Smoke Screen

Gina and I were just ordinary werewolves in the Silver Claw Pack. Our incomes were modest, but we married well. Her mate was the captain of the Silver Claw Pack patrol unit. Mine, the fire squad leader. They grew up together—childhood friends—and were the youngest golden duo in the Werewolf Alliance. On the day we married, our mates each bought us a luxury high-rise apartment on the top floor of the central castle, side by side, with the promise of sharing life and death together. That is, until that fateful night. Rogues broke into the central zone. Chaos reached even the upper levels of our building. The tower caught fire. Amidst the thick smoke, I sent a desperate mind-link to my mate. He blocked it. Turns out, both our mates were busy shielding their shared first love, Lifu. They ignored our calls for help. Gina dragged me as we ran. She was six months pregnant; her pup was already kicking from the panic. Her mate never showed up either. We made it to the stairwell, where we were trapped for five hours. Toxic fumes filled our lungs. I went into labor too early. My pup didn't make it. Gina bled for three days in the hospital. Her pup was gone too. Meanwhile, our mates were digging through the wreckage—twenty-four hours straight—searching for Lifu's lost dog. That was it. Right then and there, Gina and I looked at each other and knew. We were done.

Selene Davies was heartbroken when Sunny Dale humiliated and dumped her on her 20th birthday. She felt that she had done everything right in their relationship, and couldn’t tell where things went wrong. After all, she was raised by her mother to be a lady; prim and proper. That night, she gave in to her wildest desires and threw herself into the warm arms of Declan Grayson, the personification of wealth and power. Selene reckoned that there was nothing wrong with letting herself loose and having a great night. However, what if her fling wasn't just a decade older than her but also turned out to be her step-uncle? Well, he was nothing but a fling, no strings attached, or so she thought. Regret was an understatement when she learned that Declan didn't only take her first, but also publicized their affair. He portrayed her as a slut who gave sexual favors for a measly screen time. Now, she has the black market drug, ecstasy in her system, and when it’s effects kick in at random times, she either gets laid quickly or kicks the bucket. Who, or better still, what would be her medicine, when she has no man in her life? *** "Oh my God! Why does my head hurt so much? And my whole body also hurts like crazy. Ouch!!! Selene suddenly spotted a full-grown man lying beside her, “Hey, who the fu*k are you? And why are you in my bed?” Declan only smiled beautifully, a coy smirk lacing his lips. "Take a look around, sweetheart. You. Are. In. My. Bed!” His deep baritone voice sounded in her ear, stirring emotions she swore never to entertain again, or just maybe she never really felt that way before...

That year, during the Sicilian arms trafficking conflict, my lover of three years, Silvio, deliberately betrayed my transport routes at a critical moment in a deal with the rival "DiMarco" family, causing me to lose all my territory. He immediately defected to the DiMarco family's leader Marina, becoming her lover. As he left, he didn't even bother to disguise his betrayal, coldly tossing out, "What we had was just business, nothing personal." While I was burdened with my family's blood debts and pushed to the edge of a cliff, Lorenzo, who had secretly harbored feelings for me since childhood, found me and offered his family's entire fortune. "Isabella, don't be afraid. In my eyes, you'll always be Sicily's most formidable Queen of the Arms Trade," he said. He took the Colt pistol from my hand, and his voice was gentle yet resolute. Five years later, my power resurged. I was about to completely crush Marina's smuggling network and reclaim everything I had lost. My caporegimes, the captains of my organization, were ready and waiting for my command. But on the night before the operation, my weapons warehouse suddenly exploded, turning priceless arms into worthless scrap metal. I barely escaped through the thick smoke, my body covered in burns. In a secluded monastery, I overheard Lorenzo and Silvio whispering outside my door. "You really had the guts to blow up the arsenal. Weren't you afraid of blasting her to pieces too?" Silvio's voice carried a mocking tone. "If she died, just died. I've always loved Marina. If it weren't for that unlucky family marriage lottery five years ago, I wouldn't have had to endure this ugly bitch for all this time." Lorenzo's voice was ice-cold and unfamiliar. I closed my eyes, feeling like a dagger had pierced my chest. Explosion. Arranged marriage. Ugly bitch. So those five years of shared hardship were just his unwilling choice after losing a high-stakes gamble. "I married her to keep watch. If it weren't for me paving

They say fire is cleansing, a transformative type of destruction. After a forest fire, nature heals and grows stronger. It's forever changed but not destroyed. Fire is painful but beautiful, something that is warm but left unattended can be devastating. In the flames I was broken, destroyed, but in the ashes I was restored. Left floating in the grey, the smoke that led me through a divine transformation. Now I'm left adrift, the dark my only guide in the smoke, the blue of the sky, of his eyes, the only guide in the light. Forever torn and pulled between the two, unsure who I can trust and terrified to make the wrong choice. Not just my life hangs in the balance, but the lives and well being of all of humanity. It just might be too much for these wings to bare.

