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On my wedding night, I discovered the man in my bed wasn't my husband.
It was his twin brother—the one the family had exiled.
In my previous life, I exposed them in a rage.
My cheating husband came back, smashed my head open, and threw me into the ocean to be fed to the sharks.
But this time, reborn with a second chance, I cupped the face of the man in front of me—the face identical to my husband's—and slowly untied my wedding dress.
"Since he personally delivered you to my bed, then from now on... you're the husband."
This time, I'm going to raise up the loyal stand-in, and take everything from that bastard.

She thought she was sent away to get better. But really, she was sent into a secret that could destroy her.

After losing the only family she ever had, Cosette Zedler is forced to move to the hidden town of Elwood—a place deep in the forest, far from the busy city she grew up in. At first, Elwood looks quiet, almost forgotten. But Cosette soon learns it’s not normal at all.

The people act strange. The mansion she now lives in has an attic no one dares to enter. And there are whispers, always about him. The Alpha. A man with power, with shadows… and someone Cosette cannot escape.

The more she learns about Elwood, the more her old life falls apart. Each answer only leads to more danger.

In a town where nothing is normal…

Cosette must decide: uncover Elwood’s secrets, or be lost to them forever.

Warnings: Contains strong mature content.
"I'm sorry, master," Star shivered as the vampire slipped his finger into her wet slippery p*ssy.
"It's late for this. You broke a law, Princess. It's time to receive your punishment." He inserted another finger into her wet pink virgin hole.
"Ahh!" her cried out when he added yet another finger. "Please, stop-"
"Take it, whore. This is your punishment." He joined the fourth finger to the ones already inserted.


Who would have thought going on a hunt will bring these many problems for the young Princess?
Headstrong and arrogant, the young Princess was always ready to cause trouble. A headache to her father, and her mother's pride. She thought the world was hers to do as she pleases. But that was until she stepped foot into the forbidden castle, unknowingly awakening a Vampire Lord who was determined to make the feisty Princess, his pet.
What happens when miss arrogant meets an arrogant master? Read to find out!

What is fate? Waking up three days after you rejected your fated mates in front of the entire school, with the memories of your husband's betrayal still burning in your chest? Or finding out that the only way to save your empire is to compete for love on national television—against the man who murdered you?

Make your pick.

Odessa Montgomery died at thirty—cheated on, poisoned, and blown to pieces by the husband she trusted. Then she opened her eyes at twenty-one, three days after the mating gala where she publicly rejected the De Luca triplets. The rejection is still fresh. The whole school is still talking. And Damien Gracias, her charming hockey-star boyfriend, has no idea she remembers every lie he ever told her.

She dumps him. Publicly. Brutally. But freedom comes at a cost. Her grandfather's will is clear: find a mate or lose the Montgomery empire. With Damien out and the De Luca triplets—her humiliated fated mates—lurking in her past, her options are nothing.

Then comes Moonlit Bonds, a televised competition where unmated shifters compete for love and a life-changing prize. Win, and her inheritance is hers. Lose, and lose everything.

There's just one problem. Damien and his true mate, Sarah, have joined the show, hoping to legitimize their bond on camera. And the De Luca triplets are also contestants—three alphas she rejected, two who bullied her, and one who has never stopped watching.

Now Odessa is trapped in a villa with cameras in every corner, a public audience that votes on her fate, and enemies who want her dead.

She came to win.

She might just find revenge.

But falling for the enemy? That was never part of the plan.

WARNING: This an extremely dark romance.


Shivers raced through my spine at the dark, heated stares from them —the brothers I was about to pledge my body to.
“Sweetheart, you need to know what you are getting into by joining the game,” Blue's voice startled me.
I gulped as my eyes went to Fred's. His mouth went up in a smirk as his dark eyes roamed through my body.
Desires and fear took hold of me as I glanced around their 'play house'
I know what I'm signing up for by consenting to be their toy. Yet, I willingly took that step, to freedom, desire, and, worst of all —pain.


As a journalist, Bella was determined to be the best. She was always taking jobs discarded or termed 'impossible' by others.
However, she doesn't know what she signed up for when she agrees to interview the Christophos brothers —wealthy men who live in a spooky old castle.
She thought it would be effortless despite the number of journalists who had failed to get any info on the brothers until she stepped foot into the compound.
Unknown to the unsuspecting woman, she was in for a ride of her life with brothers who might not be as human as they seem…
The game is about to begin... And it's the survival of the fittest...

