Thorns Beneath The Veil

Two men. One team. And a rivalry that burns hotter than ice. Noah Vance thought working as the Vancouver Storm’s physio would be just another job. Until Stefan Kovacs, the new captain, walked in tall, arrogant, and impossible to ignore. Every practice, every game, every accidental touch sparks something Noah isn’t supposed to feel. Stefan doesn’t just play on the ice he plays with hearts, including Noah’s. With exes lurking, jealous teammates, and the high-pressure world of hockey, Noah has to decide: follow the rules… or follow his heart. Falling for the captain was never part of the plan but the ice doesn’t lie.

Xena Quinn posted in the homeowners' group: “Anyone interested in adopting a puppy? $200 each.” I took her at her word and rushed over to adopt one. When she opened the door and saw me, her expression immediately soured, clearly disgusted. “What? A woman?” She quickly raised the price to $2,000 per puppy, and I was so pissed off I just turned around and walked out. The next day, my boyfriend, Hugo Xavier, bought the dog for the original $200 price. Before I could even process what had happened, the doorbell rang. There she was, standing at the door in a revealing nightgown. “Hugo, are you home? I came to check on the puppy.”

Two years ago, Fabiola Cruz walked out of Alessandro’s life without warning, taking his heart and vanishing into the shadows. Now, he’s no longer the reckless man who once whispered forever into her skin. He’s Alessandro Armani, a ruthless billionaire kingpin feared across continents. He’s a feared Mafia Don with ice in his veins and blood on his hands. Love is a weakness. And Fabiola? She’s the ghost who made him ruthless. So when fate throws her into his world again, working as a waitress in a club, desperate to pay for her daughter’s hospital bills and pay her father’s debts. One night, thugs cornered her, and it's Alessandro who saves her. And he’s not interested in forgiveness. He wants her to be his mistress. And pawn. As past secrets resurface and enemies circle like wolves, Fabiola and Alessandro find themselves trapped in a game of lust, lies, and betrayal. Fabiola wants out of the business once she’s done, because of her daughter, but Alessandro calls her out. “Amore mio,” he smirked, his eyes gave me a thorough stare down. It was slow and deliberate. My heart was a high-speed train. I could feel my face burning, turning a shade that betrayed everything I was trying to hide. “When I said you were mine, I meant it.” He said. He stood and closed the gap between us. I tried to leave. “Stop!” and I froze. “Look at me.” It was an order, and I did exactly that. He gave me his evil half smile. “Fa,” he paused. “Bi,” another pause. “Ola,” he rasped. “You know you will always be mine,” he paused as if to let that sink in, with his laser icy blues staring right into mine. “Right?”

The day after his beloved falsely accused Yvonne of hitting her with a car, her husband and two sons hung Yvonne’s younger brother above a massive vat of bubbling oil, threatening to deep-fry him alive. Yvonne rushed forward like she had gone mad, but the bodyguards held her back tightly. “Have you learned your lesson?” Justin stood nearby in a crisp suit. His sharp features were cold, and his voice was edged with ice. “Will you dare hurt Sophia again?” “I never hit her!” Yvonne cried, struggling desperately. “Justin, let my brother go! He’s only 18. He just got accepted into MOT University!”

“Our pathetic engagement is done, so don’t ever show your miserable face around me again. I’ve been disgusted by it for years! You are dying soon anyways, your disease has no cure! RIP in advance.” Francis, my fiancée spat cruelly, each word like a wound to my already broken heart. Not bothering to know how deep his words were hurting me. And didn’t care I was already drowning in pain.

