Black Water Joyce Carol Oates

My best friend is a death angel named Faro, and my father works for the devil. I am an incubus demon who has a talking cat named Samson, who happens to be a cursed wizard stuck to live his life as a black cat, an annoying companion who sheds entirely too much. Being an incubus I survived solely on the pleasures of the flesh. I was Dipping my dick into a different woman almost every night for the past hundred years. Whether paid for or brought home to my penthouse from the local watering hole I had company quite frequently to feed my hunger. Cursed to earth I had unlimited wealth and countless numbers of females to recharge me at whim. My punishment from Lucifer wasn't all that bad. At least it wasn't until a wisp of a female brought me to my knees. Could I fall in love, for real? It was inconceivable even though I was named for it; it was the furthest from who and what I was. I was, at the very least, an uncaring prick. Could someone like me know what love was and did I want to know? That's the real question I asked myself. This is my story of how my demon heart started to beat after centuries of being a cold obsidian stone by a young redheaded female with unique secrets of her own. Could she love me enough to walk through the fires of hell for me? This is her story...

In my third year of marriage, Victor Lyon, the most prominent man in Sagedale's elite circle as well as my husband, goes viral on the Internet once again. This time, it's because he has decided to throw a grand wedding to be with Carol Braun, the low-income student he has been sponsoring. I don't kick up a fuss, nor do I throw a tantrum. In fact, I even have someone send them my wishes. Because of that, the rich wives of Sagedale's elite circle view me as a complete joke. After the wedding, Victor explains to me, "Carol's grandpa is very ill. His death wish is to see her marry a good man. I was just acting with her the whole time, Lilian. Don't take it to heart." I just smile and nod. "Yeah, I believe you." In my previous life, I had demanded explanations from Victor hysterically. But in return, he screwed over my parents' company to the point that they were forced to jump off a building by debtors. I got my legs broken before I got thrown into a mental asylum that tortured me endlessly. Thank goodness God took pity on me, for He gave me another chance in life. This time, I no longer want Victor's love. I just want his wealth. When he's busy going on a honeymoon with Carol, I secretly have his assets transferred under my name. When Victor's attending prenatal checkups with Carol, I trick him into signing a share-transfer agreement. Whenever he betrays me, I'll take some of his assets away. Once Victor betrays me three more times, he won't have anything under his name.

After my parents died in a car crash, my cousin stole the compensation money and moved overseas to start a business. My aunt begged me on her knees not to call the police. Then, she locked me in a dark basement for three months. I was close to breaking down and ending my life when Julien Lawson, the neighbor’s son, broke down the basement door and saved me. “Joyce, what they did is unforgivable! They stole the compensation money for your parents’ deaths. You were going to use it to open your own studio! “Marry me. I’ll protect you.” He was the only person who cared about me after my parents died. I was so grateful that I married him and had his child. I worked three jobs during the day to help support the orphanage that Julien ran. At night, I took care of our child and created design sketches. But no matter how hard I tried, none of my work was ever accepted. Even though Julien told me to keep at it, I felt discouraged and thought of giving up on my design career to focus on our family. One day, our child was sick. I went to take over the shift from Julien when I overheard him talking to my aunt on the stairs. “Julien, it’s been ten years. Joyce’s designs are getting better and better. She even passed the first round of the national competition. Are you really not going to tell her about the next round?” my aunt asked. Her voice trembled. Julien said coldly, “For years, I’ve been sending Joyce’s design sketches to Mindy to copy and enter in the competitions or publish as her own. “To help Mindy’s career, I can’t let Joyce move on to the next round. “Joyce has talent. If people notice her, she’ll be a threat to Mindy’s career!”

Getting helplessly rooted and stuck in a spot and without a means of escape coming, Ariana wondered why her life was hard, despite being born with a silver spoon. Every road she toured led to a series of crossroads. Little did she know this all pointed to the fact that she wasn't of the realist's world, No wonder it never sat well with her And sooner than later, she realized that she didn't belong in the world of her mother and 'father' but, belonged in the world which she thought only existed in the lengthy pile of books on her shelf. Like she never would have thought, her world began to revolve around a mystical parallel universe And from here, the story begins ...