"You are playing with fire, doll," he warned, eyes dark and dangerous.
"A very deadly fire." I looked at the chains on the bed again and pictured them clamped on my wrists, my tits and pussy in full display... Maybe deadly will do for now...


Harbouring feelings for someone older than me seems deadly especially when the said person is my uncle. Despite knowing this, the thirst for a drop from his hot-as-hell river of sexiness can't be quenched. Fantasies turned into cravings which in turn spurred the implementation of my devious plans to get him all to myself.
Will this blood barrier push him away from acknowledging this mutual feeling of lust, or will his fuel be poured on my burning coals?

"We can't keep doing this," he muttered, glancing around like someone might catch them any second.
She cupped his face, her thumbs brushing his stubbled jaw. "Tell me you don't feel this fire between us.”
"I don't!" he retorted, but his body betrayed him; his hard length strained against his pants.
"Liar,” she smiled coyly. “Your mouth says one thing, but this…” Her eyes dropped deliberately. “...says you want to break every rule for me.”


Isabella Damiano, the only daughter of a powerful New York mafia boss, has always been kept safe and locked away, but all she wants is a taste of real freedom.
Then one night she's kidnapped and rescued by Alexander Bradford, an ex-soldier, who is drowning in debt and desperate to save his dying mother.
Her father, Salvatore Damiano, offers him a deal he can't turn down: become Isabella's personal bodyguard. But the only rule? Keep her alive... or die trying.
Isabella hates him instantly; to her, he’s just another jailer in a suit. And to him, she's a spoiled rich girl who'll get them both in trouble.
But the more Isabella provokes him, the more their hate turns into something hot, dark, and dangerous. They can't keep their hands off each other — even though one wrong move could put a bullet in his head.
As Alexander struggles to keep Isabella alive, they discover that someone within the family wants her dead.
Can they figure out who the real enemy is before it's too late? Because one mistake won't just take away her freedom...
It will end in blood.

Warnings ⚠️
Contains strong mature content.


“I'm sorry, master,” Star shivered as the vampire slipped his finger into her wet slippery p*ssy.
“It's late for this. You broke a law, princess. It's time to receive your punishment.” He inserted another finger into her wet pink virgin hole.
“Ahh.” The princess cried out when he added yet another finger. “Please, stop—”
“Take it, whore. This is your punishment.” He joined the fourth finger to the ones already inserted.


Who would have thought going on a hunt will bring these many problems for the young princess?
Headstrong and arrogant, the young Princess was always ready to cause trouble.
A headache to her father, and her mother's pride.
She thought the world was hers to do as she pleases.
But that was until she stepped foot into the forbidden castle, unknowingly awakening a vampire Lord who was determined to make the feisty Princess, his pet.
What happens when miss arrogant meets an arrogant master?
Read to find out!
Note: This book contains strong mature content.

“I saved you, Shekina,” Azi appeared in front of me, standing tall as he looked down at me. “Now you live to serve me. Your life depends on me.”

I smiled back. “Serve who?” I winced when my vision spun.

“Can’t you just be glad I saved your life?”

I laughed. “I didn’t want to be saved.”

He froze but got himself together quickly. “Unfortunately, you’re still alive. And as long as you are, you’re tied to me. I decide when you’re free. As long as I have you, you have to do what I want. You are nothing but a pet of mine that I can get rid of anytime I want.”

Tears fell from my eyes.

“You turned me into a monster!” I screamed. “I’ll never forgive you.”

He tilted his head. “Monster?” he laughed. “Just because we drink blood doesn’t mean we’re monsters. And I don’t care if you don’t forgive me. Anyway, forget this dramatic talk. No matter what you do, you’ll serve me. You won’t die until I say so.”

With my last breath, I screamed, “You can have my life, not my choices, you beast! You can turn me into a monster like you, but someday you’ll regret it. You’ll regret that you saved me. You’ll regret that you met me!”

I sniffed… I couldn’t feel my body anymore.

“I have been living for centuries now, Shekina. That threat doesn’t work.”

I laughed even though I was confused, in pain, and angry.

“That’s because… you didn’t have me in those years.”

“Fuck me, harder,” I whispered. “Take me hard, I'm all yours.” **** I've loved my stepbrothers from afar. Being their cute little sister, they never treated me as anything more than such. I watched from the sidelines when they found their mate. I smiled like a fool while my heart was slowly being crushed by jealousy. I'm a human, so I couldn't be their mate. With that realization and the pain that came from seeing them with their mates. I left the pack, for the city, to complete my study. Five years later, I returned to the pack, to discover that my brothers' mate cheated on them, and rejected them. They were grieved, and I was the only one they could run to for consolation. I was determined not to let any woman take them from me. I will make my stepbrothers mine. Though they vowed never to fall in love, I was determined to show them that I'm the one for them, and have always been.

