Novels by Buba

KAIANine months later…Pain rips through my body, and I scream."I know, amor. I know." Vincent's voice is rough with worry. His hand grips mine so tight I think he might break my fingers, but I hold on harder."You're doing so well," Dr. Tracy says from between my legs. "One more push, Kaia. Just one more."I shake my head, gasping for air. "I can't—""You can." Vincent leans down, his forehead pressed against mine. Through the bond, I feel his absolute faith in me. His love. His terror that something might go wrong mixed with fierce pride. "You're the strongest person I know."Another contraction builds, and I bear down with everyth

KAIAHe pushes to his feet with fluid grace. Blood still drips from his chin, but the injury—the fatal injury—is gone. Healed. Like I never touched him."Did you really think it would be that easy?" He tilts his head, studying me like I'm a particularly entertaining puzzle. "Darling, I've survived far worse than a missing heart."He snaps his fingers.The world fractures.Multiple versions of him appear—surrounding me in a perfect circle. Five, ten, fifteen identical Edvards, all wearing that same cruel smile. The ground beneath my feet shifts, wrong, like reality itself is bending around me.I spin, searching for the real one. But they all feel solid. Real. My Fae blood screams that

KAIAThe water feels like silk sliding over my skin.I float on my back in the spring, staring up through the canopy. Sunlight filters through the leaves in shifting patterns—gold and green dancing across my vision. Steam rises around me in lazy curls.My fingers drift to my neck. The mark is still tender—a perfect crescent of raised skin where Vincent's teeth claimed me. I trace the shape slowly, and warmth blooms in my chest.Mine. The word echoes through me, carried on the bond that hums like a live wire between us. He's in the house somewhere—I can feel him even from here. That constant pull, like an invisible thread connecting my heart to his.My wolf stretches inside me, content and lazy.

VINCENTI wake up with Kaia in my arms, and the bond between us hums like a live wire beneath my skin.For a moment, I just lie there, feeling her breathe. Her bare back presses against my chest, warm and solid and real.The memory crashes over me before I can stop it.Lewis's panicked phone call.Racing to his territory and finding nothing but disturbed earth where the portal had been.Knowing she was gone and I had no way to reach her.My chest tightens at the memory. Those hours were the worst of my life—worse than any battle, any chall

KAIACold stone presses against my back. The smell of blood and rot fills my nose. Silver bars shimmer in the dim torchlight—My eyes fly open.No stone. No bars. No cell.Soft sheets tangle around my legs. Gentle light streams through massive floor-to-ceiling windows. The scent that surrounds me isn't decay—it's cedar and spice and Vincent.I'm in his bed. His room.My heart hammers against my ribs, panic still clawing at my throat even though I can see I'm safe. I force myself to breathe. The air here doesn't taste like blood.Water runs nearby. Steam drifts

KAIACold stone presses against my back. The smell of blood and rot fills my nose. Silver bars shimmer in the dim torchlight—My eyes fly open.No stone. No bars. No cell.Soft sheets tangle around my legs. Gentle light streams through massive floor-to-ceiling windows. The scent that surrounds me isn't decay—it's cedar and spice and Vincent.I'm in his bed. His room.My heart hammers against my ribs, panic still clawing at my throat even though I can see I'm safe. I force myself to breathe. The air here doesn't taste like blood.Water runs nearby. Steam drifts

5 YEARS LATERI wake to little hands patting my face.When I open my eyes, I find myself staring into eyes identical to mine—bright blue, full of mischief."Wake up, Mummy. Wake up, Mummy." Caleb slaps my cheeks with his little fingers, his knees pressing into my stomach as he sits on top of me.He's the male version of me—same blonde hair, same blue eyes, same stubborn set to his jaw. He's the cutest four-year-old in the entire world, though I might be biased."Good morning, sweetheart." I grab his hands gently to stop the assault on my face."Good, you're up, Mummy." Caleb slides off me and stands at the edge of the bed beside his sister."How was your night, sweethearts?" I sit up and lift Amelia from where she's standing, her thumb still stuck in her mouth.Amelia is Daddy's little angel—two years old with blonde hair and blue eyes like both Anton and me. She has Anton wrapped completely around her little fingers. I think she's so shy because of how much he smothers her with atten

