Crossed Swords Crossword Clue Novels & Stories

I was the top bounty thief in the organization. The best they had. After turning in my final score, I announced on the spot that I was done for good. Then, I stood in my studio, blending paint. A single photograph was pinned to the wall before me. Black Viper filled the doorway, the light behind him casting his face in shadow. "What's it like," he asked quietly, "pretending to be an artist?" He stepped further inside. "Does paint smell better than blood?" I placed the palette knife down and wiped my hands slowly. "I'm done. I walked away." "Old Fox didn't approve of it." "That's not my concern." Black Viper crossed the room and tapped the old photograph on the wall. "Are you certain?" I did not want to look. I told myself not to. However, my gaze shifted anyway. A young boy stared back from the photo. "The blind kid?" I had spent ten years searching for him. "Where is he?" I moved toward the wall, reaching to rip the picture down. "One last job," Black Viper said, pressing his palm against the photo. My hand stopped in midair. "What's the target?" "The final lot at next month's auction that the Gilbert Group will be holding. "It's called Mermaid's Tear."

At the company holiday party raffle, I'd barely stepped on stage when my superior, Victor Grant, shoved a crumpled slip into my hand. "Special prize for our top sales guy. Go on, open it. Let's show everyone." All eyes were on me as I unfolded it. Scrawled across the paper: [VIP janitor status unlocked—every toilet in the company, three days.] The room lost it—laughter everywhere. Victor crossed his arms, grinning. "Fair, right? Everyone knows you climbed the ranks hooking up with rich cougars. Gotta avoid hard feelings for the others, yeah? While the rest of us take a break, you can get busy. You're not gonna back out, are you?" The crowd cracked up. My girlfriend—and CEO—Rachel Sullivan stood off to the side, watching. Didn't say a word. Everyone waited for me to explode. Instead, I just nodded. Next day, over 300 refund requests hit. Cash flow flatlined. Victor and Rachel begged me to talk the buyers down. I shrugged. "Nah. Don't wanna save the company and make my performance too good. That'd just cause more ' hard feelings,' right?"

Book two of Golden Lycan Series. *BETA’S DESTINED MATE* { Zander & Raven’s story} Blurb; Raven McQueen was alone, abused, and neglected. After going through years of abuse in the hands of her father, stepmother, and stepsiblings, she lost her ability to speak. She went silent and when she couldn’t withstand their abuse anymore, she slipped away from the pack . After being rejected by his fated mate, Zander Sloan watched his second chance mate die the same day they met. Her death broke something in him and his wolf, Axel. He lost his willpower. He lost his trust in the mating bond and the moon goddess. He was emotionally dead. However, he kept on living because of the promise he made to his mate Rose at the time of her death. That was to take care of Daisy, Rose’s little girl. Two broken souls, the abused alpha’s daughter, and the broken-hearted beta unexpectedly crossed paths. Will they be able to heal each other? Will their newfound love survive? Or will their past come back to haunt them? *Can be read as a stand-alone novel but I would advise you to read the first book for a better understanding *. Book 1: The lycan Alpha’s Mate (Second Chance)

Iris Glover and Stanley Stein shared seven years together—three of dating and four of marriage. Their relationship unraveled when Stanley chose to believe the homewrecker and prosecuted Iris in court himself. The question, "Do you plead guilty?" shattered Iris' heart. She fought fiercely in court, proved her innocence, and exposed the homewrecker's true nature. Upon her acquittal, she told Stanley, "Let's get a divorce." He replied, "Don't you regret it, Iris," believing she was merely throwing a tantrum. When they crossed paths again, Stanley asked, "Have you come to reconcile?" Iris retorted, "Being so delusional is an illness; seek help." Every time she got mad, she always went back to him once she calmed down, but not this time. It wasn't until Iris emerged as a successful lawyer standing opposite him in court that Stanley realized she had changed; she no longer belonged to him. In a moment of desperation, he pleaded, "Iris, I still love you. Please come back to me." Iris, now strong and resolute, replied, "The reason I improved myself is thanks to you, not for you. Mr. Stein, please step aside; don't stand in my way."

After being betrayed and left behind by her ex-lover, Zara told herself that she won’t fall in love again. But when she crossed path with Kestrel, the wall that she was trying to build slowly crumbled. But would it be right for her to love him when she took something precious from him and caused his misery? *** Zara Ruiz was the type of person who’s willing to do everything for the person she loved. So when her boyfriend, Matt accidentally killed a woman in a hit-and-run, she took the blame for it and was imprisoned. Four years after, Zara was determined to find her Matt who left her and vanished while also trying to start a new life. Unable to find a job, she decided to work as a maid for Kestrel de Silva—President of JP Investment Corp., one of the largest conglomerate in the Philippines. Kestrel, who hadn’t opened his heart to anyone after the death of his lover soon found himself slowly falling in love with Zara. But love wasn’t that easy and Zara soon found out Kestrel’s connection to her dark past. Does she still have the right to love him after the pain she had caused him? And with the sudden appearance of Matt, Zara is determined to take off his facade and drag him down.

