Hornblower: The Duchess And The Devil Novels & Stories

"Well, yes. That's for a human's perspective. But for us-a noble or a mythical creature as what human history says-it's natural. We can live for millennia and tens and hundreds of it, not aging. We can even enter eternal slumber if we want to. "But that's not always the case. Sometimes, one can enter a force eternal sleep if they committed a crime that is too grave beyond comprehension and the risk being known to the world is high or they took offense to the humankind that we're supposed to take care." -Cassielle Elise D. Dairen, the daughter of the duke, Clyde Estreno D. Dairen. The unknown duchess.

"She really wants to help us out, David." "I'm sorry, I can't even wrap my mind around it," David said. "Why doesn't the Duchess pick a man and be done with it? A man can play the role too, and it would make more sense." "Dad," Clare spoke up. "I think you haven't heard about her yet. Well, I don't know much about her either, but rumor has it that Violet Wintour is quite a notorious lady charmer." "Oh, perfect," David said, dropping his fist on the table in disbelief.

she picked up a photograph of the arms dealer, eyes glittering with contempt “—is already drowning in debt. His empire is a house of cards. All we have to do is pull away the foundation.” She stood, walking to the board, tapping her pen against the faces of their enemies one by one. “Darius. Marek. Serrano. They’ve built their thrones on alliances. We turn those alliances into nooses. We don’t hit them in chaos—we hit them in sequence, cutting off every lifeline until they choke.” Lucian’s lips curved, slow and dangerous. Approval burned in his dark gaze. “She’s right.” Marco gave a low whistle, shaking his head with something between awe and unease. “You’ve turned her into a devil too, boss

Chapter 20 – His Cruel Game Lucian’s hand left her head and trailed lower, his touch deceptively slow as it slid along her thigh. She flinched at the contact, her body already tense, her mind torn between anger and a heat she refused to acknowledge. “You think the devil is cruel?” His voice was smooth, almost mocking. “The devil at least bargains. I don’t.” Before she could react, his fingers found their way beneath the hem of her dress, parting her thighs with unhurried precision. His gaze locked on hers, daring her to look away as his touch brushed over her folds, slow and deliberate strokes that drew an unwilling gasp from her lips.

he murmured against her lips, his fingers brushing the slick evidence of her arousal. Tessa’s cheeks burned, shame and desire battling within her. What was wrong with her? She didn’t know. She didn’t care. All she knew was that she wanted him—wanted him to ruin her, to make her forget every ounce of control she thought she had. Her plan was simple—seduce the devil. But as his lips trailed down her neck, his teeth grazing her sensitive skin, a dark realization crept in. The devil was already in control. As his lips moved against hers, his hand slid lower, teasing the sensitive skin between her thighs. A single tap against her clit sent a violent shudder through her, her breath hitching as a j

Her countenance, typically an array of animated expressions, had transformed into a tranquil tableau of serenity. A soft, barely discernible smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he observed her. Even the devil himself, in all his cunning and might, would find himself disarmed before such a woman. She bore no regal lineage, possessed no grand narrative of her life. Her beauty was not the kind to inspire poets or artists, and her dubious occupation had seemingly secured her a spot in the inferno. Yet, there was an aura about Reina, a quality that was singular and extraordinary. She held the uncanny ability to perceive devils—two of them, to be exact. To the untrained eye, they were indis

The sound of flesh hitting flesh was sickening, and she watched in horror as Dante pummeled the man, his rage intensified. "Stop!" she screamed, her voice breaking. "Please, Dante, stop! You'll kill him!" But Dante seemed beyond reason, his fists continuing to rain down on the bodyguard, who was now barely conscious, blood pooling around him. The guards who had come in with Dante stood back, their faces expressionless, as if they had seen this kind of violence before. Finally, Dante paused, breathing heavily, his knuckles bloody. He looked at her, his eyes dark with a mix of anger and something else she couldn’t quite place. Slowly, he got to his feet, dragging the nearly lifeless bodyguard

So in a way, I truly deserve the name La Diabla because I'm the devil's spawn. "That doesn't excuse what you did. He raised you, fed and clothed us. How could you do that?" "With a knife" "What?" "You keep asking how I could do that. With a knife, Andres. I used a knife" Blood drains from his face "You don't even regret it"

"He is Valentin Rostislav, the ruthless Alpha of the Crown Heart Pack. From his pack to the underworld, his reputation is infamous, and he is a real psycho." "There is no way I am going to distract a man that is capable of killing me with the snap of his fingers. He is a demon lycan, and I am just a human girl that is easy to snap like a twig." I was enraged when one of the humans pointed a gun at her head and impressed by the lack of fear in her eyes. When she got slapped by that bastard she called brother, I wanted to get involved and tear him apart, so I took a step in that direction, but Alexei appeared in front of me and assured me.

Emilio was just about to open his mouth when the sound of Raoul shouting made him change his mind midway and end up taking another move. "Ariana, watch out!" Behind Ariana, Emilio could see that the Marquis Daedalus, who had appeared out of nowhere came in a pose ready to slash at Ariana. Even if all of Emilio's energy had been depleted before, he suddenly gained additional energy that allowed him to stab the Marquis Daedalus right in the chest. For the second time, Emilio could see that someone was stabbing his chest with a sword. But Emilio was not afraid at all. The look in his eyes was sinister, as he stared at the Marquis Daedalus like he wanted to skin the man slowly.