Alice and Robert belonged to important families, although they had known each other since they were children, they did not see each other again until they learned that they were engaged. Robert refused to marry her, as he neither loved her nor knew her. When Alice learned that Robert did not want that marriage, she was relieved, as she did not want to marry him either and loved another man, so she appealed to her parents to annul the engagement, but they refused, as if they refused it would seem that they were more important and powerful, so the Taylors had to honor that engagement. Everything went on until the day of the wedding and once celebrated, Robert vented his anger against young Alice for forcing him to marry her and not refuse as he did. But Alice tries to explain to him that she didn't want to marry him either, and even confesses to him that she loves someone else. But those words only make Robert angry, believing all the time that Alice feels superior to him and so he demands her to tell him who is the man she loves, but Alice can't tell him that, because he is Robert's best friend. Jared Sinclair

Hayley Davis has everything she could ever want in life- money, a loving father and an established law career.
But there is one thing she wants that she knows she can never have- Jake Ryker, her father's best friend.

Since the first day she met him, she has wanted him and she knows he wants her too.
It is a filthy desire, one she has no business having but Hayley has never been one to take no for an answer and she will get Jake but at what cost?

NOTE: THIS BOOK IS SMUTTY, PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Charlotte has always been the spare The second daughter, the invaluable one and she hasn't really minded because although it hurts it gives her a freedom that her sister can only dream of A freedom that is taken away when she is promised to the notorious Alpha Hunter. She won't do that; not when she realizes she has a mate out there so she runs away And where does she run? Straight into the arms of her mate. Logan has never really put much thought into having a mate but now that he does he will do anything to keep her safe Even battling a crazed and much older Alpha who wants to keep his mate for himself

The Wizards of Hoods was a schools for talented beings, even humans attended. But soon the humans saw magic as a old stuffs, they found a new God just like the Wizards would say,technology. The humans believed so much in their technology that they killed witches and any one with special powers.
They believed ones you special you become a treat to the society. But if you can find your way to the school you get trained on how to use your power.
Soon the shadow’s returned with a partner, the worst enemy of the Wizards of Hoods. The attack started from the Home of the Hoods, Rivers. The shadows preyed on their people while the Wizards were busy with their nightmare, the Lord of Darkness.
Hood Kripson a young trainee in the school, saw it like an action film in real life, the punches flying and body flying all over. But neither did he know that the faith of the people would soon be on him and his friends.
When the Wizards saw their was no way to win the war, they decided to lock their self in with the demons while their people ran to the human world that does not accept being with powers. But they were ambushed at night and only few made it to the human world with the help of Hood Kripson.
Hood Kripson made it to the human world in half, he was damaged and dying, he could survived but he thought he would just lead the shadows to the peaceful world. But in less than few seconds, he felt a power surge hit him, and then he knew it happened, the Wizards of Hoods were down and now it was left to him so he did the same.

Bethany Wayne is a simple twenty four year old nurse at a junior high school. Like every other person at her age, she is desperate to find a mate. She hopes that they will be simple, loving and understanding. She hopes that they will accept her and fulfill her dreams of having a happily ever after.

Not long after her twenty fourth birthday, her mate finally makes an appearance.
What she doesn't expect is her mate is The Carson Gray. The richest, most eligible bachelor in town and the epitome of beauty. And worst of all, The Carson Gray is a brother to one of the students at the junior high school and one of the new school board members.

To avoid the unnecessary chaos, she seeks help of an old friend who helps her mask her scent in case she runs into Carson unexpectedly.
It seems to work for a while and as she and Carson keep running into each other in pretty unpleasant encounters, she realizes that she made the right decision. There is no way Carson Gray is capable of being her dream mate. He is arrogant, cold, heartless and narcissistic.

The medicine seems to mask Bethany's scent for a while until it's a birthday party of one of Carson's and Bethany's mutual friends. She forgets all about the medicine and goes swimming, and the water successfully wipes off all the scent- masking medicine.

Carson obviously finds out and to say that he is angry is an understatement.
He wants to know why Bethany denied him a chance of being his fated mate. He wants to know why Bethany thinks the worst of him. He has so many questions which Bethany answers in all honesty.

She tells him how irritating he is, how much of a showoff.

