Iron Bars

They say I killed my father. They say I ordered my maid, my dearest friend, to poison him. They say she confessed before taking her own life. Lies. The real murderer stands before me, weaving her web of deception and has the entire Royal court in her grasp. Queen Andessa, my wicked stepmother. My father’s killer. She has stripped me of my title, my crown, my very birthright, and has offered me up as a tribute to the Dragon King of Drakarith. A mercy punishment, she calls it. But I am not broken. She thinks she has won. That I will succumb to defeat and forget who I am. But she's wrong. I am Dahlia Rhadaya Balerion, the rightful Queen of Velmira. And I will return to reclaim what is mine and rip out Velmira's corruption by its roots. Starting with Andessa's rotten fertilized eggs. My callous step-siblings. Velmira is my home, my kingdom, and I will not let it rot under the rule of vipers. But reclaiming what is mine will not be easy, especially trying to achieve that from the dragon lands of Drakarith, under the watchful vigilance of Azraelyrs, a dragon king I have heard rumors about his cold-heartedness and rules with an iron fist. To survive, I must play the game of seduction and manipulation against my enemies. To win, I must be sharper, stronger, and more ruthless than I have never been before in my life. Let the games begin.

**Evelyn Karamazov** I’ve spent all twenty-three years of my life immersed in the world of the mafia, groomed to rule with an iron fist. But power in our world doesn’t come without a price, and that price is marriage—a union built on strategy rather than so-called love. It’s the last thing I want, but in this life, sacrifices are the currency we trade in. And if I have to choose, I’ll sacrifice to the devil I know rather than the angel I don’t. But make no mistake, a sacrifice is still a sacrifice, and it demands its due. **Killian Bandini** Sixteen years—that’s how long I’ve waited to exact my revenge. Sixteen years to drown in nightmares, consumed by guilt and the unyielding desire to set things right. My father is dead, and now the Bandini empire is mine. The time has come to collect what is owed, and God help those who wronged me, because they will pay with blood. ★ What happens when the most lethal, most infuriating man to ever walk the earth crashes your wedding, puts a bullet in your would-be husband’s head, and holds everyone at gunpoint just to ensure you marry him instead? Killian Bandini doesn’t ask; he takes. But if he thinks I’m some meek bride to be bartered and controlled, he’s dead wrong. I may have to marry him, but I sure as hell won’t make it easy. He’s come for blood and power, but he doesn’t know that I’m not just a pawn—I’m a queen, and this game has only just begun.

Adrian Quirrel, the heir to the Quirrel family, had been in poor health since childhood. Guided by the old superstition that marriage could restore his health, his family had taken in four young women, with only one to be chosen as his bride. On the selection day, they invited a renowned astrologer to read our birth charts. As soon as he said I carried a healing energy and could bear healthy heirs, the Quirrels decided on the spot that I would be Adrian's bride. Three months later, his health miraculously improved, and I soon found myself pregnant with twins—a boy and a girl. The family elders were ecstatic and even promised that my son would become the Quirrels' future heir. But on the night of the christening, Adrian locked me and the babies in the basement. I broke down and demanded an explanation. He sneered and replied, "If it weren't for your so-called 'healing energy,' Emily would've been my wife. "She wouldn't have jumped to her death at such a young age if she hadn't been pushed to that point. Tonight, I want you and your children to accompany her in death." He grabbed a nearby iron rod and savagely brought it down onto our babies. I threw myself over the babies, but Adrian kicked me aside. Blood splattered across the walls and floor, and my babies' breathing gradually weakened until it stopped. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day Adrian chose his bride.

