Left 4 Dead 1 & 2 Novels & Stories

At the end of December, traffic on the highway was backed up for miles, and my blind date and I started arguing over which road to take. "I told you women can't drive. The left side is obviously closer, but you insist on listening to the GPS!" While I went to the restroom, he actually drove my car away. I was left alone at an abandoned service area in twenty-two-below-zero weather and nearly froze to death. The first thing I did when I woke up was grab the police officer's hand and cry. "Officer, I’ve been robbed! There were three cases of Macallan and ten gold bars in the car!"

When Éric brings home a young woman with a disturbing look, he tells his wife, Clara, that she is his distant cousin coming to stay with them temporarily. Clara, suspicious, reluctantly accepts this intrusive presence in their home. But very quickly, the exchanged glances, the unexplained absences, and the silent tensions sow doubt. Because this "cousin" is not one… she is Éric's mistress. Between lies, manipulations, and forbidden passion, Clara's home becomes the stage for a betrayal orchestrated under her own roof. How far will Éric go to protect his secret? And what will happen when Clara discovers the truth?

The New Year's Day had barely started when my usually unromantic husband, Everett Grant, surprised me by booking a tour for me. The moment I settled into the bus, however, a line of text suddenly drifted across my vision. [Poor Tina! Her jerk husband booked a one-dollar tour for her, and then turns around and drops ten grand taking his mistress overseas.] I froze, convinced my eyes were playing tricks on me, and kept chatting with the woman beside me as if nothing had happened. Then the messages showed up again. [Seriously? Tina's still smiling like an idiot. She has no idea this tour is really a trafficking ring. Once they get her to the island, she's done for!] [Oh, no! The bus leaves in three minutes. Is Tina actually gonna die like this? That's such a miserable way to go!] The bus had been quiet until the tour guide suddenly spoke up. "We'll be departing shortly. It's about an hour's ride. After that, we'll transfer to a boat to reach the island."

Three months after the mysterious disappearance of my Alpha mate during his patrol, I found him in a bar near the border. He was cuddling his childhood friend, a she-wolf, laughing smugly. "I wanted to get rid of Bethany for ages! Thanks for giving me the idea to enjoy the freedom I've been looking forward to for a long time." The she-wolf nestled delicately against his chest, feeding him wine with her mouth. She asked him when he was planning to return—his answer was nonchalant. "I'll enjoy myself for another week and go back once Bethany's gone mad. That'll teach her not to be such a micromanager!" His close friends all praised them. "Great move! After this, the Luna will obey your every word." "The witch's disguise potion is so useful. No one recognized you all this time!" No one noticed me hiding in the shadows, watching how carefree he was. I called the pack's elder; using my position as the Luna, I announced that the Alpha was dead and that it was time to prepare for the election of the next Alpha.

Willow’s life was already a dangerous temptation, sharing a roof with four handsome, towering, and domineering stepbrothers who push every boundary between family and fantasy. But when her father is murdered and her home drenched in blood, on the same day a truth unfolded: her stepbrothers weren't always what they seemed, they were lycans and fate had cruelly marked her to them. Now on the run from traitors of her pack and hunted by an unknown enemy who wants her blood to break a curse she doesn't even have a slightest clue of, Willow is trapped between the pull of her stepbrothers' touch and the fear of surrendering to them completely. The more they protect her in her new surrounding, the more she falls for them and wants to explore her fantasies. They all made a promise to return Willow back to her pack when she's ready and reclaim her father's title as Alpha, but as jealousy began to creep in and the desire to share her diminished into a heated rivalry, can they fulfill their promise to her or this is to be a bond even the moon goddess might regret?