There’s nothing more exciting than fate, nothing more desirable than forbidden love and nothing more consuming than the burning desire of a lover.

First daughter and pride of the Blue Hive, Clarissa Mark was a blessed girl loved by her father and every member of her pack.

Brought up in a happy home, she had everything she wanted and people who would do anything to provide what she needed. She was confident about her future and to make it more exciting, she found love.

A lover so passionate that he ignited feelings she couldn’t process and it made her feel like she was on top of the world.

The only problem was the man responsible for making Clarissa lose all her reasoning.

Clarissa believed she knew everything about her new lover, Gabriel Lance. She knew He was off bounds, being the heir of the rival pack- Blood Moon but she couldn’t listen to her head. She saw a good in him no one else saw and was determined he was not like everyone in her pack claims.

He was different, a charmer and a passionate mate and he loved her with all his heart.

She was so positive of his love for her but everything changed when she came back from her one month vacation, pregnant and mated to the one person she should never have had something to do with.

Her father, who loved her more than anything was willing to accept her back as long as she got rid of the forbidden child which she blatantly refused to.

Clarissa left the pack she knew as her home as she couldn’t bare to loose the child and her father couldn’t bare to raise such a shame and damnation in his house.

"There’s no way I would ever spawn a child for a violent and bloodthirsty man like you." - WILLA CORALINE ALFIERO
"Keep this in mind, Miss Alfiero… I would rather end the Wick bloodline than continue it with the likes of you." - GALLAHAN WICK
Willa Alfiero had once naively thought she could fix her fated mate's twisted beliefs after she met him in the middle of a bloody battle. But her optimism was quickly burned to ashes when she learned that her fated mate was no ordinary enemy, but was actually Gallahan Wick. The General of the Culling Army. Son of the Alpha King. The tyrant who conquered and looted multiple human kingdoms.
Willa couldn’t bear to surrender to the side Gallahan belonged to, much less turn a blind eye to his twisted and cruel acts, even though nature and instinct dictated her to stay with him. So, she ran away. She was also forced to retreat as a Warrior of her pack and as a soldier of the ongoing war between the League of the Moon and the Culling Army.
Not because her mind and heart had been swayed. Not because she wasn’t brave enough to fight Gallahan in another battle. But because she was pregnant, and she intended to keep her children hidden from their tyrannical father.
But no secret could stay as a secret forever. Gallahan was bound to find out about the existence of his children. With their opposing beliefs and strained past, would their tie as fated mates be enough to bring their family back together?

“What are you going to do with him? Take him back???" Brion demanded, his gaze incredulous. "Take him back?" I scoffed, a smirk coming over my face as I stared at the picture in my hand. "I have no plans to do that, BRION. I want him to fall for me, then push him down like he did to me. I want to make him feel the pain I passed through in his hands." I got to my feet and threw the picture on the floor. "It's time he dances to the tune of his music," I gritted out as I stomped hard on the picture. *** A loveless marriage wasn't part of Nova's plans for the future, but a one-night stand with a stranger changed her life forever. Bound to a man, who only saw her as a means to an end, Nova tried to salvage the relationship. However, things spiralled out of control with the return of his ex-girlfriend, and first love, and the realization that Nova was pregnant. Her life was threatened, but she survived with the help of her secret admirer, who took care of her for five years until she was ready to stand on her feet. However, a business deal took her back to the country she left years ago. With her return, Nova was ready to prove to the world that she didn't need her ex-husband by her side, but Dashiell was desperate. Knowing how much he loved her, he was reluctant to let go. But Nova wasn't ready to take him back, not until she had made him experience the heartache of those years ago.

As the most cold-blooded and ruthless Mafia don, Twain Hall had doted on me like the apple of his eye for ten years.
But on the very day we were discussing our wedding, the ring his subordinate delivered had another woman's name engraved on it—not mine.
I pretended not to notice and turned to Twain.
"Did they bring the wrong ring? Who's Dorothy? I've never heard of her."
Twain's expression didn't change. He pulled me into his arms with that familiar, indulgent look.
"My people weren't careful. Made a fool of themselves."
"I'll have them exchange it right away. Can't keep my queen waiting."
I smiled. But the moment I turned away, my face went cold. I dialed a number.
"Didn't you say you'd pay any price to marry me? Twain Hall betrayed me. I want his head!"

