Ember Hitam

At 7am on the dot my alarm rings on my nightstand. After a brief moment of irritation I sprung out of bed to get ready for school. While brushing my long curly ember hair my phone dings incessantly on the bathroom counter. After picking up the phone the dread I already felt in my heart was amplified. It was my best friend Jesse wishing me a happy birthday but I for the life of me couldn’t understand what an 18 year old girl had to be happy about. When a woman turns 18 she is mated for life, she’d be made to quit school, produce children and satisfy their mates every need and urge. That’s all a woman was good for in this town and I’d be damned if I was going to sit down and shut up about it. After ignoring Jesse I finished dressing and strolled down stairs where my mother and father were still having their morning meeting with their subordinates. Alfa John and Luna Kate or not, I’d doubt they’d even notice I was leaving if I hadn’t slammed the door on my way out. I wonder if they were disappointed by my lack of interest of the ways of the pack or if they were just disappointed I didn’t have a penis between my legs. Regardless, I have no intention on going to my mating ball tonight. My parents have invited every male in our pack but there’s no way I was going without a fight! As I lift my fingers from the door handle I come to an abrupt stop eye to eye with my fathers beta Josh. In a low growl all I hear is “You didn’t think you could actually leave did you?”

Warning... or Invitation? That choice is yours. This isn’t a fairytale. This isn’t about sweet kisses beneath cherry blossoms or soft smiles under the stars. No. This is raw, This is reckless, This is “Burning Embers: Scorching Tales of Desire” A collection of BL short stories carved from lust, laced with obsession, and kissed by chaos. Each chapter stands on its own, a world where strangers become addictions, roommates cross lines, enemies blur into lovers, and the line between want and need snaps without warning. These men don’t fall in love. They fall into temptation. They crash into each other like lightning against the sea, loud, unforgiving, and beautiful in their destruction. You’ll find no gentle romance here. Only the ache of fingertips brushing where they shouldn't, the weight of glances held too long, the gasp before the plunge. This is for the ones who know love isn’t always tender. That sometimes, the most unforgettable stories are the ones written in bruises and longing. This is for those who crave stories that leave a mark, who don’t flinch when desire gets messy, when hearts bleed a little before they beat as one. Not for the faint-hearted. Not for the clean-handed. This is for the bold, the brave, the ones who dare to touch the flame even if it burns. So turn the page. Step into the fire. But don’t say I didn’t warn you--- Because once the embers catch, they never go out.

“Nagliligpit ka…” puna ni Cassian sa ginagawa ni Ember na naabutan. “Why? Tapos na ba ang selebrasyon sa birthday ko?” Pilit na ngumiti si Ember at sinalubong ang mga tingin ni Cassian. “Naisip ko na hindi naman ako ang gusto mong kasama ngayon kaya hindi na ito kailangan. And about your birthday… may naisip akong mas magandang regalo para sa ‘yo. Sigurado kong magiging ma—” “Huwag ka na mag-abala,” putol ni Cassian sa sasabihin niya. “Hindi ko kailangan ng regalo mula sa ‘yo.” Natigilan si Ember. Napakurap. Mapait na nangiti sa sarili. Paano niya bang minahal ang lalaking ito sa harap niya nang gano’n katagal? Hindi lang lima kung hindi lampas dekada na espesyal ito sa kaniya at nag-iisang itinangi. “Promise,” muling wika ni Ember. “Promise at magugustuhan mo ang ireregalo ko. I want divorce, Cassian.” *************** Nang bumalik si Lauren, ang stepsister at dating kasintahan ng asawa niyang si Cassian Montgomery Syquia... alam na agad ni Ember na wala siyang laban. Mula pa noon ay alam ni Ember na si Lauren lang ang minahal ng asawa. At kahit ang sariling ina ay ito ang laging pinapaboran. Kaya bago pa siya masaktan ng lubusan, nagdesisyon si Ember na makipag-divorce para magparaya. Pero si Cassian? Bakit nang sabihin ni Ember na mag-divorce sila ay ayaw nito? At bakit kung kailan ayaw na niya ay saka naman ito naging interesado sa kaniya?

[This is an English language version/translation] When Atlas, the driver of CEO Connor meets the broke woman, Heather, who wants to flip her poor world into the other way around, she rejects him and chooses her rich childhood best friend, Theory, in exchange of her virginity and also part of their deal in the past. Little did Heather knows that after she turned down Atlas for being a poor, his CEO boss, Connor, made him the heir of the company. Heather finds herself blind for months in her love for Theory that abuses her and cheats on her. She goes back to Atlas, one rainy night of December, asks for a second chance but soon as Atlas steps back after their hug, she saw another woman from behind in her late pregnant state, she's Margaery— Atlas' wife.

