Tropical Places In The Us

My best friend Seraphine had not one drop of blood left in her body when they found her. Her skin was translucent. There were two dried trails of blood from the corners of her mouth, like she had wept herself empty long before the end. She left one note. One sentence: "Vera saw his face." From that day forward, I became the Covenant's greatest sinner. Because I knew who did it. But I said nothing. For ten years, I said nothing. Then Lucian came back. He was the one who had turned us, raised us, given us the only home we had ever known. He set the Soul Prism in front of me. "Tonight," he said, "you give me the killer." His eyes hadn't changed. That was the worst part. After ten years of exile, of stones and fire and nights that never got warmer, I looked at him and he was still exactly who he had always been to me. "Or you disappear from this world along with him." He didn't know. The reason I had chosen exile and starvation and a Blood Oath that had been eating my soul core alive for a decade — was him. All of it, always, had been for him.

What is supposed to be a simple escort job turns into a fight for their very survival as Tristan, Rebecca, and Bailey are forced into the smoking ruins of mankind after an alien invasion. Can they survive a wasteland filled with infected, bandits, and aliens? *Inspired by The Last of Us*

Heart- is the biggest traitor in our body. It makes us do the most stupid thing. And the most stupid thing I did was loving him beyond insanity. What I got in return is only disregard and betrayal.

In a world where desperation and desire collide, una chica, a struggling waitress, faces an impossible choice when a mysterious stranger offers her a life-changing sum of money for a scandalous arrangement. Trapped in a stalled elevator, his provocative proposal—three hundred thousand dollars for three months of illicit encounters—ignites a battle between her moral compass and the crushing weight of her financial burdens. With her sister life-saving surgery hanging in the balance, she grapples with the allure of security and the shame of crossing ethical lines. As temptation blurs her judgment, she must decide whether to sacrifice her principles for the promise of a better future or walk away from the only solution that could save everything she holds dear. This gripping tale explores how money and need can push us to the edge, forcing us to confront the cost of survival and the boundaries of desire.

Angelica is on an adventure to save her mother and discovers she is special. Oh, and not one but two supernatural mafias want her dead. Will she survive? Why do they want her dead? Join us to see what happens.

I once saved Jonathan’s life, but he never knew it was me. Instead, he gave his heart to my younger sister, Seraphina. When tragedy struck, I became the villain in everyone's story especially in Jonathan's story. Years later, a forced marriage filled with resentment and silence, binds us together. When my sister returns, healed and ready to reclaim Jonathan, I walk away only to discover something that will change the course of my fate. I rebuild myself from nothing, rising into power. But the past begins to resurface, and the truth comes out about an unquestioned detail in our childhood memory, and the person I trusted the most was the reason my life was destroyed. Now Jonathan wants forgiveness but this time, I'll only seek the truth even if it burns us all.

Moonless Night Duet #1 & 2 ~While you act the lamb the wolf will rip you to shreds, are you a lamb or a wolf?~ Naya, senior enforcer of Dark Woods Pack. A year ago, my parents were murdered, and my pack was destroyed. Leaving us nowhere to go, now the Alpha of Dark Woods pack has invited us to join his pack, we have no choice but to desert our land. It is our only means of survival. I have one goal, get stronger, find those who destroyed my people, and bring them to justice. I certainly have no plans of finding my mate and a love that consumes my very being in the process. …Amongst other things. My name is Alina, and this is my story. NOTE: This is a two-in-one. Blue Moon and Crescent Rising.

It only takes one unfortunate evening for Amara: she is jobless, she catches her fiancé with her stepsister, and her own father places the blame on her. One too many drinks led to Adrian Cole, a powerful CEO and the greatest rival of her ex-fiancé. Adrian gets to offer to treat her mother when she becomes critically ill, one of those very few moments in Amara's life when she doesn't have enough money for her treatment. He makes her one proposition: Amara must marry him for three years. Jealousy, lies, and an ex trying to return threaten to rip apart their contract marriage. Amara attempts to walk away, but Adrian refuses to let her go. Until the truth comes out. Now she wants her freedom. He wants another chance. And three years may not be enough.

“You fuckers, I thought you are genuine to me but here, I loved one person but shared by two, how hilarious” Amethysta shouted desperately while the Dempsey twins stayed silent. A pearl of tears streamed down her cheeks and blurred her vision in no time. Princess… Isaias stepped forward to hold her in his embrace but Amethysta stopped him and gave him a death glare. “Listen to us Angel, I know we made a mistake by fooling you all these days but believe us Angel, We love you” Icarus pleaded with glossy eyes. A blood-craving monster was pleading with a girl which is something unbelievable but true. “OK leave it, You fooled me because you two loved me, but you approached me for my father. Now deny it, will you?” Amethysta asked while wiping her tears harshly. Dempsey twins shared a glance and their silence proved the answer Amethysta wanted. Her words choked on her throat and the overwhelming emotions pooled out of her heart. “It's over between us, don't show your faces to me in the future” She threw a diamond ring and the chain on their face walking away. The bloodthirsty Alphas now bow to the queen of their heart who they played with. But none know what the future holds for them.

I messed up—big time. Blurting out at a family dinner that my boss, neighbor, and best friend’s brother, Arnold, asked me to be his wedding date was not my finest moment. Mortified, I’m ready to apologize and smooth things over with his family, but Arnold? He’s not having it. Instead, he doubles down, proposing a wild plan: a fake relationship that suits us both.The deal? Three months of playing the perfect couple while my toddler and I live in his house, rent-free. In return, Arnold shields me from my toxic ex, and I help him dodge the town’s relentless matchmaking efforts. It’s the perfect arrangement—until the lines between fake and real start to blur.Arnold’s not just playing a role. He’s reading bedtime stories to my son, cooking us meals, and kissing me like the world might end if he stops. With every tender touch and stolen glance, he makes me feel seen, desired, in a way I’ve never known. The guestroom feels colder each night when his strong, tattooed arms are just down the hall, calling to me.As our forbidden kisses deepen, so does the risk. Are we crafting a love that could break us? Or are we building something breathtakingly real?