Dried Blood Under Skin

In Valle Vitale, nothing stays buried. Not blood, not secrets, and certainly not the dead. Auryn was trained to be sharp, silent, and dangerous. Working as a risk analyst for Obsidian—a private security firm that caters to powerful clients with darker secrets than most—was supposed to be her quiet cover. But after a savage attack on her first night, she realizes nothing about Valle Vitale is safe. The creature that mauled her wore a familiar face. The man who saved her is her cold, beautiful billionaire boss—Killian DuskBane, an Halomir. And the people she had spent all her life loathing might be her only hope of surviving what comes next. Something ancient stirs in the dark, something that once shattered the world. And now, it’s calling to her. But she's just the spark. And every faction—Mystic, Halomir, Hollowed, and human, is about to burn.

I got pregnant at the same time as Sabine, my blood-mate Draven’s first love. But her child wasn't his. It was a werewolf mongrel—the spawn of our clan's sworn enemy. To protect her, Draven claimed the mongrel as his own. He named it the heir to our clan. And my child, a true pureblood, was branded a bastard. By his own father. "Isolde," he gripped my hand, his golden eyes pleading. "Sabine is alone. The Elders will execute her. This is temporary. Trust me!" I was a fool. I believed him. While he was gone, escorting her to safety, his parents dragged me to the ritual chamber. They forced the cruel "Blood Purification" on me. By the time he returned, I was gone. And our child was dead.

My foster sister, Gloria Binder, and I married a pair of werewolf brothers. I married the older brother, the steady one who ran the Dixon household. She married the man who held power over the entire pack. We got pregnant in the same year. In a couple of months, they would be able to take a sample of our babies' cardiogen and use it as medicine to treat their fathers' illness. Two months before my due date, the gates of the outer villa were kicked open. The intruders beat me, fists and boots coming down hard, then forced a bowl of labor-inducing medicine down my throat. I screamed at the maid beside me to run and get my mate. But all I got back was his message. He was furious. "You said you wanted peace and quiet and insisted on staying at the secluded villa to rest. Now you're pulling something this low just to drag me over there? I don't have time to waste on you. Judy needs a few plants moved into her yard. She's delicate and can't do heavy work. I'm helping her." The medicine had already taken effect. I could feel the baby thrashing, as if it were about to tear its way out of me. I would have died from the pain if Gloria hadn't come back from gathering herbs and saved my life. She sent people to find my mate and demand justice for me. Yet, all she got was another message. "You're living just fine in the villa. Who would dare hurt you? I need to help my brother plant a few more shrubs for Judy. I don't have time for your petty drama!" Gloria was pregnant, too. After being beaten and kicked, she lost her baby. We lay in a pool of blood, holding each other. "Gloria," I whispered through tears, "I don't want to repay any debts anymore. I want to sever my bond with Lesley."

Laura Legoza was born into an ancient noble family as the youngest daughter, doted on by everyone. But since her mother's departure, her most trusted fiancé, along with her sisters, had branded Laura as an illegitimate child and conspired against her in various ways. She was imprisoned in an iron cage with wild wolves, enduring mockery and humiliation. Those who were once closest to her had become the most terrible demons to torment her. She wanted revenge. Recalling an array, she had read about in an ancient book, she used her own blood to summon the demonic werewolf Ned in the dead of night. "For humans to make a deal with me, it comes at the cost of flesh and blood," he said. "What use is this flesh and blood to me if I cannot have my revenge?" she replied. Laura had nothing left to lose in her quest to drag her former enemies down into the abyss. She would sacrifice anything for retribution. But the handsome Alpha werewolf, Ned, didn't want her life or her soul. He leaned in close, looking down into her eyes. "Let me taste the pleasures of you, human, and I will grant you your wish." he whispered. Was it right or wrong to sign a blood contract with such a dangerous Alpha werewolf?

On the night she was sold for twenty billion, Eira chose death over bondage. A pureblood she-wolf—rare, cursed, and hunted—she had survived six years as a trafficked sex slave, believing her emotions long dead. But fate is cruel, and it has a twisted sense of humor. Because the Alphas who bought her are the same men who destroyed her life six years ago. Stormhowl Pack. Five sworn Alpha brothers. And one man who is her fated mate—the man she hates most. Bound by blood. Chained by hatred. Eira must survive the pack that wants to use her, break her, or kill her—while fighting the dangerous bond that ties her heart to her worst nightmare.

