Romans & histoires Knife X Pickle

I was chosen to be the fiancée of Lorenzo, the Mafia’s heir. But at a family gala, Lorenzo was openly pursued by Chiara, the daughter of an arms dealer. Chiara wasn’t like the other rule-abiding debutantes.She tore through the streets in a modified sports car, used a military-grade combat knife to cut her cigars, and drank the harshest whiskey neat.There was an untamed wildness about her, a fire Lorenzo couldn’t look away from. He complained to the family elders, “How can a woman like that possibly be our Madre and run this entire family?” His words dripped with disdain for her recklessness, yet his eyes were glued to her, tracking her every move as she raised her glass. Then, on Lorenzo’s birthday, he announced his intention to make Chiara his mistress. Chiara refused.”The women of my family are wives, never mistresses.And my husband’s heart must belong only to me.” Lorenzo came to me, his voice hesitant.”Alessia, it’s just a title.I need you to give it to Chiara.Please? She doesn’t understand our family’s traditions, and she’s making a scene about marrying me.We just need to pacify her for now.Even if she marries me, you will still be the one to manage the family’s affairs.” As I stood trying on my wedding gown, a sharp crystal bead on the bodice pierced my finger.A single drop of blood bloomed against the pure white satin. The dress was ruined, but the wedding would go on. Since he chose someone else to be his wife, I will become his Madre.

His lips stretched into a predatory smile that sent chills skittering down my backbone. “Dance on the nails, Sin. Don't make me repeat myself.” He really was the devil. *** Bound to the notorious murderer who’s put a sword to her father’s neck, Princess Annora, fallen from grace, is made to live in Devil’sDen pack as the slave to her captor, Alpha Aegon. Being the fated mate to the Beta of the same vicious pack, Annora plans to use her mate’s feelings as a triumph card, driving her way up to the Alpha’s heart and hoping to put a knife in it. But life happens in reverse— the Alpha becomes the one ‘putting’ things in her. He’s elusive, the most dangerous man she’s ever known. But he’s just as sweet around the edge, alluring in all the forbidden ways. Her hate for him becomes a three-legged chair— wavering. Alpha Aegon hates the Stormbringers for everything they’d cost him, but taking their little white-haired princess was a complete crack in his mode of operation. As harmless as she might seem, everyone is a victim of her wits. Of course, he thinks he’s excluded. Aegon only finds out he’s been mastered in his own game when it's too late, and everything else hangs in the line. His life. Hers. His Virtuous Beta's. What evil befalls this forbidden attraction? How does Annora outsmart this charming man who’s laid waste to everything she’s ever known?

Aurora Cade: I am a true hybrid; half witch, half werewolf, my parents two opposing sides in a bloody war. A war which sent my mother fleeing to the human empire in order to protect me, her unborn child from the carnage, only to abandon me eleven years later. She bound my magic to my wolf, so it would go undetected until I turned eighteen, and she altered my appearance so I would be able to blend in with the humans. She gave me what I needed to survive, but the empire she left me in had other plans for me. Now I’m a prisoner, surrounded by enemies who could easily kill me before I’m strong enough to save myself. Samael Dema: I am the vampire king of Dema Mortem; the only king in the Dema line to ever be given the crown without a queen to rule by his side. My family, my council, and all those around me push and push me to choose a queen, but I refuse all candidates; none would have the stomach for the job anyway. I will not marry for political gain or status. Simply put, a pawn will never occupy my queen's throne. TRIGGER WARNINGS!: This book contains some dark material including, explicit descriptions of rape, violence, psychological abuse, gore, torture, murder, abortion, and drug use. There are also detailed sex scenes, some including kinks such as, breath play and knife play.

