blood pool, her heart dug out of her chest.
"No..." I whisper in disbelief. Surely, this has to be another dream-a fucking nightmare. "No! That's not you, Saturn. Please... no..." My voice trails off as my palms cover my mouth.
The girl I saw minutes ago can't be dead.
This is a dream, right? Another damn illusion!
Panic-stricken, wide-eyed, and my heart pounding, I race back up the stairs. But when I burst into Hunter's room, I find it is empty-no trace of Saturn nor her scent.
Fuck, no.
I lean against the wall and slide down to the floor, gripping my braids with frail fingers as tremors wrack my body.
Pain overwhelms me as the urge to cry rises in my lungs. But the tears won't flow. Even staring blankly at the patterned floor only channels more misery to my broken mind. A misery that suddenly morphs into bravery when the thought of Hunter brings me to my feet.
There's a subconscious urging me to escape the mansion. Yet, it doesn't occur to me to listen as I speed down to the hall faster than a meteor flashing across the sky.
My fear seems drowned in a sea of emotions as I search the hall again, going through the bodies carefully so as not to miss a familiar face.
Like Saturn, their hearts are all ripped out, which convinces me somehow that this might be another dream.
"Hunter? Dad?" I call out with a growing dread and a panging headache feasting on my brain.
When I notice Dad Tad's body amidst the carnage, my shoulders drop instantly before I fall to my knees in front of his sprawled corpse.
I had hopes... hopes that at least my family would be alive if I didn't find their bodies. But nowā now that hope just disperses into thin air.
"Gods. What's all this?" I mumble while staring defeatedly at Dad Tad's open eyes before reaching out to close them.
I sit on my feet; frozen in place for a while. Then someone's whimper as life leaves their body echoes. But I can't tell where the voice comes from.
I'm whipping my head around the blood-painted hall in confusion, scrambling to my feet, suddenly aware that the killer's lurking nearby.
My eyes dart across the archway to the hallway where the light shines bright; a contrast to the near darkness surrounding me.
Something catches my attention-the moving shadow of a large wing cast on the wall, its feathers shaped as deadly spikes, exuding a menacing aura.
The intensity of the fear crawling beneath my flesh renders me unmoving. Or maybe it's the shadow that has trapped me to a spot.
Cold sweat breaks out on my skin, my hair standing at attention as if commanded by the sight. And even as the ominous shadow disappears, I can't find the spirit to run.
I'm merely staring at the empty, bloodied space on the wall where it once was while finding it difficult to breathe properly.
A towering figure emerges from the hallway and steps under the archway. The light from the hallway illuminates parts of him-his nose, hair, and shoulders. But the rest of his form remains in darkness, which is why I can't figure out who he is until he groans.
"Heidi."
A gasp escapes my lips, relief flooding in, as I only then recognize the silver-blonde hair glinting beneath the light. He's alive!
"Hunter!" I cry out before sprinting across the room to where he stands.
I collide with his form and wrap my arms tightly around his waist, pressing my face into the warmth of his solid, broad chest.
He doesn't hug me back, but I'm satisfied with him being alive.
"Are you alright, were you hurt?" I ask quickly as I disentangle before patting his shoulders and pressing his arms. He seems fine to me; except, he isn't moving. "Say something, Hunter. Did you see who did this?" I ask while searching his distant eye.
As my hands slide down his limb from his forearms to his fingers, I feel something cold and gooey beneath my touch. Then I look down to see what coats them, its coppery tang only now filling my senses.
Blood.
Why does he have blood on his hands?
I notice the gore soaking his clothes too, and his hair's matted with it. Then my eyes follow a trail to my own bloodstained hands before wandering back to Hunter's, watching the man let go of the bloodied hearts he cupped in each fist.
Oh, gods! Don't tell meā
I feel something squeezing my own heart at the sight of that, and a force causes me to stagger back.
In a short moment when the spotlight suddenly flickers across us, I catch Hunter's emotionless, crimson-streaked face, his expression darkened with an aura from the other side of the moon.
"No. This can't be happening," I whisper while shaking my head frantically.
I'm feeling weak, even my legs threaten to let me down. I'm also almost resigned to the probability that whatever this is only plays in my mind. And I hope that's the case, I really do.
"Hunter, don't fuck with me again," I mutter with a breaking tone. "Please tell me this is another damn dream. Please..."
Hunter remains silent, his gaze fixed on me. And as seconds pass without him talking or moving, I feel my world spinning; suffocating me.
This isn't a dream.
It is my own hell invading-a reality that's worse than any nightmare I could have ever imagined.