A forbidden obsession burned between two men from different worlds. Salvatore Esposito, the notorious Mafia boss known as Diablo, was consumed by his desire for Ethan, a devout pastor. Their paths crossed at Diablo's bar and nightclub, where Ethan's innocence and purity immediately captivated the ruthless devil blackened heart. Diablo's fascination with Ethan grew as he secretly observed the pastor's every move, learning his likes and dislikes but when Ethan's wedding day arrived, Diablo's possessiveness boiled over. He stormed the church in a shocking display of power and Diablo kidnapped Ethan, vowing to make the straight pastor fall in love with him. Ethan, determined to resist Diablo's advances, accepted the challenge but as they navigated their twisted game, a hidden enemy emerged, threatening to destroy both men. However, with each attack that came their way, Ethan began to see Diablo in a different light, glimpsing the complexities beneath the Diablo's facade, he realized that there is more to Diablo than he shows. As the pastor and the devil forged an unlikely understanding, the question remained: could Ethan truly fall in love with Diablo, or was the Mafia boss doomed to suffer for a love that could never be his? Would their differences tear them apart, or could they find a way to bridge the gap between their worlds?

“I’m fine. You can put me down now.” Fortunately, he set her on the ground and reached for the towel. "This is the last time I'm rescuing you," he said, there was threat lacing in his voice. "Let's not make it a habit." Aerys tightened the towel around herself, wincing from the motion. "I slipped. Hardly a rescue." A dirty look crossed his face. "I haven't had sex in two years, Aerys. Consider yourself rescued..." He turned to leave "...from me." She was speechless. For starters, this had been the longest conversation she'd ever had with the infamous Alpha Thorran, and, secondly, she was positive that he was every bit as hot and dangerous in person as he was between the sheets. * * * * * Discipline and order are not Aerys' choice. After graduation, she expects to become a slave to a prison warden for the rest of her life, just like the rest of the delinquents. However, her fate takes a sudden turn when an offer is put on the table. Enter a competition. One to become a Phonoi (Ancient Greek: Φόνοι; singular: Phonos Φόνος) - a deadly assassin who works for Alpha Thorran, giving their entire life to defend him. To succeed, her stubbornness will be put to the test. And a relationship with the Alpha himself, although forbidden, might be the ticket to the top.

Married off by her father to Dylan Lindsey, Stella Scott thought she could learn to love him until their wedding night. She becomes pregnant and then she thought he'd finally loved her… until the night she walks in on Dylan and his best friend in bed together. He never loved her. He never even loved women. The betrayal shatters her. She loses her child, her endurance, and everything she'd once forced herself to believe in. Leaving the wreckage of her marriage behind, Stella rises from the ashes—becoming a powerful businesswoman and a global fashion icon. But when success brings her face-to-face with Dylan again, it’s not him she wants. It’s his brother—Rhys Adrian, the man she desired long before she ever knew his name. He’s everything she shouldn’t want. She’s everything he shouldn’t have. Now Dylan wants her back, realizing too late the gem he destroyed. And Rhys… he would rather burn than let her go. She becomes the biggest ruin to both brothers. But what happens when she cannot stop wanting what is forbidden? What happens when the line that has been crossed cannot be redrawn again?

BLURB He scarred me. Betrayed me. Took everything I had, the only thing I lived for. MY SON. I was his Luna, his mate, his wife and all for what? Because of an unplanned one night stand? Holding onto that, he tore my world apart. Divorcing me when his childhood sweetheart returned was something I could bear, but he crossed the line when he retracted the funds for our son’s treatment. Gave it to his mistress instead. My baby died because of him and he didn’t even care. They thought I’d break. They thought I’d disappear quietly. But I survived. Now, I’m back. Not as the fragile Luna he discarded, but as something far more dangerous. I’ve rebuilt myself, scar by scar. And I’ve come to collect every debt, starting with the blood of the man who destroyed me. He thinks I’m still the woman who wanted him to be there for our son. He’s about to meet the woman who’s here to end him and even worse, I'm now with a man. One willing to burn the world down for my sake. I was his Luna. Now, I’m his reckoning.

“We’ll meet again soon, Isabella,” he said softly. “I hope you’ll be well prepared for your new reality, but even still, no amount of preparation will get you ready for what’s coming.” *** After my husband cheated on me with his first love, my father forced me into a new marriage. My new husband turned out to be the man I had a one-night stand with the night my world came crashing down. But Alexander was different from the man I met that night. He was grumpy, didn't smile, and I think he hates me. Then I met his father. Leonardo Hayes with soft eyes, a seductive smile, and he was far too interested in me. That night, everything changed. They said I belong to them. They say I was chosen for a reason. The fine line between right and wrong was crossed multiple times. It was overlooked at first, but then everything started going wrong. Tension starts to rise, and the truth begins to unfold. What do you think I should do when I found out that both men weren't humans? That they were something that should only exist in fairytales. And what do you think I should do when my ex-husband comes back on his knees, pleading that he wants me back?