Shield Drawing

I'm at an auction with my mother-in-law, Agnes Bachert. She spots a breathtaking emerald necklace, and we end up winning it for 30 million dollars. The auctioneer signals for payment. To make things easier, Agnes suggests charging it to my father-in-law Otto Garrett's account. But just as she says this, a flashy middle-aged woman and a young woman storm over. The younger woman, Janette Saccone, grabs Agnes' arm while the middle-aged woman, Ruth Coleman, slaps her hard. "I knew something was off!" Ruth snarls. "You're a nasty old bitch for destroying my family and trying to seduce my husband! I hope you suffer!" I rush to shield Agnes. "Are you okay?" Ruth's sharp gaze snaps onto me when she hears me speak. "Your mother-in-law has no shame, throwing herself at rich men. And you're not even embarrassed for her?" I step in front of Agnes and tell Ruth that I'm married into the Garrett family, then demand to know who she is. Ruth gives me a cold, arrogant look. "Who am I? I'm Otto Garrett's legal wife—the one he married officially!" She gives me a look of pure contempt. "And who are you to question me?" Before I can say a single word, she pulls out her phone and dials a number. "Clement, my dear son, get to the auction house right now! Help me catch this homewrecker!" Clement Garrett? That's my husband. Since when does he have another mother?

As Jimmy investigates an abandoned car, he finds a journal that sheds light on a mystery from twenty years before. As he explores his memories he discovers the truth behind the city and the supernaturals who run it. ~~~ Inside of each of us is the darkness wanting out. But what if that darkness is the ending and the beginning of us all? The full moon hung like a ghost in the night sky as Yada overlooked the lights of the city below from her tenth-floor apartment. She studied the diamond twilight for over an hour before turning away--No longer able to stomach the sight. It had been nearly a month since she had been home, having stayed in the coven’s inner chambers since the city fell under siege to a rival house a little over three weeks ago. Over the years, the city had seen many battles for control of the streets. To date, the two bloodiest battles took place within the last fifteen years. The Badens orchestrated both attacks. Led by Darius, the Badens seemed hell-bent on ruling the city with little regard for the Michelsons. The Michelsons governed the streets for nearly two hundred years and were a formidable force. Led by Gabriel, the Michelsons protected the city, and it survived unscathed. The streets were free from the blood deals, which went unnoticed by the public eye, normally. However, this last battle proved more difficult to keep quiet. It had been an all-out war for control, drawing innocent people into the blood feud as the Badens raided the streets for warriors to fortify their numbers. The Michelsons retaliated through unusual ventures to keep the war silent.

The Rossi mafia family followed an ancestral rule. Before marriage, the heir received one chance each year to draw lots. Drawing a fortunate lot meant he could choose his own spouse and avoid an arranged marriage. Dante Rossi drew an unfortunate lot for five consecutive years, and I, who had been dating him for seven years, never managed to marry him. This year marked the sixth year. I overheard his conversation with Marco Valentino, the Underboss. "Mr. Rossi, you drew a fortunate lot again." Dante's voice carried an unprecedented coldness. "Same as always, switch it to an unfortunate lot." Marco hesitated, then tried to persuade him. "Mr. Rossi, you've switched it for five years straight. Aren't you worried Celia will leave? Celia's the most beautiful woman in Nopales. Half the men in the city are chasing her." Dante said with absolute certainty, "She won't. Celia loves me too much. She won't marry anyone else. "Years ago, Livia's father died saving me. His dying wish was for me to stay by her side for five years. After this year ends, I'll give Celia a grand wedding as compensation." My last shred of hope died after I heard those words. Dante probably did not know that the Rossi family had one final ancestral rule. If the heir failed to draw a fortunate lot six times, he would lose the right to choose his own marriage. Moreover, I would soon be marrying someone else.

