Novels by Asmodeus

It had been more than a year since Caspian confessed his feelings to me, and life was finally finding a sense of normalcy. Derek was safe, though he remained permanently in hiding. The Salvatores had not only survived the disaster but had emerged stronger than before. The PR team had worked wonders in reshaping their image, and those who had attempted to bring them down for their own gain were now behind bars. The money laundering case was no longer casting shadows over their name, it was a thing of the past. The FBI cleared their name from any involvement in the money laundering—the world saw them as victims of their dad's actions. The business was doing good; Caspian joined the company, while on the other side, our relationship got pretty strong. We found a balance that allowed us to grow separately as well, because I moved into an apartment with my mom, helping her build a new life for herself. Meanwhile, Caspian remained at the mansion with his brothers. They asked me to stay,

I was always good at fixing things, maybe because I was broken from the inside and knew I couldn't be fixed. I became a lawyer to help my family, to help my brothers. I thought if I knew the ways of law and legal system, I could use it to my advantage, to protect them in any way needed. Yet, it had been more than a month and I was still fighting a battle with no end in sight. I gave up on too many things in my life, thinking I never deserved them. There was always a reason to hold myself back from being truly happy, about something or with someone. There were these little voices in my head that would make me question everything. For years, they had been silent, but ever since I learned the truth about Dad's involvement in the money laundering, they came back. ‘How could you let yourself be happy when your brothers are in trouble?’‘How could you be that selfish?’I couldn't rub my love for Kat on my brothers' faces, especially when most of them wanted her, too. It was not fair to

The sky was cloudless, the bright light of the moon covered the Salvatore property. We just had dinner, and it wasn't like the regular Salvatore family dinner. It hasn't been so ever since we returned to the mansion. Lucas was in Chicago, meeting with some of the investors whereas Caspian had himself locked in his room. Mom was back in Texas, and the twins went to their grandparents (mother's parents). We were all scattered, and the frustration over the situation was torturing us. The news about the Salvatores reached my dad in London and he had been calling and texting me constantly. He wanted me to leave them and come back to London. I almost laughed when he suggested that, but I controlled myself and told him that I would pay a visit soon.He wasn't satisfied with the answer, so I reminded him that I was an adult and he couldn't force me to leave. That shut him up for the moment, and I hung up the phone soon after. He had been texting me ever since, apologizing and asking me if

The Salvatore mansion didn't feel like home anymore. As I walked through the mansion once again, I felt the same way I did the first time—cold and out of place. The strange environment loomed around me, and with each step I took inside, I sensed a profound emptiness, the lingering ghosts of everything that had happened. Perhaps we changed while we were in the safe house, or maybe it was the mansion that had endured too much destruction in a very short period of time. The mansion was still recovering from the nightmares, and the gloom was maybe its way of narrating the pain. Not long ago secrets had been unraveled, trusts were shattered between the family members, and blood was spilled in the very entrance hall I was standing inside. In just a month, it was just a house again—not a home like it used to be. The brothers felt the changes, too; it was apparent on their faces. They could hear the silence everywhere inside the house, and the winds of winter that seemed to fill every c

Caspian barely slept in a week and it was showing. None of us really got any sleep, but it was a little different with Caspian. The lack of sleep wasn't the only reason for the permanent exhaustion in his eyes like us, it was the weight of everything he was letting press down on him—crushing him, consuming his thoughts. It had been a whole week since the news about Derek's involvement in the money laundering was aired all across the country. Everything had only gotten worse after that. The Salvatore name was plastered across every news outlet—big or small. Everyone had their own take on the case, be it the editors of the Washington Post or The New York Times, anchors from CNN or Fox News, and even the social media influencers who were reporting the controversy in the hope of getting views and likes.In no time it became one of the biggest scandals in recent times. And Caspian being the oldest, took it all upon himself. Although we knew it was the politicians and businessmen whose

The main purpose of us getting a safe house was to be safe, but the FBI made it feel anything but safe for us. The air inside the house felt suffocating to me, thick with an unspoken fear that we all felt, but none of us dared to voice. In the last three days, the FBI has visited us five times. The first day they took statements from us and collected evidence—the standard protocol—nothing more than that. We thought it was all, but Caspian warned us that it was just the beginning, and just like he said, they came back once again. This time they took our individual statements and cross-examined us. Since we were already prepared with our answers, nothing felt out of the ordinary. However, I noticed the way some of the officers were looking at us. They knew we were hiding something, but they had no proof. Caspian made sure that everything in the house was how it was supposed to be after Derek left. It was their sixth visit that day. The FBI agents sat across from us in the living ro

