Rick Yancey The Infinite Sea Novels & Stories

“If I am nothing more than a tool meant to satisfy your desire for another woman… then you will never truly have me.” His eyes darkened. “You will marry me, even if you despise me.” The words were not a request. They were final. Hated by the man she was once promised to, who now looks at her with nothing but contempt… and abandoned by her father and brothers, who chose her sister over her without hesitation… She becomes nothing more than a political asset—something to be traded, controlled, and used for alliance. But this time, she refuses to be reduced to a sacrifice. This time, she decides she will choose her own fate. That decision draws the attention of the King of Ardos— a ruler feared across kingdoms for his ruthless power and absolute authority. To him, she is not a bargaining piece. She is a fixation. A woman he intends to bind to his world, keep within his reach, and make impossible for anyone else to take away. A union born from politics soon turns into something far more dangerous— a battle of will, control, and desire neither of them fully understands. And beneath it all, something begins to shift… Because she is not as breakable as they believe. And he is not as in control as he pretends to be.

Every Christmas Eve, the heir of the Marco mafia family—Adrian Marco, must follow the family tradition: Draw a name to decide whether he’s allowed to marry me. Because I, Irene Cast, am not mafia-born. Unless he draws the slip with my name on it, he can’t take me as his wife. For four years, Adrian has drawn four times. And not once did he draw my name. I always thought he fought with his family because of me— that he was willing to risk losing his position as the Don, just to choose me. Every time he failed, he held me so tightly and whispered, “It’s okay. There’s always next year.” And I loved him so much it hurt. Hurt enough that I was willing to wait, year after year. This year, I told myself: If he still doesn’t draw my name… I’ll secretly switch the result. I sneaked to the door of Adrian’s study, and heard his younger brother ask: “Don… every year you do draw Irene's name. Why do you pretend you didn’t? Is it because you still can’t let Sera go?” But he simply said, in a flat voice, “Sera needs me for something urgent. Do what you always do: swap Irene’s name for a blank one.” He walked out without looking back. Instead of swapping, he tossed the blank slip into the trash, left the one with my name on the table, and hurried after Adrian. I went inside, picked up the blank slip from the trash, and replaced the one with my name. Watching my own name fall into the garbage. Adrian…I don’t want to wait and marry you anymore. I’ll grant you your choice.

Serena hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been weighing heavily on her mind. "What if I'm pregnant? Would you still proceed with the divorce?" The silence in the room was thick and palpable, and her heart began to race as she waited for Rick's response. She looked at him expectantly, hoping against hope that he might have a change of heart. However, Rick's face remained cold and expressionless as he spoke. "I love Gina and I'm committed to building a life with her. I'll do whatever it takes to remove any obstacles from our path, even if that means getting rid of the child in your womb, assuming there is one." The words hit Serena like a ton of bricks, leaving her feeling hurt, angry, and scared all at once. She couldn't believe that Rick was willing to go to such lengths just to be with his ex again. Serena was once a subservient daughter-in-law, but she never complained. All she craved was her husband's affection, which she thought she had. However, she never realized that her husband was merely using her for his benefit. Rick initiated the divorce. Fuelled by rage and agony, Serena discards her submissive facade and returns to her family. She vows revenge on Rick for the pain he caused her.

When my wife's childhood friend's depression flared up again, she handed me divorce papers. I signed them without a fuss and told her I was leaving the country. She looked surprised, then seemed to figure it out. "So you're finally behaving? Realized your little tantrums won't work, so now you're trying something new to get me back? Fine. Go abroad. Stay out of Asher's sight so you don't trigger him. When he gets better, I'll come get you." I slipped off my wedding ring and handed it to her. My gaze fell to the jagged scar on my wrist. "No need," I said. "Let's just let each other go. Stop holding on."

My life was left behind in that church fire. When the flames broke out, Cersei lied to me and said Jaeren was still inside. I didn't hesitate. I rushed into the fire without a second thought, only to save my fiancé, Jaeren. Then Cersei shoved me into the flames. By the time Jaeren found us, he picked Cersei up and turned away. He never looked back at me. I was swallowed little by little by the smoke and fire. Later, I stumbled out of the fire alone, covered in soot from head to toe. Jaeren frowned, his face full of impatience. “I didn't take you out first, sure. But couldn't you just call yourself a cab?” “Be glad Cersei is unharmed. Even your death in that fire wouldn’t clear your fault.” He didn't know that I had already suffocated to death in the flames. The one who walked out of the ruins was nothing more than a body still breathing. I made a deal with the vampire in the church basement, trading away my love for Jaeren and every tear I had ever shed for him. In seven days, on the night of the full moon, I will open my eyes again in the dark as one of her kind. From then on, I will no longer be trapped by love. And I will never shed another tear for Jaeren.

