Spine Crackers

I despised Dante Moretti long before he slid that ring onto my finger. Arrogant. Controlling. The kind of boss who could ruin my day with a single clipped order. I hated the way he spoke to me. I hated the way he watched me more. But walking into my hometown with his ring and watching my ex-husband’s face drain of color felt wickedly perfect. The elders wanted to see real love before selling their land. So Dante and I lied. We played the sweet couple. Except Dante didn’t touch me like a man pretending. At the Christmas market, his hand slid down my spine and stopped right where it shouldn’t. At dinner, he whispered against my ear, “If he’s watching, spread your legs a little. Let him see who owns you now.” I should have slapped him. Instead, my body answered him before I could breathe. He kissed my temple too slow and held my waist too tight. When the lights dimmed, he murmured, “Open for me.” “Keep your eyes on me.” “I want you shaking for me, not for him.” Somewhere between hating him and wanting him to wreck me, everything blurred. Because the man who barked orders in boardrooms had me whispering his name in the dark, Christmas lights flickering over his bare shoulders while he swallowed every sound I made. My ex wanted me broken. Dante wanted me ruined, but only beneath him. And the worst part was how easily I let him. Santa didn’t bring me a miracle. He gave me a sin in a three piece suit and I tore the wrapping off with trembling hands.

His dark eyes raked her body from head to toe as if he was sizing her up and a terrifying chill ran down her spine when the corner of his lips tilted up in an ominous smirk. The beast of a man leaned closer as his nose trailed her neck, he inhaled her scent deeply and then hummed in ecstasy. "Your scent drives me wild, Jewel." He rasped. His fingers twirled with her strand as she tried to control the wild trembling of her body. "I want to claim you so f*cking badly. Everything of yours drives me insane, my wife.”He grunted in a low rasp. His dark stormy eyes glided over her beautiful features before peering adoringly at her quivering brims. The rough pad of his thumb felt the softness of her lips. "I want to drill it inside your head, that…” He grasped a fist full of her hair and yanked her head back making her gasp as her fear-filled eyes clashed with his sinister hues. "You're mine, Evelyn. Body, soul, and heart. All mine!” He growled like a deranged beast robbing her of her breath as terror gripped her soul. *** Evelyn Brown. A sweet 20-year-old girl. Her life revolves around her elder brother who is her only family. She has a dream for which she is working hard. But everything would tumble down in her life when her path would collide with a ruthless man. Axel Knight. A 26-year-old, merciless, and cruel billionaire. For him money and power is everything. The only thing he ever cares for is his family. For the world, he was a successful cold bachelor but the truth is he is the vicious Alpha, who is hell-bent on ruining Evelyn's life. But little did they know. Fate has its plans.

"He drags me from wall to table to wall again, like he can’t decide which surface deserves this. Wood bites my spine, the table squeals... His hands are everywhere, rough, greedy, feral. He palms my throat, my jaw, my hips. He fists a hand in my hair and angles my mouth... The kiss is vicious. He grinds me open with it... 'Kneel,' he says. The command is a shove under the skin. My legs fold. It’s humiliating how fast I go and how much I love myself for it." He owns my mouth. My body. My fucking soul. But I never said he could have my heart. Eli’s been chained before and it damn near killed him. So when he’s caught running through Blackthorn pack lands by Ronan Vale, the savage Alpha of Blackthorn, he's horrified when the brute marks and claims him. But Ronan doesn’t just bite. He binds. With ropes, with rules, with a voice that makes Eli's knees go weak and a touch that turns resistance into hunger. The bond between them is feral. And Eli hates how much he wants it, how much he wants Ronan, even when he has him spread out and shaking, marked and owned, begging to be filled so he’ll stop feeling empty. Eli swore no one would ever own him again. Then came the Alpha whose bond feels like a brand and a promise all at once. He hates how much he wants it. Ronan’s voice. Ronan’s hands. Ronan’s brutal, worshipful need. This isn’t love, it’s obsession. And Eli is afraid that he's starting to like it.

