Rice By Manuel Arguilla

"You think you've seen me unhinged?" I asked with a dark grin. "Tonight... I'm not your husband. I'm the man you betrayed." I kissed her then, without restraint, and she stifled a moan that threatened to escape her lips. "You should be scared," I whispered, brushing my fingertips along her spine, slow and teasing, then down over the swell of her ass. My palm lingered, gripping one cheek possessively. "Because you've just given yourself to the devil." I leaned down, my lips brushing her ear. "And the devil? He doesn’t believe in mercy." .... I should have known better than to sign his contract. My new husband was never meant to be real. He was supposed to be a name on paper, a shield against the vultures circling my late husband's empire. An arrangement with an expiration date. But Killian Cross doesn't let go. He's ruthless, obsessive, and dangerously possessive. The kind of man who doesn't just own his empire. He owns everything in his grasp. And now, that includes me. I thought I could play his game. That I could survive the year, take my freedom, and walk away unscathed. I was wrong. Because my contract husband has made one thing clear. I belong to him now. But what if he's the real enemy hidden in the shadows?

“Oh God…” she moaned, arching into him as his lips branded a trail along her collarbone. She fumbled with his buttons, tearing open the last of them. Her hands caressed the expanse of his bare chest, every inch as firm and sculpted as she'd fantasized since that absurd, embarrassing moment he’d walked in on her naked on her very first day in Terra Lucida. His abs twitched beneath her fingers, taut and hot to the touch, like he was barely holding himself back. Elias let out a shuddering breath as his lips grazed her shoulder, trailing slowly down. He pulled the thin straps of her nightdress down, kissing each newly revealed inch of skin. Trapped in a strange world where people ride carriages instead of Ubers. Lyra Beckham is horrified to learn she is the spitting image of a missing (possibly dead) woman named Lirae - who also happens to be the secret lover of a dangerously brooding prince named Elias. But things get messier when Lyra discovers Elias was the main suspect in Lirae's mysterious disappearance. She desperately plans to find a way back to her own earth before she ends up 'missing' too. Elias proposes that Lira pretend to be Lirae long enough for him to uncover what really happened. In return, he will help her find her way back home. Sounds simple right? But then, they had to fake an engagement that was quickly starting to become real. But when they stumble upon the truth, they realise that the only way out... is together.

Lanaya lost her parents in a horrific car accident when she was a baby, tennis stars sent her to live with them as a kind of repayment. It took fifteen years of cruelty and neglect before she was ultimately saved by a guy more dangerous than her foster parents on the night of her 18th birthday. His place in the Marchetti line of succession means he has little time for women, let alone women who faint when they see trouble. When he wants something, he does whatever it takes to get it, and if people have to die in the process, what? Why is his touch so kind when he's with a certain abused princess, a buddy of violence and death? In the wake of her rescue, Lanaya is eager to begin a new life, but owing to the Mafia is a significant undertaking. The Underboss seemed to be interested in her as well. Secrets, deception, and death taint their relationship. She may not be able to tolerate finding out the truth about her parents' accident or lack soon. Despite this, Salvetti and Lanaya's unusual sentiments blossom, and she's determined to battle for happiness by letting them grow. A difficult one, including a great deal of suffering, healing, and even some violence.

Kayla’s perfect life begins to crumble when Lucius, the Alpha of the neighboring pack, chooses her to be his mate on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. How can she marry him when she’s sworn herself to her one true love, Sebastian?Despite her begging, Kayla’s father insists that she must marry Lucius. The pack is what matters, not her true love.But Kayla refuses to give in so easily. Can she run away and escape with Sebastian?Will Sebastian kill Lucius and save her from a doomed marriage?Or will Kayla never see her true love again?

Blackmailed and caught in a very tight corner, James had no option but to do as Isaac had said– force the daughter to become his permanent mate else, he exposes James' secret. Lilith is a random not-so-weak member of the Blue Moon pack who has been overtaken by the love she had for her father that she had to agree to his impossible request so his life would be spared. What happens when Isaac finally knows who killed his father, will he be able to punish whoever this person was even if it was the person he trusted the most? " Who is my father ?" Isaac asked as he formed a fist with his hands. He didn't know how long he could control his wolf so it wouldn't cause havoc.

