Novels by Dhuke

Lucas..**Morning**The alarm went off at the usual time, which meant Raihan groaned into the pillow and I reached over him to shut it up.“Why is it always louder on days we actually need to get up?” he muttered.“It’s the same volume every day.”“Then every day is a crime.”I sat up slowly, testing my ribs out of habit. The sharp edge of pain had dulled into something more manageable. Across the small hostel room, Raihan’s bed was a mess of blankets, one of my hoodies half-buried in them from the night before. Living in the same room had stopped feeling temporary weeks ago. His charger was permanently tangled with mine on the desk. My notes had started appearing on his side of the shelf. Someone — probably Ana — had already started calling it “their room” without thinking about it.Raihan eventually dragged himself upright, hair flattened on one side.“Lecture first or coffee first?”“Coffee,” I said. “If I try to learn anything on an empty brain I’ll start agreeing with Noah.”“Dan

LUCAS.. Mr. King came the next evening. He didn’t call ahead. He simply appeared at the hostel door with a dark leather bag in his good hand and the same carefully controlled expression he always wore when something important was about to happen. Raihan let him in. I stayed seated on the edge of the bed, already knowing what the bag contained. “I thought it was better if I brought these myself,” Mr. King said. He set the bag down on the desk. “The police have the original documents from the box. These are the personal things. They belong to you.” He didn’t linger. After a short look at both of us, he left again, the door closing softly behind him. For a while neither of us moved. Raihan sat down beside me. “You don’t have to open it right now.” “I do,” I said. My hands were steadier than I expected when I unzipped the bag. Inside, everything was carefully packed. A watch with a worn leather strap. A small stack of photographs bound with a faded ribbon. A leather journal

LUCAS…The door finally clicked shut behind the last of them.Ana’s voice still echoed faintly down the hallway, mixed with Ava’s laughter and Ethan’s exaggerated complaints about who had burned the eggs. Then the sound faded, and the hostel room settled into a thick, sudden quiet. The plates were stacked in the sink. The cards were scattered across the bed. The air still smelled faintly of oil and seasoning.Raihan stood near the desk, shoulders slightly hunched, bandaged wrists resting loosely at his sides. The afternoon light coming through the thin curtains caught the edge of the tape on his cheek. He looked exhausted. He also looked like he had been holding himself together for too many hours in a row.I locked the door.When I turned back, he was already watching me.Neither of us spoke at first. The silence stretched, heavy with everything we hadn't been able to say while other people were in the room. Then Raihan pushed away from the desk and crossed the small space between u

LUCAS They discharged the next morning.Mr. King’s shoulder was secured in a proper sling, the wound cleaned and stitched. Raihan’s wrists were freshly bandaged, the cut on his cheek closed with a small strip of tape. My own ribs were wrapped tightly, and the swelling along my jaw had turned a deep, ugly shade of purple. None of us looked like we belonged in ordinary daylight, but the doctors had done what they could and signed the papers.Mr. King insisted on driving.The ride back to campus was quiet. Raihan sat in the front beside his father. I sat behind them, watching the city move past the window, still half-expecting the night’s violence to catch up with us somehow. Every so often Raihan glanced back at me, as if checking I was still there. Each time I gave him a small nod.When we turned onto the final road leading to the hostels, Mr. King slowed the car.“You two should rest,” he said. “I’ll have the remaining documents and your father’s belongings brought over once the poli

LUCAS..For a long time I didn’t speak.The things Mr. King had just told me sat in the room like a third presence — heavy, immovable, rewriting every memory I had of my own life. My father had a twin. That twin had arranged his death. The man sitting across from me had believed I died on that same bridge. And for weeks I had walked through his house, slept under his roof, eaten at his table, while he recognized my father’s eyes and said nothing.Raihan’s hand stayed around mine. He didn’t rush me. Neither did his father.Finally I found my voice.“The letter,” I said. “You said my father wrote me a letter.”Mr. King nodded once. “Yes. It’s still in the cabinet at the house, with the rest of his things. As soon as they discharge us, I’ll take you there myself.”“I want to read it alone first.”“Of course.”Another silence stretched. My ribs ached. My jaw throbbed where Daniel’s fist had landed. None of it compared to the pressure behind my eyes.“You really thought I was dead all thes

LUCAS…The hospital room was quiet except for the low hum of machines and the occasional footsteps in the corridor. Raihan sat beside me on the bed, his bandaged wrists resting on his knees. They kept us at the hospital longer than either of us wanted.Mr. King’s shoulder required stitches and observation. Raihan was cleared but told to rest his wrists and avoid strain. I was given stronger painkillers for my ribs and jaw and instructed not to sleep flat on my back. None of us listened particularly well.Sometime past midnight, a nurse finally allowed us to stay in the same room. Raihan shifted over on the narrow hospital bed without a word, and I lay down beside him carefully, mindful of every bruise. The bed was too small. Neither of us cared.For a long time we just listened to the quiet sounds of the hospital — distant monitors, soft footsteps in the hallway, the occasional murmur of voices.“I keep seeing it,” Raihan said eventually, staring up at the ceiling. “The gun. Victor’s