The darkness in his eyes, the dangerous smell of in his breath, and his deathly grip keeping me bound to him made my heart pound in my chest and my body quiver beneath him. Shamefully, it wasn't anything that I wasn't used to, because…the things I let him do to me? When he was frustrated, annoyed, and angry at the world, I was here to be his pound of flesh. In return, he masked the void of my loneliness because for months, that was the transaction of our relationship. He'd pin me to the wall, bend me over the counter, pull my hair, slap me, choke me, and I enjoyed every second of it because in that moment, it finally felt good to be powerless. Irony is a funny thing. I enjoyed being in pain because it made me forget how much I was hurting. *** "I warned you, doll." His voice strikes a string of chills down the base of my spine, a reminder that all of the time in the world could pass, and he's still not letting go. This is where the good girl in me dies. "You're mine now," he whispers. *** My name is Mercy—Mercy Carter. I went to college. Got myself a useless Bachelor of Science in Mathematics degree. His name is Marcel—Marcello Saldívar. However, at the time, I didn't know that he, the heir to the Saldívar Mafia empire, was the man that I had blindly offered myself to. As smart as I am, I was stupid all the times when it actually mattered. After all, he did warn me he was dangerous. I just didn't think he could be much worse than my thug brother. I was vulnerable—naive. I belong to him. My name is Mercy, and I am the Mafia's Mercy.

He left me there, naked and clamped my body exposed and vulnerable. The cold, dimly lit room terrified me; when I struggled against restraints, the metal biting into my wrists. The minutes stretched into hours, each passing moment filled with a mix of fear and anticipation. Where I was now? Where was my savior, my father? I did all this for him, I deceived Aris, let him suffer but now I was suffering. After what felt like an eternity, the heavy door creaked open once again, revealing his imposing figure. He entered the room, his eyes fixed on me, a mix of dominance and control emanating from his every move. His presence alone sent shivers down my spine, a reminder of my helpless state. He approached me slowly, a wicked smile playing on his lips. His intention was clear - to punish me and assert his authority. With each step, he exuded power, his confidence unwavering. He strode forward and grabbed me by the face, his grip like iron. “Don’t you know when master enters what should a slave to do?” He demanded an answer. I could see the rage in his eyes and I felt my own anger rising. As he tightened his grip, I spat in his face. This was sudden and unintentionally. His color changed in rage. I knew I did a mistake, a horrible mistake. - Lord Aris, a ruthless and cruel Mafia king, he just want one thing in his life, that was revenge. Emma William, a beautiful girl, is sold by her fiancé to cruel Mafia king ‘Aris Johnson’, who actually wants to take revenge on her by enslaving her. But what will happen when his revenge turns into his obsession? Will he fall for her? Will he able to keep her?

"Sign it." He said, stretching out the file. "I'm not going to sign that paper, Carlton." I felt vulnerable and scared. I turned to Carlton, and his eyes just cut right through me. Instantly, a huge lump formed in my throat. "I... I... don't..." Carlton's expression suddenly softened. He sat next to me and reached out to cup my chin gently. I felt a shiver run down my spine as his hand brushed against my skin. "I'm not going to hurt you or anything, I just need this. I won't use it against you." He said gently. I hesitated for a moment, staring into his eyes before I took the pen and file from him with trembling fingers. I signed where necessary and gave it back to him. He stood, kissed the top of my head, and head for the door, but stopped in front of my wardrobe, where the lingerie he had ordered to be brought to my room was. His eyes fell back on me, his lips thinning into a line. "That's the only relationship we have now, Good night, Samantha." He said and closed the door. What? ************* When tragedy strikes, Samantha Jones's life is turned upside down. Forced to drop out of high school and take on a secret life as a stripper, she's desperate for a way out. Her desperate life takes a drastic turn when she's propositioned by billionaire Carlton Williams - MARRY ME, AND I'LL GIVE YOU THE WORLD. But there's a catch: he's only using her to secure his inheritance Samantha's willing to do whatever it takes to provide for her sister, even if it means being a pawn in Carlton's game. Will their arrangement ignite into something more, or will the secrets and lies tear them apart? Find out.

EXCERPT "Got you." His voice echoed above my head sending goosebumps up my spine as he pinned my wrist above my head. My pulse sped up as a traitorous and familiar heat began to appear between my legs. As if sensing the effect he had on me, his smirk widened, a devious glint appearing his his cold blue eyes. I shivered as I stared into those blue orbs that no longer held any warm affection. All that it held was raw hunger and an intense desire to possess that made me want to run. He was different. He was very dangerous. "Run again," he growled, thumb tracing the scar on my wrist—the one he’d kissed better a lifetime ago. "And I’ll chain you to my bed in the name of the man who owns you. "I’m not yours—" The rest of my words died down as he crushed his mouth to mine. His kiss wasn’t gentle—it was rough and held a lot of anger. I hated how my knees buckled. How my hands fisted in his shirt instead of shoving him away. BLURB Elena was wolfless. She was scorned, bullied, and named a jinx. She had accepted her fate and thought that she would be alone forever. Then he came. The Alpha King’s son. . He cut through her defenses and loved her like no one else did. Their bond grew stronger than any other every day, but good things never last. Dark secrets begin to get unlocked. Secrets that threaten to destroy Elena and everything that she is. Worse still, all those weapons in the form of secrets are closely related to her mate. Love turned to hate. Passion turned to fury. Will their bond, which once stood so firmly, stand the test of fate?

