Banter Knife

" You're mine, little bird." My blood thrummed loudly in my ears as I crawled away from him on the floor. With long strides, he was already standing above me. He pulled me up and covered my mouth with his palm. Panic set in, my limbs shaking in terror. "You need a reminder of who you belong to." His mismatched eyes boring into mine. I shook my head, violently, tears wetting his hand over my mouth. He brought the knife to my face." Tell your lover, Zayden, not to get involved. I already graced you with the wedding. Marry him, but 7 days after the wedding, come back to Denver, where you belong." I nodded desperately, hoping he wouldn't hurt me. " I'll leave a souvenir." He chuckled and then dug the pocket knife into my side. **** Lillain's life is a delicate mess. Having survived her traumatic childhood by suppressing her memories, she has to do everything to survive, which includes agreeing to a contract marriage with her boss to have access to his wealth. Engage to Enigmatic and wealthy Zayden, she hides a dark secret. She's been threatened by a mysterious figure from her past. Her past was coming back to haunt her. Zayden eventually discovers her secrets and confronts her. But Lillian can't confide in him - she's trapped in a web of fear and trauma, leaving Zayden devastated with the fear of losing her. The biggest shock comes when the mysterious figure appears, his menacing presence threatening to destroy Lillian's carefully constructed plans. With her world spinning out of control, Lillian must make a choice: confront her demons or risk losing everything including the man she had fallen in love with. But Little did she know that she wasn't the only one keeping secrets. Zayden had secrets, secrets darker than hers.

“I want you so badly it hurts.” Camellia Reid’s life is simple: dance to pay the bills, raise her deaf sister, and keep a low profile. She never asked for destiny. But destiny finds her anyway… wearing the name Lucien Draven. Alpha of the Obsidian Pack. Eyes like wildfire. A voice like sin. And a claim she can’t escape: his mate. Camellia is human, an outsider in a world built on blood and power. Loved in shadows, denied in daylight, she is pulled between Lucien’s dangerous chaos and the cold control of his rival cousin, Darius Thorne. And when Lucien pins her against the wall, fucking her with a hunger that feels like worship and ruin all at once, Camellia learns that some bonds don’t just burn hotter than reason...they consume it. The pack is watching. Enemies are hunting. Between blood feuds, queer alliances, and late-night banter, Camellia stumbles into a world sharper, darker, and funnier than she ever imagined—one ruled by possessive but yearning males, where destiny burns hotter than love and cuts deeper than fate.

“Ms. Arnold, you really should sign this divorce agreement. Otherwise, I won’t be able to answer to Mr. Fisher.” Jeremy Fisher’s personal lawyer, Cole Stewart, stood in front of Hailey Arnold with an anxious expression. In his hands were a freshly printed divorce agreement, the pages still crisp. This was the thirty-third time Jeremy had asked to divorce her. The first time, Hailey climbed onto the rooftop and jumped. She survived but broke one of her legs. The second time, she slashed her wrist with a small knife, and blood flooded half the bathroom. The third time, she swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills and spent three days in the hospital having her stomach pumped. … Every single time, she had used death to force Jeremy to compromise, but this time, she was tired of it.

Five years after we broke up, my ex bought the company I worked for and suddenly became my direct boss. The project plan I'd stayed up nights working on—nearly killing myself to finish—was handed to someone else without a word. My teammates were split apart, and I became his go-to example when he wanted to tear someone down. I was the laughingstock of the office. Shawn Lubbard said it was the price I had to pay for betraying him. Finally, I asked him what it would take for him to leave me alone. His reply? "Only if you die." Feeling crushed, I drove a knife into my chest right in front of him. Maybe this terrible life should have ended long ago.

“I’m pregnant too.” Sonia, my husband’s girlfriend said to me with a voice lifts with theatrical innocence. “Chase doesn’t know yet,” she continues casually. “I wanted to wait till the divorce is finalized. That way everyone will know I didn’t need to trap him with a baby… like you did.” There it is. The knife twist. Her eyes glitter with triumph as she walks out. I open my tote bag. The divorce agreement slides out easily. A thick stack of paper demanding my complete surrender of any claim to the Warren empire. In exchange for freedom. The woman who fractured herself trying to build a family out of dust is gone. I slide the signed documents into the top drawer of Chase’s desk. Let him find it. Let him choke on it.