ELENA'S POV,“It's different. Like when Daddy looks at you.”I didn’t have an appropriate answer for her, but at the same time I knew I couldn't let her think that something was going on between Prince Andrew and me. Ollie was very mature for someone her age, so I knew I couldn't just sweep it under the rug, hoping she would be distracted by something new soon. She was never that girl, so I had to come up with something very fast.“Do you remember the story I told you about my parents?” At the end, I chose to be truthful because I didn't feel comfortable lying to her. “I know it has been months, but it's related to that.”I wanted to share the illogical thoughts I had with someone, but I feared others might judge me for them. I had no idea what I wanted to prove, but the thought took shape in my head a while ago and wasn't going away. I needed to tell someone that, for my own sanity, and I knew Ollie was never going to judge me like others might.“Yeah, you don't know who your parents

ELENA'S POV,The next few days in the palace felt different from usual, and Ryan wasn't telling me what was wrong.Things all around the palace were quieter, but not the peaceful kind, more like the quiet before disaster kind. I was uncomfortable every time I stepped out of my room; it felt like someone was watching me. I knew it wasn't Julian because it felt different somehow, and my wolf could almost always feel Julian's presence whenever he was around. So, I knew for sure it wasn't him.Around the palace, things on the surface seemed to be getting back to normal. No one fussed over Prince Andrew's allergies like Ryan feared. Instead, people smiled, nodded, and went about their routines as if nothing had happened. There were several meetings with different representatives, and from what Ryan told me, things were going smoothly. Yet something in the air had shifted since that night. The Lycan delegation stayed busy with meetings and events they had to attend around the country, but

ANDREW'S POV,The morning light in the wolf country felt softer than in the mountains of my home. It spread over the palace gardens like melted gold, touching every leaf, every petal, and even the dew on the potted roses on my balcony. I hate roses, especially white ones, but Georgina told me to deal with it because they put it in my balcony as a symbol of peace between the two nations. Apparently, my father gave white roses to all the wolves who were present in the signing of the peace treaty, and ever since then, it became the symbol of peace. I found the white roses dead and boring, and not something that would remind me of peace. After hearing the story from Georgina, I couldn't wait to ask my father about the significance behind choosing that flower. From my room, I could see almost the entire southern courtyard. It was strange that President Ryan chose to place me in a room facing the back entrance of the Palace. It was probably a way to show trust in me and the Lycans because

RYAN'S POV,The next morning began deceptively calm, given the way it ended in the first place.Both the Lycan and Werewolves who joined us for the banquet were gone, and I had to send formal apology letters to everyone at the party. Even though there wasn't anything I could have done, as the host, it fell to me to look after my guests and ensure their safety. I failed to do that.We were still trying to understand whether the kitten walked into the ballroom itself or if someone else was responsible for the whole disaster. Georgina believed the latter because of the event's significance. The impact it was going to make worldwide was something that frightened many of the other species. As a result, we couldn't rule out the possibility that someone from outside might have brought it in to incite internal conflicts.Prince Andrew asked me not to worry about what happened because he knew it wasn't my fault.However, instead of feeling relieved, I was worried because whenever a politician

RYAN'S POV,The door to Prince Andrew’s room closed softly behind us, and we walked away, sealing the chaos inside. I knew for sure that something wasn't right about Prince Andrew but didn't want to cause any friction between the two nations. So, I decided to leave with Elena because I knew she wasn't happy with how Joyce treated Dr Stark. She was seconds away from bursting.We walked in silence down the dimly lit corridor, checking on our surroundings to make sure there wasn't anyone eavesdropping on us. There were too many people in the palace, so we couldn't be too comfortable with what we were saying. Everyone was looking for an opportunity to destroy the peace between the two nations, and there weren't many people I could trust.The marble floor was gleaming under the chandeliers, and as we went upstairs, I noticed that every sound was muffled. It was as if the palace itself was holding its breath out of fear. I tried not to think about the eerie feeling and followed Elena to her

ELENA'S POV,The tension and fear in the room didn't fully disappear, even after Prince Andrew started to breathe normally again.Georgina was sitting beside him on the bed, holding a damp cloth to his forehead and muttering quiet prayers under her breath. The words she was repeating were foreign to my ears, so I turned to see if Ryan understood it. He smiled when our eyes met and gave me a comforting nod that told me that he would explain it later. I nodded back and looked at the other Lycans in the room.Alpha Davis was standing near the door, speaking in hushed tones with one of the Lycan guards, while Ryan and Corbin gave instructions to the palace staff to keep the incident contained. I highly doubted that the information could be kept a secret from the world, especially when the videos would be circulating throughout social media first thing in the morning.Many people recorded the whole thing on their phones, more Lycans than werewolves.Alpha Joyce was just a few steps away, s

