Dried Blood Under Skin

“I'm so sorry, Leo,” I rasped, my voice barely a whisper. Tears of guilt and self-blame streamed down my cheeks as I stood before him, eyes cast downward. Despite the fact that I was his prisoner and he was my warden, I couldn't bear the thought of anything bad happening to him. I told him, “It's my fault. I shouldn't have let you go-” “Damn it, Alessandra. I don't want your apology,” Leonardo snapped, lifting my chin with a firm finger, forcing me to meet his gaze. His voice was hard as steel as he continued, “I want you to write a fucking essay about how much you think about me. How you crave my touch. I want to hear you say you love me, because I swear it in this life, mia principessa, there won't be anyone else but me.” ----------------------------------------------------- When Alessandra Scavelli is forced into marrying Leonardo De Castello, her childhood sweetheart turned feared mafia kingpin, her world is thrown into chaos. Leonardo, still madly in love with her, sees this as a chance to reclaim their lost romance. Alessandra, however, is torn by a secret mission handed to her by her family: infiltrate Leonardo's syndicate and bring it down from within. As she delves into Leonardo's dangerous world, Alessandra finds herself conflicted between her family’s demands and the undeniable pull of her own heart. The once clear lines between loyalty and love blur, and she must navigate a treacherous path where betrayal lurks at every corner. Will Alessandra follow through with her family's plan, or will she surrender to the passion that threatens to consume her?

My husband, Steven Garrett, was always "busy" overseas. So I thought I'd surprise him with a visit. Instead, I found him shacked up with my best friend, Peggy Shane. That day, my heart snapped—I filed for divorce and let my family set me up with someone new. Two years later, I bumped into Steven outside the hospital. He ripped the prenatal report from my hands. "How dare you cheat on me! You think you can play me?"

How would you feel if your life is haunted by a dark past and nightmares? John Crowe can't keep to a place as he wanders around hoping to find something that would explain the dreams he has been having. The dreams that never seem to make any sense. Soon, he finds a cryptic letter that steers him to Black Hollow. John discovers that the town is ravaged by monsters, and that the leaders are keeping it secret from the inhabitants. When he meets Sarah, she finds out the truth about him. That he is one of the monsters. But not before John is marked as the next sacrifice for the blood moon. John, finally discovering what he must do, has to fight to stay alive and rid the town of those monsters, putting his love interest, Sarah in danger. Will John be able to save himself, Sarah and the town, or will he be sacrificed just like his father and be forgotten?

In the dark world of the mafia, Donatello thrust his daughters, Summer and Winter into arranged marriages to protect them from their ruthless biological father, a Japanese mafia lord. Summer, with her medical expertise, finds herself bound to Marcelo, a loyal and calculating consigliere. As they navigate the treacherous landscape of their new lives, secrets and misunderstandings threaten to tear them apart. Summer's past, including her lingering feelings for her ex, Emilio, and her complicated relationship with her father, Donatello, further complicates her situation. Will she find love and protection with Marcelo, or will the shadows of her past and the danger that follows her destroy everything she's come to know?

What happens when a half demon girl afflicted with nightmares, heir to the throne of the third realm of Hell, catches feelings for a fallen angel soldier, whose sole purpose is to hunt down and kill monsters such as herself? *** Ashton is plagued by nightmares. She’s cursed. With a simple touch she can see your fears. It proved to be quite lucrative under her mother’s manipulated hands until the bodies started piling up and whispers of her name traveled through the streets. Those whispers reached far and wide, catching unwanted attention. Seeking asylum at Mysteria Manor, a home for cursed girls, Ashton is kept hidden away hoping that those looking for her will lose interest. Little does she know is that there's a race to find her first. Being discovered by The Order's demon hunting soldiers, should mean death for Ashton. But they don't want to kill her. They want to use her. And by any means necessary, she will lead them to the demon they seek out. Her father. Working for the people that want nothing more than her kind dead is one this, but falling for the soldier that is assigned to keep her in line, is something else entirely. Carden is rude and cold, blames her for everything that goes wrong, but continues to save her on multiple occasions. Secret motives are revealed, unknown truths are heard and a choice is put upon Ashton. Continue trusting a fallen angel soldier that was assigned to collect her by any means, including making her fall in love with him, or to rule Hell with her family. Who will the daughter of blood and nightmares choose? Family or love? Heaven or Hell?