RUBY POV I just stood there, completely dumbfounded.“You’re just like your mom,” she said. “Nothing more than a coward who married a human thinking everything was going to end up well… like some fairytale. But look at her. She met her death at the hands of a human.And vampires? They’re no different. Evil. Greedy. Stupid. Way more stupid than humans.”Zyren was already losing it. You could see it in the way his shoulders locked up, the way his hands kept curling into fists.“Then why the fuck are you here?” he yelled. “You manipulated my father and you think that’s going to work on me? You lied. No freaking way. Just get the hell out of here and leave us alone.”She didn’t even flinch. She just kept walking closer to me.“You think getting married to him will spare you the suffering? You must be a child if you think that way. Vampires are the most cunning creatures on earth.Why don’t you come with me? Join me. You can take revenge on the ones who made you suffer… the ones who kille

RUBY POVThere was a woman in her late thirties, wearing the same veiled hat as the one I'd seen earlier. Who is she? How did she know my name? And why did Andrew suddenly look like a boy caught doing something he shouldn't have?I didn't know what to say or how to react to hearing her say my name so easily, but something told me to choose my words carefully. She didn't look ordinary. I didn't need a soothsayer or a seer to tell me her intentions toward me weren't good."Ruby," she said, voice smooth, almost amused. "You look surprised to hear me call you by name, even though we've never met before today."I said nothing. Andrew, surprisingly, said nothing either — didn't step in, didn't try to stop whatever this was from happening."Your aura." She tilted her head beneath the veil. "Not human. Not vampire. Then what, exactly, are you?"She moved closer, the brim of her hat still shadowing her face completely, and reached for my hands. The moment her fingers touched mine, something sh

RUBY POVI was helping prepare for the marriage ceremony when Isolde , one of the slaves, called me into her room."So. You. Tell me more about yourself — how did you end up so fucked up that you landed in Zyren's arms?""Miss, nothing about me is really important," I said, and turned to leave."And who do you think you are, walking out on me? Huh? A princess? Someone from the royal family or what?""I'm sorry, Miss Isolde," I said, bowing slightly."Well, I'm sure you're aware that by noon, me and your master will tie the knot. After that, you'll have no place here — not you, not that stupid family of yours.""Yes, I know, miss," I replied."Nah. You should correct yourself better. I am your master's wife, and very soon, I'll be queen of all vampires." She smiled, clearly pleased with herself."Yes, I know, my queen," I said."Good girl." She looked me over. "So tell me — how did you end up here, and what exactly did you do to make Zyren so glued to you?""I did nothing to Zy— to my

RUBY Three days have passed in a blur, and we've all been busy preparing for Zyren's marriage to Isolde. Though I've had days where I cried, I keep hoping everything goes the way Zyren planned. Cecilia is still locked up in her cell, and her mother hasn't done much either — just quiet and silent in the wing they put her in.Isabella and Ana's master brought them along, and strange faces have been coming in and out of the estate ever since. Zyren's parents haven't set foot in the estate or his private wing, and I'm sure it's because they don't care who he marries — all they want is the vampire throne, the title of Lord. Andrew came two days ago, but he didn't stay long. Just his usual shenanigans, bragging about how he's going to make me his, whether I want him or not.I don't know what to think about me and Zyren anymore. I trust his decisions, whatever plan he has for us. But what if it backfires? What if they actually get married for real? Then I'd have no reason to stay by his sid

“Huh, hey.I called Joel. Hey, are you sure you’re fine ? He studied me for a long moment before speaking. "I'm glad you found your fated mate. Truly. But do you think your father — the elders — are just going to let this slide? Marrying a human instead of a noble vampire could seriously damage your standing for the Lord title." He paused, letting that sink in. "I know you understand what that means. The only reason none of this has escalated faster is because of your blood — pureblood, and not just any pureblood. A bloodline the vampire world hasn't seen in centuries. That's the only leverage keeping the wolves back right now." He crossed his arms. "Marrying her only slows you down further. Gives every rival watching — your father, your brother, Isolde's father, and plenty of others you don't even know exist yet — exactly the opening they've been waiting for." "I know," I said quietly. "But I never wanted the title. Not from the beginning." I looked away, out toward the window.

ZYREN…I left the den without giving Isolde an answer, her offer trailing after me like smoke I couldn't quite shake off. Marry me. The nerve of it, even now, even from behind bars, still trying to bargain her way into a life I'd never wanted her in.I was halfway down the hall when Kai came jogging toward me, and one look at his face told me everything had changed."Boss — it's Ruby. She's awake."I didn't remember moving. One second I was standing in the corridor, the next I was pushing through the door to her room, chest tight with something too big to name — relief and fear tangled together so completely I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.She was sitting up, propped against a mountain of pillows, pale but awake, her eyes finding mine the moment I stepped inside. Joel was hovering near the window, and the doctor stood at the foot of the bed, quietly packing away his instruments like he'd been waiting for this exact moment to make his exit."Zyren," she breathed.I