IZZY'S POV,When I got home that evening, I was exhausted to my bones, more exhausted than I’d realized earlier. And all I wanted was to jump on my bed and fall asleep.The exhaustion wasn't due to the work or due to the little encounter with Tyler at work, though that was very draining, but from everything that had been happening in my life lately. I was responsible for most of them in one way or another, but that doesn't mean I couldn't complain. The castle, the fireworks, the feeling of being seen, really seen by someone for the first time, was all I wanted, and then on the other hand, I was ready to burn it to the ground.'Don't overthink, you're making the right decision,' I told myself as I unlocked the door to my apartment, bracing myself for more loneliness to force me into the well of overthinking. However, that's not what happened because as soon as I was inside, I heard, “Elizabeth Mary Winters, where the hell have you been for the last few days?”I blinked, stunned for a

IZZY'S POV, “I guess you didn't know, we're acquiring this company.” He had a proud look in his eyes when he announced it, not just to me but also to those around us. I glanced around the room and felt embarrassed by all the eyes focused on me. I wanted to run away, knowing well that it was going to lead to another round of gossip about my life. They barely moved away from the wedding drama; now, thanks to Tyler, they had another topic. I sighed and focused on the man in front of me. His eyes were sparkling, and the way he was leaning against the wall made it look like he already owned the company. I took a deep breath before speaking. “What do you mean by that?” His smile only deepened when I was done with my question. “We are in the early stages of negotiation, but it's pretty much a done deal.” “Why would Mr. McKelly sell the company all of a sudden?” I mumbled, trying to think about the conversations that occurred around the office, in the past few days. “I didn't even

IZZY'S POV,I was back at my desk, leaving the Castle and the magical life I had to live for the past two days behind. However, my mind never came back with me to the corporate life of Austin. It was still wrapped around the scent of roses and old stone walls that I fell in love with. I was still in front of that giant fireplace, wrapped in a blanket while it rained outside. Jasper was with me, kissing me on the neck while reading me one of his favorite French romances. We were both naked—it was his idea—to get in the head of the characters. It was a stupid idea, but when he started stripping, I couldn't help myself either. So, while he translated the story for me, I played with him. It was my way of connecting with the eighteen-year-old maid, the naive girl who fell in love with her master, the duke, thrice his age. “Everyone around warned him that she was going to poison him one day for his riches, but he was so in love with her that he never listened to them,” he read, and that

JASPER'S POV, I never knew Elizabeth was so outspoken and wild. I always thought of her as a timid little girl who was a little bit opinionated, but I had never known her other side. She hid it well, and now I couldn't help but feel like learning everything else about her. She is what I always wanted, yet this distance between us didn't seem to disappear. At times, looking at her I couldn't shake the feeling that her affection for me wasn't true, making it seem as though she wasn't in love with me. Yet, other times, I could only see love in her beautiful eyes, leaving me both confused and uncertain. Despite the mixed signals, the only thing I was certain of was my feelings for her. I knew that my love for her was genuine and unwavering, and it would remain so till the very end. With each passing day, my feelings for her were only growing stronger. Initially, I thought it was Daniel's words that got to me because he wasn't happy about me dating her. We talked before I left for

IZZY'S POV,I felt Jasper's hands on my hips, and his warning sent chills down my spine. Weirdly enough, that made me want him even more. On one hand, I didn't want to feel those emotions because I knew it was going to end soon, and quite badly, while on the other, I wanted to surrender myself to him. “I am going to have you now!”He turned me on my back and soon he was inside me, connecting us together once again. I was so perfectly filled that it began to hurt, but not physically. Instead, I could feel Jasper in my chest, buried somewhere under my ribs. He felt like a cluster of nerves that throb with each stroke. He moved slowly in the beginning, and that only emphasized the pain. I felt every inch of him, erupting fire inside my body, and the pleasure of it chased the pain that his words had left in their wake. He was grinding into me and it felt like a weird combination of pleasure and pain. When he started pumping faster, pinning my hands above my hand, tears sprang to

IZZY'S POV, “I... I love you, Izzy.” The words echoed in my head as I woke up the next day, feeling thoroughly exhausted. My body was loose like every single muscle and tendon had been reduced to the finest thread. I was sore, too; just shifting my hips sent sparks of electricity flying throughout my body. I also realized that I was pressed up against Jasper, the same way we did that day. His muscular arms were draped against my small frame, securing me in place. I wasn't sure how we ended up in that position, but I wasn't complaining about it because it felt nice. Waking up dad after day, on an empty bed reminded me of the betrayal. I yawned because, once again, parts of what happened after the time we spent in the backseat of his SUV were a blur to me. I clearly remembered that we went for a hike, got wet in the heavy rain, got hot in the truck, and did the deeds two times in a row—the first time he was on the top, while on the second, I rode him. After that, everything was