Village Seed

Résumé : Dans le village d’Obélé, une jalousie silencieuse grandit entre deux frères, Assane et Malik. Assane, l’aîné, prospère et respecté, soupçonne sa femme, Awa, d’éprouver des sentiments pour son cadet. Rongé par la jalousie, il empoisonne Malik, qui tombe gravement malade. Grâce aux soins d’un guérisseur, Malik survit mais comprend que son frère cherche à l’éliminer. Lorsque Awa tombe mystérieusement malade à son tour, Malik comprend qu’Assane la punit pour ses sentiments cachés. Désespéré, il consulte une sorcière qui lui donne un breuvage capable de renverser le sort. Assane boit sans se méfier et commence à dépérir, hanté par des visions cauchemardesques. Alors qu’il agonise, il réalise qu’il a perdu bien plus qu’un combat : sa femme, son honneur et sa vie. Mais alors que Malik croit avoir triomphé, il sent à son tour une ombre l’envahir… Le poison ne disparaît jamais, il change seulement de porteur.

Eight years into marriage, and Fabian's mom finally gave me and my son her stamp of approval. Invited us to spend Christmas in his hometown. My son—Luca--and I were hyped. We picked out a gift for her and hit the road with Fabian. Right as we pulled into the village, Fabian's old friend called—crying, claiming she'd crashed her car. Fabian panicked. Left me and Luca in some random snowy mountain town and sped off. It was pitch black. Snow dumping down. Then Luca screamed. He'd stepped on a trap and dropped into a pit. Blood everywhere. I called Fabian, totally panicked. He goes, "Stella, Roxana's in a wreck. I need to be with her. Stop making everything a competition." Then he hung up. Blocked me. No time to fall apart. I wiped my face, called an ambulance. Too far out. By the time they got there, Luca was already gone. Cold. Broken. Gone. I held him and screamed until my lungs gave out. Meanwhile, Roxana's posting in the social media. All smiles in Fabian's arms. His face soft. Loving. [Highway jam turned into truth or dare. One word—"accident"—and he came flying. So happy.] I exhaled. Tagged Fabian. [Let's get a divorce.] This joke of a marriage should've ended forever ago.

Life comes hard and fast for Kendra and her family in a dystopian world that is struggling to recover from a nuclear war and is now under the rule of an alien government. Unaware of the impending alien invasion, a group of scientists -which included Kendra's parents- were ordered to create a zombie virus and set it loose on Russia. The intention was to subdue Russia and then release the cure, but the alien attack took them unawares and the scientists and their cure disappeared, leaving the virus to run rampant. Having been inoculated against the virus, Kendra's aunt is one of these scientists who has kept her identity a secret for fear of being made a slave to the alien government. When a village that is connected to the people who moved underground for survival kidnaps Kendra in hopes that they can harvest any memories of her parents discussing the cure while she was a mere infant with the use of an experimental machine, her aunt must decide about coming forth with her identity. In the meantime, along with dealing with the ever-rising population of zombies, the alien regime -which considers humans a delicacy for their dinner table – sets out to correct and purify the human race from those who were mutated in some way by the nuclear explosions. Rex is one of those humans. He is also Kendra’s lover. “Where Zombies Walk” is Book One of Kendra’s Journey in a world that offers steamy romance, nail biting peril, and thrills, and a paradise-like sanctuary within its core. All she has to do is make her way there.

When omegas begin to vanish from her village, Claire never suspects she’ll be next. Taken in the dead of night, she finds herself caged among others, about to be auctioned to the most powerful, ruthless alphas. Just as despair closes in, Claire locks eyes with someone she never thought she’d find: her fated mate, a billionaire alpha who could be her salvation. But in a single, silent act of rejection, he looks away, bidding on someone else. Heartbroken and betrayed, Claire is sold to another alpha—a cold, calculating mafia boss who has no intention of letting her go. Yet he sees in her a spark, a strength he’s never found in anyone else. Instead of enslaving her, he offers her a new life, teaching her to survive in his world and claiming her as his own. But the bond she once shared with her mate cannot be severed so easily. When her rejected mate realizes his mistake, he’ll stop at nothing to reclaim her—even if it means tearing apart everything she’s built. With the werewolf council intervening, a dangerous ultimatum is set: the billionaire alpha has three months to make her fall for him again, or he’ll lose her forever. Caught between two powerful alphas, Claire Lyra Wilson faces a choice: return to the mate who shattered her heart, or stay with the one who taught her to fight

