Slow Burn

"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?

"Tell me, Mr Blue. Was it worth it? Is it worth it? Will it be worth it?" It wasn't and it never will be. Not in Erin's eyes tinted blue. Not in the eyes of the hopeless young man doomed to the clutches of fate; doomed to eternal pain. Did beauty lie between the cracks of fate? Does the Moon know of the Sun who died every night to let the Moon breathe? Erin, a poor, hospital bound boy just wants to be like everyone else, to love someone. Every day, he escapes to the virtual world with his wings of freedom, creating his own reality where things goes the way he wants. That world gave him a real, painless body, with infinite possibilities. Life got that much harder when, Uriel, a rich boy enters this realm and steals Erin’s world. The man who says the ugliest of words with the smoothest of tones. Does he help Erin, or dig him deeper? OR Erin wanted love and got pain instead. Things changed, and so did Uriel. INCLUDES: futuristic virtual reality, Persian mythology (minor), romance, sci-fi, slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers, rich/poor dynamic, mythology, distance, cold families, battles, quests, stars and moon metaphor. WARNING: includes mentions of depression, swearing, and sexually explicit content.

Nine years into my "non-cohabiting partnership" with Simon, his father passed away. The first condition in his will was simple: Simon and Ella had to conceive a child. On the day the child turned one month old, Simon would inherit his father's fortune. Simon told me this himself—the night I walked in on them tangled in our bed. Afterward, as he took a slow drag from his cigarette, he murmured, "Lily, just wait a little longer. Once I get the inheritance, I'll marry you." But he went back on his word. From then on, every time Simon planned to meet Ella at our house, he would hang a string of bells on the door. Since his father's passing, those bells had chimed ninety-nine times. After the ninety-ninth, the news arrived—Ella was pregnant, and their engagement party was set. My daughter saw the invitation, hesitated, then softly asked, "Mom, is Daddy's name on this?" I forced a smile and gently smoothed her messy hair into a neat ponytail. "Daddy is marrying the one he loves," I said. "And I'm taking you home." Simon never understood—I never cared about that marriage certificate.

Vega Romeo is the live life, screw the rest type of girl. she is pretty content to just go with the flow until she is dared by her best friend to join in on a bet to make Zach Dante hers. Vega sees Zach Dante as a playboy with no feelings and so she agrees to play him. Vega would do anything to win, even if it meant hurting the one she's come to love. Competing against the other girls is not a walk in the park but Vega had already invested a lot to stop. Except lying came with consequences. And those consequences are more than she expected. But what happens in the past stays in the past right? That might be what Vega thinks, but it is not the same for Zach who bore most of the burn of the scandal. With bitterness In his heart, Zach bids his time in plotting his revenge and after five years, he's back. He's back and he wants nothing more than to destroy the woman who shattered his heart.

"W-wife?" “its okay to see me and treat me like trash,I’ve lived with that knowledge for years. Even if you hate my presence so much, why do you want to marry me off to some guy I didn’t know existed until this moment?’’ Camila couldn't fathom marrying at such a young age. "I can't believe you're going to make me marry someone like her," Leonardo muttered to his father, his voice dripping with contempt. "She's nothing more than a child. Just look at her, she looks like she’ll break any moment from now. And for God’s sake she looks naive" With Leonardo storming out in anger, the atmosphere grew tense. "Why do you and Mom hate me so much?" Camila cried out, her tears flowing freely. "You've locked me away in the back house for years, and now you're forcing me into marriage without my consent!" .................>>>>> Camilla's sole desire has always been to experience love and receive fair treatment from her family. However, her world takes a drastic turn when her family arranges a marriage with the seemingly uninterested and arrogantly indifferent Leonardo. Will they defy the odds and make their marriage work, or will they ultimately conclude that the endeavor isn't worth the struggle? Embark on a journey with Camilla and Leonardo . p.s one of this book's trope is slow burn romance

Tika They delivered me to him on a silver platter. Four years ago I was an ordinary girl with a privileged life. After killing the only family I have left, they call this my penance. As I watch the man they call a monster from underneath my lashes, the handcuffs burn on my wrist. The orange jump suit makes sweat drip down my ample bosom as he growls at me. “Mate” he roars. The others around us freeze as we are lead in line. His eyes never leave me as he gives orders while others call him Alpha. With a snap of his fingers I watch as one of his men shreds himself apart to turn into a hideous beast. As I meet his golden gaze and my world starts to tilt, only one thing is clear. I just became the prisoner of a monster. ~ Xander When I imagined my mate, I saw a woman of strength and great beauty. When I met her eyes for the first time she wasn’t in chains. She wasn’t a prisoner facing persecution for a crime. I find the sweet scent of her to be contradicting. The way my cock hardens behind my robe as she looks at me from underneath her lashes, lets me know that she is a very bad girl indeed. In that moment I decided, since I always bring out the best in people…..this time, I want to bring out the worst.