"You shouldn’t be here." Lila’s voice trembled, betraying the iron resolve she clung to. Cassian smirked, his broad frame blocking the doorway. "And yet, here I am." His gaze lingered on her, dark and hungry. "You didn’t think I’d let you go so easily, did you?" Two years ago, he shattered her heart with a rejection that still stung like a fresh wound. Now, the powerful Alpha stood in her doorway, his scent wrapping around her like a forbidden promise. "You made your choice, Cassian," she said, stepping back, even as her pulse quickened. "I’ve moved on." "Have you?" His voice was low, dangerous, as he closed the distance between them. "Because I haven’t. Every moment without you has been hell." Lila’s breath hitched as his hand brushed her cheek, the touch sparking a fire she thought had long since burned out. "You don’t get to do this," she whispered, though her body betrayed her, leaning into him. "I’ll do whatever it takes to make you mine again," he growled, his lips just a breath away from hers. "Even if I have to fight the entire world you to prove it." But Cassian isn’t the only one after her heart. And this time, Lila refuses to be anyone’s second choice.

Once upon a time, the blue of the sky fell in love with the calm of the sea, the clouds in between whispered "Alas." Farisha is the only child to billionaire Alhaji Shehu, she is spoilt, brattish and untamed. Having watched her mother suffer neglect and pain from her ever-busy nonchalant father for so many years, she develops in her heart, an unnatural hatred for all men, despising them all with a great passion. Risha (Farisha) hence makes it her full-time business to frustrate, ruin and destroy any unlucky prey she happens to pounce on. An insatiable frustration struggles within her leading to immoral habits, ever priding herself as the iron lady with a heart of stone, she is immune to love (or at least so she thought). She holds this notion of herself until she meets the calm, charismatic, humble, heart stopping ruggedly handsome and rather too "nice-quiet” Farhan, an upcoming lawyer in her father's company. To her out most disgust and anger, she finds her searching heart greatly attracted to this enigmatic character. For making her feel this supposed weakness, she develops what could be termed an “unnatural hatred and obsession”. In her own crazy way, she sets out to punish him in a way she had never punished anyone. And what better way than to trap him than in what she considered, the worst fate any could endure, “MARRIAGE". Will she succeed in her ruthless plan or will her searching heart betray? Find out in this heart stopping saga of love, hate and intrigue. "Risha is not evil, she is just mostly up to no good."

She was running from her past. He was still mourning his. What happens when both come back from the dead? After Samantha's world is shattered by a viral betrayal she never saw coming, the last thing she expects is a lifeline from the coldest man she’s ever met—David Smith. Ruthless, rich, and emotionally locked behind iron gates, David offers her a deal: marry him to fix his image, and in return, she gets her life back. No strings, no emotions, no expectations. But Samantha isn’t the naive girl she once was. She knows better than to fall for a man who still wears the ghost of his ex like a second skin—especially when that ex is the same woman who once destroyed her in college. Still, something unspoken brews between them. Something dangerously tender. Just when the ice begins to melt and Samantha thinks she might have found a home in his arms, the unthinkable happens: Kimberly—David’s dead ex, Samantha’s worst nightmare—walks back into their lives… very much alive. And Samantha? She’s pregnant. Now trapped between a man she can’t trust, a woman who haunts her every breath, and a secret growing inside her… Samantha must ask herself: Was she ever more than a placeholder for the woman he couldn’t bury? Or worse—did he already know Kimberly was alive all along?

“No! Please, Santiago--” I whimpered, as his hand seized my wrist with an iron grip, yanking me forward, dragging me effortlessly toward the chair he had pulled into the center of the room the night before. The symbol of my humiliation. He stopped right in front of the chair, spinning me around, facing him. "You want me to be your monster, mi ángel?" His hand grabbed my throat, tilting my chin up until my eyes locked with his dark gaze. I flinched from the sudden movement. "Cause I’ll be your favorite monster — just say the word, cariño." Santiago’s face hovered only inches from mine. His lips so close, I could taste the sweetness of his breath — once making butterflies take flight in my stomach, now curdling my insides into a cold, suffocating fear. Slowly, his free hand rose toward my face. I held my breath. His touch was deceptively soft and gentle, caressing my cheek. His thumb lingered against my lips, tracing them slowly, his eyes fixed there as he spoke — his voice soft, yet heavy with menace. "Divorce is not an option, mi amor. We took a vow five years ago. Remember?" He finally lifted his gaze to meet mine, catching every flicker of fear before he delivered his last words like a verdict: "Till death do us part."