As soon as I receive my year-end bonus, I transfer 100 thousand dollars to my wife, Zoe Steele, so that she can prepare the holiday gifts for both families right away. I even tell her to buy the best quality gifts for our parents, especially the box of premium liquor meant for my dad. On New Year's Eve, I rush home to have dinner with my parents. But weirdly enough, Dad, who's an avid drinker, starts having tea instead of liquor at the dining table. This leaves me perplexed. "Dad, why aren't you cracking open a bottle of liquor for yourself during the holidays?" With a smile on my face, I get up to my feet so that I can carry the box of liquor over. "Zoe had someone buy the liquor for you, you know. I hear that the taste is exceptional." "Stop!" Dad slams his pipe against the table loudly, his face a starking shade of crimson. "Edgar, don't ever send such gifts home. I know that life is difficult for you in the city and that making money is hard. We Kennedys may be poor, but we are people with pride! "Now, everyone in the village is gossiping about us behind our backs! They claim that I've been boasting about your wealth!" Dad's words confuse me to no end. After I unscrew a bottle of liquor, I sip from it, only to feel thunderstruck. This isn't premium liquor at all! This is just mineral water packaged as liquor!

Fate twists its vines in ways we can't comprehend. For Sylvie, it brought the force of a Tyrant Alpha and the ruthless Salvalor pack. Sylvie learned to live with her handicap. Stay out of business of other wolves and they'll leave her alone. Mostly. War, however, soon reaches her doorstep. Forced to submit to Malphas, one of the last living Lycans, with a bloody streak and reputation for having the shortest fuse, Sylvie's quiet life turns upside down. Run or serve, the choice is easy. Malphas and the wolf within him, Valac, are the two names whispered in fear. Packs are falling, wolves are dying, territories are burning. The sky is red with blood, in his eyes. The thirst for it, unquenchable. He lives for the thrill of the kill, yet struggles to contain his disdain towards wolves. Rebuilding the line of Lycans, and the Kingdom of Silas to its former glory, is most important. Getting revenge is just a convenience. Imagine the surprise when he finds the last village to pillage, before crossing wolven borders, and a hidden gem within it. The Omega runt throws his senses into confused calmness, and for the first time neither he, nor Valac, feel the urge to kill. Refusing to admit, but finding it intriguing, Malphas takes Sylvie as his cup-girl. What threads will fate weave for the two? Will Sylvie survive under Malphas's command? Will he solve the puzzle behind the quiet, little runt or will his anger and cruelty bury her into the ground? Can Sylvie unravel the mystery hidden in Malphas's eyes? Enjoy the slow burning flames and the rusted blood that keeps them going.

My husband, Commander Jonathan Shelby, was leaving for the military. During his farewell dinner, our neighbor, Mrs. Murphy spoke with glee, as if she was gloating at somebody else’s misfortune. “You’re truly a magnanimous woman. Commander Shelby gave his military spouse quota to Anna instead of you, and you’re still sending him off!” I found her statement ridiculous. “Impossible. My husband hates pulling strings. In the past, he also had a quota on hand. Instead of giving it to me, he gave it to an educated young man so that he could return to his city.” Mrs. Murphy only grew more animated. “I saw the approval report with my own eyes. Under the column of Commander Shelby’s family member, the name ‘Anna Stewart’ was written on it. “Commander Shelby has been supporting two households for a long time. Weren’t you aware of it?” I felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck me. I turned to look at my parents and Jonathan. Guilt was written all over their faces. My parents took my hand. “Anna is a widow. Being a widow alone has already spoiled her reputation. If she remains in the village, they’d judge her for the rest of her life. “Nancy, you’re Jonathan’s legal wife. You need to help her out.” At that moment, my heart ached as if someone had sliced it piece by piece. Fine. I would be as magnanimous as they wanted me to be. I would personally give Jonathan to his widowed sister-in-law.