Our wing in the castle is like a small condo—complete with a living room, kitchen, and multiple bedrooms. It's private, spacious, and right now it feels impossibly empty.I settle onto the couch in the living room and flip on the TV, trying to distract myself while I wait for Anton to come back.An hour passes.My phone buzzes with a text from Anton: Taking longer than I thought. Won't be back anytime soon. Sorry.Disappointment crashes through me, sharp and heavy. I stare at the message for a long moment before sighing and tossing my phone onto the cushion beside me.I need to do something to fill the time. Sitting here waiting is driving me crazy.While watching some mindless reality show, an idea suddenly strikes—a way I could spice things up tonight when Anton finally gets back.I grab my phone and dial Ekaterina."Hello?""Hey, are you busy? Want to come to the mall with me?""Sure. I'll meet you at the castle entrance in ten minutes."Ekaterina and I drive to the mall together,

Anton and I are sitting in a restaurant waiting for Ava to arrive.She's a few minutes late—nothing to panic about yet—but my leg bounces under the table with nervous energy. I'm about to pull out my phone and dial her number when she finally walks through the entrance.She looks around for a moment, scanning the room, before her gaze lands on us. A smile spreads across her face—sharp, predatory—and she starts weaving through the tables toward us.A cold shiver runs down my spine the moment I see that smile.She looks evil. Wicked. The smile makes her appear even more mischievous, like she's savoring some private joke at our expense. I know I shouldn't judge her by her looks, but I can't help it. The woman looks exactly like the witches humans read about in their stories—beautiful on the outside, ugly on the inside."Hello." She slides into the seat across from us, still smiling."Hi." The word comes out tighter than I intended."I'm surprised you agreed to my offer, werewolf king." A

Later in the day, I visit the hospital and donate some of my blood to Ekaterina.The needle slides into my vein with a sharp pinch, and I watch the dark red liquid flow through the tube into the collection bag. It's strange—knowing this blood carries something ancient, something powerful enough to break a curse that's stolen so many of Ekaterina's children.I hope the potion works. I hope she carries to full term this time.Ekaterina has never heard of a curse being broken by someone other than the witch who cast it. But she believes my blood might be different. Might be enough.I hope it is. Because Ekaterina deserves to have a baby. She's such a wonderful person—kind, selfless, willing to risk her own life to save mine. It would be heartbreaking if she couldn't have a child of her own."I had planned to ask you for this today," Ekaterina says quietly as the nurse removes the needle and presses gauze to my arm. "But then you told me about giving your blood to Ava, and I..." She trail

The following morning, Anton and I wake up early and get ready to visit Ekaterina at the hospital.She isn't getting better. She isn't getting worse either—her health has just stagnated, trapped in some terrible limbo. The doctors want to monitor her, keep her under observation in case something changes.I hope she recovers soon.We knock on Ekaterina's door before entering."Hi," I say, pushing through the doorway."My two favorite lovebirds." Ekaterina's smile is warm despite how rough she looks.She's thinner than she was yesterday. Paler. The dark circles under her eyes have deepened, and her red hair lies limp against the pillow. She looks fragile in a way that makes my chest ache.I wonder why she isn't getting better. The doctors don't know either, which makes it even more terrifying."How are you doing today?" Anton asks, concern threading through every word."Better." Ekaterina's hand drifts to her stomach in an unconscious gesture. "The baby allowed me to drink water today."

