Define Quick-witted

“Shit, she is escaping," said the one with the blue eyes, who cursed out, and grabbed the rope. Taking the vase from the table beside the window, I throw it over his head. “Get your fucking hands off,” I snapped, and I jumped out the window with the rope as my guide, and he followed. “Great, today is not just my day," I murmured as I landed on the- In a world of crimes, spies, a forbidden romance. I’m Sophie Rust, an 18 years old. College student. If I may brag a little, I would define myself as someone who is clever, stubborn, fun-loving, and adventurous. I’ve always known my parents were more than what they seemed, but never in my wildest dream did I imagine they were secret spy agents working for an underground Secret Service. Their secret world was full of danger and emotional roller coasters—a life I secretly craved. However, everything changed when I met Alexander Kova, a ruthless Russian gangster leader with a vendetta against my family. And love took an unexpected turn. Tragedy struck, at the High-Ranking official estate, leaving me as the sole survivor among the children of other spies Terrified and homeless, the Kovas, our enemies, turned into our protectors, offering me a blanket of safety. But that safety turned to nothing when a clash between the Kovas and a New York gangster family erupted, turning me into something formidable, a being with powers unimaginable. I never knew I could be the person that I have become. In this realm of power, secrets, and vengeance, our unlikely romance faces its ultimate test. As Alexander unleashes mayhem to claim what he believes is rightfully his, will their love survive the relentless storm, or will it crumble in the battle for power?

I have been a keeper of many secrets since I was old enough to know what secrets were. No one knows the truth or the real me. No one knows about the abuse I suffer from my father behind closed doors. No one knows about the cuts and scars I hide from the world. To the outside world, I am your average teenager, but the truth is, I am a broken girl with no one to love her, to see the real sadness in my eyes. I keep it to myself because I want to. It is things I have hidden for years, and no one seems to notice. Until him, Ryland. The new boy in the town. The stranger who sees right through me from the second we meet. We are drawn to one another like a moth to the flame. The more I get to know him, the more I see I am not the only one fighting demons. To start with, he is a pain in my ass, but every day we grow closer, and we become what the other needs. A bond develops between us, one that becomes unbreakable. Neither of us realised that when two broken souls come together, it would be exactly what we needed to help one another heal. He shows me love, something I haven’t had since I lost my mother. I soon learn that just because you are broken doesn’t mean it needs to stay that way. Your past doesn’t need to define you. Possible Trigger Warnings: Physical abuse (It does happen, not often and not in too much detail). Rape, suicide, and self-harm are also mentioned. It doesn’t happen in the book, but it's discussed.

Fresh out of a shattering divorce, Sarah Nakitende has put her life together on her own terms and on her own conditions. However, her life takes a dramatic turn when a stranger literally runs into her and spills a cup of coffee all over her. The stranger, an artist named Amon Kato, sees beauty in the world that Sarah has learned to see only in terms of danger and risk. Theirs is an immediate, unsettling, and dangerous connection. As Sarah starts to think of a future that does not define her in terms of survival, her past starts to catch up with her. Her ex-husband returns, seeking to reclaim the power that she has managed to take away from him. He wants to take back the power that she has managed to claim for herself. Sarah is forced to choose between healing and being on her own. Some loves to ask you to feel. This one demands you fight. And not everyone walks away unscathed. Eight months have passed since Sarah Kato’s nine-year-old daughter died from cancer, and she’s barely making it through each day. Her grief has destroyed her marriage, torn her son apart, and changed her once-warm family into a cold and empty space. Each day is a battle to survive, and each breathes makes a conscious decision to keep going. When Sarah finds a way to channel her grief into a memorial fundraiser to celebrate her daughter’s life, hope begins to return for the first time since her death. However, this hope comes at a price: her teenage son’s grief turns violent, her marriage teeters on the brink of collapse, and just when her family seems to be coming together again, Sarah finds out she’s pregnant again.

