Smoke And Steel

He came for blood. He stayed for the enigmatic boy on stage. Lucian Moreau is the cold, calculated heir to Europe’s deadliest crime empire. Sent to Barcelona to smoke out traitors, he never expected him—Jace, the hypnotic stripper with bruised eyes, a knife-sharp mouth, and a body made to tempt devils.

On the wet sand beside the seashore, the strong, tall man was laying with a cigarette in his hand. His bike parked a few feet away from him. The environment there was serene and noiseless as no one was allowed then on the beach that he owned. It was not a big deal for a billionaire like him. He had a lot more than that. Wealth, power, the respect he had all of them but lacked the most important thing that couldn't be bought with money. He lacked inner peace. He inhaled the vinous smoke as the corner of his lips twitched in a sad smile. His eyes deceived him being moist and a lone tear slipped down his face on the sand. The sand sucked the water as soon as it fell on it, and he wondered if his pain disappeared in thin air like that. He breathed out a puff of smoke through his nose and mouth. Looking up at the sky with the sad smile plastered on his face he spoke up, "Why so hatred for me, ya Rab?" Miles away from him the girl with a cuddling baby in her arms uttered looking up at the sky, "I express my deep gratitude to You for sending this angel to me, Ya Rab."

The darkest corners of the world hold the secrets the leaders want you to forget. Deep inside a cabin covered with moss and shadows, those secrets are not yet forgotten. Under the moon, light glistens off of shining stones lining the porch and bundles of herbs drying from the rafters. Candlelight emanates from the interior and warmth surrounds the occupant. Inside this cabin was a forrest witch who was chanting a spell as she added herbs to a small caldron. Smoke rises and electricity fills the room. Her raven hair started to rise and the smoke turned glowing green. Leaves outside the cabin started swirling in the air raising around the cabin forming a circle. “None may find me where I reside, safe in the forrest this witch hides. Safe from the evil doers and safe from their men. None may ever find me again.” Cold. Like ice from an iceberg, his skin molded smoothly across his frame. The envelop in his hands was sealed by the Elder Lords sigil pressed into blood red wax. Slipping his long pale finger, breaking the seal, one word was inside. “Urgente.” His particular talents were once again needed.

It happened on Thanksgiving Day. I was on my way to my girlfriend's house when a car slammed straight into mine. The road was deserted, not a single person was around. The doors were jammed shut from the impact, and flames were licking toward the engine. I fumbled for the safety hammer, only to find that someone had replaced it with a toy hammer shaped like a cartoon bear. Panicking, I called my girlfriend. But before she could even pick up, her ringtone started playing from the car that had just hit me. Luna Hill stepped out, hand in hand with her childhood sweetheart, Julian Ford. Julian put on a show of alarm. "Oh no, I'm such an idiot! My first time driving, and I already hit a car." When Luna saw that it was me in the crushed car, she quickly tried to calm him down. "It's fine. He probably did it on purpose." I pounded on the window, shouting for her. "Luna, the safety hammer's been switched out! Please, help me get out!" Julian burst into a grin. "Sebastian, that was me! The little bear hammer's adorable, isn't it?" Luna's face twisted in disgust. "You're fine. Stop being dramatic. Figure it out yourself." Thick smoke was billowing inside the car, and it was about to explode. I begged her to get me out. Julian chuckled. "Sebastian, are you cooking in there or what? That smoke's killing me!" He patted his stomach and said with a laugh, "Man, I'm starving. Luna, let's go home and eat." Luna hooked her arm through his and tossed a parting line over her shoulder. "Enough already. My parents are waiting for us to start dinner." Just as I was about to pass out from the smoke, I slammed my hand on the car's emergency button.

 Adopted by her father after her mother's death, Elena Woods was taken in by her father's legitimate family. A family who made it clear to her that she wasn't wanted. Circumstances led her to marry into one of the wealthiest families in New York City. After a few years of being married, Elena and her stepsister, Alana, were involved in a ghastly boat crash, and only one of the two sisters survived.  A woman comes into Lawrence's mansion two years after the accident.   It’s now left to Raymond, who is the overpampered heir to Lawrence Steel, to find out if the lookalike who just walked in or the woman he has been living with is his wife.   Which of the two sisters is the wife of the successor to Lawrence Steel?   Discover the answers in this amazing book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Alana Steel, CEO of Steel hotels and the only heir to her parents' fortune, crosses paths one day with the most infamous playboy, Raymond Dalton. Raymond is the firstborn to his family and next in line to take over his family's company. However, they won't allow him to unless he gets married. When Alana's parents asks her to marry her ex-boyfriend, who broke her heart and trust, in a moment of desperation, she finds herself next to the playboy who was just as desperate as her. During their conversation, they find a solution that serves them both. One year of fake marriage that will help them both get what they want; Alana will get her parents off her back, and Raymond will get his parents fortune. But what happens when one of them can no longer control their feelings for the other?

Alicia Smoke, an heiress to the Smoke enterprises, is arranged to be married to her father's business ally's son, Stephen Herald. On her wedding day, she catches a glimpse of how her loveless marriage will be when she hears her elder sister fighting with her husband, who was arranged as well. Determined to forfeit such a fate, Alicia takes off, leaving Stephen stranded on the altar. Luckily, she comes across a group of ladies who were supposedly going to a party and she ditches her wedding gown and joins them. It wasn't until they arrived at the venue that she figured out her newfound friends were hookers. But it was a little too late to turn back for the private premises they were in were only accessible to a few and she could only leave when the rest of the ladies were leaving.  And then she bumps into Theodore Cavill. The 25-year-old virgin nerd and the birthday boy. He assumes she is a hooker and Alicia doesn't bother correcting him. She just craves one night of freedom before her family finds her because she is sure they will. After one really great night, Alicia disappears leaving no trace but a huge bloodstain on Theodore's bedsheets. Until she discovers she conceived for the sexy stranger, Theodore Cavill.

My daughter has been kidnapped, and the kidnapper is asking for five million dollars as ransom. I can just about scrounge the money together, but the kidnapper makes it clear that he wants a life in exchange for my daughter's. He'll take the money and kill the person who brings it to him. I smoke throughout the night, my eyes bloodshot as I try to think of something. Then, I fix my gaze on my mother, who is now senile and insane.

People say I have the face of a greek god and a personality of a gentlemen. But trust me when I say, I also have a heart of steel and a mindset of a psycho. That's why when you see me, don't fall for my looks, just run. I, might just kill you.

Sad, alone, and broken. Aurora is an orphan and a week away from her 19th birthday. Happy and terrified as it will be the beginning of the end. Saved by an unlikely stranger she takes a chance to learn the truth about her world, and all the beings in it. Making the biggest choice of her life, she jumps in with both feet! Finally happy in her new life, terror ensues as her worst nightmares are realized. When the smoke clears there is an even bigger catastrophe and she must figure out how to save everyone!