Vera Quinn and I spent seven years tearing each other apart in the corporate world. When we first started, she sabotaged my presentation slides, hoping to watch me humiliate myself in front of the board. I retaliated by flagging her fraudulent expense reports to HR, making sure her name was dragged through every department in the company. When we were both up for the director position, she locked me in a supply closet to make me miss the final interview. The moment I got out, I poached a major client she had been pursuing for six months, leaving her at the very bottom of the year-end performance rankings. In our industry, we were fire and water—completely incompatible. Then three years ago, the endless scheming finally felt hollow. I handed in my resignation and walked away from the industry for good. The day I packed my desk and left, Vera was leaning against the elevator door, her eyes full of mockery. "Giving up already? Mylo, a cowardly deserter like you deserves to starve on the streets". I hit the "close" button, swearing I never wanted to see her face again as long as I lived. Three years later, we crossed paths again at the industry’s annual gala. Vera was now the youngest partner in the industry. She looked at me as I stood there, humbling myself to pour drinks for an executive, and let out a sharp laugh. "It’s been a few years, and you’ve fallen this far? Working as a glorified escort to scrounge up some investments? What happened to that pride you used to fight me with?" But I wasn't there to secure any investment. I was there to beg that executive for a few more days to pay off the predatory loans my father had left behind. I just needed enough time to sign the consent form for my stomach cancer surgery with a clear conscience.

I loved Spencer. Even though I knew he only saw Fiona when he looked at me. I clung to the wedding dress he picked out himself, holding onto the dream of a future that felt so close. But on our wedding day, she came back. In front of everyone, he has my dress ripped apart—for her. Now, he knelt before my grave, begging for forgiveness. But all I could think was, even here, he was ruining my peace.

Being the only daughter of the Calhoun family, a mafia family in Merovia, I am doted on like a princess. This changes when I turn 18, when Mom dies. On the way back from a family meeting, the car blows up, and Mom shields me beneath her. Even as she lies in a pool of blood, her gaze is tender as she says to me, "Don't blame yourself, sweetheart. I love you." Still, after Mom's death, everyone in the family starts blaming me for what happened, including Dad and my older brother, William Calhoun. I go from being the princess of the family to the jinx that everyone hates. Soon after that, Dad brings home a new adopted daughter, Juliet Calhoun. William favors her and detests me. Even my childhood sweetheart, Shawn Kramer, takes a liking to her and ignores me. Dad says his new adopted daughter is way better than his biological one. They all agree to attend my college graduation ceremony. But on the day, they end up taking Juliet onto our family's yacht and holding a cocktail party out on the water to celebrate the official addition of a new family heir. This is the 100th time they ditch me for her. Unable to stop myself from an emotional breakdown, I cry out, "I'm the one who's related to you by blood!" Dad shields Juliet, who backs away from me out of fear. Then, he slaps me on the face. "I wish I'd never had you." "Who wants to have a younger sister like you? I wish you'd died with Mom!" William roars in contempt. This time, I've decided to let it all go. I call Aunt Marissa, Mom's sister. She's the founder and a therapist at MindCare Treatment Center. "Come here. This is your home now." I know that Mom's death was a conspiracy. This isn't just me leaving, but withdrawing myself from the family entirely. I hope that the next time I meet the Calhouns, there won't be tears on my end. Instead, judgment will befall them.

The day my husband left the country on a business trip with his assistant, I learned—by sheer accident—that his archenemy was plotting revenge overseas. Without a second thought, I raced to the airport and stopped him from boarding the plane. But his assistant went ahead, alone. And over there, she was killed brutally. Not a trace of her remains was ever found. When my husband received the news, he fell apart. Wracked with guilt, eaten alive by remorse, he spiraled into a relentless, violent mania. In the past three years, I'd been in and out of hospitals more times than I could count because of him. And this time, he pushed me so far—I lost our child. Then I overheard a conversation between him and his secretary. "Sir, Casey is still alive. Why keep pretending you're sick? Aren't you afraid your wife will find out and leave you?" "Leave me? What right does she have to be angry?" He laughed coldly. "If she hadn't stopped me from going abroad, Casey would've never been lured away by that bastard. Everything Linda's suffering now—she brought it on herself."

Asher and Sienna have been inseparable since childhood. The night before Asher leaves for Alpha training, they share one unforgettable moment, their first night together. He promises her that no matter what happens, when he returns, she will be his Luna, mate or not. Years later, Sienna stands at the edge of the packhouse crowd, her heart pounding with hope and their young son balanced on her hip. The moment Asher steps out of the car, his scent hits her like a wave, he’s her mate. Joy floods her chest… until he tenses, barely glancing her way. Without a word, Asher walks around the car and opens the door for a stunning, pregnant woman. And just like that, Sienna’s world begins to unravel. "I believed his promise. I carried his child... I waited for him, I was fateful to him and he came back with someone else. He broke his promise, but I won't let him break me."