Kate Rose had promised to help her friend Chloe to get a revenge on the man who cheated on her, but she doesn't even know how to start. Dark Louiz is a well-known playboy and cheated on many women. Kate Rose hated him since their first encounter. Her blood heated up when they'd seen each other again. She tried to talk and convinced him to stop being a playboy, but she was surprised when he told her that he would only stop being a playboy if she agreed to be his girlfriend. Will Kate Rose accepts what he wanted to happen? What will happen if she agreed with him? Will she be able to help her friend to get revenge or will it not happen because that promise for her friend Chloe might just be broken in the end? The course of their lives might possibly change forever.

Dante Valieri, the most sought-after mafia lawyer in New York, had just signed his own name on my divorce papers. But he had no idea. Because while he was signing them, his eyes never left Camille. The second Camille walked in, Dante had already looked up. He watched her disappear into the lounge before finally turning back to me. “What did I just sign?” “Nothing important. You never really look at the things I hand you anyway.” He started toward the lounge. “Next time, just send it to my phone. Don’t make a special trip.” As he closed the door behind him, I heard him say to Camille— “You came so early. I was worried I’d miss you.” And just like that, I was shut out on the other side of the door. You won’t miss anything anymore, Dante. In ten days, I’ll be going home. After that, no one will interrupt the two of you ever again.

Eva, the only daughter of King William, faces an enormous obstacle in her life when her father suddenly passes away. Her one true love Rick, abondons her and she becomes a standing joke in the entire nation which once worshipped her. To make the matters worse, she has to deal with her step mother, who not only treats her like a debris but is also greedy for wealth and power. Troy a young man, born with a silver spoon has suddenly been handed over the authority of the leading company, after his father's demise. Unlike Eva, he is least bothered about his positioning and is a typical brat and a casanova. He is Rick's childhood friend who catches Eva's eye. But what happens when Eva strikes a deal with Troy to become the royal son- in law for wealth, power and also to win over Rick's love? While Troy gets to silence his dying grandmother and tabloids, Eva gets to revenge her step mother and also win back Rick's love.

Emilia Monroe is treated no better than a slave by her family. She's despised by her father, abused by her stepsister, and branded a failure for never turning into a wolf since her eighteenth birthday like everyone else did. All she wants is freedom from her torment. But freedom becomes impossible when she crosses paths with Killian, the Silver Crest pack’s new alpha, a notorious and ruthless man. When a contest is held to choose his Luna, as his ascension demands and to cure his bloodlust, Emilia is forced to attend by her father to serve her stepsister, who is one of the contestants. However, destiny exposes her as Killian’s true mate. But the merciless alpha is hell-bent on not having a weakling like her as his Luna. The irresistible pull of their bond refuses to be severed, and one stolen night is all it takes for her to end up pregnant by him. However, when the truth of their bond becomes public, she is rejected and publicly humiliated by the alpha, and so Emilia flees in order to protect her baby. When she thinks she's finally free, the alpha learns of their child and he stops at nothing to have and claim her once more. But the big question remains; will Emilia choose to be a captive again, or will she stand up to Killian, despite the unresolved tension of their mate bond?

With a sharp gunshot, my husband of twenty years, Marcus De Luca, rushed in front of me and took the bullet for me. As he lay dying, he spoke gently. “Nerina, live well.” I held him in my arms. My tears kept falling as I pressed hard against the wound in his chest. But he only touched my hair. His eyes fell on Vivian’s body. “She’s dead. I have no reason to live either.” It felt like a bullet had gone through my head. All the blood in my body froze. “She suffered in Sicily for twenty years.” “She finally came back, and now she died in front of me.” “Please stay alive. Bury me with her.” “If there is another life, don’t let her go to Sicily in your place again.” “Please make us whole.” His hand fell. My world collapsed. When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in front of Marcus’s father. The old Don looked at me. “Your wedding with Marcus is set for three days from now.” I lifted my head and spoke calmly. “Marcus’s bride should not be me. It should be Vivian.” “As for Sicily, I’ll go.”