Spotted Mermaids

On the flight to Arlencia, a post popped up: [What's it like to have sex in a wedding dress?] The pic showed a girl yanking some guy's purple tie while he hiked up her gown. His face was blurred, but hers? Straight-up blissed out. Everyone in the comments was swooning over how in love they looked. I didn't swoon. I froze. Because that purple tie? I gave it to Zeke Santoro, my fiancé, a few days ago. And that wedding dress? The exact custom one he had made for me. There was only one. I kept zooming in, heart racing, until I spotted a family photo in the background. My hands were shaking when I called him. "I wanna see the dress," I said. He hesitated. "It's at the studio getting final touches. Not with me right now. I'll show it to you later." I just smiled and hung up. That was all I needed. Zeke cheated—and the girl? His stepsister, Jella. Total circus. I reopened the post and shot her a DM: [Your wedding dress is stunning. I have the same one.]

***This book contains violence, cursing, sexual content, and talk of suicide, enjoy at your discretion.*** I was walking through an unknown foggy forest when I spotted a field of wildflowers. My feet had a mind of their own as they led me to wander through the flowers. I nonchalantly dragged my hands over the flowers. It was a beautiful and serene sight. I deeply inhaled the sweet scent of the flower and gave a little shudder of bliss. I closed my eyes and just absorbed the moment wanting to remember it. Suddenly the sounds of paws hitting the forest floor overwhelmed me. Then the forest was ignited with flames. Everything glowed vibrant oranges and reds as heavy smoke smothered me from above. I threw myself to the ground desperate for any trace of clean air. As I attempted to crawl out of the flowers a new sound harmonized with the thunder paws, screams and howls for help terrorized me. I clawed at the ground desperate to escape the menacing choir. Fire licked my skin and I screamed for help. Sobs escaped my lips as flaming branches fell on me from above. The smell of burning flesh was the only thing that consumed me as everything went dark.

My dad collapsed from a sudden heart attack and died. The shock hit my mom like a freight train, and she blacked out cold. By the time I raced home from college, his body had already been reduced to ashes in the crematorium. Grief barely had a chance to sink in before the debt collectors pounded on our door. That was when the ugly truth emerged. My dad had secretly racked up billions in loans, saddling my mom and me. A year later, the relentless harassment from those goons drove my mom to despair. She ended her life, and I was forced to drop out of school, scavenging dumpsters just to scrape by. But fate had a cruel twist in store. I spotted my "dead" dad, alive and thriving, hosting an extravagant birthday bash for his secret son. I stormed in, desperate for answers, only to be hurled out by security. My head cracked against the pavement, and everything went black. When my eyes fluttered open again, I was inexplicably back on that fateful day of my dad's heart attack.

Lain Navier Edevane, an assassin haunted by his past, is on a dangerous mission to avenge the brutal murder of his family. Assigned by the dark tide, an organization that controls assassins worldwide, he has no choice but to carry out their evil commands. Galen, Lain's superior, hands him a picture of a girl, instructing him to eliminate target 0351. Lain, with a smug expression, asks when she should be killed. His superior warns him not to underestimate her, as she is no ordinary girl. Lain has one hour to complete the mission, knowing that failure is not an option, as it would cost him his life. Galen handed Lain a picture of a girl. Lain frowned, disliking dirting hands. His superior ordered him to eliminate target 0351, warning that she was not an ordinary girl. Lain asked when she should be killed, and was given an hour. Failure meant death. Lain recognized the supernatural nature of his target, but his tracking abilities made finding her easy. In the club, he spotted the only redhead. In the dim light, Lain drew his dagger and approached the drunk girl with precision. As he was about to stab her, their eyes met and something awakened within him. “MATE!”

Christine was dumped by her fiancé. She decided to drink her sorrows away. After a one-night stand with someone she didn't know, she discovered she was pregnant. Left alone with no other choice, she decided to raise her daughter alone, struggling financially with no one to help. Future Alpha Reyes was banished from his pack after being accused of murdering his older brother's wife from the Blood Crest Pack. He let his guard down that night and had with a lady he didn't know. He later became a successful billionaire in the city and built his own pack. He has been relentlessly searching for the woman he slept with, unable to erase her from his memory. Years later, he spotted her at a mall with a little girl who bore a striking resemblance to him. He can't deny the fact that he is definitely the father of the little girl who he was staring at. Will Christine embrace Reyes once she discovers his true identity? What unfolds when the Blood Crest Pack summons him? Do you believe they will accept a human as their Luna?