Marrying Zeath Lupin was a blessing until he ditched Mellow at a family dinner for his pregnant girlfriend. But the actions she took only led to a deadly situation. Something that would end her alongside the life growing within her-a child Zeath doesn't deserve. She ran for dear life after faking her death. But she was bound to return as Zeath's only means to an end in disguise. Would he recognize her? Would she accept his apology if he ever gave one? And what happened when the threat she once fled from rekindled, endangering her and her child's lives once more? ~ "Do you know how much I wished you wouldn't come near me, even... touch me?" Zeath drones on. "All those cuddles, kisses, and affection? They all made my skin crawl-like a troll embracing its victim before gobbling them. One can only imagine how much it stinks. You're no different. You merely caught my attention because you were a self-absorbed twonk, and we needed to test if you even had the heart to love another." "We?" I croak out. Then Zeath's fingers trail gently along my face, his eyes glinting with pure poison, and his voice no better. "Poor Mellow, it's all a dare, a gratifying one. Divorce or not, it's your choice."
It started with a dare. Marrying Zeath Lupin was a blessing until he showed up with a pregnant woman at a family gathering. Now fighting for my marriage would be easier if he didn't make divorce my choice. Yet, as much as he and his family force my hand to forsake our union, I do all that's within my power to have Zeath's respect, at least. But the choices I make only lead to a gnarly situation. Something that could end me, probably even the entity that would soon be the bridge between Zeath and me; a child he doesn't deserve. He took one risky dare to trade my dignity for his pleasure. Now he has to beg! I don't care how he does it; whether he dips his forehead into the fire he set my heart on or licks the remnant of his shite under my boots. I'm Mellow fucking Fanning. And Zeath Lupin knew that before messing with me.
When Eryevir found herself skating on thin Ice, she made her escape from her Mate and his enemies. Eight years later, the fame of the Ice King and his Viesix had dwindled, left in the past and displaced by a new age. A new lord only meant a new terror. Sir Axel Lane, he was calledāa dreaded terminator taken to the taste of blood and gore. After a one-night stand with him, Eryevir discovered that she was pregnant. She was thrown into anguish and turmoil, as her disguise was uncovered by the last person she wanted to see; the very person she hid from eight years ago. From Axel Laneās mouth, she heard the term āFiery Magpieā, a name only Aāxelaan called her. And now she was left to imagine different ways her world would crumble, again. Because, this time, he was no longer the witty traveler, he was the brass-gloved archfiend with the desire to slay and burnāa darkness risen to diminish her light. ERYEVIR: Like they say, the Ice King is coming. But they need to get the irony of it. The Ice King isn't coming to save the world, he is coming for meāto destroy me. And this cursed bond that isn't meant to exist might as well be my end. A'XELAAN: As she shrouds in her pathetic efforts to conquer, I am determined to make her mine, only she won't give in without a fight. She'd risk it all just to be hidden and far, far away from me. Now I have to do all I can to penetrate her hardened heartāeven if it takes me torching the world to ashes.
"Never let anyone treat you like shit!" I learned that the hard way. For three years, I lived with my in-laws. They didn't treat me as their son-in-law but as a slave. I put up with everything because of my wife, Yolanda Lambert. She was the light of my life. Unfortunately, my whole world came crashing down the day I caught my wife cheating on me. I have never been so heartbroken. To have my revenge, I revealed my true identity. I was none other than Liam Hoffmanāthe heir of a family with trillions of dollars in assets! The Lamberts were utterly shocked after the big reveal. They realized what fools they had been for treating me like trash. My wife even knelt down and begged for my forgiveness. What do you think I did? Did I take her back or made her suffer? Find out!
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Maria took her sisterās place and was engaged to Anthony, a disabled man who had lost his status as the family heir. At first, they were just a nominal couple. However, things changed when things about Maria were gradually exposed. It turned out she was a professional hacker, a mysterious composer, and the sole successor to an international jade sculpting masterā¦ The more that was revealed about her, the less Anthony could rest easy. A famous singer, an award-winning actor, an heir of a rich familyāso many excellent men were chasing after his fiancee, Maria. What should Anthony do?
Three years ago, the Moore family opposed Charles Moore's choice to marry his beloved woman and selected Scarlett Riley as his bride. Charles didn't love her. In fact, he hated her. Not long after they got married, Scarlett received an offer from her dream university and jumped on it. Three years later, Charles's beloved woman fell terribly ill. In order to fulfill her last wish, he called Scarlett back and presented her with a divorce agreement. Scarlett was deeply hurt by Charles's abrupt decision, but she chose to let him go and agreed to sign the divorce papers. However, Charles seemed to delay the process deliberately, leaving Scarlett confused and frustrated. Now, Scarlett was trapped between the consequences of Charles's indecision. Would she be able to break free from him? Would Charles eventually come to his senses and face his true feelings?