Brass Animal Heads

` It was a cool, breezy and stormy night. Rain came down in sheets, as a dark figure stood before a house. The house was pretty ordinary, white with blue shutters; it didn't have more than two bedrooms. It looked like a cozy little family home with flowers and shrubs lining the front lawn, and then the smell from the pellet stove smoke invaded his nostrils. He took a deep breath and pulled out an old, rusted compass from his black trench coat. It looked like it could have been from the 14th century, the small, brass disc was dented and the Victorian designs were faded. He studied it as it pointed east, towards the small house. He looked the house over carefully, looking for the best entrance, before proceeding towards the side to gaze into the window. Inside you can see the small kitchen; the brand new, all black appliances off set the linoleum floor. Cabinets filled almost every wall of the small space that made it look more crowded than it should have been. The kitchen opened to a larger room which seemed to be used as a living room and a dining room all at once. The whole house looked crowded, with the furniture in the living room all touching except for a small gap to walk through and the dining room was so close to the sofa, it could have been sitting on it. He stepped back into the shadows as he watched a young couple enter the kitchen. The wife was tall and slender, had strawberry blond hair formed around her face accenting her jaw-line and her deep blue eyes stopped your heart as you got lost in them. Her fair complexion was silky and complimented her soft face.

All her life, Hope has been different. Her mother was captured by hunters who impregnated her then experimented on her while she was pregnant. It wasn’t until Hope shifted for the first time that she and others truly understood what the hunters had done. Hope is a true hybrid, embodying traits of both animals. Rather than having one dominant gene and one animal to shift into, Hope shifts into an animal that is part wolf and part bear. Because she’s different, Hope has always been bullied by other wolves. Levi is the half-brother of Guardian Grace. He was a toddler when Grace confronted and killed their father in a battle of dominance. Thankfully, Grace and her mate, Eli, took Levi and his mother into their pack, where Levi has grown up. Hope and Levi have naturally been drawn to each other as misfits within their pack. They’ve grown up as friends, but as they’ve gotten older, they’ve felt a different sort of relationship blossoming between them. When Hope turns eighteen, she recognizes Levi as her mate. Levi is thrilled, having loved Hope for years. But Hope doesn’t feel worthy of Levi and refuses to accept him as her mate. He convinces her not to reject him, but when he pushes her too hard, Hope flees, leaving Levi destitute and desperate to find her. Levi searches everywhere for Hope unable find her until help comes from an unexpected place. When he finally finds Hope again, can Levi convince her that she was meant for him? Will Hope be able to trust Levi with the secret that caused her to run in the first place? Can the two of them come together, two misfits, fitting together to make something perfect? Find out in this Guardians Spin-off.

Twenty-four hours. Half a million dollars. Or his mother dies. Omega Caelen Ryn is out of options: his mother is dying, treatment costs half a million dollars, and loan sharks are closing in with brass knuckles and threats. Then a lawyer appears with an offer from Alpha billionaire CEO Aldric Fenmore: marry him for two years, every debt disappears, and his mother will be saved. The rules are brutal: separate bedrooms, zero feelings, don't fall in love. Their marriage is a transaction. Nothing more. Their first kiss is for the cameras. In public, they play devoted spouses. Behind closed doors, they're strangers. Until Monaco. When Aldric's race car spins out at 200 mph, Caelen realizes the truth-he's fallen in love with his husband. And when Aldric kisses him after his victory, raw and desperate and real, the contract between them shatters completely. They broke every rule. They fell impossibly in love. Aldric's ex returns, the man who destroyed his ability to trust, bringing a ruthless business rival and a plan for revenge. What starts as sabotage escalates into kidnapping, violence, and a premature labor that leaves both their lives hanging by a thread. In the trauma room, as Caelen bleeds out, the doctor delivers words that break Aldric completely: "You have to choose. We can only save one." The husband he loves. Or the child they never planned for. In that impossible moment, every vow they made, every sacrifice they offered, and every fragile dream they built together came down to a single, devastating choice. A contract that was supposed to end. A love that refused to.

