Booktok Books No Spice Novels & Stories

Peaceful. Vespera Hale walked along the mahogany shelves, trailing her fingers over the spines of the books. Philosophy. Strategy. History. She stopped. On a shelf at eye level, nestled between The Art of War and a first edition of The Count of Monte Cristo, was a book she didn't recognize. It had no dust jacket. The binding was matte black, textured like volcanic rock. The lettering on the spine was silver, sharp and angular. SAVAGE REBORN.

If there was an answer anywhere… It would be here. I searched through the oldest section first, carefully running my fingers across cracked leather bindings faded by time. One book after another came off the shelf. None of them mentioned curses. I kept looking. Finally… One worn spine caught my attention. Across the faded cover, a single word had been pressed into the leather. Curses. I carefully pulled the heavy book free. Dust drifted into the air as I carried it to a nearby table and sat down. Taking a steady breath, I opened the first page. “Well…” I whispered to myself. “Here we go.”

“How much?” “One.” I looked at the book. “The binding is loose.” “One.” “There is a stain.” “One.” I showed him the stain. He looked at it. “I know.” “Could it be less?” “No.” I waited. He waited better. I put the book down. One coin was half of everything I had left. That was absurd. I walked away. The next stall sold wooden bowls. I did not need a bowl. Another had ribbons. Still unnecessary. A spice seller had something sweet enough to make my nose itch.

She let out a breath, shaking her head as she left the chair before pointing at me. “Let me break it down for you to understand. The bookshop you lockpicked— don't even fucking argue against that. I know for a FACT thai I locked it— and intruded on is MINE and it's on the other side of this room which I ALSO own because I own the entire BUILDING.” She huffed indignantly.

Why would anyone keep such things? As if in answer, a nearby shelf caught her attention. Titles etched in faded gold lined the spines of several books: The Alchemy of Venom. The Art of Extraction. Scorpion Toxins and Their Many Uses. She hesitated before settling on one—Venom as Cure: The Healing Properties of Toxins. Frowning, she pulled it free, running her fingertips over the worn cover. A book on healing? Here? In this place? The red glow behind her flickered, the shadows pooling just beyond her sightline. Watching. Waiting

The faint scent of something dark and expensive lingering in the air wood, spice, something almost smoky. Elias ran a finger along the spines, scanning titles. History. Economics. Philosophy. Control disguised as curiosity, he thought absently. He crouched to reach the lower shelf, pulling out one book, then another. When he straightened, his elbow brushed the desk. Something slid. He caught it automatically before it hit the floor. A matchbook. Black. Matte. Thick cardstock. Elias stared at it. His pulse kicked hard enough to make his ears ring.

It was in that, with the turn of pages of a book, I could lose myself between the pages and forget, even if just for a moment, the complex web of my life. Today opened like each of the rest days: the house was quiet, and I was looking for another book to pass the time with. I ran my fingers along the spines of all the books on the shelves, and one leather-bound volume seemed out of place. I pulled it out; it was a book about hybrids. Its spine was cracked and its pages were frayed from having been read so many times before. I went to the table of contents, and my eyes grew wide with chapters entitled, "History of Hybrids," "Powers and Abilities," and "Notable Hybrids in History."

If you want a damn fish that doesn't taste like fish, prepare it yourself at home "I practically shouted as Hugo, who had followed us, kept me away from the table while she left. Cora turned towards me with a glare. All the effort I had made to control myself and have a mature conversation with her had gone down the drain, but I had never felt better in my life. The only thing left to do was to get out of the restaurant and into a cab, like Catherine Zeta-Jones did with no reservations, but I still had things to sort out. "Dempsey, you've crossed every line...

I laid on the bed laying bare, while Aiden was buttoning his pants. "You really do have a long stamina. It's hard to keep up." I just laughed at it. I mean I did, but I am not much of a bragger. "I am not going to be around very long, so it's not bad to have fun." I rolled over on my back and was staring up at him. His eyes scanned my bare body and he had that look like he was about to just strip again. "You know, I really didn't recognize you. You basically disappeared so young. Where did you go? And why do they call you Sugar?" I looked at him and that was the darndest thing. As a person who deceives and gets deceived, I learned that sometimes your secret isn't even safe with you. But I di

She felt like she was a kept woman! While being lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice that Lisa pushed the book that was placed in the table towards her. "Speaking about this book, I've got this for you since you don't have anything to do anyways. It's a book about making pills. You should give it a try." Lisa said. Naomi looked at the book that was pushed towards her. The cover wasn't that ugly nor fancy as it looked quite ordinary. The cover had some words written on it which were "The First Steps of Becoming a Mage" which should be the book's title. The book was somehow thick.