Hope Wallace was just a normal high school girl-until the Hawthorne brothers arrived. Desmond, the erratic and dangerous vampire, is as captivating as he is lethal, and Solomon, his calm, enigmatic twin, harbors secrets of his own. Drawn to Desmond, Hope soon finds herself entangled in a world of supernatural chaos: werewolves, witches, ancient family vendettas, and a love that transcends lifetimes. As forbidden passions ignite and enemies close in, Hope learns shocking truths about her lineage and the child she carries-a being with the power to reshape their world. With war looming and sacrifices mounting, the Hawthorne family and their allies must fight to protect the future, but salvation comes at a devastating cost. Love, blood, and destiny collide in this dark tale of immortality, sacrifice, and the kind of love that refuses to die.
WINEKOVE, 1020 AD.
Desmond
I could hear the sounds of my breath bounce off the walls of the cold and quiet cave. Mother had given me instructions not to leave until she had returned. She was gone for a long while, and all I could do to kill time was to listen to the sound of my breath on my knees.
I looked around the cave to gather knowledge from my surroundings. It was so dark, and all I could see was a tree at the far end on my left and a large puddle of water a few feet before me; it looked more like an oasis.
After what seemed like forever, I heard footsteps coming through the entrance. It was my mother with my twin brother, Solomon. She let him kneel beside me, and he gave a smug look. Only the spirits knew how I would love to slap that smile out of his face.
"Susana! I have brought them", I heard Mother shout. "Let us keep the end of our bargain."
Susana was the chief priestess of our village and also a very powerful witch; I did not know why Mother would strike a bargain with her.
Suddenly, everywhere became bright through the fire that caught the torches on the stands on the cave walls. Susana appeared in front of us in her usual attire; a red robe with a long stick on her right hand decorated with pomegranates and white beads.
"We shall, Philomena," she said calmly.
She looked down at me and then at my brother, smiling. She dropped her stick on a rock as she walked past us and returned to where she came from. After a few moments, she returned with a wooden bowl and a dagger. The dagger was somewhat covered with blood already.
She walked over to us, chanting some words. I still could not understand what was going on. The torches flickered, and a great wind blew into the cave. Fear gripped me, and I trembled while my brother laughed at me.
Susana stopped chanting, and the wind and the torches stopped dancing. She spread her hands, which held the bowl towards me. I collected it with trembling hands and looked into it.
It was blood!
I was terrified.
"Behold," I heard her say," The blood of the Quetet."
I looked at her, confused.
"Drink, boy, and be filled with the power of the impossible; speed, agility, strength, immortality, and hunger," she said.
"Drink it, Desmond," Mother, who knelt beside Solomon, ordered.
I grimaced and gulped the blood down my throat. I gave the bowl to Solomon, and he drank it too, same as Mother.
Susana picked up the dagger and raised it in the air, chanting once more. The wind returned, and torches began dancing again.
When she was done, she approached me and slammed the dagger into my chest. I felt the cold metal of the dagger pierce through my heart, and then she dragged the dagger out forcefully. I fell to the cold, stony floor, and everything went dark.
Kaiden Toliver's life is shattered when he is accused of involving the company in fraudulent activities. Vowing revenge, Kaiden returns five years later, wealthy and determined to destroy those who wronged him. He takes over Macaulay Industries, but his rise to power sparks the wrath of Caleb Montenegro, who seeks to reclaim the fortune Kaiden inherited. As alliances form and enemies close in, Kaiden must outmaneuver them all to stay on top. Will he emerge victorious, or will his quest for revenge consume him?
Annika Pleton moved to San Diego for a fresh start, but her new beginning takes a chaotic turn when she becomes the personal secretary to Ashton Maverick-a billionaire CEO with a reputation for charm, scandal, and getting what he wants. Ashton's relentless pursuit of her sparks a fiery battle of wits and wills, but Annika has no time for games. Especially not with her abusive ex-boyfriend back in town, determined to drag her into the nightmare she left behind. Caught between the seductive pull of her new boss, Ashton and the haunting shadows of her past, Annika must decide if she has the strength to fight for the life she's always dreamed of-or if the chaos surrounding her will tear it all apart. In a world of passion, danger, and high-stakes emotions, can Annika rise above it all, or will the weight of her secrets crush her?
Meghan Marcher escapes her stifling life when she discovers her father has orchestrated a wedding she can't bear. A one-night stand in Japan with the enigmatic Aaron Wilburn offers her a taste of freedom-but returning home brings a shocking twist: her younger sister Chloe is now engaged to the very man Meghan had just shared a passionate night with. With a secret baby on the line and emotions running wild, Meghan must navigate a tangled web of love and betrayal. Can she keep her past from crashing into her sister's future, or will the truth destroy everything she holds dear?
Katie was forced to marry Dillan, a notorious ruffian. Her younger sister mocked her, "You're just an adopted daughter. Count your blessings for marrying him!" The world anticipated Katie's tribulations, but her married life unfurled with unexpected serenity. She even snagged a lavish mansion in a raffle! Katie jumped into Dillan's arms, credited him as her lucky charm. "No, Katie, it's you who brings me all this luck," Dillan replied. Then, one fateful day, Dillan's childhood friend came to her. "You're not worthy of him. Take this 50 million and leave him!" Katie finally grasped Dillan's true stature—the wealthiest man on the planet. That night, trembling with trepidation, she broached the subject of divorce with Dillan. However, with a domineering embrace, he told her, "I'd give you everything I have. Divorce is off the table!"
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!"
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
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."