Masked Ward

In that moment, our lips were only a breath's distance apart. Antonio's eyes held an unspeakable yearning. His gaze dropped to my lips, his intentions evident. My own desire mirrored his, creating a powerful magnetism. Just as he closed the distance, I placed my free hand on his chest, stopping him in his tracks. "Antonio," I murmured, my voice trembling, "We can't..." He froze in place, his warm breath caressing my lips. His eyes held my reflection in them, fluttered shut for a moment as he absorbed my words. I saw a flicker of pain, quickly masked by a stoic calm. He nodded slightly. "I understand," he replied, quietly. His voice was steady, betraying none of the emotions I knew must have been roiling beneath his suave facade. "You aren't going to ask me why?" I asked him, my voice barely a whisper. Antonio smiled, a sad, understanding smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm not," he said slowly, "because I understand that you have a valid reason for your actions." "Antonio," I swallowed hard, my voice unsteady, "I...I am getting married tomorrow, to Alpha Boris." His eyes widened slightly, the shock of my revelation clear. "You are the future Luna…" he murmured, his voice barely a whisper. His fingers clenched into fists at his sides. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wilhelmina Growler is a force to be reckoned with, a fierce and dominant female werewolf. Her unyielding determination to become the alpha of her pack, the Gravemaw Hounds. However, her aspirations are cut short when shortly after becoming the Beta, Alpha Boris Gravemaw demotes her and forces her as his Luna. The night of the highly anticipated Moon Goddess' Ball, Wilhelmina's world is turned upside down when she discovers that Antonio Lothian, the Lycan Prince, is her destined mate.

Für die Außenwelt war ich Frau Ward – die unantastbare Königin an der Seite des Mafia-Königs von New York, Elias Ward. Doch ich wusste: Mein Mann liebte mich nicht. Sein Herz hatte immer Harper Dinah gehört, der Frau seines Neffens. Und nachdem besagter Neffe auf einmal so passend starb, holte Elias sie in unsere Villa. „Ich will mich nur besser um sie kümmern“, sagte er. Sein Verständnis von „Fürsorge“ bestand darin, einen Mann von einer Party zu werfen, weil er es gewagt hatte, mit Harper zu flirten – und darin, sie selbst zu schwängern. Elias lobte mich gern in der Öffentlichkeit, als wäre ich die perfekte Ehefrau. Und das war ich auch. Ich half beim Aufbau seines Imperiums. Ich war diejenige, die lächelte und den Schein wahrte. Ich ließ sein Casino erstrahlen, während er Harper versteckte, als wäre sie etwas Heiliges. Wegen all dieses Lobes geriet ich ins Visier eines seiner Feinde. Sie entführten mich. Schickten Elias eine Nachricht, getränkt mit Blut und Drohungen: Zieh dich zurück. Verschwinde aus New York. Oder deine hübsche Frau stirbt. Natürlich entschied sich Elias nicht dafür, sich zurückzuziehen. „Warte einfach ab“, sagte er am Telefon. „Sie werden dir nichts tun, Noa. Du bist ihr Druckmittel. Halt einfach durch, bis Harper entbunden hat. Dann hole ich dich.“ Acht Monate lang wurde ich in einem dreckigen Loch festgehalten, ausgehungert, geschlagen, erniedrigt. Der Anführer der Bande vergewaltigte mich wieder und wieder. Trotzdem kam Elias nie. Schließlich entkam ich, als sie alle betrunken waren. Ich ging nach Hause, nur um meine Zwillinge im Dienstbotenzimmer schlafen zu finden, wo sie von Resten lebten – während Elias damit beschäftigt war, eine Party für sein Neugeborenes zu veranstalten. Ich stellte ihn nicht zur Rede. Ich packte einfach meine Babys und verschwand.

"Didn't know a clumsy girl would be sent to me?" He said, and I felt a ripple go through me. His voice! It was the deepest one I have ever heard of. His aura screams power but I don't know why I kept on looking at his face as if I was under a love spell. "You keep looking at me, did you find me too pretty?" He asked, and his deep voice jolted me awake, goosebumps traveling down my skin when I realized he grabbed my ass cheek. Fuck! Now, I wasn't expecting that. "Sorry, I don't think I heard you well," I said in a calm voice, averting my gaze. And thanks to the mask, he would have seen my cheeks red with blush. "What music would you want me to dance to?" I said as I stood upright, my heart beating wildly against my chest. "I think another person should be brought in, don't you think?" He asked, his head cocked to one side and I swear, his words hit a nerve in me. No client has ever belittled me before and his rude remark felt like a blow to me. "I don't think you will be needing another girl," I said and touched the collar of his shirt *** Valeria seems like a regular omega on the surface but beneath that perfect smile lies a great secret. Driven by vengeance and revenge, she works as a stripper at night to find her parents' killer. Her thirst for vengeance ultimately makes her cross paths with a mysterious masked man she feels holds the answers she seeks. But what will happen when Valeria is arranged to marry the Lycan King, who seeks an open marriage? She is forced to live a double life to keep her secrets.