Alyssa Hart thought she was just another woman trying to stay invisible in a city that never sleeps. Haunted by a past she refuses to speak about, she’s learned to keep her head down and her circle small. But one rainy night in Los Angeles changes everything. Stalked through a dark alley by a man with a knife, she’s saved by a massive, golden-eyed wolf, only to watch it kill her attacker in a blur. What she doesn’t know is that the creature is Zodiak, who is the primal side of Cole Donovan, a powerful and reclusive billionaire with a secret. Cole is a centuries-old werewolf, and Alyssa is his fated mate. But when she looks at him in wolf form, all she sees is a monster. Torn between his instincts and the need to protect her, Cole decides to win her over the human way through patience, kindness, and trust. As they grow closer, Alyssa begins to feel the pull between them, even as her past begins to resurface in the form of Lucas Slater, a ruthless enemy with a vendetta and a weapon designed to destroy werewolves from the inside out. With Alyssa unknowingly caught in the crossfire and Cole hiding a truth that could destroy everything between them, fate is no longer just a distant whisper. It’s closing in on them both. Set against a backdrop of rain drenched streets, quiet cafés, and hidden danger, this is a story of two souls from different worlds, one human, one supernatural, drawn together by something neither fully understands. As secrets unravel and danger escalates, Alyssa and Cole must decide if love is worth the risk, or if fear will tear them apart before it ever has the chance to bloom.

When I stepped aside and handed the starting spot on the esports team to the guy Zara Moody had always loved, she saw how obedient I had been and moved our wedding up as a reward. But at the ceremony, the man she could never forget suddenly pulled out a knife and cut himself, jealousy burning in his eyes. "Please don't marry him!" Zara, who was usually so calm, instantly lost her composure. She turned to me, panic written all over her face as she begged me to help save him. Every guest in the room was watching, waiting to see how I would react. I didn't argue or cause a scene. Instead, I quietly stepped aside and gave up the groom's place. When Zara saw how reasonable I was, just like always, her eyes reddened at the corners. "I promise this is the last time I'll ever put you through something like this. After the ceremony, we'll go register our marriage." What she forgot was that this was the 96th time she had hurt me. And I had no intention of spending the rest of my life with her. I was only waiting for three more promises. Once I repaid the debt I owed her for saving my grandmother's life all those years ago, I would walk away from her for good. After that, we would never see each other again.

The Mafia circle in New York City was a tangled web, where power shifted in the blink of an eye. The Dusk family, once a powerful force in the underworld, was now reduced to nothing more than a pawn in the game. Their only hope for survival was to marry off their daughters, securing the support they so desperately needed. I, Seraphina Dusk, was sadly one of those daughters. In my past life, I had managed to secure myself a powerful marriage. I married Silas Vane, the head of the most influential mafia family in the country. My sister, Lila, was less fortunate, ending up with Jaxon Westmore—whom she believed would save her. I gave Silas a son and a daughter, and in return, my family was gifted wealth and power. But my sister? She was not so lucky. Jaxon wasn’t the man she thought he was. Instead of honoring the marriage or alliance, he squandered his time on models and strippers, leaving Lila discarded by both him and our father. One seemingly ordinary day, Lila invited me to lunch—never did I expect that she would kill me, drove a knife into my heart. Then she killed herself. And now here I was, reborn, back when our father first told us that Lila and I have to marry for the family. And this time, Lila called her shots on Silas Vane. That’s when I knew. She was reborn as well. Let her have him, then. She had no idea what kind of man he really was.

My father was one of the first dons to rise out of the Naples mob. My mother was an iron-fisted businesswoman with a reputation that made grown men flinch. When I was ten, somebody had the nerve to hijack one of my father's freight ships. He had the man's arms and legs broken with a crowbar, then stuffed a handful of gold rings down his throat — told him to count his money while he crawled. When I was fifteen, some scheming woman tried to get her claws into my father. My mother hired the filthiest pimps off the docks, shipped her down to a back-alley bar in Marseille, and told her to make her own way. And me — I grew up running the streets of Naples like I owned them. The sons of every other family knew to call me Miss Ferrante and keep their hands to themselves. Then I met him. A rough, quiet man fresh out of the army. For him I put down the knives, traded the silk for plain cotton, and followed him back to that little nothing of a coastal town, Porto Scuro. Today my mother-in-law and my husband went down to the dock warehouses to settle a dispute. They held her face down in a barrel of rotting fish guts. They kicked in three of his ribs. I stared at the salt fish I'd been slicing on the kitchen board, let out a cold laugh, and brought the knife down so hard the oak split in half. Then I dialed my father's private line.

