Duke University Libraries Novels & Stories

For centuries, the four Elven kingdoms of Greenborne, Windrider, Frostborne and Mirefolk have been bound together by King Arion’s Decree, a political pact enforcing marriages between realms to preserve peace. As the four Greenborne princesses come of age, each is sent toward a future decided long before she was born. None of them are prepared for how deeply desire will disrupt duty. Loren, the eldest, is betrothed to the Prince of Windrider. Fierce and determined, she clashes with his cousin, the proud Duke Alix, a man whose presence challenges her control. What begins as hostility unravels into something far more dangerous. In a true enemies to lovers romance, Loren is forced to choose between duty and the pull of her own heart. Sybille, the second princess, is sent north to Frostborne already in love with a man she cannot have. In the icy court of a powerful king, she becomes a queen but remains anchored to her past, unable to give up her childhood lover, her adopted brother. Her story becomes one of betrayal, sacrifice and the devastation of choices made for duty rather than desire. Rowan, the most practical of the sisters, approaches marriage with logic rather than passion. But when she is drawn into a love triangle involving a charming nobleman and a loyal companion she is forced to reconsider everything she believes about love, stability and trust. Mariselle, the youngest, enters Mirefolk through scandal and a forced marriage. Headstrong and untamed, she clashes with her new husband in a union defined by conflict and reluctant attraction, threatening to consume them both as they try to outwit and outmanoeuvre each other. All four sisters discover the Marriage Decree was never just about duty, but about the cost of desire itself and the price to be paid. ROMANTASY

They say if you work hard, you will be able to achieve what you want. Born in a modest family, orphan at a young age, struggling in a capitalistique world to find her place; that's what her daily life seemed to be. But who would have thought she would die a meaningless death when hit by a truck after leaving from the office?! And say what !? She died a virgin without even having a boyfreind once! Luckly the universe is righteous! She get's a new chance for life and become the daughter of the all powerful Duke Evanson! Lady Satiana Von Evanson! Living a life of pleasure she enjoys beeing rich and live a carefree life... But that all will change when she realize that the world she's reincarnated in is that of a Role play game called "Saga of Regulus". A fantazy world where magic and monsters exist... and what ? she is the main stories Female Villainess ! The Solis Family that rules over the Regulus empire, she is engaged to the heir to the throne ! The blonde Crown Prince Lukretus La Solis! Her nemesis! To escape a fate of ruin and destruction, she struggle day and night under the cover of the Sorceress Satania. With schemes and devious toughts she takes on the role of the Villainess with the sole purpose of survival! And during her journey... her fated encounter with the Red haired boy will change everything... "Who is this man? Why is he so familiar !? And why the hell am i falling for him! i don't have time for this! i need to continue with my plan!" With such toughts will she achieve her happiness? Will her hard work pay at last? Folow the story of the Sorceress and her journey against the fate of the Villainess!

The uprising killed the royal Cardinal family. The Cardinals were magic wielders and had ruled for over five hundred years with an iron fist. Eventually, the humans waged war against wielders and shifters. They overthrew the crown, branding all non-human beings as Unnaturals and leaving them to fend for themselves in a broken world. Ida has spent those last ten years since the uprising sold from one household to another, never able to repay her indenture. The situation, although not ideal, has offered her a second chance at life. A life in hiding was better than no life at all, and she did not wish to suffer the same fate as others of her kind. Sold into the services of Duke Kestrel, she meets a seductive yet mysterious Lord Alexander. Already in his thirties, Xander cares very little for his title and responsibilities. He should have been married years ago, but no woman appears to please him. Many assume he is simply difficult, but not all is what it seems. Xander carries the weight of being a shifter, unable to find his mate in this new kingdom. After a chance meeting between them, Ida becomes overwhelmed by Alexander's mixed signals. She dares not succumb to her inner feelings. Letting Xander in would mean opening up about what she truly is, and she is determined to keep her past hidden. Xander, however, has other plans. He intends to get his mate by whatever means necessary. When both their lives intertwine by fate, a new quest emerges fraught with danger as they encounter all walks of life trying to tear them apart. Can their love survive, or is there a more sinister plot afoot?

“Reject me!” She begs. “Reject me now!” His eyes are on the pitiful girl who is on her knees, begging for rejection. Her desperate tone makes his heart ache. He will do anything for this woman. Kiss her, love her and kill anyone for her. But reject? “You are stuck with me, my dear,” his silky voice resonates in her ears. His handsome face leans close, his scarlet eyes locked into hers. "You are mine, Roseanne and I will burn down this world if you go away…” In the kingdom of Ezealyra where supernatural creatures rule over the humans, 18 year old Roseanne Vadimovna is a witch and a slave owned by the Lycan Royal Family. Ruled by the ruthless Lycans, Roseanne is forced to do their bidding until one day she was sold off to an auction for lecherous werewolves. And her world turns upside down when he comes to her life. Dmitri Daskov, the Lycan Duke of Sloria. Her master. Her mate. Elusive, sly and manipulative, Dmitri harbors a dangerous obsession for vengeance against his enemies. When his eyes set on Roseanne, he becomes her new master with a purpose in his mind. Scared by her new circumstances, Roseanne finds herself in a new land with no hope of the future. Yet, she finds herself drawn to the dangerous darkness lurking within Dmitri, a darkness which is about to plunge her into the depths of hell. What will happen when she finds out his true intentions? Can she redeem him? Or will she also drown in his darkness? ... Part 2: The Hated Mate (Lycan and his lover 2) is out now!