To prevent the merfolk from being slaughtered, I decided to go ashore and seduce my childhood friend Cyrus, who had become the Alpha King. He still loved me deeply, and we spent three passionate days and nights together in bed. Waking up from a haze of pleasure, I hadn't even had the chance to rejoice before a corrosive elixir was dunked over my head. Listening to my pained wails, Cyrus smirked. "So even an immortal mermaid can feel pain, too? "Well, this is just a taste of what's to come if you don't tell me where my parents are!" Yes, he was convinced that the merfolk were behind his parents' disappearance. From then on, I was forced to watch him flirt with his mistress, Emily; had to extract my mermaid pearl to help heal her body; was forced to dance barefoot to entertain Emily so that she could sleep… Cyrus hated every fiber of my being, yet always held me tenderly in his arms whenever I was on the brink of death, carefully feeding me medicine. Sometimes, he was cruel. "Do you think I'll go easy on you just because I love you? Quick, continue torturing her!" Sometimes, he was gentle. "Can't you be good and tell me where my parents are?" Silently, I endured his twisted love without a word. Soon, however, these days would come to an end, and I wouldn't have to keep that secret any longer. After all, a mermaid who did not return to the sea after three years on land… Would turn into seafoam. And now, there were only three days until my time was up.

Forget everything paranormal romance taught you about playing it safe. The vampires here don't sparkle and the werewolves don't apologize for their nature, here the demons are surprisingly good at negotiation. Freaky After Dark is a collection of steamy paranormal stories where supernatural creatures get to be exactly what they are; powerful, possessive, and irresistibly magnetic. These aren't just about pretty faces with fangs. Every creature has their own nature, their own needs, their own way of loving that's deliciously different from anything human. From vampires whose bites promise pleasure to werewolves who claim their mates under the full moon and demons who seduce with words as much as touch, Nagas who wrap around you, Dragons whose warmth becomes addictive. And yes, a few beings with creative anatomy. There's an actual story here with conflict, emotion and characters who probably want more than just a quick hook-up. But when desire takes over, these creatures don't hold back, they are intense, devoted, and they know exactly how to make you forget your own name. Expect claiming marks, protective possession, fated mates, size differences, primal need, reverse harem and pleasures that borders on overwhelming, and supernatural stamina that doesn't quit. ️Not for you if: you prefer things slow and gentle, or if the idea of non-human lovers doesn't appeal. Perfect for you if: you've always wondered what it would be like to be wanted by something powerful, to be claimed by someone who'll never let go, to find out if monsters really are better in bed. Are you ready to find out what you've been missing?

Hannah is a nomadic rogue who has spent her whole life learning how to be a thief by her father as a means of survival. When her father demands she take a mate for his financial gain, she feels hopeless and stuck since it'll mean leaving her twin ten year old brothers behind. A quick twist of fate lands her at the Nightwind pack where the Alpha's twin sons Rafe and Parker quickly realize Hannah is no ordinary female: she is in fact their fated mate. Though Hannah is still without her wolf, she too can’t deny the attraction. However, all three weave a thick web of lies in their attempts to get ahead. To one up the other and prove themselves despite numerous things working to keep them away from one another. To get on Hannah's good graces, the twins put all their efforts into finding her lost brothers. It’s all they can do to keep her at their pack and safe, when all she wants to do is leave. They quickly realize though she's uneducated, she's far from a stupid girl. When it seems all hope is lost, she's forced to deal with her lying father to finally get the truth. A rogue with nothing to lose is the worst kind of danger. What will Hannah do when she finds out her entire life has been a lie? That she's just been used as a pawn by the very man who was supposed to be her biggest protector? Find out in: The Alpha Twins Steal A Thief! Hannah: My father's voice and advice is forever in my thoughts. I'm loyal to you, no one else is.

Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it became an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. **** Her husband was a monster, but he'd saved her from her past and a life of torture. She loved him like every captive grew to love their captor. Everything went to hell, however, when she fought back and ran from home, stumbling into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now hellbent on killing her. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She really should have remembered that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her all the way to Italy. If she had, maybe she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.

When I opened my eyes again, I was pinned against the floor-to-ceiling window of the skyscraper by my stepbrother, Rocco. The man I had been infatuated with for a decade. He panted, his hot lips and tongue trailing along my collarbone as he murmured, "Don't go." In my past life, on the night I received my acceptance letter from London Business School, Rocco got blind drunk. Late that night, I gave in to his pleas for me to stay. I willingly gave myself to him. After a debauched night, his cherished fiancée, Clara, caught me walking out of his room the next morning, my clothes in disarray. She ran out in tears, her parting words ringing in the air, "I'll let you have each other." A month after she disappeared, the family search party found her engagement ring at the edge of a cliff. At the bottom of the cliff lay mangled remains, battered by the waves until they were unrecognizable. Rocco clutched that ring and didn't sleep all night. On the surface, he acted as if nothing had happened, even arranging a trip for me to Sicily, telling me to go and relax. The night I landed, I was kidnapped by assassins from a rival family. I screamed for him to pay the ransom, only to hear him give the order himself over the phone: "Don't make her death a quick one. The Costello princess? She's nothing but a damn liability. Torture her. Break every bone in her body. " "This is what she owes Clara." You like playing games, Rocco. But in this life, I refuse to play along.

"You're in heat." His words were breathy as his hand moved down her face to caress her cheek. "Your body will writhe with pain, and it will only get more intense as the moon rises." "How do I stop it?" She asked, leaning against his touch. "If you allow me, I can ease your pain, Xenia." Mason's gaze traveled the length of her body as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "All you have to do is say yes." The sight of him created a desire that made her wet all over until only one thing echoed in her mind… Let him take us. *************** Many years have passed since the Century War between humans and other species, but times seem to improve. Since then, more have come to terms with living peacefully side by side, while others believe things should go back to where the species were segregated. Xenia Bakken is just a baker who wants to run her own business one day and work with her best friend, Lottie. Everything changes when a chance encounter turns into a kidnapping. Now, she is thrown into a world she doesn't want to be in and has to adapt to survive. Mason Dalton only has one goal: to bring back his first mate, Melania. So when he meets the perfect person to help, he acts without hesitation. However, he discovers his perfect vessel is unwilling to give up without a fight. The attraction between the two is stronger than they both realize and will test them to their limits. With a quick deadline and people searching for them all over, will Mason be able to reunite with his love, or will Xenia gather the strength needed to get away?

“Are you sure you weren’t hurt?” Klara giggled as his breath tickled her neck. She wants to eat first, she’s starving. “You didn’t rape me this time moron” Ralph narrowed his eyes looking at the woman beneath him who is gloating over his misery. He knew he’s wrong to force her but….he could never erase this stain from his life ever. “So you are alright” “Perfectly” “Good” Ralph dipped his head down capturing her lips and spread her legs wide settling between them. “Let’s go for round two” “But I am hungry” “You starved me for so long little wolf” He sucked her nipple hard making her groan in pleasure. “Make it quick” She whispered hurriedly crashing her lips on him... A tragedy that drifted two souls apart and years of waiting to meet the destined half. But there came more obstacles that pushed them further away. One is waiting and wanting to avenge his parents, to wreak vengeance on once his family while the other is determined to reunite her loved ones by hook or by crook. .............. The leader of BlackWolf - A powerful and dangerous mafia clan in Cylantra, The Backbone city of the dark world- Ralph Erikson, is a ruthless and a merciless soul, full of vengeance. But he will never touch or harm an innocent being as those are the rules set by him and must be followed by his clan men. Though he made an exception for a girl. Fiona Wilson is too violent for her own age and of course that landed her in the hands of the devil of Cylantra. With a secret desperate to hide and a motive without any plan, she faced her once (or still!?) fiancée.