（Do not open this novel lightly, or you will become so engrossed that you won't be able to stop reading for three days and nights...）
Alia never dreamed that she would have a flash marriage with a man she had only met twice!
On their wedding night, she was pinned down and dominated by him.
The next day, the man transformed into the CEO of the company where she was interning.
Not only that, but he was also the next heir to the Mafia... "The Black Prince"!

When a baby unites two worlds, and a contract blossoms into love.

Monica , a mistreated Omega at the hands of her stepbrother, faces judgment and abandonment from her Alpha mate, Conrad. Seeking solace, she turns to the Governor, finding refuge from the nightmares of her past. Together, they embark on a vengeful mission to make Conrad pay for the pain he caused and seek justice for the Governor's deceased wife. Monica devises a plan to seduce Conrad and earn his trust, but the question remains: will her love triumph? Can she truly make him suffer and face his demise?

As a shocking revelation unfolds, Monica's world is turned upside down, forcing her to question her choices and decisions.

To annul the engagement, the aloof heiress of a wealthy family spent three years planning thirteen accidents to try and kill me.
Car accident, falling object, poisoning... I survived covered in blood, only to be met with her disgusted question: "How come you're still alive?"
She let her scheming childhood sweetheart crush my father's ashes, and even personally drained my last remaining blood to save me, all for her sweetheart's self-inflicted injury.
She thought I would be like a dog, clinging to her side forever without any boundaries.
Until that day, I calmly handed over the annulment agreement, clutching the diagnosis of late-stage brain cancer, and completely disappeared from her world.
Later, when she finally found out the truth, she searched the world frantically, only to find my emaciated, cold corpse.
That arrogant and haughty young lady has completely collapsed.
She personally sent her childhood sweetheart to hell, knelt before my body wearing a veil, and desperately raised a gun:
“Ivan, walk slowly on your way to the underworld... I’m giving my life for you.”

When Sarah is forced to accept a marriage proposal in place of her half sister, Veronica, she never imagined the man would be Edward Huxley.
Edward Huxley, the formidable owner of Huxley Airline and Shipping Company and the most eligible billionaire bachelor in the country, is shocked and enraged when he discovers that the woman in his bed is not Veronica, as he expected, but the unknown and seemingly bland illegitimate Maxwell daughter. Their encounter ends in an unplanned one night stand.
When Veronica learns of Edward's true identity, she decides she wants him for herself. Together with her mother, she accuses and humiliates Sarah.
Heartbroken and shattered, Sarah leaves the country. Four years later, she returns as a different woman with a successful career and her adorable twins, who share the unmistakable features of the country's billionaire heartthrob, Edward Huxley.
Edward is stunned by her transformation and finds himself falling for her all over again. Determined to win her heart, he sets out to rebuild their family. But will he succeed, or is he already too late with the enigmatic Benicio always by Sarah's side, his eyes filled with love and devotion?

"Play the perfect wife. Take the cash. Walk away ruined."

The rules of my two-year marriage contract with billionaire Silas Rutherford were simple.
Until he found the video that proved I killed his late wife.

Now, he doesn't want a contract. He wants revenge.
And the price for my survival? Becoming the bedwarmer to a man who vows to destroy me.

He thinks he’s punishing a murderer. He doesn't know I'm protecting the real killer—or that the child growing inside me is his.

"Do you think you can walk into my bed, throw your body, and virginity to me as a distraction—steal from me, and get away with it?"
"Pl-please let me go, sir. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know anything about any chip. I'm begging you," Olivia cried painfully.
Nero's hand left her hair and came to wrap around her slender, fair neck. 
He remembered peppering lots of kisses on this swanlike neck but would not hesitate to snap it if she continued in her attempt to fool him.
"Think very carefully about the next answer you're going to give me, because I would snap your fragile neck like a fucking twig if it's not satisfactory to me."


Olivia crossed paths with the ruthless mafia boss, Nero, on the day she planned to elope with her boyfriend, after her mother forced her to join the convent. She had no idea that she had left with more than his jacket. 
She escaped with a chip that contained the secrets of his business empire and his heir in her womb. Olivia is kidnapped and taken to Italy and into a world she never imagined... filled with danger, betrayal, lies, and death. 
Truths become lies and lies become the only true thing in the world of and Nero. 
Will love and trust ever be enough when survival and truth is paramount?