With the Dark Prince dead, things have been peaceful between the vampires and werewolves for years, but things are about to change, as Angelica becomes of age. On the night of her introduction ball, things are about to take a big turn, as she finds out the fortress her parents built around her cannot protect her from what is coming for her. With her powers far greater than her mother’s powers ever were, she decides to take it upon herself to be the one to keep the family safe, as she journeys out into the world to find the one thing that can stop the darkness that threatens her existence. But on her journey, she discovers more than she bargained for.

For ten years, Rose has lived in the shadow of her own nightmare. She was only six when Alderon Kane, the ruthless Alpha of Mooncrest Pack, ripped her life apart. Her father—slaughtered at his feet. Her sister—defiled by his men. And Rose? Claimed. "That one is mine," he had said before shoving her into his car like a possession, branding her with his cruelty. Now, she is no longer the helpless girl he stole. She has spent a decade sharpening her hatred, becoming a phantom in his own pack, waiting for the perfect moment to slit his throat. Mooncrest will burn. Alderon Kane will die by her hands. But fate is a cruel mistress. The night she prepares to run, the moon whispers a horrifying truth—Alderon Kane is her mate. Bound by an unbreakable bond to the very monster she has sworn to destroy, Rose faces an impossible choice: surrender to the mate bond and become his, or defy the gods and carve out her revenge, even if it means tearing herself apart in the process. Because love was never an option. And mercy died the night Alderon Kane claimed her.

Alexis feels her life is full of danger. Ever since she saw the vampire killing someone in the hallway, she felt watched. Remembering the silver colored eyes that the vampire had, made Alexis start to lose her mind. But when Alexis meet him, the vampire did not hesitate to claim her as his fate.

Grace Turner was the picture of suburban perfection—devoted wife, PTA president, and quiet survivor of a loveless marriage. But when her husband’s financial collapse drags her family into ruin, she teams up with her two closest friends for one desperate, reckless act: robbing a neighborhood grocery store. What they didn’t know? The store is a front for a brutal crime syndicate. Now, with the gang’s blood money in their hands, the women are given two choices—work off the debt, or disappear. For Grace, survival means submission to their mysterious leader, Cain Russo—a man as dangerous as he is magnetic. Cold-blooded and commanding, Cain makes it clear: she belongs to him until the debt is paid. But lines blur when power games turn into obsession, and desire burns hotter than fear. As Grace is pulled deeper into Cain’s violent world—and his bed—she’ll have to decide what’s more dangerous: the gang that owns her… or the man who’s claimed her.

Kingdom of Ash and Blood Book one of the Sicilian Ruin Series She was the fire he thought he had extinguished. He was the ruin she barely escaped. Three years ago Amara Varela vanished without a trace --- betrayed, broken, and hunted by the man who once owned her heart. Now she's back in Sicily, not as the naive girl he left behind, but as a woman forged by survival and secrets. She has a score to settle and Luca Moretti is at the top of her list Luca, the heir to the brutal Moretti empire, never forgives himself for losing her. When he finally finds her alive, everything he buried erupts --- lust, rage, obsession. But the Kingdom he now rules is built on blood, and his bride-to-be is not the one who haunts his dreams. Torn between a crown he never wanted and a woman who could destroy it all, Luca must choose loyalty or desire, power or love. In a world of violent cartels, arranged alliances, and ruthless vendettas, Amara and Luca's reunion is anything but tender. It's a war. And their passion? It could burn Sicily to the ground. Dark. Obsessive. Addictive. This is not a love story. This is a Sicilian ruin.