Asuma Sarutobi Twelve Guardian Ninja

Alena Reed is a hopeless romantic. And when she falls for someone, she falls hard. Too bad she’d set her eyes on Christan Taylor. He’s twelve years her senior and a very successful businessman. She realized they have business ties but they weren’t acquainted. That is, until her sister got married. The first time she’d seen him, she was moved by his story. But of course, she knew that wasn’t the whole of it. He’d been married before and has two children. His wife was killed years ago. Does she pity the man? No. But in her eyes, he’s extremely attractive and in need of affection. Love. Despite her father’s disagreement, she still chased after him. He rebuffed her many times, but she promised to try harder. Whatever it takes.

Warning: 18+ This book contains strong adult language and mature themes; rape, abuse, and racism. Read at your own risk! Pebbles Hemington is a biracial young woman who is being victimized by a man she refers to as the devil. He despises her because of the colour of her skin. The abuse becomes even worse after the death of her grandmother. Proceeding to her college days, she meets and falls in love with a remarkable gentleman, they eventually get engaged. Things are going great until the devil shows his ugly face again. What will happen to Pebbles after she is beaten and left for dead by the devil? Will her guardian angel finally save her or will she succumb to the claws of the devil?

Miles Landry is trying to put violence behind him when he takes up work as a private detective focused on humdrum adultery cases. But when a Tibetan monk hires him to find a missing person, things get weird fast. Charged with tracking down the reincarnation of a man possessed by a demonic guardian from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Miles is plunged into a world of fortune-tellers, gangsters, and tantric rituals. The year is 1991 and a series of grisly murders has rocked New York City in the run up to a visit from the Dalai Lama. The police attribute the killings to Chinatown gang warfare. Miles–skeptical of the supernatural–is inclined to agree. But what if the monster he's hunting is more than a myth? ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Some people appear in life as blessings in disguise. Not knowing where my life was heading after facing betrayal after betrayal, Someone appeared in my life as my stepdad. What is it? A love? In love with my ex-stepdad whose appearance seems to be a shield for me. Who kept protecting me even after all the lies I had told him. After Mom lied about her identity. I fell in love with him, my mother's contracted husband who divorced her right after he got to learn about her true identity. But he kept me protected as my legal guardian, who makes me his family. And, I fell in love with his sincerity and his warmth.

At the celebration, the pampered heiress in Crownridge, Aveline Sage, confessed her love for me in front of the entire school. I turned her down flat. I was one of the Sage family's candidates—handpicked top students from every state—to improve their next generation's genes. In a few days, when the exam results came out, whoever earned the highest national score would become her fiance. For three years straight, I had been ranked first in the country. In my previous life, I achieved that top score. I got engaged to Aveline and became the envy of everyone—the son-in-law of Crownridge's most powerful family. But on the day of our engagement, her first love, Caspian Lorne, jumped off the top of the Sage Group building. His body was shattered beyond recognition. Aveline hired the best mortician to restore his face and placed him in a crystal coffin, where she slept beside him every night. During our honeymoon, she brought Caspian's body along, then kissed and clung to him right in front of me. When I confronted her, she looked at me with disgust. "The Sage family sponsored your education for twelve years. You knew Caspian and I were in love. Couldn't you let him win just once? You've been in first place for twelve years. What would it have cost you to lose? You ruined his future, ruined our love. You deserve to die." She drugged me, turned me into a fool with the mind of a three-year-old. I couldn't recognize my parents. I lost control of my own body. And I died in agony. … Then, I opened my eyes again, back on the morning of the exam. Last time, I beat Caspian by a single point. This time, I left an answer blank. Let him be the top scorer. Let him marry her. I hoped they grew old together, with plenty of children to match their love.

His blue eyes had More darkness in them any eyes she has ever seen.. The first time she'd seen him, he regarded her with a cunning smile.. She couldn't run away from him even if she wanted to.. She's Shy. She's quiet.. She's kind.. She went unheeded. *** He was merciless. He was the Storm.. He was captivating He's cruel and feels nothing for humans.. Alpha Nicklaus a lycanthrope who was cursed by the guardian angel of the terrestrial world to the live without a mate finally found his mate after six thousand years.. What happens when the Alpha's mate has her fate tied to a Demon overlord?

