A Guide Thicker Than Blood Chapter 1

During a mission overseas, I shielded my younger brother from an explosion—only to wake up months later, my body broken, my mind trapped in the void of a coma. Grateful for my sacrifice, he repaid me by marrying my wife. When I finally clawed my way back to consciousness and rushed home, I found my son kneeling on the ground, sobbing as his college acceptance letter lay shredded in his fists. My nephew loomed over him, slamming a steel pipe into his back. "Lick my shoes clean," he sneered. "Who are you to think you deserve an education?" And there was my wife clapping in delight, dabbing the sweat from my nephew’s brow like a doting servant. "You’re just like your deadbeat father," My wife spat. "Born to be my stepping stone." My eyes bloodshot, I tightened my fists. Every last one of them would pay for this dearly.

After two years abroad in seclusion as I recovered, I received a selfie from my daughter, Lila Ashford. She was sitting on a bike, dressed in a work uniform. "Mom, you’ll be home soon, right? I miss you so much." My heart softened as I thought about how my girl had grown up. She understood that she needed to start from the bottom and work her way up. I was about to praise her when I noticed her skin seemed tanner, and her fitted shirt was the same one I’d bought her three years ago. It was frayed and worn thin, yet she still hadn’t thrown it away. As a child of the wealthiest family, Lila shouldn’t have to live like this, not even for "life experience". I zoomed in on the picture again. Her shoes were falling apart, the front gaping wide open. The more I looked, the more uneasy I became. The next second, I stumbled across Serena Ashford, my adopted daughter’s posts on social media. She was showing off male models, luxury cars, and on her wrist, the global limited-edition diamond bracelet I had given Lila. What shocked me most was the car that appeared in nearly every photo, the very one I had gifted Lila for her college graduation. How the hell had it ended up with her instead?!

What in this world can be darker than night?? 🖤🖤 🖤🖤 🖤🖤 🖤🖤 🖤🖤 🖤🖤 🖤 She takes three slow steps towards us and looks up to him right in the eyes... "You are Kolawole David Dolapo. My son! the heir to the House of Davies." she darts her eyes to me then back to him "And you will not settle for less!!" I was bitter and awestruck, speechless at the same time. I couldn't cry anymore, my tears already vain. He grits his teeth and folds his fists tighter "Mom I can't believe you are saying this" he yells "Do not walk out on me Kola" she says knowing that's the next thing he was going to do. He takes my hand and turn to leave "if you take one more step with that girl, consider yourself as not my son anymore Kola" she yelled through. He stopped in his pace without turning back "I never took you as a mom anyways, you never treated me as one" he says and heads back to his car. I could hear his mom breakdown behind us.

Isidora Moretti always appeared to be a chess player, overseeing her family’s massive enterprise and grappling with the city’s menacing mafia clans. Her father orders her to marry the Vescari heir, and she discovers that theirs is not romance that would involve love-it is of power and obedience. Declining could be her last word so she thinks of an escape-engagement, a lie she is betting would work. She teams up with Dante Romano,the boy who beats her every time in school. He is good looking, cold, smart and has chased the same deal she wants. He often mocks her stubborn ways and never offers real help. Still, he oddly agrees to act as her fiancé. The agreement sees only looks, no real feeling involved. It may mean just a clever contract. Business agreement looks clean, no feelings. But Dante seizes Isidora at the engagement party and kisses her in front of the city. Everything becomes upside down. Rivalry and obsession — everything seems to blur. Others soon witness Isidora as Dante’s Achilles’ heel. In another world, weakness is a weapon. Maybe they both have this tilt, not just one side. With threats growing closer-in business offices ,back alleys, and mob hits, both find they need to stand up together. As they fight, they come closer and closer, and each threat reduces the boundaries they’ve constructed between them on their feelings. As danger narrows in on Isidora, Dante’s left to contemplate the sacrifices he’ll make just to keep her safe. He’ll do anything he can to protect her, to make her his, even if it’s damaging everything in his path. In the end, the promises they’ve made, no matter how unserious, appear to be the only thing they can reasonably believe.

Jace Katherine Sullivan found herself trapped in a deal with the God of Darkness—Helion. She never thought such transcendent being exists, but he proved it real. Helion has been searching for the girl who has the invisible mark of lotus for decades, which is Katherine, to sacrifice her in the bridge of death and bring his sister back to life. But in order for the bridge of life to accept the offering, Katherine must be willing enough to do it, the reason why Helion had no choice but to make a deal with her. He will do the things she wants, and in return, she will give her life to him later on. Katherine asks him to give her a month to do everything she wants before he takes her life and he agreed. However, as they spend time with each other, an unexpected bond grows and Helion just found himself saving her from all the dangers. But as they face their complicated relationship issues, mysteries began to unfold and Katherine found out the truth behind her identity, that she has a demon blood running in her veins. The deities protecting the human realm are threatened by this, reason why they are going to Katherine at all cost. But Helion is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her.

"She was mine first," Dimitri whispered, his voice deadly calm. "And you stole her in the dark." Dimitri and Alexei Volkov are twin brothers, mafia kings, bound by blood and loyalty. When one bleeds, both bleed. When one kills, both kill. Nothing has ever come between them. Until her. Irina was Dimitri's maid, his peace in a world of violence. The only woman allowed close enough to touch him, to see the man beneath the monster. He fell for her quietly, deeply, and completely. But one drunken night at a party, Alexei stumbled into his brother's darkened room. He wore Dimitri's robe. She thought he was Dimitri. And in the shadows, a line was crossed that could never be uncrossed. Now Irina carries the child of her master's brother! When Dimitri discovers her pregnancy, rage consumes him. When Alexei claims her as his own with a cruel smirk, something breaks between the brothers. The bond that made them invincible now threatens to destroy them both. Two brothers. One woman. A baby that will crown one king and condemn the other. In the world of the Volkov mafia, betrayal is paid in blood. When this war is over, will any of them survive?

Stony black orbs stared into scared hazel eyes, " You ruined me ... Or so you think, you played me for a fool ! ... But I won't let you have the last laugh. I am more powerful and deadlier than you think " With tears in his once beautiful and mesmerizing eyes, he pleaded " please don't hurt me ... I regret all I have done , if I could take it back I will" Liar ! Came the response and with that a flying dagger towards his right shoulder, pinning him to the wall.

A well-known CEO, Adrian, must become an outcast after participating in a black ritual to maintain his power. Fresh blood is the only way for Adrian to survive. However, everything changed when he met Emily, who was able to make him the true vampire.

All Hailey has ever known is the quiet, peaceful life she's lived in her small town of Silver Creek. But without warning, all that is about to change in the blink of an eye and life as she knows it is about to take a big turn. - Trey is a troubled man, haunted by his past and all he lives for now are the dangerous assignments he deals with every now and again. Currently, that assignment includes the daughter of an old time family friend. He has to protect her at all cost from the Leviathans and that shouldn't be hard. Except it is, as sparks begin to fly between them and feelings he's worked to keep buried starts to resurface again.

The demon wolf is afraid. There are dark creatures in the world, Zaira Silvera used to think that Gideon Demetrius was the darkest but there are those he fears and so should everyone else. There are secrets locked away in the past and we must unlock them in order to survive.