Novels by J.Annybee

Alessia’s POV The lights just went off suddenly. It happened so fast that I did not know what to do. The room was completely dark, It felt like my breath got stuck in my throat. I was in a mansion I knew was full of surprises. For one second it felt like everything had stopped. Then everything started moving. “Stay where you are,” Dante’s voice cut through the darkness. His voice was sharp. He sounded very firm and in control. Dante took my arm. I felt his hand on my skin. It was tight and it made me feel safe. “I’m right here,” he added, lower this time. My heart was beating fast and I could barely hear anything else. The darkness had made me very scared. My senses were trying to adjust. “Is this—” I started, but my voice was shaking. “Is this them?” “No.” The answer came instantly. Certain. But his grip on my arm didn’t loosen. Luca’s voice came from somewhere to the left. “The backup system should’ve kicked in by now.” A beat. Then another. But the lights did

Alessia’s POVThe car suddenly stopped in front of the estate gates. My seatbelt jerked tight across my chest.I didn’t have time to react before Dante came out of the car.He slammed the door shut behind him like a noise.“Dante—”But he was already moving, fast.Way too fast.The guards at the gate stood up straight as he rushed past them without saying a word. His shoulders were stiff. His steps were sharp and were so purposeful that it seemed like he was walking into a fight.Something was wrong.I knew something was very wrong.I quickly got out of the car and ran after him, my short legs could barely keep up with his.“Dante!”He didn’t slow down, he just kept moving.The iron gates closed behind us with a clang as we crossed the driveway. The estate loomed ahead with lights shining across the building but the atmosphere felt different tonight.It was tense.Like the air before a storm.I finally caught up with him near the entrance steps. Then grabbed his arm.“What’s going on?

Dante’s POVThe chair hit the floor before the man could even finish screaming, so fast he didn't have the time to process anything.The metal scraped violently against concrete as I kicked it sideways, sending him crashing down with it. His shoulder slammed into the ground first, and the impact from that alone knocked the air out of him in a strangled gasp.I didn’t wait for him to feel the pain.I grabbed the collar of his soaked shirt and dragged him to stay upright again, the legs of the chair screeching as they scraped across the warehouse floor.“Talk.”The word came out low.Sharp and deadly.The man’s face was already swollen, blood dripping from his split lip and running down his chin.“I already told you everything—”I punched his jaw so hard it hurt my fists.The crack echoed through the concrete walls.Behind me, Luca sighed quietly.“Dante.”I ignored him.The man’s head lolled sideways, his breath coming out in broken wheezes.“Try again,” I said calmly.Water dripped fr

Alessia’s POV “Are you always this suspicious of a simple lunch invitation?” I looked up from the menu only to find Dante watching me with a faint amusement in his eyes. “I’m not suspicious,” I said lightly. “I’m assessing.” He leaned back in his chair. “Assessing what?” “The motive behind all these.” I gestured to the table. He let out a quiet laugh. “Maybe I just wanted to take you out.” The words felt so foreign to me. We sat on the terrace of a small restaurant overlooking the sea, it was a little bit far from the estate but Dante made sure it was close enough to satisfy his security concerns. The ocean stretched endlessly beyond us, and the reflection of the sun made it look like scattered diamonds. It was beautiful. And it looked normal. No guards were hovering around, no tense whispers in the hallways and there were no locked doors. We were just having lunch. Dante reached across the table and stole an olive from my plate. “You’re staring again,” he said. “At w

Alessia’s POV The sound of tires screeching from the other side of the phone made me sit up so fast the sheets twisted around my legs. “Sophia?” My voice came out sharp, I was already afraid. “I’m fine,” she said quickly, breathless. “I’m fine. Don’t panic.” That was exactly what someone says when you should panic. I had tried to call her earlier when I got my phone from Dante, but he finally gave it to me after a lengthy argument about protecting me. Dante woke up instantly beside me, he didn't speak but I felt his body was tense and alert I checked the clock on the bedside stand, it was 2:38 a.m. Sophia never called this late, although we hadn't spoken in ages. “I just needed to hear your voice,” she said more quietly. “Are you okay?” The question unsettled me. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” There was a pause on the line, and I could hear faint traffic in the background. Sophia had always been a night crawler but not this late. “I had a weird feeling,” she admitted. “I we

Alessia’s POVThe door swung open.I didn’t think about anything—I just reacted.My hand flew to Dante’s arm as Luca reached for his weapon. I could barely breathe as I waited for the next horror to step through that doorway.But it wasn’t an intruder.It was one of the guards.Matteo.He stopped dead the moment he walked in, his eyes going wide as he saw the tight silence, the low lighting, and every guy standing tense and ready to jump—especially Luca, who looked like he was ready to shoot at any second.“Sir—” His voice wavered before he cleared it. “Apologies. I was instructed to deliver this directly to Luca.”Silence pressed against my ears.Luca didn’t lower his weapon immediately. “By who?”“The control room,” Matteo answered quickly. “The system has been stabilized. They have also completed a physical sweep of the west wing.”My heart thudded painfully.“And?” Dante’s voice was calm. Too calm.“It’s empty.”Empty?The word landed wrong. I knew something was wrong.“That’s not