"It started as a prank. So...how did I end up on my knees for my neighbor in his office?" Zoe Justice (20) is finally free—no dorm rules, no nosy RAs, no lukewarm cafeteria mac and cheese. With her grandparents’ inheritance and a playlist full of bangers, she’s ready to celebrate her first night as a bona fide homeowner. New digs, new vibes, and definitely a party worthy of the milestone. She expected a few noise complaints and maybe a fussy neighbor or two. But she didn’t expect the cops to roll up before 9 p.m. and shut down the whole thing like it was some kind of crime scene. Apparently, someone across the street didn’t appreciate her welcome-home energy. And when Zoe spotted him—the smug, too-serious man on the porch, standing there like he owned the cul-de-sac—she knew exactly where the betrayal came from. So naturally, she let her middle fingers and death glare do the talking. Veterinarian or not, Mr. Peace-and-Quiet was officially on her list. And she? She wasn’t going down without a little payback. But what happens when the prank war turns into a love affair neither of them saw coming?

The entertainment industry was shocked after Giselle Avery and Damien Miller announced their engagement after only a year of dating each other. They are portrayed as the “perfect couple” as they're often spotted very much in love with each other. However, little that the public knows, Giselle's husband is nothing like they saw in their movie or on camera. Within the curtains, there's a lot of stories that could tarnish both their reputation and their careers. She found him sleeping with his co-worker, Isla Everhart. Heartbroken, she immediately filed for a divorce but her husband refused. Not because he loves her, but because he still wanted the fame that comes with her. Despite her husband's refusal, she still goes on with the divorce. When she thought everything around her was falling apart, she met Cale Sullivan, a mysterious and mischievous gentleman. He's the heir and future CEO of a big retail company, and one of the stockholders in Giselle's agency. He offered himself for her to use in order to move on, she hesitated at first but as time went on, she noticed she's falling in love with this man. However, in order not to be hurt again, she pushed him away multiple times but he keeps coming back every time.

"I'm willing to marry you." Jared Brooks and his brother, Shiloh, turned their heads. Standing before them was a woman in a wedding dress, but this was no ordinary bride. Her gown was stained with dirt and blood, her mascara streaked down her cheeks, and her makeup a ruined mess. Today was supposed to be Julia Watson's wedding day. She was set to marry her fiancé, Carter Ross, until her so-called best friend, Vivien Smith, announced to everyone that she and Carter were expecting a baby—and were in love. Shattered by the betrayal of her fiancé and best friend, Julia was ready to give up. That was until she spotted Jared Brooks, the CEO of Brooks Corporation, at the courthouse. "Who are you?" Jared asked, puzzled by the stranger's proposal. Jared had no intention of marrying a stranger, and even his brother found the idea absurd. He was about to leave when Julia made an irresistible promise: she could cure his brother's legs. "I'm Julia Watson of the Watson family," she introduced herself. Jared assumed Julia sought revenge against her ex-fiancé by marrying him. Little did he know, Julia harbored two dark secrets. First, she had a mission to complete. Second, she wasn't really Julia Watson.

My mother-in-law got kidnapped, but my powerful husband, who ran both sides of the law, was too busy throwing a birthday bash for his old flame's dog. The kidnappers warned them they'd kill her if he didn't show up. I didn't beg him to act because, in my past life, I dragged him away from that party despite being eight months pregnant to save his mom. His old flame, who tagged along, got spotted by the kidnappers' lookout. They assaulted her and brutally killed her. Her body parts were left to be eaten by dogs. Furious, he gunned down the culprits and vanished for a month. When he returned, he never mentioned it. Then I gave birth to our son and was full of joy. But he threw me into the woods, weak and defenseless. Wild animals tore me apart, leaving nothing behind. "You were jealous of Alicia and had the kidnappers kill her?" he accused. "You don't deserve her happiness." When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day his mom got kidnapped.

The Eze (king) of the Afugiri community Eze Obinna was suffering from a curse from a wizard who visited his throne to invoke the curse on him. The wizard was paid by Arinze, a rival to the throne to lay the curse on the king (Eze) because it is only when the Eze is dead that he stands a chance to be enthroned. This beloved Eze Obinna of Afugiri can only be saved by a magic bean that can only be found in a forbidden forest. The curse on the Eze will take his life in 30 days if the magic beans are not retrieved from the forest and administered to him. The Eze was already dying; his body is swelling-up as he is losing consciousness daily. If nothing is done, he’ll be truly gone in 30 days. Before getting to this evil forest, you must pass through the river where Mermaids come out at the bank to hunt for humans, Bushbabies that walks at night with mats, The land of Silence if you make noise because of what you see, you’ll be killed, the land of ‘Don’t look up where the monster that flies above you won’t spare you once you look at it, the land of Lust where your utmost desire will be presented to you and if you fall for it, your soul will be whisked away, the coven of witches where witches will gladly suck blood bloodd if you don’t know how to overcome and so many other strange-lands that require a set of virtue to cross. Brave warriors must be summoned from the 11 clans of Afugiri, these warriors must not just be brave physically, and they must also be strong in character because battling the spirits and crossing those strange lands with strange beings requires virtues.