Hunter, Vampire, Witch, Werewolf. Mateo took a step back when he heard a beat. A loud beat coming from his heart. He gasped and lifted his right hand to his chest. He felt it! He felt his dead heart beating back alive! How long has it been? 500 decades? No. 1000 decades? No. It has been 2000 decades since he was born with a dead heart. A chuckle came out from his mouth and then he erupted into a burst of laughter with tears running down his face. Oh! How he waited for this day! It took him a few minutes to calm down before he looks up from the floor. He took a slow step towards the cold-eyed enchantress in front of him. The seductive figure was the one who had been busy slaughtering a few of his clans. He stopped in front of her and bent down to her ears. “Mates, you’re mine!”

**He was her dream. Now he’s her nightmare.** Madeleine never forgot the man from the gardens. Five years ago, Dom was her fleeting escape. A quiet, thoughtful soul who saw her as more than just a girl in a convent. They whispered dreams under the moonlight, shared stolen moments that meant nothing and everything. Then he vanished, leaving her questioning everything. Now, trapped in the world she swore she’d never belong to, she comes face-to-face with the man who once made her believe in something pure. But Dom doesn’t exist. In his place stands Rafael Andoletti. A ruthless mafia don who rules with fear. A man whispered about in the darkest corners of the city. The man who just forced her to drink poison in a room full of criminals. At first, she’s just another threat to him. A would-be assassin. Then he remembers her, and he spares her life. Rafael never wanted this life. He was forced into this world of darkness, but seeing Madeleine ignites one undeniable truth. He’ll never let her go. She’s horrified by the monster he became. He’s consumed by the woman who gives him a glimpse of the man he could have been. She wants to run. He won’t allow it. Because she was always meant to be his… and Rafael is ready to burn the world down to keep her.

Fairytales don't exist; there is no such thing as happy endings, not for Thomas Evergreen. He witnessed too much death at a young age for that. How could he dream of sunshine and rainbows when all he saw was the blood of innocents tainting the world around him? Thomas lived through nightmares most couldn't begin to imagine. The memories of his past always followed him wherever he went, and if he managed to push them from his mind, the scars on his body made him remember just how cruel the fates truly were. No, for Thomas, he was a dead man walking, numb to the outside world. His only mission now was to keep his wolf in check and prevent anyone from meeting their untimely demise by pissing him off. He had gained a small piece of control in his life; he had finally found a sliver of calm amongst all the chaos. But all of that is about to change. Fate was coming once more, and this time she brought betrayals, lies, and one stubborn she-wolf that would push him past his breaking point. Will Thomas survive the new trials thrown his way? Or would he crash burn, taking everyone he ever cared about with him?

I've been in love for six years, but my wedding has been called off 99 times by the man who claims to love me most, the mafia boss, Daniel Reed. The first time is on a private island off the coast of Sorellia. He promises me a secret wedding. But an hour before the ceremony, he gets a call saying that his new assistant, Emily Jennings, has been taken by a rival family. Without a word, he leaves me behind and sails off into the night. The second time, we're standing at the altar, exchanging vows. His underboss then leans in and whispers, "Emily's in trouble." Daniel tears off his boutonniere and walks out without looking back. Emily has been kidnapped again—this time, near the border district. He leads an armed raid that very night while I'm left behind, becoming the laughingstock in the mafia's VIP lounges. No matter when I schedule the wedding, Emily always ends up in danger. And Daniel always runs to her without hesitation. Eventually, I realize I will never win against the reckless Gen Z assistant who constantly drags him into chaos. After the 99th cancellation, I decide to break up with him and disappear from Valemont. I move out overnight, erase every trace of myself, leaving nothing behind. But I never expect him to go completely mad. He shuts down the ports, searches every villa, and unleashes his entire family's intelligence network just to find me. His eyes burn red like a wild animal on the edge of collapse. "Elara," he growls, "just give me one more chance."