“I sat on his lap, my face inches from his, my breath unsteady, his heat pressing against me as his eyes held mine. He dropped the cigar into a tray, leaned in, and his lips almost touched mine, but at the last moment I shifted, pulling back, and his low chuckle rumbled against my skin. “Oh, girl, you do not want to go down that path,” he said, his fingers tracing down the line of my neck until suddenly he stilled, his hand brushing against the tattoo marked into my skin. He leaned in closer, reading aloud in a low voice. “Jareth Gleb.” The name froze the air between us. “That’s… my father’s name,” I whispered, my breath shaky, and the moment the words left me, I saw the shock flash across his face. He grabbed my shoulders, pulling me off his lap so fast I stumbled. ” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Paris was born of divine blood, a Zara Spiritborn, daughter of beauty and seduction itself. Her face could stop hearts, her presence could ruin men. After losing her parents, she fell under the rule of her cruel stepmother, Selene, who turned her beauty into a weapon. By day, Paris was a princess. By night, she was the realm’s most desired stripper, dancing for masked Alphas who would pay mountains of gold just to touch her. Betrayed by the boy she loved and sold to Vincent the mad king, unknowingly to pay off a debt, only to discover that this tyrant is none other than her father’s brother. A man whose cruel hands are capable of untold violence and unspeakable desire. But passion bends every law, every taboo. Vincent finds himself falling for Paris is his niece and the only woman he should never desire but yet cannot resist.

Caitlin Paine wakes to discover herself back in time. There, she learns of her destiny and her mission: to find her father and the ancient vampire Shield needed to save mankind.

But Caitlin’s heart still pines for her lost love: Caleb. She desperately needs to know if he has survived their trip back in time. She learns that her mission requires her to go to Florence, but if she wants to pursue matters of the heart, she must go to Venice. She chooses Venice.

Caitlin is overwhelmed at what she finds. Venice of the eighteenth century is a surreal place, men and women dressed in elaborate costumes and masks, celebrating an endless, lavish party. She is thrilled to discover and reunite with some of her close friends, and to be welcomed back into their coven. And she is excited to join them in Venice’s Grand Ball, the most important costume dance of the year, where she hopes, once again, to find Caleb.

But Caitlin is not the only one who can travel back in time: Kyle soon arrives, too, and is determined to hunt her down and kill her once and for all. Sam, too, arrives, determined to save his sister before it is too late.

At the Ball, Caitlin searches everywhere, and finds no sign of Caleb. That is, until the very last dance. She dances with a masked man who takes her heart away, and she feels certain that it is him. But as the partners change, she loses him again. Or does she?

Caitlin soon finds herself torn between the two loves of her life, and discovers that she has to be careful what she wishes for. Her joy at finding what she wants might just come mixed with tragedy and heartbreak.

In a climactic, action-packed ending, Caitlin finds herself up against true evil, Rome’s ancient vampire coven, and the most powerful vampire coven that ever existed. Surviving will demand all her skills, as she finds herself battling for her very life. She will have to sacrifice more than ever, if she is to save the one she loves….

On the night of New Year's Eve, I wake up in a hospital ward with an IV drip connected to the back of my hand. A nurse passes me the hospital bill. "It's 300 dollars in total, including the emergency treatment fee and the cost for a bottle of glucose drips." When I turn on my phone, I feel my heart sinking. I only have 29.01 dollars left in my bank account. The wallpaper of my phone is a countdown of my family contract's app. Today is the date when I have to renew my family contract for the year. In order to accumulate enough money to go home, I've been working as a staff member in concert venues. Earlier, I had collapsed backstage, so I was quickly sent to the hospital. The dial tone keeps beeping for a long time. Finally, my mom answers my call in what seems to be a noisy background. "Mom, I'm at the hospital right now. I need 300 dollars to pay the hospital bill." "You're at the hospital?" Mom's voice turns shrill immediately. "Why did you visit the hospital during the holidays? You really are a jinx!" "I fainted earlier. I was working at a concert venue—" "What? So, you refused to do chores at home during the holidays! Instead, you decide to work at a concert venue?" Mom interrupts immediately. "I don't have 300 dollars on me! You'd better come up with a way to pay that bill of yours!" "Mom…" My hand tightens around my phone. "Today is the last day of my family contract's renewal period. I'll renew the contract once I pay the bill." "Renew the contract, huh?" Mom just sneers at me. "That's a part of your duties! How dare you use it against me! Helena Lambert, if you don't renew the contract today, you can forget about calling me 'Mom'!" After that, she ends the call. I can only grip my phone to the point that my fingers turn white. After that, I tap on a social media app in hopes that I can borrow money from my friends, only to see the latest post on the social media feed. My younger sister, Hannah Lambert, has posted a photo collage there. "I'm here with my parents to watch my favorite singer's concert! Snagging tickets to the first-row seats is definitely worth it!" The background of those photos is the same concert venue where I work part-time at. It's the most expensive venue in town. Apparently, tickets cost 2,900 dollars each.