He was raised by blood and fire. She was born from loss and buried memories. Lorenzo is a ruthless mafia king—cold, calculating, and feared across Chicago and New York. Groomed to inherit an empire soaked in violence, he has spent his life clawing his way toward one goal: freedom. Three more years, and he plans to walk away from the underworld forever, leaving the bloodstained crown behind. But fate has other plans. Mel lives a quiet life defined by art, guilt, and responsibility. Haunted by dreams of a boy with mismatched eyes and surrounded by roses, she believes they are nothing more than fragments of her imagination—until those dreams begin to feel dangerously real. When their worlds collide, buried truths resurface. The boy Lorenzo once was. The girl he once saved. A promise neither of them remembers making—but never truly broke. As enemies close in and the past claws its way back to the surface, Lorenzo must choose between the empire he was born to rule and the woman who could destroy it. Loving her means risking everything—his power, his future, and the carefully controlled monster he’s become. Because some roses don’t bloom to be protected. They bloom to bring kings to their knees. And in a world of thorns, love may be the deadliest weapon of all.

In the heart of a city ruled by chaos, Armando Romos stands as the ruthless leader of the Demented Devils MC. Known for his fierce loyalty and unyielding power, he thrives in a world where weakness is a sin. But everything changes when a sudden ambush leaves him bleeding in a park, a bullet wound signaling an unexpected turn in his tumultuous life. Maya Connor, a compassionate nurse seeking a moment of peace, stumbles upon Armando's crumpled form. Initially, Armando's pride and fierce independence resist her offer of help; he's a man used to being in control, not relying on anyone. Yet as the blood pools around him, desperation forces him to confront his mortality and the bitter betrayal that led him here. With no choice but to surrender to Maya's care, he discovers that she sees beyond the ink and anger etched on his skin. As she tends to his wounds, a spark ignites between them, bridging the divide between their worlds-a world of violence and a realm of healing. Caught between the violent loyalty of the Demented Devils and a burgeoning passion for the woman who saved him, Armando must face his past and make a choice: embrace the chance for redemption with Maya or be dragged back into the darkness that claims so many.

Ivy Sinclair never expected her father's last desperate move to be selling her off like a pawn—to the coldest billionaire in Manhattan. Lucien Blackwood doesn't believe in love. But he believes in power, and marrying Ivy gives him just that—until the fire in her eyes threatens to melt the ice around his heart. Their vows are signed in ink and built on lies. She’s determined to protect her soul. He’s hiding demons that could destroy them both. But what starts as a calculated business arrangement spirals into a dangerous obsession. Secrets bleed. Betrayals burn. And when the past comes back with blood on its hands, their fragile union may be the only thing standing between survival and ruin. He owns her name. She could own his heart. But only if they don’t destroy each other first. In this house of fortune, love is the most dangerous currency.

Penelope Lorenzo, a woman who’d just lost everything and in utter shambles. She had never imagined that life would bring her to this point. Brayden Giovanni, the big, masked mafia who shouldn’t be trifled with. Billionaire by day and Don by night. Thrust in each other’s worlds by circumstances beyond their control and some that seemed to be in his control. But with danger lurking from their forgotten pasts, including a serial killer on the loose, choices must be made or consequences abound. What happens when their cocoon is threatened by forces they can’t seem to identify? What happens when she leaves after unraveling his secrets and almost gets trafficked? Will she embrace he who would raze the underworld for her or will she leave with the fruit of their passion?

Ten years after he took over as the Alpha of the Mystic Pack, Alpha Adan Stone Robinson has yet to find his mate. With the clock ticking down and the desire to produce an heir, he was left with no choice but to find a suitable breeder. An Omega would be a perfect choice—someone who could give him a son and would not make his life complicated. Born to a Demon Prince and an Omega/rogue she-wolf, Lucija (Lucia) never wanted the Demon Princess life she had. In her attempt to run away from the underworld, she found herself thrown into the world of the wolves, the only realm her father told her never to cross. With her demon power suppressed, it was too late now to turn her back on the world her species hated the most. Now, she's at the mercy of the famous Alpha of the Mystic Pack - whose sole goal was to make her his perfect breeder.  ***** Book 1: Beneath Her Darkness COMPLETED Book 2: Braving The Darkness (also attached to this book) COMLPETED Book 3: Beyond The Darkness (coming soon)