The Darkness Within

Falling for the man who is paying you for sex is a dangerous business. Stella Kaye Wyatt is running from an abusive past she'd like to forget. She secures a new identity by working at a brothel to stay hidden. When her once knight-in-shining armor boyfriend becomes what she escaped, she feels responsible for trying to save him at a high cost to herself. Alaric John Carter is an adventure seeker who uses adrenaline highs to forget his own troubled past. When his life crosses paths with Stella's and he's informed of her sexual job, he takes advantage as a paying customer with surprisingly deep pockets. Despite strictly being a business arrangement, real feelings begin to develop between the two. Stella begins to dream of a better life, but will handsome Alaric accept her for who she truly is when he learns the dark truth she's hiding? As Stella's past returns to reclaim her and Alaric's secrets are revealed, the truth will potentially end not only their feelings for each other, but their lives.

"Monster," I smirked to myself as I read the morning paper. If they only knew the truth. I sipped my coffee as I skimmed through the story. They had all the details wrong and the police were idiots. I heard the bell chime on the door to the coffee shop and saw her walk in. Her hair was down just the way I liked it. She was perfect I thought to myself as I eyed her and planned my next move. I think when she finally saw me she made the connection. Her eyes got wide. "Ethan?" Ethan Graves is a well-known man in the community with a dark secret. His darkness is so great that even he can't control it sometimes. He plays his role well during the day but at night he takes on a whole new persona. The newspapers call him a monster and the police are baffled. Then the new detective on the case walks in. The one that he let go. The one he was obsessed with. It was finally time to make her his. The game of cat and mouse had never been something he would ever consider, he usually likes the woman to be weak and defenseless against his charm and good looks. However, for this kill, he would play the game and Josephine Wells would be his trophy.

**Dez** Dezmond woke in a cold sweat. The ache in his heart was worse than ever before. It had been growing more intense over the past few weeks. He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He didn't bother looking in the mirror, he knew what he would see. His face would be white and his eyes haunted with the need to find answers. Dezmond needed to know why he was being tormented in his dreams. He was never supposed to dream again. "I can't take this anymore." said Dezmond gloomily. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Ruby** Ruby couldn't focus in class, another night of tossing and turning. Seeing the flames consume her house. Hearing the screams as her family slowly died, knowing there was nothing she could do. It had been almost three years since the incident. The day she lost her family in the fire. She was the only one who wasn't in the house. And she relived that horror every night in her dreams. Though recently her nightmares felt different. More like a warning rather than a memory. "Rough night?" whispered Haven. Haven had been friends with Ruby since they were little kids. "Yeah, they started happening again." Ruby whispered back. They never really stopped. "Have you talked to anyone about it? Ruby, you can't keep it a secret forever." This is the same discussion they had just after the incident.

" the fire takes everything with it, love, pain, happiness. worst of all, it's never enough. "Ruby Hart did everything she could to maintain a normal life with nothing out of the ordinary but the discovery of her older adoptive sister being a Nyx turns everything upside down. A very old and powerful vampire comes into town determined to take the life of Eliza Hart and break a thousands of years old curse. In doing so, he discovers that Eliza's sister is his soulmate, Ruby. Ruby thought her life couldn't get more hectic, then it did. She realized her ancestry and how extremely dangerous she could be when ticked off and the fact that she could blow up a place with her mind, like, literally.

Blurb Born in a pack that rejected her for being wolfless,Lea’s life had been one of humiliation and quiet endurance. But when her connection to the lycan king, Alexander resurfaces,her life turns to chaos. Alexander was bound to his mountain by a deadly curse,but he knows Lea is his fated mate,the key to his salvation and survival. But Lea is trapped in a web of betrayal,her manipulative boyfriend,Ethan seeks to secure power,her adoptive family hides dark truth about her heritage,her sister framed her for an offence she didnt commit,and the pack’s ruling Alpha sees her as a threat to their rule. As enemies closes in,Lea must unmask the secret about her past,unleash her hidden strength,and decide if she can trust the lycan king who holds the key to her future. Love, betrayal,and prophecy collides,where true strengths is found in the heart,and nothing is as it seems.