“Get on your knees, my little pet," Jerome growled, his voice rough with command. His fingers tangled in my hair, guiding me down as my pulse roared in my ears. The heat of his body pressed closer, and I trembled not from fear, but from the dark thrill of surrender. "Show me how hungry you are." Rachel is a college senior studying art and design, and her life feels dull and uninspiring. She has been dating Jack since freshman year, but their relationship is lukewarm he doesn’t ignore her, but he doesn’t truly care about her either, especially since he’s always eyeing her best friend, Jessica. Rachel feels stuck in a routine, going through the motions without any real passion until everything changes when her drawing teacher gets into an accident. The school brings in a substitute Jerome, a young, breathtakingly attractive artist who immediately commands the room. Rachel tries to ignore the way her body reacts to him, but the pull is too strong. His gaze lingers on her a second too long, his voice sends shivers down her spine, and when he gets close, she can’t think straight. She knows it’s wrong teachers and students can’t be together but she can’t resist. Then she discovers Jerome’s secret he’s a werewolf, part of a powerful pack with three other dangerously seductive men Dante, Kade, and Elias. They’ve been watching her, waiting, and now that she’s near Jerome, their instincts take over. They growl, they claim, and Rachel, despite her fear, finds herself drawn deeper into their world. Drawn into a world of forbidden desire, Rachel surrenders to a passionate affair.

Bella’s life takes a dark turn when her father’s debt to the Jacksons falls on her shoulders, and the price is paid in blood. Lucas, one of the Jackson brothers, steps in, claiming her as his wife to save her. But before the wedding, Bella finds herself drawn to Damon, Lucas’s enigmatic brother. The ceremony shatters when gunfire erupts, leaving Lucas critically wounded. As he lies in a coma, Bella and Damon grow closer, crossing a line they can’t undo. When Lucas finally wakes up, shaken by his brush with death, he pleads for a chance to make their marriage work. Damon, however, drops the bomb about their affair. Lucas whisks Bella away, determined to salvage what’s left, but secrets and unfinished business loom. Will Damon fight for her, or will Lucas prove he’s the one who can truly win her heart? While traveling through Europe, Lucas discovers Bella is pregnant, with Damon’s child. It’s a gut punch, but he decides he’s got to step up if he’s going to keep her. Just as things start looking up for them, life throws another curveball. A freak accident sends them tumbling down a flight of stairs, Bella breaks her leg, and Lucas fractures his spine, leaving him wheelchair bound. Determined to see him recover, Bella throws herself into rehabilitating him while secretly using her father’s hidden Swiss funds to build a company. Back in America, the family drama kicks into high gear. Bella’s accused of shoving Lucas down the stairs to get rid of him, because, of course, she’d risk breaking her own leg for that. Damon’s met with a version of Bella he doesn’t recognize, convinced she’s only staying with Lucas out of pity.

“What's done is done! Let's just forget it!” He said and acted nonchalantly, even though he was cowering in fear because something was telling him that the stranger in front of him didn't intend to let go. The man's frown increases and Hayden swears that the temperature in the room increases multiple times. After winning over his heart and stealing his first, this boy wanted to avoid responsibility, which made Zenos annoyed. “You want to run away from me?” He asked in annoyance, and suddenly Hayden found himself under the man without even knowing how. “I'm just…” Hayden wasn't able to finish his words before he was domineeringly kissed by the stranger. Zenos used his left hand to pin Hayden's hand on top of Hayden's head effortlessly. Hayden tried to struggle and blocked the stranger's tongue from dominating his mouth by pressing his lips against each other stubbornly, but the man unexpectedly bit Hayden's bottom lips, making Hayden yelp in pain. The man used that chance to clean all the taste of strawberries in Hayden's mouth, while his right hand continued to stroke Hayden's body wantonly. When Hayden was starting to go dizzy due to shortness of breath, he was released by the man's assault. He breathed in and out rapidly and thanked heaven for the chance to live again. “You can't run away from me… You are mine” Zenos growled into Hayden's neck possessively. Hayden felt a shiver run through his spine after hearing the stranger's words. His breath hitched as the man licked his earlobe and kissed his neck with extreme familiarity, domineeringly. “Mine,” the stranger proclaimed again. Cover isn't mine, found online