Ghosted

“You can play Priest for as long as you like,” he spat, ignoring my protests, “but you will never find salvation.” His words struck like a curse, but that wasn’t the reason my chest heaved, goosebumps littered my skin, and definitely not the reason I felt hot despite the chilling dip from the lake. Ezreal’s eyes widened momentarily, noticing. I winced as his hand shifted, pressing against the stiff betrayal straining against my soaked robes. He stilled for only a second, then a wicked grin overtook his features. “Well, well,” Ezreal drawled, his voice taunting “Look who’s getting excited,” “Stop,” I gasped, squeezing my eyes shut as the humiliation dug deep. “Please….” He leaned forward, his breath hot as his lips ghosted over the shell of my ear. “I will taint you so bad,” he whispered, his hand tightening against my crotch. “So bad you won’t have the courage to stand on the altar you abandoned me for.” ****** At sixteen, Ezreal Vossell took the fall for a murder to protect the only boy he ever loved—Baron Lander, the timid son of the town’s high priest. A known delinquent, the bastard child of the mayor, but the only one who saw him for his true self was Baron. Ezreal made the ultimate sacrifice, and all he wanted in return was Baron’s support. But alas, on the day of the trial, Baron betrayed him, casting him aside to please his father. Ezreal was sentenced to life in prison, his heart shattered beyond repair. Fifteen years later, he was released, but gone was the naive sixteen-year-old. He’s returned as the ruthless leader of a mafia syndicate, and with all the power and wealth at his fingertips, he yearned for one thing alone. Revenge.

I never chose to enter the Arena— the place that swallows humans and supernaturals from every era and throws them into a death game with only one rule: survive. One moment I was walking down a normal street. The next, I woke up in a prehistoric jungle with the ground trembling under massive, thundering footsteps. That’s where I met him—Kael. An Alpha Werewolf with lethal instincts, a body built for violence, and eyes that could pin me in place more easily than his claws ever could. He had zero interest in saving anyone. Especially me. To him, I was a burden. To me, he was a threat. And he definitely wasn’t planning to keep me alive. “You’re not human, Maddie.” His breath ghosted my ear, hot and shivering down my spine. “And whatever you are… you shouldn’t exist in this world.” But the Arena made its choice before either of us could: Every round in this cursed place keeps forcing us together—fighting back-to-back, bleeding for each other, breathing in sync. Yet every time danger closes in, I end up pressed against his chest, his breath warm against my ear as he growls instructions I shouldn’t find intoxicating. “Stay with me, Maddie. You won’t survive a single night without me.” Maybe he’s right. Maybe I don’t want to survive without him. But the truth inside me—what I am, what I carry— …might be the very thing that gets him killed. And when Kael finally corners me in the dark, his voice a low, wicked whisper at my neck, I realize the Arena isn’t the deadliest thing here. He is. “Tell me what you are, little flame… before I’m forced to claim you.”

“Tell me again,” he murmured, his bare chest a hot, dangerous brand against her back. His teeth grazed the shell of her ear, making her shudder. “How you want me to treat you.” She clutched the silk sheets, dragging them up to her chin, hating the tremor in her voice. “I—I want you to be professional.” A low, dark laugh ghosted over her damp skin. “Then stop looking at me like that.” His amused, arctic-blue eyes held hers captive in the bedroom mirror. She squeezed her eyes shut, wondering what in the world she’d gotten herself into. ^ ^ ^ Isabella Rossi’s life shattered when she discovered her boyfriend’s affair with her best friend, Chloe. The happy couple were even expecting a baby, and she was supposed to be happy for them. Hah. Heartbreak was just the beginning. Drunk and deceived, she woke up in the bed of a powerful, enigmatic stranger—Vincent Sinclair. She thought it was a one-time, humiliating mistake. A secret she would bury forever. Until Monday morning, when Vincent Sinclair strolled into her office as the new, ruthless CEO. And she found out he was her ex-best friend Chloe’s half-brother. Flustered but confident, she met his eyes. Men like him didn’t remember girls like her. She was sure of it. He was most likely just an entitled playboy and the faces in his bed probably blurred. But oh, how wrong she was. Vincent Sinclair remembered everything. Finding his "one-night stand" playing the part of a forgettable employee was his new favorite amusement. First, he made her his personal secretary. Then, he made her life a living, tempting hell. Finally, he served her a contract. Not for a raise—for marriage. It was absurd. But with her life in shambles and his offer too lucrative, Isabella signed.

Completely frozen and horrified, her watery eyes were staring at that bleeding dead body in front of her. She couldn't just believe he had just killed someone in front of her so brutally, just because she dared to talk to that person and not any person, but his own wife's brother. "Now, you will forever remember…never to get closer to any other man," she heard him whispering those words in her ear. His blood stained hands gripped her waist more firmly which made her finally look at him. "He was your wife's brother. H..he was your family," she stuttered, disgusted by this brutal monster on whose embrace she was captured now. A feral smirk ghosted on his face. "You needed to think about this before getting closer to him," he brought his face closer to her. Her glossy eyes filled with more disgust, hatred and anger for this barbaric animal before her. "You shouldn't have forgotten that…." Sensually grazing his lips against hers, he peered into her watery eyes. "You are my possession," his words made her fists her palms, especially when she felt his hand opening the zip of her gown. He would again taint her by claiming her body as his. "I am your sole possessor, cara mia," he grinned, sadistically before completely undoing her gown's zipper. She just helplessly stood in his embrace. "Now be a good girl and let me have you again…." hotly murmuring that, he captured her mouth in his and freed her from her clothes and she was not capable of doing anything to stop that sinner from committing that sin with her again because she was…..HIS SINFUL POSSESSION……. Why was she committing that sin of letting a married man have his sinful possession over her? Read to find out…

Why have one brother when I can have all three? “Is this what you do every time we’re not here?' he asks. “You get yourself off like this?” I shake my head, fucking myself on the dildo. “No. No, it’s just today,” I gasp out. “I just… needed it.” Luke’s jaw clenches. “I’ve heard you. At night.” My stomach flips. I thought I was being quiet, but I guess not quiet enough. “Luke—” I didn’t mean to tell my entire family that I’m dating my ex’s three older brothers…But to be fair, the lie wasn’t even my fault. When my ex asked if I’d be bringing a plus-one to his holiday wedding (to my sister, by the way–don’t even get me started about that). I lied. I probably should’ve been prepared for followup questions, but when my ex asked who I’m dating, I drew a complete blank. That’s when his three gorgeous older brothers spoke up… at the same time. Now my family thinks I’m dating all three of them, Elijah, Luke, and Benedict. To make things even more complicated, they don’t seem to get along at all, and I may have given my v-card to Elijah six years ago before he ghosted me after one night. My life is chaotic enough as it is, trying to keep my tiny bakery afloat during the Christmas rush. The last thing I need is all three brothers coming after me. This is all supposed to be fake… even if the tension between us feels alarmingly real.I already fell for one Montgomery brother and got my heart broken. What would happen if I dare to let myself fall for three?