Deck the halls with daddy issues and scream "yes, Santa" until the neighbors complain. She sold herself to save her mother. He bought her to settle a score. Neither expected twelve days of captivity to feel like coming home. Ten years ago, Evangeline Rose fled Willow Creek and the cruel boy who made her life hell. Now she’s back with a new name, a new body, and one desperate choice: enter the town’s secret Christmas auction where wealthy men bid on willing women. When the hammer falls at five hundred thousand dollars, Eva expects a stranger. Instead, she gets Grayson Holt—her former tormentor, now a devastatingly dangerous man in a half-open Santa jacket who just bought twelve uninterrupted nights with the virgin he once swore no one would ever want. She should be terrified. He's the reason she hid in bathroom stalls and cried herself to sleep. But the first time he kisses her, his hands shake. The first time she fights back, he groans her name like a prayer. And somewhere between the firelight and the snow and the silk ribbons around her wrists, they both realize the ugly truth: He didn't buy her to break her. He bought her because he's been broken without her. The boy who spray-painted "fat ugly bitch" on her locker is the same man who falls to his knees in the snow on the last morning and begs her not to leave. The girl who swore she'd never forgive him is the same woman who has to choose: walk away free, or stay with the monster who finally admitted he's been in love with her since the day he made her cry. Eva spent a decade learning to hate Grayson Holt. Turns out she's been loving him the whole damn time.

Malin Holstin is the daughter of Liam and Angel Holstin and the twin sister of Quinn. She and her sister are the 5th and 6th children born to her parents. After her brother took over as Alpha, her older sister became the acting Luna until Rich found his mate. Malin has led a charmed life, always protected by her father and three older brothers, never needing to take on much of a role in the pack since first Leana, then Emlyn, took the role of Luna. Cohen Forte is the second child and first son of Cara and Rik Forte. He took over as Alpha nearly a year and a half ago. His pack is well established and is flourishing. The only thing he is missing is his Luna. Cohen realizes that Malin is his mate before she’s old enough to feel the pull of the mate bond. He and one of his friends and fellow Alphas, Emerson, realized that they are each mated to one of the twins. While Cohen has been around Guardians all his life, not only his mother and sister, but also having been raised with the neighboring packs who also had Guardian children, it’s very different when you realize that your mate is a Guardian, especially when she’s assigned to your pack right before a war. Malin may inherently know how to fight and protect her mate and pack, but she has no clue how to be a Luna. Cohen couldn’t care less about her lack of knowledge, he’s just thrilled to finally have his mate know that she belongs to him. Can Malin learn what it takes to be a good Luna so that she can be the mate that Cohen deserves and the Luna that this pack desires?

Twelve years ago, Detective Myra Black lost her brother to a murder the police never solved. Now, she wears the badge — not for justice, but for vengeance. When a high-profile case lands her face-to-face with Raffaele Moretti, a cold, calculating Mafia boss with secrets buried deeper than graves, everything she's built starts to unravel. He’s dangerous, untouchable, and frustratingly calm... and worst of all, he might be the key to her brother’s death. But the more Myra digs, the more the truth turns to smoke. And the more Raffaele protects her — with his dark past and darker loyalty — the more she questions whether she’s hunting a killer… or falling for one. In a city where truth is currency and lies are survival, can a woman sworn to the law trust the heart of a man who lives in the shadows?

*(Dimitri's story) Can be read as a standalone novel* Alyanna Rosellini's life is on pause because of a murderer on the loose. Only being able to live through the present by holding on to the past while hoping for a better future, she will do anything she can to go back to her old life. Even if it is to act as bait to draw out the killer. Jayden Carlton is in a relationship with two women - his dead childhood sweetheart and a woman who won't leave him alone. Everyone has only one piece of advice for him - go to therapy and move on. But that advice is applicable to people who want to get better, not Jayden. How can he, when moving on also means letting go? Katerina Van Acker has a heart of gold but the world convinced her to use it sparingly. So she wore a bitchy attitude for armour, sharpened her tongue into a sword, and waged a war against it. But if she doesn't stop fighting, she might chase away everyone she cares about. And nothing short of her own guardian angel can convince her of that. Dimitri Volkov might be a prince but he is no guardian angel. Haunted by the memories of the one he was supposed to love and protect but ended up killing, he knows that he deserves no second chance. But fate has other plans. Now, his future rests in his shaky hands. Their life is on pause. The only way to move ahead is to reflect back on the past, learn from their mistakes, and make better choices this time around. Because with stakes higher than last time, they will either get everything they hoped for and more or lose more than their soul can bear.