A girl navigates a world she doesn't understand with only her soulmate to guide her through the perils of a foreign land. She meets him while free falling to planet Earth and has to gain his favour in order to save the entire planet from a fate worse than death! She tries her best to do everything she is told but eventually realises she has to use her own skills in order to create a world that is better for everyone..................................................................... "Once upon a time there was a girl. A very special girl with abilities no human being should have..... Chapter 1 'Most people's jobs are easy. The worst that can happen if you fail is you get fired, right? But on my first day I was told that if I failed in my duties, even just once, the world would end. I probably should have asked more questions at the time, but I was distracted by a pretty face.' The ticking of the click made the room feel emptier than it was. The clunky ticks and tocks echoed around the circular hall, bouncing off sleek walls and plastic enclosures. Those plastic screens were nine inches thick but reflected like sleek polished glass. Whether that shield of plastic was designed to keep him inside or keep everyone else out had never been explained to Maika. "You just sit and watch him," she had been told. That was the sum of her responsibilities. The entire explanation. "Sit in the outer ring. Use your enhanced focus. Don't take your eyes away from him for a second." "Him... Eigen."

"When I set my eyes on your beauty, I become like a vampire that is staring at blood." ~~ How about loving someone with great expectations that you will end up together with him but later on find out that fate has decided otherwise for you two? That he has to be a villain and you a hero? Lavina is very depressed when this happens to her but since a heartbreak doesn't mean the end of one's life, she decides to go on with her life. A life which is a cake with problems as a cream. A life in which her father makes a decision that makes his family a public enemy, every pack member wanting them dead and death remaining the only way out one could think of. At that critical moment, she meets Byron, a lycan who shields her out of kindness risking his only asset in life, his life. "You're my mate!" Byron whispers into her ears. Geez... They are mates trapped together in a swirl of hatred and mystries from centuries circling around them. Their packs have been rivals for a millenium. Only hatred towards each other was what their mothers breastfed them. 'If you find one of them kill him' was the motto that their fathers told them to learn by heart. Is he going to be her forever shield? Or he is going to turn his back against her leaving her inbetween the fangs of enraged wolves? What if Lavina finds out that Byron is the one who killed her twinsister? Will his protection still mean anything to her?

I married a man just hours after being abandoned at the altar. Now I’m staring at a stranger who calls me his wife. Sofie Davis never imagined her perfect wedding would end in ruin, her white dress soaked by rain, her dreams shattered at her feet. Left behind on a day meant to honor her late parents, Sofie is drowning in heartbreak when James Alexander Reed steps forward with an impossible offer: a contract marriage. James, a powerful and emotionally walled-off billionaire, has watched Sofie from afar, drawn to the sincerity and compassion that set her apart from the world he knows. For him, the proposal is a shield against the fortune-seekers orbiting his wealth and a chance to finally get close to the woman he’s never forgotten. For Sofie, it’s a desperate attempt to reclaim her dignity, rewrite the ending, and survive the public humiliation she never asked for. As their fragile arrangement begins to blur, Sofie’s fire and empathy chip away at James’s defenses, revealing a tenderness even he didn’t know he still possessed. But both carry wounds that run deep: grief, betrayal, and the quiet ache of loneliness masked by control. Their journey is messy, tender, and slow-burning. And when love finally demands more than convenience, Sofie and James must decide if what’s growing between them is worth the risk or if it’s safer to walk away before their hearts are fully exposed. Unbound Desires is a story of second chances, healing, and the kind of intimacy that only blossoms when two people dare to be truly seen.

Zelena spent her life as a punching bag—for her father’s fists, for her classmates’ cruelty. Survival was her only purpose… until he walked in. ~ Gunner is everything she shouldn’t dare to want: towering, devastatingly handsome, with piercing blue eyes that strip away her defenses. He shouldn’t have noticed her—a shadow in a world that had long since discarded her. Yet he sees her. Truly sees her. ~ But why? Why would a man like him risk everything to shield her from the darkness? As their connection deepens, Zelena uncovers a terrifying truth—one that forces her to question not just Gunner’s motives, but the very essence of what she is… ~ ************WARNING************ This title includes scenes of abuse, extreme violence, mutilation, bullying, torture, death and sexual activities. ********************************** Excerpt ********************************** “Mine” I growled lowly as I inserted my finger. I want to make this last. She was warm and moist, her skin soft and inviting. She put her arm over my back, digging her nails into my skin, she pulled me down so that my body was on top of her. “More” she whispered biting onto my earlobe. She tugged at my boxers pulling them down over my ass, I slid them down my legs to my ankles and kicked them off. My throbbing erection was pressed against her dripping s*x. I kissed her mouth rough and fast, taking her tongue in my mouth and giving her mine. “Are you ready?” I whispered...