There is a medical dispute at the hospital. A patient's family member comes at us swinging a knife. Without hesitating, I push my husband, Maxwell Conner, out of the way. But then, he grabs my hand and pulls me in front of his beloved junior, Karina Burton. The knife plunges straight into my abdomen, killing the baby I had just conceived. As my horrified colleagues cry and rush me toward the ICU, Maxwell violently pulls me off the gurney. He barks, "Save Karina first! If anything happens to her, I'll fire every last one of you!" The doctors are stunned and furious. "Maxwell, have you lost your mind? Karina only suffered a minor injury. Your wife is the one in critical condition!" Clutching my bleeding abdomen, I nod slowly. "It's fine. Just forget it." Maxwell, I owe you nothing after this.

Everyone in town knows Jeffrey Williams—the hometown star who went from small productions to Broadway and television fame. But after years in the spotlight, Jeff has returned home, craving the quiet of familiar streets and the comfort of community theater. Daniel Lewis, the assistant stage manager, never expected his latest show to come with a front-row seat to his longtime crush. Shy, meticulous, and still nursing the wounds of a past relationship, Daniel wants nothing more than to keep his head down and do his job. But when Jeff’s piercing blue eyes land on him, the stage lights aren’t the only thing leaving him breathless. As rehearsals stretch into late nights and the line between performance and reality begins to blur, Jeff and Daniel find themselves drawn into a connection neither of them anticipated. But with gossip swirling backstage, old insecurities rising, and Jeff facing new offers that could pull him away again, both men must decide— is this just a fleeting spotlight romance, or the start of something real when the curtain falls? A heartfelt, slow-burn M/M romance filled with stage banter, stolen glances, and the magic of love found in unexpected places.

In the heart of the opulent Veridian Heights, two souls from opposite ends of the spectrum are drawn together by forces beyond their control, setting the stage for a love story as tumultuous as it is irresistible. Meet Mace Sinclair, a formidable business mastermind with a ruthless edge, a genius mind, and a grin that could seduce the devil himself. The heir to the city's most influential dynasty, he thrives on control, power, and dominance. Yet beneath his cold, manipulative exterior lies a man haunted by a tragic past, and a thirst for redemption he never thought possible. Then there's Nysaa Everhart, a spirited and sharp-tongued troublemaker who refuses to bow to anyone. Beneath her fearless facade, she carries the scars of a painful history that has left her with trust issues and a determination to never rely on anyone but herself. Her unyielding spirit and unpredictable nature make her a force to be reckoned with. When their paths collide, the sparks of conflict ignite a slow-burning desire that neither can deny. Mace, in a twisted game of power, coerces Nysaa into taking care of his defiant niece, Seraphina, as payback for her challenges. As they navigate the forced proximity and constant battles of wills, their banter evolves into something deeper and more dangerous. Can they withstand it? Can they withstand the haunting clutches of their past?

“No one can see me. No one can touch me. No one can judge my actions. I was an invisible man to them, to everyone.” Emersyn ‘Emery’ Callista Dela Torre or also known as the number one ‘freak’ in Willow High School. She was labeled a freak because of her ability to see ghost but they didn’t know its something much more than just seeing ghost. Emery is a ghost hunter of Ghost Hunter For Hire, a company that gives ghost hunting services. “One slash of this knife through your neck and you’ll reduce to ashes.” She is a capable ghost hunter. She always gets the job done. But one mission, she was in danger from getting killed and raped by a ghost but then she was saved by another ghost. How ironic. A ghost hunter saved by a ghost. And what’s this? The ghost wants to stay at her house?!

“I, Audrey Kyle of the nightwalker pack, reject you, Kevin Miller, beta of the nightwalker pack as my mate, I sever the bond binding us together as I accept to go rogue” I declared as he felt it in his chest. I felt a deep pain in my chest, like a knife had been pierced through my heart. I had not only rejected Kevin as my mate but I also accepted to go rogue. He looked at me with anger and hatred, that kind of look would have bothered me in the past but right now I felt nothing for him anymore. “You want to go rogue? That’s the worst. You know what the rules apply to going rogue. You will be an enemy of the nightwalkers pack and you will be chased away by any other pack, they will see you as a threat” he told me but at this point I didn’t care.