KYLA ERNISYA TERLALU MENYINTAI ADAM RYCARL SEHINGGA DIA SANGGUP MELAKUKAN NODA-NODA HITAM YANG BAKAL MENGGELAPKAN LAGI KEHIDUPANNYA... ''Tapi kenapa? You tahukan betapa sayang dan cintanya I pada you? You ingat cinta I ini satu permainan,hah?'' KYLA ERNISYA ''Aku tak pernah cintakannya macamana aku nak hidup dengannya? Dia yang bodoh 'serah' so dialah yang tanggung.. dah kenapa aku pula?'' ADAM RYCARL

Ember accepted her lot in life. On the run, she only wishes to find out the truth behind her dreams and solve the memory of her past. Keegan has only cared about protecting his pack, but when he sees the beauty dancing on stage and the flicker of flames in her eyes his body screams, Mate! Can Keegan tame the flames of Ember and together solve the mystery of her missing past? Or will they all burn together? Excerpt: “This is the reason I’m always tired,” I think to myself. Twenty-four years of coming here and still not a single clue, but every time I close my eyes, I return to this place. I know my surroundings perfectly. Oddly the place is beautiful to the eyes. The old house sat among flowers growing around all sides. The aroma of honeysuckle and jasmine fill my lungs filling me with a moment's peace. I’m sitting in my usual spot. Gripping the ropes of a swing in the front yard held by a large oak tree. Waiting I begin pushing my legs back and forth sending me in motion. I know something is about to happen. It happens every night. The house moves in front of my eyes. I see the shadows coming, but I don’t stop swinging. They are black as night but I can see smiles within the shadow grinning bright. “What is this place!” I cry, fed up with this nightly repetition, but no sound emerges. A noise can be heard from the back of the house. One of the shadows turns toward it. I jump down to follow only to have the other shadow hold me back. “Don’t go. Not yet. Listen to me!”

In the three years since I became Zander's mate, I've tried to kill myself ninety-nine times. Kidnapped by a rival pack in my youth, years of torture nearly destroyed me. I clawed my way back to the Crescent Moon Pack, only to find my place had been taken by an adopted daughter, Vivian. My Beta parents doted on her, and my fated mate—the Alpha himself—had eyes only for her. I begged them, told them my kidnapping and my suicide attempts weren't accidents, but all I ever heard was: "Ember, you're delusional. You just wandered off and got lost." "You tried to drown yourself in the river." The people closest to me, and not one of them believed me. Until the ninety-ninth time. Another "suicide." When I woke up three days later, I rubbed my aching head. My eyes were vacant, my own gaze foreign to me. I had forgotten who I was, forgotten the humiliation I'd endured, forgotten the desperate girl who had thrown away her dignity for a scrap of her Alpha's affection. At the pack ceremony, while everyone waited for me to fawn pathetically over Zander, a single tear slid down my cheek for reasons I couldn't comprehend. I wiped it away and, under the shocked stares of the entire pack, announced calmly: "Zander," my voice was steady. "I don't love you anymore. So I, Ember of the Crescent Moon Pack, hereby reject you as my mate." "This little act again?" Zander sneered, his eyes glinting with the same casual contempt they always held for me. But he didn't know. This time, I was leaving him for good. It wasn't until I vanished completely that the ones who'd never believed me were the ones who truly went mad.

One seemed so perfect, a strong, handsome warrior wolf. The other is headstrong with a bad reputation, oh and a Fae. Ember McKenzie Nichols is stuck between two very different men who are both fighting for her hand and her heart. Before she really gets a chance to figure out where her heart is leading her she’s thrust into the mystery of missing supernaturals. Both wolves and Fae have been taken and before a war breaks out it's up to Ember and her small team to find out who’s taken them and why, and hopefully get them back. Little does she know that the Blood Lust Coven is trying to do just that, start a war. Will Ember be able to solve the mystery and save her people in time? Will she be able to follow her heart and find her Goddess-given True Mate?

All fae have a One--One person who strengthens their magic and enriches their life. A perfect mate. So why can't I find mine? What is a fae princess to do when she can’t find the prince she’s meant to spend the rest of her life with? I have to find him now, for the sake of my kingdom. Evil forces are moving in, and the only way I can come into my full power is to find my perfect mate. If I don't, the magical barrier that protects us will crumble because my magic won't be strong enough to hold it. But... I feel this strange pull to not on, but four different men! What in the world is going on? Can I be mated to all four of these men and still save my kingdom, or will what seems to be an asset turn out to be our undoing? The One is the first in a new reverse harem series by the author of Realm of the Chosen and Ember’s Flames.

Dalam waktu singkat semuanya kian berubah. Adakah perasaan gembira hadir saat dia keluar dari duka yang sudah lama dia pendam? Iman Aulia - Hidupnya terasa begitu gelap saat kedua ibu bapa kandungnya sendiri menganggap dirinya adalah punca kematian kakak kembarnya. Begitu pilu sekali hatinya saat dituduh atas tragedi pahit itu. Saat dia menginjak 17 tahun, satu keputusan besar telah dibuat untuk mengubah segalanya. Hanya dengan satu lafaz semuanya telah berubah. Adakah benar keputusannya itu? Arif Raykarl - Sikapnya yang suka membuat masalah itu sering dipandang serong oleh semua orang. Digeruni kerana sikapnya. Ditakuti kerana takut menjadi mangsanya. Apakah benar setiap manusia yang jahat tersimpannya sisi yang baik? Dalam diam dia merindui sahabat kecilnya yang hilang entah ke mana. Dia begitu ingin berjumpa dengan sahabatnya itu. Saban hari dia sentiasa mengingati kenangan di saat mereka menjadi rakan sepermainan itu. "Siapa budak lelaki ini? Kenapa aku langsung tak ingat?" - Iman Aulia "Bila kali terakhir kita jumpa? Aku rasa dah lama sangat kau menghilang" - Arif Raykarl. Antagonis hadir ingin menghancurkan segalanya. Hanya kerana perasaan cemburu, nyawa sanggup dijadikan taruhan. Tragedi hitam berulang kembali. Kini semua kisah manis telah hilang begitu sahaja. "Apa yang aku nak tak ada sesiapa boleh rampas" - Nellysha Umaira