This is a BadBoy Billionaire series novel. Book 1: This story is about a two characters in a contract marriage... A simple girl from a humble background! A bad boy billionaire with a scandalized réputation ! They come together to play the 'It' couple but it's all just pretend, smoke and mirrors... Zeke hates the word love, thinks it's naive and deadly. While Blair thinks love is everything in the world, now she's supposed to pretend not to be in love with the man she's actually in love with? Book 2- The Greek’s Marriage Proposal. Blurb She was never his! She was his late brother's fiancee, But he had always desired and lusted after her from the day she was introduced, he has no idea why those green eyes sets ablaze a forbidden fire in him! He wonders if she felt the same way too! And now that one forbidden night between them seems to be the start of a road trip to consequences and guilt! Zion Zephyr Vasilakis is the eldest son of the Vasilakis wealth not the favorite of course! That title belongs to his twin brother Hermes Vasilakis! His parents favourite, the son they doted on the one they made him be responsible for! Hermes is like a bird while Zion was raised to be the fence around the building Hermes shouldn't fly out of. Now his brother’s fiancée is pregnant for him and that might just be the most ludicrous thing that might just happen to him! Now they are stuck together with a binding marriage proposal, Hermes parents believe the child belongs to their dear son! Could they risk the truth from coming out? Can they handle the backlash! The shock? Or the scandal!

•She ain't a good girl! She is the girl you don't want to mess with! ________ •He is a loved good guy in this world of hyped-up bad boys! Unless! Unless! You cross her way for the bad girl has wrapped the good guy around her little finger and makes him sin! BUT!!! •What happens when the trust is broken? '''The magical spell of euphoria is distorted and piercing pieces of betrayal unfurls making you bleed.''' __________ "Addiction is fucking heart-wrenching!" She stated taking a long drag of the cigarette which was held in between her lips. Then she blew out the smoke and jumped on the bonnet of the car. "Put this away then!" He raised his finger towards the cigarette. "Not this," she affirmed inhaling nicotine once again. "It's addiction is helpful to drown all other horrifying addictions." A pregnant pause engulfed them. The only sound was the whispering of wind with the shedding leaves of trees. The autumn had prevailed the green life likewise their souls were also shedding off its color, painfully. Agonizingly slow. "I'm always here for you!" He whispered. "I know!" Under the faint moonlight her self-pitying smile could be seen. "Besides these drugs you are the only one who is here for me." He did not say anything back for he knew she won't reply now. He too sat on the bonnet and taking the cigarette from her he inhaled the smoke. ___________ Find who the enigmatic warrior is or is that you?

When my body is engulfed in flames, my firefighter father is watching a new movie with my sister. My mother is baking them a cake. I hear laughter in the living room, and I can smell the caramel popcorn in the kitchen. Today is my family's weekly family day—it's a day for my sister and parents to be with each other. The doorbell rings, and the perpetrator gives me a chance to ask for help. My limbs are bound, and stones fill my mouth. I stand at the door and desperately wait for my parents to open it. They don't get up. Instead, they sit on either side of my sister and hug her. "We promised you we'll only be with you on our family days. No one can disturb us." "What if it's Danica?" Ravenna Sutton, my sister, asks. "Her? She hasn't answered her phone in days—who knows where she's off being wild? I'll think of her as dead if she still doesn't return tomorrow!" Ravenna giggles. Mom feeds her some popcorn, and Dad discusses the movie's plot with her. The perpetrator drags me back upstairs and laughs mockingly in my ear. "Looks like I did something unnecessary. They genuinely don't care about you." Smoke permeates every corner upstairs, and the flames start to lick at my body. Mom and Dad protect Ravenna as they run downstairs. They have no idea their birth daughter is screaming in pain amid the blazing fire.

After running into something she shouldn't have, Clare finds out that she is not who she thinks she is. But then, who is she?. Join Clare on a journey of finding her true self. The Magna Poen of the Endowed: Golden for the birth of crown Red for bringing up the dawn Niveus for the day of rebirth Blue to bring the magic down White for when one is wilted down Scarlet when the hunt is back again Silver blades rise on victory march Love will patch our tattered hearts Smoke on the summon of spirits you choose Black coffins when endowed are buried down Happiness when the lost returns No forbearance for the illicit affairs Lapis Patera when the pure blades rise Nigros for slaughter of the demonic souls Taç for the pure and just reign.

“You should end things with him.” A husky deep voice echoes from the darkness. I freeze in place, his thick Russian accent sent shivers down my spine. I could only make out his large form from the dim lights of the smoking area. “H-how long have you been standing there?” I shivered, not from the cold but from an unsettling feeling. He chuckles richly causing my heart rate to quicken as I watch a small flicker of light before smoke puffs out into the air. “Go inside, krasotka it’s too cold for that little dress of yours...” ******** Josephine Beaumont would’ve never imagined that working as a personal nurse for a wealthy French businessman would entangle her into a deadly web of mafia rivalries. Struggling with financial issues and a toxic relationship, she catches the attention of the dangerous and ruthless Russian pakhan, Sasha Romanov and a deep dark obsession brews takes root in his heart. He stalks her every move with burning desire and manipulates their meeting in the pretense of fate, pulling her into the dangerous dark world of the mafia. Delve into this dark, steamy mafia romance filled with obsession, power, and high-stakes danger, BRATVA'S OBSESSION will leave you breathless and craving more.

           Méah, teenage a girl who lived a rough life in fear and seclusion, was blamed and being hunted down for all the bad luck that happened to their village. While fleeing from the angry fellow villlagers who want her dead, she just found herself far away from home. Unfortunately, things in the outside world was worse than she expected. Only then she found out that she was being controlled by Purple Smoke, a powerful, cunning demon of an unknown origin behind the murders that she committed, all for the sake to achieve immortality. Despite knowing that she is the heir of destruction, this didn't stop her from believing that there was still 'good' in her. And so she decided switch to the good side and follow a righteous path. She indeed became one but it came with a price not only to bet her own life on the line but also go against the person that she holds dearly in her heart, who also had an identity of his own and a duty to fulfill–to protect the world from her. However, a shocking truth was suddenly revealed and her fate was much more twisted than she had known it, unveiling more hidden mysteries about her existence...