Iris never imagined that she could fall in love with an immortal creature who was known to be so cruel. Was it about her having a strange fetish with that creature, or because of her charm that couldn't make her eyes blink for a few tens of seconds. Jonathan Hickman, the demonic figure most feared by the demon hunter organization. His first encounter was like an ocean of magic. Bewitched by the figure of Iris who gave herself up to avenge the deaths of her adoptive parents. But unfortunately, Iris was chosen to be one of the members of the demon slayer where the main target of the organization was to hunt down Jonathan. The two intersecting roads miss each other. Need each other. How will the story continue? Will Iris betray her friend or will she have to let Jonathan die at her friend's hands? Read the full story in this novel.

“ Take off your robes,” Ava heard the command and the other slaves obeyed almost immediately. They took off their robes, and their almost naked body came into view except for the tiny little lace that covered nothing but their nipples and balls. The male slave's dick dangled and Ava looked away, still clutching her robe to herself. How could she undress in front of this multitude? What kind of humiliation was this? The audience erupted into murmurs, indecent comments flying from every corner. “ Steele, you slave seemed to be a disobedient one,” Ava heard the man's stern words and she turned to see Jacob’s stern gaze on her. She gulped and slowly let go of her robe. It fell to the ground and the audience gasped at the sight of her nakedness. Her hands clenched into fists by her side, resisting the urge to pick her robe from the floor and cover herself from their lustful eyes. “ Shit! How did Jacob get himself such a perfect slave?” Panic gripped Ava. No. It cannot be what she is thinking. She wasn't about to fuck these people. No. Jacob cannot make her do this. I was only his tool for power and revenge. I should have known he was no ordinary man but knowing wouldn't have changed anything. I was helpless, trapped with no choice and he was my savior from the Slave den back then. My hatred for him wouldn’t have allowed me to go with someone else. It’s not like I had a choice to choose my buyer. He was the highest bidder and I’m a commodity he bought from an illegal market. A commodity he has great plans for. His tool for power and revenge but I hate that my heart palpates for him.

To save the vampire clan, I slept with my crush, Stefan Ferrano. Stefan had always been cold and distant, but that night, his response was fiery. He ignored the fact that I was inexperienced and took me with wild, unrestrained passion. Everything unraveled when my blood servant, Stella Luciado, brought me fresh blood and Stefan found out. Like a man possessed, he tore off all my clothes and dragged me into the sunlight. “So even the vampire queen is afraid of sunlight? Do you know what sort of torture your kind are enduring right now? But no pain compares to what I felt losing my sister because of you and your kind.” For five years, he held my clan’s safety over my head. He locked me in a sunroom and found new ways every day to torment me in bed. The day I gave birth to his child, he married Stella. Stefan called my child a bastard and forced me to watch him and Stella sleep together. When Stella was unhappy, he bled me so she could bathe in my blood. He even painted with my blood and made me dance undressed in the sun. He tortured me but never let me die, using specially made drugs to keep me alive. A vampire who had offered their ancestral blood but didn't turn a human into a vampire within five years would end up dead. I had five days left to live. Finally, I didn't have to keep my secret anymore.

Bella was born an omega in a world that only respects strength. That meant being ignored. Pushed aside. Hurt in ways no one cared to see. While others trained under the sun, Bella learned how to survive quietly. Hide the bruises. Bite back the fear. Keep breathing. Then her name is called for the Alpha Trials. The same trials meant for the strongest wolves. The same trials ruled by Jake the Alpha heir who has never lost… and the man fate binds her to. “You don’t belong here,” Jake says, cold and sure. Bella lifts her head. “Watch me.” As the trials turn deadly, a secret about Bella’s blood comes out one that makes the pack turn on her. Whispers grow louder. Eyes follow her everywhere. The bond between her and Jake burns hot and dangerous, something the laws forbid. If Jake claims her, he loses everything. If he rejects her, she might not survive. Now hunted by her own pack and standing in the middle of a truth meant to stay buried, Bella faces a choice that could shatter their world. Submit… or destroy the system that broke her. Because this time, Bella isn’t asking to belong. And when the final trial begins, she realizes one terrifying thing She was never meant to survive it.

What's more fucked up after knowing that your mother was one of the girls of your lover’s father that resulted the betrayal of the woman who was once best friends? Alessia was raise with poverty. She would exhaust herself just to provide the needs of her family. She’s a family-centered woman and thought that she don’t have time for romance not until the spoiled brat CEO came. Yadiel on the other hand was raise with a golden spoon on his mouth. Whatever he wants, he gets. A mommy’s boy who’s not interested in women. He believed that he’ll be a single man until he dies but that didn’t bode well after falling in love with the hardworking and family-oriented woman who happened to be his secretary, Alessia. What will happen if their family reveals the dark secret that hasn’t been told? Will their love will bond stronger or this will be the reason for them to destroy each other?