His hand slid beneath her shirt, warm against her bare waist. “Tell me to stop,” he whispered against her neck. She trembled, every nerve on fire. “I don't want you too.” ~~~ Audrey Dauval’s life shattered the night she opened the front door and found her mother’s lifeless body soaked in blood on the front porch. Everyone said it was an illness. Everyone said she imagined what she saw. But she knew exactly what she saw that night. When her distant, broken father sends her away to live with family friends in the eerie town of Ravenfalls, she thinks the worst is behind her. But nothing in Ravenfalls is normal. The woods, the town, it's gloomy and holds secrets. Lots of them. At school, two dangerously gorgeous rivals lock eyes with her, and that’s when everything changes. But what she feels for both of them... she feels for a third. Born from a bloodline of legendary werewolf hunters, Audrey is the target of a vengeful rogue pack that killed her mother and now wants her dead. As forbidden bonds grow and fated connections spark, Audrey finds herself torn between love, war, and the truth of who she really is. Three boys. One mate. And she can only choose one or lose them all. Who would she choose?

"Who did that to you?" His voice pressed, demanding. But I had to shut him down if I wanted to keep myself together. "If you get to keep things from me, then so do I." “If I find out who he is—if I find him…” “I hope you don’t,” I cut in. “Because I’d rather he was already dead.” “I won't be at peace until you see it for yourself. Either his grave, or his death right in front of you.” He inched closer to me, pulling my chin more and more until our faces were very close. “And remember, Leandra ....” His words sounded like a promise. His breathing was so heavy, so determined. “The moment you watch that bastard die, you’ll see me there too.” *** Being my best friend’s delivery girl isn’t exactly my idea of fun. Usually, it’s annoying. But this time? This time, it led me straight to him. He kissed me—this stranger, so alluring that it made me think of him all the time. The scent of his body, his heavy voice, his pierced grey eyes ... it all stayed with me. Haunted me. Drove me crazy. The problem? He wants nothing to do with me. He keeps his distance, tells me to stay away, says I need to forget him. He says he’s a dangerous man. But how do I forget someone who’s already under my skin? How do I let go of the one man who’s already claimed my heart?

Mai hated marriage. She felt being in love was being weak and foolish. She did not believe that one could stay peacefully together as a family because of her traumatic experience in the past But she was faced with her greatest fear as she was made to sign a contract marriage with a Billionaire inorder to save the life of her father who owes him a great sum and trades her for the money he couldn't pay. How would she overcome her fear after experiencing her parents' toxic and abusive relationship? Will she love and believe love is true? Journey with me as we dive into this story of Mia and uncover secrets, truth, fear, betrayal and love she faces in her life and how she became strong enough to see through her weaknesses and fear

Of course I own you,” Dominic growled as he stepped closer, his presence heavy, his breath brushing her neck. “I belong to nobody,” Aria snapped, though her fists trembled as she backed away. A slow smirk curved his lips. In one sharp movement, he pulled her against him, her fragile body trapped by his solid frame. “You don’t get to decide that, princess,” he said coldly. “I’ll pay my father’s debt,” Aria lifted her chin, fear crawling through her chest. “And when I do, I’ll be free…from you.” “Aria,” he murmured, tightening his grip. “You’re mine. And no one else will touch what’s mine.” Aria has always been quiet, timid, soft-spoken, and worn down by life. Raised by an alcoholic“ father”who never protected her, she learned early that survival meant silence. She endured bruises, hunger, and loneliness, clinging to the hope that one day the pain would fade. That hope shatters when her father disappears, leaving behind a deadly debt owed to the most powerful mafia in the country. The price isn’t money. It’s her. Aria is taken not to be killed, but to be claimed. The man who claims her is Dominic, the ruthless mafia lord feared by all. Cold. Merciless. Untouchable. But beneath the cruelty lies a truth that shakes her to her core. Dominic is the boy she once loved. The boy who promised to protect her—and vanished without a goodbye. Now he is both her nightmare and her past, and Aria must survive a world where love is dangerous, loyalty is deadly, and some promises refuse to stay buried.

Blair Anderson, a young hybrid, longed for nothing but freedom. She was tired of running from her father's killer, she harbored a strong hatred for Carson, the council leader whom she believed to be responsible for her father's death but fate plays a good one on her as she finds out that the person she spent her whole life hating was her one true mate. “what happens when she discovers the truth behind her father's death and her feelings towards Carson? Will she be able to let go of her vengeful quest, or will it ultimately destroy her one true bond?”

Savi spent her life following the rules and being a good little girl, but what if things aren't as black-and-white as she was led to believe? When this little hunter finds herself inexplicably attracted to her vampire kill, her world turns into a seesaw of ups and downs. Does she follow her training? Or does she follow her heart? Find out in this thrilling first installment of the The Soulmate Covenant series. This is just the beginning.