Doyle Baki

Fresh from a business trip, my husband swept me into his arms and pulled me toward the bathroom for a passionate shared bath. As our lips met in a dizzying kiss, I noticed something odd out of the corner of my eye: the toilet lid was down. Seven years ago, after reading an online article claiming that men urinating while standing could splash bacteria onto the seat, he insisted we always keep the lid up for hygiene's sake. In all our years of marriage, it had never been lowered until now. A chill ran through me. The bathroom was pristine, not a stray hair in sight. But then I noticed the shower's water temperature was set five degrees higher than the 98.6°F he always preferred. Men preferred cooler water, and women warmer. In an instant, I realized that Nick Doyle had betrayed me.

As we make our way to the city hall, Paisley Doyle is struck by regret once again. After seven years together, this is the 11th time we've found ourselves at this crossroads. Every time we reach the city hall, she claims she needs more time to care for her sick first love and can't bring herself to marry me. Unable to hold back any longer, I finally decide to confront her. "If his condition never improves, does that mean you'll never marry me? Tell me, what do I even mean to you?" Paisley's temper ignites, and she snaps back at me without a second thought. "I promised to take care of him for the rest of my life! Can't you stop being so selfish? "Besides, we've been together for seven years. What does it matter if we're not legally married?"

Nocturne Ville, as beautiful as the mystery city might be, has always been a magnet for supernaturals in an alternate America. Although neighbouring cities dismissed the bizarre happenings as fables, its citizens knew that there was more to the lovely metropolis than meets the eye, but they preferred to be oblivious to the reality. It was much simpler. There she was in the centre of it all. Desirée Doyle, who had the gentle and luminous aura of an empyrean creature, was divided between accepting the obvious reality and remaining convinced that everything was a myth. All she cared about was finishing college and escaping Nocturne Ville, which was the source of all her problems. Desirée was just interested in keeping her head down as usual, but the appearance of the intriguing André Baudelaire, a Vampire, appeared to be the solution to the hole she had always felt. Their encounter made Desirée rethink everything she had always believed, entangling them in a web of hot passion that André was determined to deny to the ends of the world, given his hatred for commitment as a result of his instability over decades. How can a quiet girl who has always felt incomplete manage the supernatural world? Will she accept the heat and commotion that comes with it, or will she flee to the hills?