LOGINI jolt upright in bed, tears tearing from my eyes before I can draw breath. My heart hammers so hard it feels like it might burst through my ribs, and violent shivers rack every inch of me.
I stare at my hands, searching for blood. When I find only clean skin, the sobs break harder than before. I try to steady my breathing, but the vision crashes back into my mind with brutal clarity—me, holding Helios against my chest. His body cold, still, soaked in crimson.Suck What?! SASHA ROSARIO'S POINT OF VIEW Idiot! You're such an idiot, Sasha. Did you really think he would believe that? I wanted the earth to swallow me whole, especially since he didn't say anything, just kept staring at me. Then, to my utter shock, he smiled, and then kissed me. It was just a peck, so I couldn't react until he spoke, grinning at me. "Is that so? Then, will you please calm me down here... wife?" Holy mother of God! Sasha, what have you gotten yourself into now?What have I gotten myself into? I held my breath where we stood locked together, heart hammering so hard against my ribs I could feel its shape pressing through my blouse. My hands were planted on his shoulders, fingers curled tight enough I knew they'd leave half-moons in his skin. Heat climbed my cheeks-shame knotted with hunger as his gray eyes held mine fast. He tilted his head, gaze never breaking. "Hmm? Aren't you going to
Heaven's GiftSASHA ROSARIO'S POINT OF VIEW "Sasha! I'm telling you, he's the answer to your prayers-" "What prayers? I wasn't exactly wishing for a husband to magically appear-ouch!" I shot Andeng a glare, rubbing the spot on my head where she'd just flicked me. "Why are you yelling? I'm standing right next to you!" she retorted, frowning. I sighed, resisting the urge to scream again. My heart was still pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I hadn't been able to move a muscle until Andeng and Junior arrived. I'd even been shocked to see Junior in just his boxers, clearly interrupting some husband-and-wife bonding time. Who wouldn't be rattled after letting out a scream that could rival a slaughterhouse? Because, seriously! Who wouldn't be terrified when a bloody, yet undeniably gorgeous, man suddenly collapses in your living room? "Who do you think he is, Sasha? Junior's taking forever. We need to c
Premium Drop from the SkySASHA ROSARIO'S POINT OF VIEW I was cocooned in sleep when a peculiar sound tugged me from my dreams. What is that racket? Is a dog howling at the moon? With a groan, I hauled myself upright, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and tossing aside my thin, well-worn blanket. Good grief-are we having a death in the neighborhood? That mutt is making enough noise to raise the dead. But any lingering drowsiness evaporated the moment I swung open my cottage door. My eyes widened, and a startled shriek escaped my lips. "AHH! Burog! You little pervert-are you really trying to mount that poor dog right in front of my house?!" Heat flared in my cheeks as I gaped at my pint-sized mutt, Burog, going at it with a dog easily twice his size. For such a tiny creature, he possessed a surprising amount of stamina. "Shoo! Get out of here, you horny little pest!" I waved my arms, attempting to s
BOOK 3: I ACCIDENTALLY ADOPTED A MAFIA BOSS PROLOGUEWARNING: This story contains mature, sensitive, and explicit content. Reader discretion is advised. SASHA ROSARIO'S POINT OF VIEW A year ago, a man with no name and no memory knocked at my door. I called him Angelo, gave him my spare room, watched him fold himself into the narrow gaps of my life until there was no space left he hadn't filled. We loved like divers surfacing for breath-each touch a current pulling us closer, each word a gasp we'd been holding too long. Then he was gone. One morning the sheets were cold as river stone, his things wiped clean from every shelf and hook, and I've waited since. Ache lives in my bones now. Love does too. So why am I curled in the back of a van, blindfold tight enough to press shadows into my eyes, my shoulder grinding against metal as we bound over potholes wide enough to swallow a jeepney whole? I've spent thirty-two ye
EpilogueTHREE MONTHS LATER... LUCIAN VITALE'S POINT OF VIEW I can't sleep. Haven't had a full night's rest in over a month, pulling overtime at the office every single day. I glance at the wall clock as I shut down my laptop-six in the morning. Time flies when you're drowning in numbers and deadlines. It feels like just yesterday I was staring at the same screen, the clock reading ten at night. I stand up and slip on my coat, the wool heavy against my tired shoulders. I grab my phone and car keys from the desk-cool metal and plastic in my palm. I need to get home. They'll be waiting. "Good morning, sir. Overtime again?" One of the morning-shift guards greets me at the exit, his breath fogging in the cool lobby air. I offer him a gentle smile. "Yeah-gotta do it for the family." He grins back, lines crinkling around his eyes. "How about some coffee first, sir? You'll give yourself a stomach ache burning th
His Fears SERAPHINA "Sera" MORTEZ'S POINT OF VIEW "Daddy... when will Mommy wake up?" "I miss her... Daddy Lucian..." Is this real, or just my mind playing tricks? Did I really hear that? Did my children just call their father by the name he was always meant to have? I can't move a muscle. Every part of me feels heavy, as if weighted down by stone. I want to look at them, to reach out and touch their small hands-anything to make sure I'm not hallucinating. But my eyelids won't open, my fingers won't wiggle. All I can do is listen. Listen to their voices, clear and bright even through the fog in my head. Listen to the steady beep of the monitor beside my bed, counting out seconds like heartbeats. It feels like I've been trapped like this forever-a nightmare I can't wake from, full of shadows I never want to face again. I want to open my eyes. I want to see the people I thought I'd lost, to breathe in the scent of t
It was nothing short of a miracle that I made it to the mansion without crashing. I’d swerved around cars more times than I could count, never slowing down for a second as I raced through the streets. I didn’t even bother parking properly—just threw the car into park and jumped out
"Zuri, over here!" Carmilla waved enthusiastically, though she didn’t need to—I’d spotted her through the window the moment I’d stepped out of my car. I slid into the chair across from her, my hands trembling slightly in my lap. There was no denying Carmilla’s beauty—she was l
"Zuri! What happened? Did that madman lay a hand on you?!" I turned to find Creed looking thoroughly rattled, his eyes scanning me from head to toe after Vander’s departure. He was searching for bruises, for any sign that Vander had hurt me. When he saw I was unharmed, his shoulders dro
Carmilla had become a constant presence at the Gallagher mansion after that day. She was there almost every single day—either chatting for hours with Mrs. Gallagher or tagging along with Artemis on their endless shopping sprees. She fit so seamlessly with the two women, and the whole family looke