BLURB:I had hate in my heart when I died. The Moon Goddess herself linked me to a guy who was meant to adore me, but he betrayed me. I was alive and complete five years ago when I opened my eyes once again. I vowed that this time would be different. My so-called fated mate, Darius Blackthorn, would never be allowed to come near me close enough to ruin me once again. Before he could attack, I would forge my own route, guard my heart, and discover the truth about his treachery. However, it seems that destiny is difficult to change. Killian Draven comes in. Perilous, enraged, and all too alluring, he makes me an offer: if I act like his mate, he would shield me from Darius. I shouldn't play that game since it would only lead to heartache. But the longer I'm in Killian's embrace, the more I question if my fate isn't bound to him. Darius then comes after me and says I've been duped and that the betrayal I believed I saw wasn't what it seemed to be. He is battling not just for me but also for our pack's future. And I am really shaken by the facts he exposes. Because if Darius wasn't the one who betrayed me, then who was it? And why does it seem like I could lose more than my heart in this second chance?

Wildlife biologist Marisol Vega's life implodes in a single day. Her fiancé confesses he's been cheating with her best friend, and her doctor delivers devastating news: severe endometriosis has left her nearly infertile. Heartbroken but determined, Marisol enrolls in an experimental fertility program, choosing to build her family alone using donor genetic material. What she doesn't know is that her donor, Kael Blackwood, is the last heir to a powerful werewolf pack. His donation was meant to preserve his endangered bloodline, but a catastrophic lab error places his sample with Marisol instead. The mistake carries consequences beyond medical negligence in werewolf lore, conception creates spiritual bonds that transcend biology. When Marisol begins experiencing vivid dreams, heightened senses, and an inexplicable pull toward a dangerous stranger, Kael appears with an impossible claim: the child is his, and ancient pack law grants him paternal rights. Marisol refuses to surrender the control she's fought so hard to reclaim, but she can't deny the primal connection drawing them together. As Marisol manifests wolf traits and enemies threaten her unborn child, she and Kael must navigate pack politics, prophecies, and their growing attraction. When a vengeful witch reveals she orchestrated everything cursing Marisol's fertility years ago and manipulating the clinic to create a hybrid child of unprecedented power—Marisol faces an impossible choice: maintain her hard-won independence or trust the alpha who's awakened both her desire and her dormant supernatural legacy.

When war broke out in Irestan, my fiancé, Everett Jones, caused a scene at the airport and refused to let the evacuation flight take off. He was determined to wait for his precious first love, Annie Scott, who had taken advantage of the chaos to loot a cosmetics counter for luxury goods. By then, the insurgent forces were already closing in. The shriek of explosions grew louder, drawing nearer by the second. With an entire plane full of people in mortal danger, I had no choice. I knocked Everett unconscious and dragged him aboard. After we returned home, far from the battlefield, we lived a period of quiet, comfortable happiness. I truly believed he had finally put that woman behind him. I was wrong. On our wedding day, he tied me up, drove me away, and deliberately crashed the car, killing me. As my life slipped away, I heard his twisted laughter. "Daniela, you're the one who killed my Annie. Because of you, she was killed by an insurgent missile. "She was just a young girl who liked to look pretty. What was so wrong with that? "This is what you owe her. I'm going to make you suffer far more than she ever did." When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the boarding gate, at the exact moment he blocked the plane. This time, I chose to grant his wish and let him stay behind with his beloved first love, together, forever.