I died... and then I died again. “Vale,” I moaned, my voice fractured. He met my gaze, his heart racing. “Yes, baby.” I whimpered softly, my breath hitching as his name escaped my lips once more. “V–Vale–!” “You want to make a mess in your pants again, don’t you?” He asked, locking his gaze with my watery eyes as he pulled my face down to meet his by my throat. “Such a naughty vampire, you were so messy and sticky all over your thighs just earlier, and now you want to do it again,” he murmured hoarsely, watching as I cried out in response. Where had all that macho boldness disappeared? He wondered. Just moments ago, I was ready to drive him insane with my teasing, and now I was a mess, a puddle melting away in his hands, completely at his mercy. The power dynamic shifted, and he reveled in my surrender, eager to push me further into this wild desire. **** Talon/Virgil faces an agonizing cycle of deaths. In his first life, his love was crushed, and he was murdered—only for fate to repeat its cruel game in his next existence. How many more deaths must he suffer before he can find the happiness he's been relentlessly pursuing? Just when Talon believes he’s finally found peace, fate spins him back into chaos, casting him into a void once again. This time, he awakens from a coma to discover he's inhabiting the body of a stepbrother he never knew existed until, of course, he awakened in his body—a married man with a family. As Talon grapples with his new reality, he must balance the façade of being a devoted stepbrother, husband, and father while yearning for the one true love that has haunted him through the ages.

The handsome and compassionate Baron Fabian Deschamps took pity on a bride callously treated by her old and ugly groom on the day of their wedding, so he invoked his right to her first night. He wanted to give the arrogant husband a lesson and his virgin wife a pleasurable seduction she hopefully will never forget. But as soon as her lips touched his, he realizes he also has a lesson to learn. Not all virgins are innocent. Adalene Duvre is a smart, curious, beautiful young woman. And there is the danger he’s the one who might never forget her… if he could still let her go. As soon as Adalene gets the chance to fulfill her curiosity about the matrimonial bed and the anatomy of a man, she wanted to know more. Fabian is finding it hard to think about the day he is bound to give her back to her real husband...

Demon | Stockholm Syndrome | Possessive | Lust | Obsession A demon with a human; unthinkable. A king with his slave… A perfect combination. Gabrielle's life changes forever when she and her friends accidentally summon a demon one fateful night. Taken as a slave to the demon realm, she finds herself at the mercy of the Demon King of Lust. But Gabrielle is not made to be a slave, to bow down. Adrian is accustomed to unquestioning obedience. His existence takes an unexpected turn when he encounters Gabrielle, an innocent human who defies his every command. Driven by an insatiable need to dominate her, Adrian becomes captivated by the challenge she presents. But she is just a human, just a slave. Their kinds are destined to despise each other—light and darkness, innocence and lust. As their worlds collide, Adrian's lust for control becomes something far more dangerous. Can he resist her, or will his desire transform into something much, much more dangerous?

Jasmine is not your typical high school student. She's smart, observant, and always knows when something's not right. So when she overhears an argument between popular boy Levi and his friends, she knows there's more to it than meets the eye. Little did she know that this would lead her into a world of werewolves. As Jasmine delves deeper into the werewolf world and uncovers the truth behind Levi's argument, she finds herself drawn to him despite the tensions within his pack. But when a traitor is revealed and Jasmine discovers a shocking truth about her own family, everything changes. Jasmine must choose between her loyalty to Levi and his pack or keeping her family safe. And just when it seems like Jasmine and Levi's relationship is beyond repair, they discover they are mates. But with the danger of the traitor still looming and the conflicts within the pack reaching a boiling point, can their love survive? As they work together to uncover the traitor and protect the pack, Jasmine and Levi's relationship is put to the test. Will their bond be enough to keep them together, or will the dangers of the werewolf world tear them apart?

Julian was born in the world of Dead threats and Guns but he also had a caring side inside his heart for someone special , she was no one else his future wife Amrita. But Mafia world never leave you peacefully... Dark shadow never left them... Years later their daughter Adriana married with Colton, the devil king of Russian Mafia forcefully ..... Could they ever be a real couple ?or the love triangle lead them to a tragedy.... What will happen when Mathew , the heir of Russian Mafia gang follows his father's Path and forcefully marry a Mafia Princess...... Mathew's youngest daughter Adlin fell in love with Caden, the new right hand member of Russian Mafia gang and dreamed to have a peaceful life ... But Mafia world was not a peaceful place ... Many attack came but that never lead Caden and Adlin in the dirt of their family's Past... Everyone left a calm breath as darkness was no more but the Past never left them alone and years later it came being most darker....... It leads Adira ,youngest Mafia heir of the Russian Mafia gang and only daughter of Adira and Colton, to The British Mafia King Xavier ........ Who came just for revenge on the Russians...............