Long Shadows David Baldacci Novels & Stories

It’s her. It’s my mate. I looked at the girl from afar using my enhanced vision. I can’t be seen closer to the guesthouse and I know I’m breaking the rules but fuck! I can’t stand the sweet scent lingering all over my pack since they arrive. Since she arrive. She is tall, and even from those shabby clothes, I can tell she’s fit and curvy. Her long golden-brown hair has natural curls at the edge. I love how the shape of her eyes matches her high cheekbone and- Oh, fuck. Not again. I can feel my cock reacting from just looking at her. And even from this distance, her scent is intoxicating that I can’t help but be enticed by it. Fuck. If only I’m not an Alpha, I won’t have this much control! I might have run down this hill to reach her, claim her, mark her, kiss her--ohh, fuck!

She entered his world as prey. Now, she’s learning to bite back. After her mother’s death, Annabelle Gracia seeks fragile solace in the flower shop—until her father trades her to Antonioni D’Angélo, the ruthless mafia billionaire known as The Shadow King. Nights with him burn with pain, pleasure, and control. His coldness shields a heart hunted by a dangerous fraternity, one that will not forgive tenderness—love is a risk he cannot afford. Yet desire refuses to be silenced. In their world, love is weakness, and weakness could destroy them both. Antonioni is not just another mafia heir; he is a force who commands the world’s shadows. Beyond the empire most will never see: high-stakes deals in European marketplaces, clandestine arms trades, and the quiet power of a man who moves money, influence, and danger across continents. Once fragile, she rises. No longer a pawn, she becomes his fiercest ally and mafia queen, his quiet hope. But betrayal is never far, and enemies wait in the shadows. When Nora, the daughter of one of their deadliest rivals, enters their world, alliances shatter, and danger multiplies. In a world ruled by secrets and scars, can love save them… or destroy them?

Eight years into our bond, I spotted a child at the kindergarten who looked uncannily like Malcolm—my mate. Malcolm had told me he was away on a business trip. However then he was holding that child in his arms, gently coaxing him. "Be good, sweetheart. In a few days, I'll bring you and your mom home. You're my only child. I'll never abandon you." The child smiled, content and trusting. I stood hidden around the corner, unable to breathe from the pain gripping my chest. Eight years ago, I had taken a silver blade to the stomach to save Malcolm. I lost my wolf that day—and with it, the ability to ever carry a pup. Back then, Malcolm had sat beside my hospital bed and made a promise: "You are the only mate I will ever choose. Whether or not we have a pup doesn't change that." However, what I saw now felt like a brutal slap—a reality too sharp to ignore. What value would Luna have if she'd lost her wolf and could no longer bear heirs? How could I possibly compare to someone who could give him a child, and the pack, a future? Choking back the pain swelling in my chest, I picked up the phone and called my father. "Dad… would you still want a daughter who's lost her wolf?" His voice came through, steady and sure. "Of course. No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you."

Gabriella's life has always been complicated. Her father, the Don of the mafia, kept his business life separate from his family life. But Gabriella knew; the late night meetings, hushed conversations, his rivals ending up dead, and the occasional "business trips" that would leave her mother worried sick. Because of this, Gabriella chose to distance herself from her father's world. She attended college far from home, and even started a different life far from her father's shadows. But there's only so much you can do when you're seen as a weakness. Her worst fears finally become a reality, and her parents are killed in their living room, while she's on the verge of death. Someone's does save Gabriella, and she survives, but loses her sight in the process. Gabriella is grateful for this guardian angel, and years down the line, they get married, start a family, and love in perfect peace. But even the devil itself can disguise himself as an angel….. Gabriella has a shot to get her eyesight back, but that shot opens up a can of secrets that will ruin her perfect reality forever.

Melody Blackthorne, a thirty-nine year old graphic designer and Mother of two, flees her married life in Denver to build a new life. A salty coastal life where nostalgia meets motherhood. She encounters a kind stranger, Gage along the coast of Emerald Isle whilst hiding from her husband Blaze. An inherited cottage, positive memories, strength and determination propel Melody forward as she navigates hurricanes and a divorce.

I live alone. At eleven o'clock on a rainy night, an unexpected call came through. The voice on the other end said my car window was left open and urged me to go downstairs. Cautious as a woman should be, I didn't act rashly. Instead, I called the property security office, only to discover that even the security was fake. It hit me suddenly—I was ensnared in a vast conspiracy. Someone was orchestrating all of this. But for what purpose?

"It's just...I don't think this is working out,” he gestured at the empty space between us. My mind reeled. "What do you mean? We're fine, aren't we?" I asked, holding onto hope. "Honestly, Kalynda, I deserve better." "What's wrong with me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Jake's gaze dropped to my body, and he didn’t even try to hide his disgust. "It's just...your weight, Kae. It's...unattractive." Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. "You're ashamed of me," I stated, my voice cracking. Jake shrugged. "I'm just being honest, Kae. You need to lose weight if you want to keep a guy like me.” "You're breaking up with me because of my weight?" I asked, incredulous. Jake nodded. Kalynda hits rock bottom when her boyfriend breaks up with her and she realized he’d been using her all along. The bullying and ridicule from her peers, including her step sister, increased, and Kae wants to end it all. But the brooding Max steps in and stops her. She sees life in a new light and works in herself. What happens when she returns as a completely different person?

Houston Legacies Series Book 1 Angel's life has never been easy. Growing up in poverty with her mother had made it even harder than most. But she was a fighter, in so many ways… How could the truth so totally alter someone's life as they knew it? How did she adjust to this life? All she knew was she had family now, and she was going to make them proud. This was just the beginning she was going to change the world. At least her small part of it. It was time to change some lives… Life was all about change…

An ambitious human journalist, investigating a series of gruesome murders linked to a powerful but secretive family, finds herself drawn into the orbit of their ruthless and dominant alpha. He offers her protection and exclusive access, but his help comes at a price: she must submit to his control, all while trying to uncover the truth about his pack's dark secrets and the brutal murder of her own sister.

A blizzard is approaching. Yet my mountain guide girlfriend, Clover Ainsley, insists on waiting for her childhood sweetheart, Elliot West, to return to the group before leading everyone down the mountain. In order to save everyone's lives, I keep pleading with her to take us down the mountain first. Finally, she reluctantly agrees to my pleas and takes us home. Unexpectedly, Elliot is trapped in a cave afterward. He ends up freezing to death because help never comes to him. Clover claims that she doesn't regret saving me and the rest of the group. In fact, she even proposes to me afterward. But on the night of our engagement, she poisons me and drags me to the snow mountain. "If it wasn't for you demanding me to leave the mountain, Elliot wouldn't have died! He was the billionaire's son, you know! You can't even compare to him at all! "He had died naked, and his stomach was filled with snow! I want you to suffer the same way he did!" After that, Clover strips me naked and pushes me into a snow mound. When my body goes all stiff from the cold, she drags me to a high ledge before throwing me off the ledge. Just like that, my body shatters into pieces because of how brittle I've become. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day the blizzard is about to come. If Clover wants to wait for Elliot, who's taken on my identity as the billionaire's son, then she can go ahead and do that. I'm not going to meddle with their fate this time.