A sharp pain lances through my skull, dragging me from sleep.I groan and press my fingers to my temples, trying to ease the throbbing. When I open my eyes, everything is wrong.I'm not in bed. I'm sitting upright—no, tied to a chair, thick ropes binding my wrists behind me.I yank against them. The rope burns like acid against my skin, searing deeper with every struggle.Silver.Panic floods my system as I scan the darkness surrounding me. The space is pitch black—no windows, no light source, nothing to orient myself.Where am I?I open my mouth to scream—"There's no need to scream, dear." The voice drifts from somewhere in the void, familiar and cold. "No one will hear you."My blood turns to ice. "Who are you? Show yourself!"A figure materializes in front of me—pale skin, black eyes, a cruel smile curving her lips.Ava."Hello, dear." She reaches out, dragging one long nail down my cheek. "Did you miss me?"I jerk my face away from her touch. "Where am I? How did I get here?""Yo

ARIAThe ceiling of the guest house has a hairline crack running from the light fixture toward the window, and I have been staring at it long enough to know exactly where it stops.Wolcott is coming to the pack house today.There's no reason for me to go. Everything I need is in this room. And what would I even be going for? To stand in front of him behind this mask and let him ask me the same question he asked yesterday, so I can give him the same answer?There's no point in seeing him if I'm not going to tell him the truth.Unless I tell him the truth.I turn onto my side.After hearing Maya tell me he'd been looking for me even after the p

ARIA"Are you Aria?"His voice is softer this time, but the question hangs the same way it did the first time. I keep my hands still on the desk, my mask firmly in place."No, I'm not." I say.Something crosses his face. Quick, there and gone. It looks almost like disappointment, but that doesn't make sense. Why would a stranger be disappointed that I'm not the person he was looking for?He studies me a second longer, then nods once."My apologies for the intrusion," he says. "I must have been mistaken."He turns and walks out, pulling the door shut behind him.I don't move.

ARIAMy phone rings, cutting through the silence of the guest house. I glance at the screen and see Mr. Bennet's name.I answer quickly. "Hello, Mr. Bennet. Is everything alright?""Dr. Sinclair." His voice is gentle, but there's hesitation in it. "I hope I'm not disturbing you.”"Not at all," I say. "What's wrong?""I apologize for calling like this," he says. "But something's come up, and I... well, I thought you should know about it."I lean against the desk. "Go on.""There's a family here in the community. The Hastings. They're quite wealthy—live in that big house on the hill past the park." He pauses. "Their daughter has the same illness m

DECLANThe door slams in my face.The sound echoes down the hallway, sharp and final. I stand there for a moment, staring at the wood grain, trying to process what just happened.Dr. W made herself perfectly clear. She's done talking to me.I knock. "Dr. W, I apologize. I didn't mean—"Silence.I knock again. "Please. Let me explain properly."Nothing.I try once more, my knuckles rapping against the door. "I was trying to keep you out of pack drama. That's all. I wasn't trying to—"My wolf's ears catch something through the door. A faint sound. Her voice

ARIAThe tears come hot and silent, soaking into the fabric of my mask. My shoulders shake with the effort of keeping quiet—of not letting anyone outside this room hear me fall apart.She’s just an insignificant person.The words echo in my head, relentless. Each repetition carves deeper, opening wounds I thought I’d sealed shut years ago.I stare down at my phone, at the photo of my babies grinning with their Papa Bear, and something cracks open in my chest.A memory surfaces—vivid and terrible and impossible to push away.***The forest is dark, the branches tearing at my clothes, my skin as I run. My feet are bare&mda

DECLANI'm stunned when I hear Dr. W's question.Do you also think your ex-girlfriend was a freak?I try to read her expression, searching for some clue to what she's thinking, but the mask blocks me completely. All I can see are her eyes—downcast, avoiding mine. Her tone is devoid of emotion, cold as ever. Or rather, she seems especially cold when asking that question.I'm already irritated by Celeste's loose tongue. Over the years, Celeste has always been like this, using every means possible to drive away any woman she thought might be a "potential romantic rival" from my side.The last time Celeste showed this much interest in someone near me, something unexpected happened.***