Five years into my marriage, I took off my Donna necklace at the Rossi family’s New Year’s Eve banquet and Noah still thought I could never leave him.
He stood by the long table with his mistress, Amelia, and said in front of every capo, “Some people will never measure up to her. Not even close.”
I didn’t cry. I didn’t make a scene. I just turned and walked away. On my way out, my cousin Lucas, my fixer, handed me a cup of coffee.
Three days later, he brought me two pieces of news.
Amelia was four months pregnant. And Noah was trading family territory to get his bastard child recognized by the family.
“What are you going to do?” Lucas asked.
I stared out the window, thinking about the red lipstick stain on Noah’s shirt. Thinking about the smug look in his eyes when he told me, “I only helped her because I felt sorry for her.”
“Wait,” I said. “Wait until they think they’ve won.”
What Noah didn’t know was I was still holding one last trump card.

Nightmares and horrific visions haunt Adelmo, a beardy bookseller. He must now start an investigation into his past to uncover the secrets that his family so desperately tried to shield from him when he was young. Why had his parents passed away in an accident when he was 10 years old? The discovery of old journals, belonging to Adelmo’s ancestors, takes him on a journey to his home country of Romania where his grandfather and the explanation he has been so desperately searching for await him. Adelmo will do whatever it takes to survive, but how long will he be able to keep up with the supernatural spiral that life pulls him in?

In "The Rapture's Fury," we are thrust into a world on the precipice of unimaginable change. The signs of the apocalypse are undeniable, and as global chaos escalates, a diverse group of individuals finds their lives intertwined by fate and faith. Sarah, our protagonist, a woman haunted by past trauma, is thrust into a perilous journey when she stumbles upon an ancient prophecy foretelling the second coming of Christ. Her quest for understanding leads her to a clandestine society known as the Covenant, a group dedicated to deciphering biblical codes and preparing for the inevitable. This introduction is meant to lay the groundwork for what unfolds in the following chapters, setting the stage for a high-stakes race against time as the characters confront not only the escalating natural disasters and global conflict but also the insidious machinations of a shadowy organization. This organization, with ties to an ancient evil, seeks to exploit the chaos and prevent the Rapture, aiming to seize power in the ensuing anarchy. What follows is a gripping tale of survival, faith, and the ultimate battle between good and evil. The characters within "The Rapture's Fury" will face incredible challenges that test the limits of their faith. They will confront both physical dangers and spiritual battles, navigating a world consumed by darkness while clinging to the promise of light.

In their eyes, my wife Emma—an Ivy League tenured professor in biological sciences—is ruthless, rational, and obsessively clean.
For seven years, even when she washed her hands, she would only ever touch the right-side sink—hers.
Until that night at 3 a.m., when I pulled a strand of sandy-golden short curl—hair that belonged to neither of us—out of my men’s shower loofah.
And around the neck of a pre-med student named Lucas, I saw the antique silver cross my dying father left in my hands.
When I confronted her, my always-icy wife protected the little homewrecker, slapped me across the face, and called me a jealous, controlling chauvinist.
She thought I’d swallow it like a coward.
But she forgot: as a top cardiothoracic chief, the thing I do best is cutting out tumors.

"You were meant to be my death. Instead, you've become my damnation."
Aria Thornwell has spent three years as a healer in her town, attempting to forget the night her former fiancé publically humiliated her by selecting her affluent stepsister instead—taking Aria's family fortune with him. Now, she lives quietly, utilizing her skill to aid the underprivileged while her stepfamily flaunts their stolen fortune.

But on the winter solstice, everything changes. She's chosen as the ceremonial bride for the vampires' holy Winter Feast—a "honor" that guarantees death at daybreak following the Christmas Eve rite. Dragged to the Crimson Vale with five other human tributes, Aria is prepared to meet her fate with dignity.

Until she meets him.

Lord Sebastian Thorne, the ancient vampire who has presided over the Winter Feast for eight centuries, is meant to drain her at dawn following the binding ritual. It's tradition. It's law. It's survival—the ceremonial blood maintains the vampire realm for another year.

But as Sebastian's lips brush her throat in the ceremonial hall, something unbelievable happens. Her blood doesn't simply sustain him—it wakes something in him that's been dead for generations. And in a move that shocks the whole vampire court, he refuses to complete the rite.
"This one is mine," he proclaims, his old strength sweeping the hall. "Anyone who touches her answers to me."

Trapped in the Obsidian Palace as Sebastian's "protected bride," Aria discovers three frightening truths: Sebastian isn't protecting her out of mercy—he's dying from an ancient curse, and her blood is the only thing keeping him alive past Christmas; the vampire court will do anything to kill her and reinstate the ritual; and her "ordinary" healer's gift is actually a rare and dangerous power that vampire nobility has been hunting for generations.