Mate. I froze mid-step, Venom has never said that word before. I've suddenly forgotten the Rogues I was chasing, my whole attention now on the emotions I was feeling. My vision sharpened, focusing on the faint sound of labored breathing just ahead. My heart hammered in my chest as I walked closer, the bond pulling me forward with an urgency I hadn’t felt in decades. The first thing I saw was her hair, a messy dark bun with strands of white, unusual yet unique. She sat curled up against the base of an old tree, arms wrapped tightly around her knees, shoulders trembling. Her thin, tattered sweater barely shielding her from the cold air. She looked... fragile, a word I never thought I’d associate with my mate. Ariel’s life has been anything but easy. Orphaned as a child and left in the care of a cruel stepfather and stepbrother, she’s endured years of emotional and physical abuse. Despite her circumstances, she’s always felt something stirring beneath the surface—an unexplained restlessness, vivid dreams of running under the moonlight, and a deep connection to the forest around her. Zayn, the alpha of the Shadowcrest pack, has spent years searching for his fated mate, the one who would complete him and stand by his side to no avail…he had finally given up on ever finding her. His pack thrives under his leadership, but his heart has grown weary, doubting the Moon Goddess’s promise of a mate. When a chance encounter leads him to Ariel, he’s stunned to discover that the fragile, broken girl is his destined partner—and more than that, she’s a wolf completely unaware of her true nature.

Olivia Smith's life had always been perfect, and she was envied by everyone around her. She was treated well and loved by her parents. She was living the life any girl would dream of, but everything changed when she got married to Lucas Garrison. Her parents died a few weeks after her marriage, leading her to misery. Blinded by greed, Lucas took everything her parents owned. She also finds out Lucas was cheating on her, but she finds solace in her best friend, Maddie, who was a big part of her life. Betrayed, bullied, and blackmailed by someone she loved and trusted so much. She plans on taking revenge on everyone who caused her pain and taking back what rightfully belongs to her. In the process, she fell in love with a stranger while unlocking unexpected secrets.

My younger brother told me he was overwhelmed by school stress and had developed depression. I tried to help by encouraging him to seek treatment, drawing from my own experience with the illness. However, my mother blamed me, accusing me of passing the depression onto him. She took me to a witch, who locked me in the house. Every day, the witch used willow branches to drive away evil spirits, beating me until my skin was raw, forcing me to drink filthy water, and making me bleed. "This is the only way to banish the evil and bless your little brother." After enduring days of torment, my depression worsened, and I chose to end my life. However, when I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day my brother first confessed his depression. I looked at my body—whole and unharmed. This time, I will make them pay for everything I endured.

MC only wanted to fulfill his family inheritance and be God's armed force on earth as holy abbot in his monastery. But a dark secret surrounds the old walls and the young clergyman comes across a burial chamber in which Lucifer himself was sealed. A long time ago, from his ancestor.Despite his firm belief in his master, he can soon no longer avert his gaze from Lucifer. The hitherto strict life of the main character is mixed up and he has to recognize that light and darkness are not always what they seem to be and that there is far more than one can see. Little by little, more beings appear in his environment and soon he himself gets on the track of his greatest secret ...

Sophia Ava Valentine and Noah Parker are in love with each other for over three years. The lovebirds had nothing to worry until Sophia's father arranges her marriage with a ruthless billionaire playboy, Irwin Pierce to seal their business partnership. When Irwin discovers her love with Noah Parker, he makes it his mission to ruin his life and that of Sophia's friends. Sophia accepts his proposal with one condition - Irwin must leave her friends alone. Now, it's up to Noah & her best friends to save her from Irwin and his not so innocent schemes.