Sonya Duville moved to a small village where her ancestors had a family land to restart her new beginnings in life. Since a child, Sonya has been curious about an old mansion that was abandoned near her family house. She felt that she should reveal the mystery of the old mansion. She knew that the old mansion had been cursed by a white witch family for centuries. One day, she found out that Knight Richard, a descendant of the old mansion's owner, returning from Romania and living in that old mansion which he changed to become a place for some people to stay overnights. Knight Richard appeared as a gentleman, otherwise, Sonya was curious to find out who he was actually in real life since she and her auntie found some weird occurrences since the day he moved to the mansion. There were some animals dead because a creature sucked their blood and bit them off. In her journey to find the answer, Sonya discovered another mystery within her big family as she knew that she could communicate with some animals. Up to that time, Clayton Stein, a nephew of her auntie, Caroline's late husband, appeared and stayed with them while he was doing an investigation about his uncle's death. The past romance between the witch ‘Rose Duville’, an ancestor of Sonya Duville, and Knight Richard, an arrogant vampire had spelled her curse on Knight Richard since he had broken Rose Duville’s heart with his obsession and arrogance.

At the farewell banquet hosted for my wife, Lorraine Ford, who will be getting assigned into a military unit soon, Lieutenant Chester Johnson speaks up in a sarcastic manner. "You really are generous, Hunter. Commander Ford has already given away your transfer slot in the military to her stepbrother, and yet you're still throwing this banquet for her." I find his words ridiculous, to say the least. "That's impossible! My wife hates pulling strings to make things easier! In the past, she didn't even give me the youth transfer slot even though she had one!" Chester sounds more enthusiastic now. "I've personally read the approval report. Commander Ford has already listed Rowan Langley under the family column! Don't you know that she has already taken him in as her younger stepbrother?" I feel as though lightning has struck me on the spot. Then, I turn to look at my parents and Lorraine, who look quite guilty. My parents quickly grab me by the hand. "Rowan comes from a poor background, not to mention he's a widower, too. If he continues staying in this village, he'll be the subject of everyone's gossip for the rest of his life. "Hunter, you're Lorraine's actual husband, so you must be more gracious toward him." At that moment, I feel sharp pain coming from my heart. Fine. I'll be gracious, as per their request. This time, I'll personally give Lorraine away to her beloved Rowan.

-Extremely Matured Content- From The Witchy World’s series by Hunnie Bahm* It's time for The Demon-Wolf King, Bahm, to get married to the merciless and vicious vampire princess, Cynthia Vladorian. He doesn't want to marry her at all! She’s only been a toy for him all these years! He doesn’t even have a say in this wedding. His mother controls it all! Bahm runs out of his Kingdom one day and into the human forest, eyeing a beautiful and exotic, juicy looking hybrid She-Wolf! Does he think he has found his mate rolling around in the forest? He’ll even ignore the fact she's half Dark Witch, beings he hates so much just to be close to her during his wedding. ""The Demon King will be MARRIED! ...That old bastard finally found himself a bride!" Yelled a drunken man dressed in royal clothing and standing on a bench with two bottles in hand. Hunnie’s eyes widen at the unusual celebration. The whole damn village was intoxicated. They seemed to be celebrating some kind of creature. A demon that lives far in the woods from their village. A Demon...King? I don't want to be here when and if he ever shows up! I gotta get out of here!” After confirming the stunning hybrid, Hunnie Inzotta is his mate, The King suddenly forgets about her! He holds her captive in his dungeon, torturing her for her very existence, not even aware she’s his mate...whom also carries his babies.