Laces By Tempi Lark

"Tell me," I stutteringly said, my voice breaking like glass. "Do you only want to have sex with me?" With a furrowed brow and a tone that suggested frustration. He began, "Mabel, I... I don't-” "Steve, I can't handle inconsistency now! I simply cannot. I cut him off, yelling as I shook my head angrily. "What is going on between us?" My gaze pierced his, requesting an open response and a clear route through the emotional ruins. His jaw tensed as he averted his gaze, then returned to me with a look of deep confusion on his face. He said, "I don't know either, Mabel," in a voice that was hardly more than a whisper and was filled with a sense of helplessness that was similar to mine. "Everything is moving so quickly.” I averted my eyes and frantically wiped at the unrelenting stream of tears that were tracing icy paths down my hot cheeks. "I think you need to leave," I whispered, barely able to breathe. I felt like my voice was about to break. ****** Mabel Jordan, scarred by past betrayal, seeks solace in the bustling city of Dax city. Sharing an apartment with the vibrant Hazel Harrison, she's thrust into a world of wealth and secrets. When she encounters Hazel's cousin, Steve Harrison, passion flares between them. Drawn to his dark allure, Mabel agrees to his terms: a no-strings-attached affair. But as their connection deepens, she battles with her own desires and fears and questions the limits of their arrangement. Can she tame the wild heart of a man who has sworn off love? Or will she cling to the safety of a loveless arrangement?

[Matured content, no rape.] "Mama, Custard," Adrian said as he rushed towards me. Adrian Woods, my four years old son whom I was left to raise alone. "Darian," I called out, staring intently at him, "who gave you the right to touch him, and even call him your son?" He was back! The man I tried my best to run from, the man whom I did everything possible to stay away from, the one person who was happy seeing me in so much pain. Darian Woods was back, my divorced husband, the father of my child.

I have nothing to lose but to gain everything if I can't do this. I'm just three days away from losing everything. I'm so grateful that my parents aren't around to see me like this. I'm about to auction off the last thing of value I have to gain everything back. He's completely a stranger. I am not allowed to have a glimpse of him, not even on the first night of our. I am not a normal bride, but purchased by him in an auction. He's the highest bidder and the king of the dark world.

"You have this beauty that captivates men, don’t you? There were plenty of naked women in this room, but the second you walked in, the men lost control. They wanted a piece of you. They wanted to own you." His fingers trail down my jaw, tilting my chin up. "Not knowing you already belong to me." I swallow hard, my breath caught in my throat. He moves away, settling into a chair with ease. He unbuttons his coat, leans back, spreads his legs apart like a king, which I guess he is... And then, his voice turns lethal. "From now on, Ariella Costa, you are mine to use. Mine to play with. Mine to do with as I please." The words hit me like a heart attack. "Your body belongs to me. Your mind belongs to me. Your soul belongs to me." He smirks, his dark eyes locking onto mine. "I own you."

Ripped from her family at age six, Tova was taken away to the High King's Castle to grow up as his future bride. It was foretold that she would unite the four kingdoms under his rule. When she turns nineteen, the wedding is being planned and Tova begins to spend time with her betrothed. Finding him an angry, violent man, Tova begins to resent her prophesy and fight against it. When war threatens her safety, she is sent to serve her future husband in his war camp so she can be watched by the soldiers. When the High King goes missing right before their wedding, she is left with a choice: take the freedom that is being offered or fulfill her destiny.

In a kingdom ruled by a brutal king, Thalia Blackwood, an infamous assassin, is given a choice: fight for her freedom or remain a prisoner in the deadly salt mines of Karnak. Selected to compete against ruthless criminals in a contest to become the King’s Champion, Thalia soon finds herself entangled in dark court politics, where enemies lurk in the shadows, and nothing is as it seems. But as she navigates this treacherous competition, sinister forces far beyond the throne emerge, and Thalia must confront a hidden magic, long thought lost, that could destroy everything. With her deadly skills and a mysterious past that threatens to surface, she must outwit her rivals and face dangers both human and magical. Freedom comes at a price—and Thalia will pay it in blood if she has to. Will she win her freedom, or will the darkness of her past consume her first?

"I, Ortega Blackwood, daughter of beta Denzel Blackwood, am rejecting you, Killian Fitzgerald, future Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack, as my fated mate!" She uttered through gritted teeth, glaring fiercely at her mate as he descended the stairs towards her. His expression twisted into a mask of fury, his eyes blazing with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, his imposing figure cast a shadow over her as she lay on the ground, vulnerable yet defiant. "Do you dare defy me, Ortega? Do you dare reject your fate?" His voice dripped with venom, each word carrying a threat that hung heavily in the air. "You cannot reject me, Ortega. You will be my mate whether you like it or not." ************** Rejecting her mate hadn't been easy. But when Ortega meets the powerful and ruthless Lycan and Mafia Boss, Alfredo Gambino, she finds herself falling in love with him, even though he is the rival and enemy of her rejected mate. And Alfredo also finds himself unwilling to let her go, especially now that her rejected mate wants her back.

"Meet my sons, Mia. Sons, meet Mia, your soon-to-be step-sister." Then three tall, sturdy, muscular men joined us at the table and I had no doubt that they were my step-brothers. They looked just like their father. I gasped, shrinking in fear as I remembered where I had met them. Quinn, Jack and John, the triplets of misery in my high school life. I would be a fool if I ended up liking the boys who had bullied me and treated me like I wasn't worth . They are different at this time from the wolves in my dream. They are playing the role of a gentle older brother. I heard that they were in the Navy and I must admit that was where fitted them. I hoped that they met with men who were stronger than they were who could give them a taste of their own medicine and bully them, just as they had bullied me. Later, they claimed that I was their mate. "Keep it a secret from our parents, okay? We'll cherish you, Sis."

When Wakely transfers to a new university, she has one goal: keep her head down, finish her final credits, and get out. The plan is simple: stay invisible, avoid drama, and leave behind her abusive past. But the moment she steps onto campus, she has no idea what is about to happen to her. She quickly crosses paths with Cora, a bold, orange-haired wild card who takes Wakely under her wing. Cora introduces her to the unspoken hierarchy that rules the school, warning her about the campus “gods”: the Walker brothers. Sinfully attractive, effortlessly powerful, and notoriously cruel, the Walkers are known as much for their charm as for their dangerous pranks. Students either worship them or fear them. Wakely? She wants nothing to do with them. But Waylon Walker, the darkest of the three, has other plans. Unlike the others, Wakely doesn’t care about his reputation. She doesn’t flirt. She doesn’t chase. And she certainly doesn’t fall for arrogant boys with too much control. That only makes her more fascinating to him. What begins as curiosity spirals into obsession. Waylon watches her, follows her, learns everything he can—and slowly starts crossing lines no one’s ever dared to before. As their worlds collide, Wakely finds herself drawn into a twisted game of desire, secrets, and violence. Her carefully buried past begins to unravel when she discovers that her abusive father holds a far darker secret. A secret that she was unaware of, that could change her life forever. Now, with the weight of betrayal, obsession, and legacy pressing down on them, Wakely must decide whether to run from the danger or face it head-on, with Waylon at her side. And some secrets are never meant to be uncovered.

Sera I escaped a life plagued with death and destruction years ago. But it's come back to haunt me. Killian Ricci is no ordinary crime boss. He's the grim reaper. I belong to him. I don't know why he's keeping me locked up. All I know is he holds my life in his hands. And in the mafia world, his hands are bloody. They don't call him the Hand of Death for no reason. If I want to survive I have one option. Submit. Killian Mano Della Morte. That's what they call me. The Hand of Death.