When D.C. lawyer Hannah McCrae heads home for her brother’s wedding, she’s dragging a lot of baggage along with her—and she doesn’t mean suitcases. Betrayed personally, and humiliated professionally, the last thing she wants is a new man. That’s fine with square-jawed, rugged contractor Calder Blue. He and Hannah may be wildly attracted to one another, but all he wants is to build the town’s hotly contested new yacht club and mend a centuries-old family feud. Yet thanks to resentments old and new, day after day the pair wind up tangled in each other’s business—and maybe soon in each other’s arms. Every bride needs something “blue”… Includes a delicious wedding cake recipe!

Three years ago, to save his lover Vivian’s son, Alpha Alexander personally drained the life essence from our five-year-old daughter. I fought like a cornered animal to stop him, but Vivian’s rogue wolves broke my legs, carved away my Luna tattoo, and left me for dead in the pack’s Forbidden Zone. Three years later, the boy, Oliver, suffered a relapse of his Bloodline Decay. Only then did Alexander remember we ever existed. He cast a net far and wide, determined to drag my daughter and me back to serve as a living battery for Oliver. But this time, he was in for a bitter disappointment. Because my daughter, Mia, and I were already dead.

Once upon a time, she had a happy family and lived a comfortable life. But because she fell for the wrong guy, everything was ruined.The man she'd fallen for gets together with her best friend.She shows up for their wedding, looking awkward. All she wants is an explanation and some closure, but she's subjected to humiliation. Then, everything changes when another man appears and saves her from that hellhole.How will a marriage that's related to a family's survival turn out?In this marriage, they clash and butt heads while getting to know each other. Will the hint of love that sprouts over time wilt and die after all the hardships they go through, or will it grow into a proper plant? And where will she go from here?

Deloise Tanner has only ever wanted one thing - to pursue her dreams as a professional actress. When her single mother, who believes entertainment to be a waste of time refuses to let her go through that path, she is torn between forfeiting her dreams or losing her only living family. Accepting her fate, Deloise heads on to the law school only after secretly taking a scholarship shot for one of the top film schools in the world. The dynamics changes when she gets an opportunity to achieve her dreams but does so without the knowledge of her mother. As she juggles the double life of an actress and supposed law school student, she is overtaken by a web of love, lies, deceit and blasts from the past.

Rainora's whole world changes when she heads to New York to make a living to help save her brother who faces a terminal illness. In a mysterious change of events, she mistakenly tramples upon a terrifying murder scene, making her an unwilling eye-witness. Nikolas, a powerful and charismatic figure, offers her a dark twisted choice: become his secretary or face a dangerous end. Left with no choice and bound by a contract she can't refuse, Rainora is thrust into a world of secrets, danger, and forbidden desires. As she navigates this deadly world, she falls for Nikolas, blurring the lines between captor and protector, and igniting a powerful passion to make or break. Would their love survive it? Or would the sacrifices be too much for them to bear?

When Isobel, Brielle’s sister who is set to marry the powerful and influential Ace Reynolds, suddenly goes missing, Brielle must fill in for her sister and marry him in her place until she is found. Ace Reynolds is popularly known as Ruler Of Five Kingdoms, that is, he heads five biggest mafia families across the globe. Hence, his position is the most sought after along with his life. However, the only thing Brielle had frequently heard about him was that; he wasn't just ruthless, he was deadly. Deadly like the rush of a wave. How was eighteen years old Brielle, who was just starting her life, going to marry such a man and most importantly, live with as his wife?

Kei and Shima who were again hiding behind the bushes in the backyard in a state of fear. "Kei .. I want to go home. " - Shima "Shut up stupid. Later they will hear. " - Kei "I -I'm scared. " - Shima "Shh .. I said shut up! " - Kei The sound of breathing was too loud behind Kei and Shima. They both turned their heads slowly with fear. A large black shadow with its sharp teeth stared at them both sharply. "Shimaa! Run!! " - Kei "I want to go homeee !!! " - Shima They both ran as hard as they could without looking back. The big monster had chased Shima and Kei until the sirens sounded from afar. The giant stopped chasing Kei and Shima and went straight back to their house.