Kaia loves to write stories, her best friend Xander told her an exciting news about a writing contest on her dream University, it gave Kaia the perfect opportunity because she was writing the same genre, romance and tragedy. She was so keen on making her story good, but all things will change when she accidentally went inside her story. She saw her characters come to life and became friends with them. Kaia was torn if she should continue writing the story and ending it with the tragic one where the main character would die, or will she give up the contest for the character to live a happy ending. Xander was supportive with her and had been always there for her from the very start, but what would happen if a guy named Jake would be the cause of them to break their friendship apart, and a new girl who came in the scene. They both like each other but they don't want to risk their friendship, little did they know that Kaia's story would bring them together.

Pierre Paul Abutu gives a humorous, fascinating and dispassionate narration of the unique intimate and romantic events of his life from teenage to adolescence, and into the early stages of his adult life. This narration revolves around the lives, and relationships of sixteen ladies with whom he shared happy, intimate, eventful and evergreen moments of his life with. These love affairs occur in Pierre Abutu’s life, at his university, the Augustine Nnamani Campus, Agbani, in Enugu Campus of the Nigerian Law School, Akwa Ibom State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Due to his religious beliefs, personal convictions, personal principles, metaphysical and supernatural predictions and postulations, the media, intellectual and literary effects in his life, most of these affairs either ended abruptly or amicably. These love affairs also reveal the negative attitudes, traits and deceptive machinations of these girls and ladies. Even though certain unpleasant and resultant effects were never intended at any particular stage, or with any of these girls and ladies, one thing was very clear: each love affair was and would always be evergreen to Pierre Abutu.

Some lessons aren't meant to be learned. They're meant to be survived. Ava Sterling thought her final year at Crestmore University would be simple: ace her classes, protect her scholarship, and stay out of trouble. But everything spirals when she walks into class and sees the man she slapped at a club the weekend before—now standing at the front of the room as her new professor. Dr. William Reid. Brilliant. Intense. Completely off-limits. Twice her age. And married. Worse? He hasn’t forgotten their first encounter… and he refuses her apology. Instead, he promises to make her fail. Desperate and reckless, Ava makes a bold offer—herself. And shockingly, he doesn’t refuse. What should have been a one-time mistake on his desk becomes a dark, consuming arrangement. Now, they’re entangled in a web of lust, lies, and obsession. Careers are on the line. Reputations. Lives. Because in the end, it’s not just Ava’s grades at risk— it’s her heart.

"I would rather peel my skin than accept your rejection." *** I'm on a mission with clear specifics. But all set plans comes to ruin when the top and most powerful Nobles of Crestbane University set their eyes on me and the gods and goddesses decide to mess everything up. I'm not one of them, I am one of my kind, something different from anything they've ever heard or seen. Yet, I'm stuck with a fearful and loud-mouthed Dragon shifter prince, who doesn't take no for an answer. A fae prince with anger issues that goes completely soft for me. A super gorgeous and pompous ice elemental and Werewolf shifter prince that is overprotective of me. And an unhinged 'dream keeper' incubus prince, who makes me smile even on my worst days. I can't be with these over-privileged spoilt princes... Not when I'm this close to carrying out the purpose for which I was sent to Crestbane University. Sadly, these boys will rather peel their own skin than let me go.

After our SATs, my childhood sweetheart coaxed me into giving him my virginity. In just one night, he went through half a box of protection. I thought it was physical attraction and that he was madly in love with me. Until one day, by accident, I saw the group chat between him and his friends. [Congratulations to my boy for scoring his first win.] [Rue can barely walk. Weren’t you a bit too rough?] [Too rough? She’s tough. She can take it. I’m just getting some practice in, so I’ll know how to treat the school’s prettiest girl right in the future. If I mess her up, I’d actually feel bad.] So all those years of being childhood sweethearts were nothing but a joke. I changed my university application. From that moment on, he went south, and I went north. Our paths never crossed again.

Vincent Okoye has spent a decade building a spotless reputation at London’s top tech advertising firm. Sharp, composed, and fiercely loyal, he’s finally on the brink of promotion, until everything unravels. The night he lets go of his carefully guarded control, he ends up in bed with a charming stranger. By morning, that stranger is no longer a mystery, he’s Ethan Levitt, Vincent’s new boss, old university flame, and the son of the company’s enigmatic CEO. Ethan offers him everything he’s ever wanted: recognition, influence… and maybe something dangerously close to love. But there’s a condition, complete obedience, in and out of the boardroom. Caught between the seductive pull of his past and the steady loyalty of Pascal, the man who’s stood by him for years, Vincent is forced to choose. But in a world of ambition, secrets, and shifting power, love may come with the highest price of all. Desire. Loyalty. Power. In this game, someone’s bound to lose. And Vincent can’t afford for it to be him