The city lights of Valenfort burned bright against the suffocating dark like a gem tainted by blood. Beneath that glittering surface lay nameless alleys where the scent of iron and the echoes of screams intertwined into a symphony of hell. No one remembered the last time they saw a real sunrise for this city had long belonged to the night. Evelyn Cross , a fourth-generation vampire hunter of the secretive order known as The Order of the Thorn , was born in blood and sworn to die for her mission. She had once watched her father torn apart by a pureblood vampire, a creature so fearsome that humans dared only whisper its name in prayer. Since that day, Evelyn lived like a blade cold, unfeeling, and driven by the hunt. Until she met Lucien Draven , the Blood King of Valenfort who ruled the shadows with a calm smile and eyes that could stop a heartbeat. Lucien did not kill Evelyn upon their first encounter. Instead, he saved her from the very comrades who had betrayed her. A vampire saving a hunter such a thing had never happened in the history of either world. Evelyn despised him… yet could not kill him. Lucien desired her… yet knew his love was her death sentence. In Valenfort, a war of blood is rising. The ancient vampire houses are clawing for dominance, while the hunters’ order fractures under betrayal and deceit. Amidst gunfire, betrayal, and desire, Blood War is not merely a battle between species but between the heart and fate itself. “In the world of darkness, truth isn’t written in ink… but in blood.”

Just when everything is going well ; Cleo and Angelo hit a speed bump, or better yet have an iron mountain that refuses to move in the form of Rosa who has been antagonistic towards Cleo and has never been a fan of their relationship. They say ; love endures all , and it can stand the test of time, but what happens when you doubt the very love you have always trusted ,and you are cought in-between a crossfire between of a war you didn't start that not only puts your family in danger but threatens your happiness? The past doesn't stay in he past . It will only stay there when you cut cords properly. Cleo thought she found a love of a lifetime when she crossed paths with Angelo after what the crazy they had been through only to find out that the only person who can stop the raging unecesary war between her and his mother is the father of her children and the man she loves with her whole being. Angelo has finally found stability; unconditional love , loyalty and support in Cleo ; but everything he has worked hard to achieve is threatened by his extended family. After an unfortunate event ; Angelo finds out why his mother has been against his relationship with Cleo,and just when he finally thinks he has done all he can to protect them... His life is turned upside down when Cleo is caught in-between a war she didn't start and only he can stop it .

This is book 1 in the Royal Wolf Of Zidiah series. This book can be read as part of the series or as a standalone. Lillian Dalgaard, or Lilly to her friends, is the future Queen of Zidiah, a strong, powerful, rare wolf shifter and part vampire. With capabilities like no other, only a strong Alpha wolf will do as Lilly's mate. However, the mate she gains is not one she wants. Bastian is a powerful Alpha in his own right and runs his pack with an iron fist. He has no tolerance for rogues and even less for Lillian Dalgaard. When Bastain's men kidnap Lilly, locking her in Greenrock packs cells, they have no clue what they've set in motion. Realising that Lilly is his mate, Bastian rejects her on the spot, not realising he just rejected the future Queen and Omerian wolf that all men wish was theirs, leaving her to die. When the realisation hits, Bastian knows his only choice is to accept Lilly, or it could mean the end of both of them. Lilly, however, has other ideas. She will not accept Bastian, no matter what it costs. Lilly will fight for what's right, and Bastian Ashworth has no business believing that he can write the wrongs of the past between them. Will Bastain be able to show Lillian how wrong he was? Or will her mighty wolf tear him to shreds before the eyes of his pack? There are four books in the series - Alpha Verses Omerian book 1 The Romerian Alpha's Mate, book 2 - both available now. **I sincerely apologise for any confusion with this book and the second. I hope you will continue to read book 2 **