I'm the best plastic surgeon in the industry. Hendrick Twain is a regular customer of mine who has gotten his manhood enlarged nine times via surgery. But after I performed the latest surgery on him, he decides to linger around in my clinic instead of leaving. He keeps showing off his brand-new luxury watch while gloating to me, "Isn't this watch pretty, Dr. Yard? Winona was the one who gifted it to me." Upon noticing my lack of reaction, Hendrick approaches with a smile on his face. Then, he lowers his voice. "What's the use of preserving your chastity, anyway? Winona prefers to be with a plastic hunk like me, who's gone through nine manhood enlargement procedures, than be with you, Mr. Au Naturale." As I stare at Hendrick's face, which has gone under the knife countless times for minor adjustments, I remember the excuses Winona Grahm made to my face every night to avoid going home. Just the memory makes my gut churn in disgust. All of my grievances and disgust turn into ice at that moment. Finally, I take the wedding ring off my ring finger and place it on the desk gently. Then, I grab my phone and dial the number, which I haven't called in the past three years. "Dad." I sound eerily calm on the phone. "Since Winona thinks marriage is nothing but a joke to her, then there's no need for the Grahm family to continue existing in this world."

I was born with a one-track mind—I take everything seriously and do exactly as I'm told. When my adoptive father cursed a rival company, calling them bloodsucking vampires, I immediately went out, bought ten pounds of garlic and a crucifix, and stormed into their CEO's office to perform an exorcism. When my adoptive mother said she was willing to sell a kidney for the sake of the company, I contacted an underground black-market clinic on the spot and asked when they could schedule her surgery. Over time, no one dared joke casually around me anymore. Everyone in the family chose their words with extreme care, terrified I might take them at face value. That is, until the day of the family reunion banquet—when the fake heiress, who refused to leave no matter what, showed up as well. She hooked her arm through my brother's and flashed me a provocative smile. "Arista, Benji dotes on me the most," she said sweetly. "He said if anyone dares to make me unhappy, he'll chop them into pieces and dump them in the river to feed the fish." The banquet hall erupted in laughter. I was the only one whose face went deathly pale. The next second, I kicked my brother, Benji Collins, straight onto the dining table. I grabbed the silver steak knife and pressed it against his throat. "Everyone, stay calm," I announced loudly. "I've already called the police! For publicly advocating premeditated murder, desecration of a corpse, and antisocial personality tendencies… The minimum sentence is the death penalty!"

Tony Gambino never forgave me. His childhood sweetheart died saving my life, and for seven years, his hatred was a constant, silent burn. I fasted. I prayed. I begged for absolution. He met my penance with a cold sneer. "I'll only forgive you when you're dead." The words were a knife to the heart. So why, when we were both poisoned, did he shove the only antidote down my throat? As the poison claimed him, blood trickling from his lips, he choked out his last words, "Scarlett... in our next life, let's never meet." Later, I tried to visit his grave. His sworn brother and Consigliere, Richard Bruno, blocked my path. He pressed a gun to my forehead. "I don't know how you have the nerve to show your face here, Scarlett. He'd be alive if he hadn't saved you. "I should never have let him give up Elma for you. You're a curse. Everyone who gets close to you gets destroyed." Their eyes were unanimous in their blame. And they were right. So I watched his gravesite from a distance, my own guilt a heavier stone than any marker. Not long after, I was killed in a gang crossfire. When I opened my eyes, I was seven years in the past. This time, I made a different choice: I let Tony go—so that everyone might live.