[MAJOR EDITING] Aside from her breathtaking beauty and desirable personality the young spy Isabella Garcia is far from lovely. She's intelligent, dangerous, deadly, and positively any villain's worst nightmare. She's placed on a mission going undercover to win the trust and love of the most feared Don, Lorenzo Russo. Only to take down the powerful mafia he's built from nothing. She's determined to take down the handsome, cold, arrogant boss regardless of the tempting lustful desires. ...Or so she thought after one night takes a turn leading the original plan through stressful obstacles. What will happen when the hate and pretending between the two turns into forbidden love? Who will Isabella betray at the end, her agency or her love? ______ His hand remains on the back of my neck, the cold glass brushing my lips, and I drink. The bitter, acidic, tart fruit flavor overpowering the sweet cake. Lorenzo's light eyes darken with fierce, anger as he watches me swallow the wine then finally parting the glass away from my mouth. The cup almost shattering in his hold before letting it go onto the wooden table. His thumb grazed my lips, staining red with the leftover wine. He scans his finger then brings it to his mouth, his blazing look remaining back on me. My stomach is twisting. My universe is spinning with insanity. He speaks low so only we can hear, "Try that again Isabella and I'll have you wishing I poison you." Started 3/5/21

"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙫𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙨, 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙖𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨." Valerie Tenebris is not human. She never was, and never will be. She is a monster, a nightmare, a killer, who dreams of an ancient battlefield and a different, brutal world where stars fall and dark blood stains the earth. Kye Merran is an Ember, one who wields fire magic. When a childhood friend shows up at his house with a strange girl who is bleeding black blood, he knows that he's getting into something he definitely shouldn't. Especially when the Dark King of Rurik, who may have much more to him than it seems, is looking to conquer another kingdom or two, preferably with a powerful, dark queen at his side. But Kye can't seem to stay away from the mysterious girl with the blood of Darkness. And Val can't stay away from Kye either, no matter how much she claims that she hates him. As Val, Kye, and their friends race to stop the Dark King and his approaching army, what they don't realize is that they are playing a part in an ancient, deadly game, a game between the light and the dark, one years in the making. But it is a game which neither of them can win, for their fates have already been determined by the desperate Gods, written in blood among the stars. Cover picture credit: Laura Sheridan **VIOLENCE, MENTION OF CHILD ABANDONMENT, ALCOHOLISM, RAPE, ASSAULT, DEATH, TORTURE, AND ABUSE** 364K words •HIGHEST RANKING• #1-Wind-1/26/21 #1-lightanddark-3/24/21 #1-magicalpowers-5/4/21 #1-War-5/13/21 #1-stars-8/9/21 #3-Night-4/10/21 #5-swords-4/18/21 #11-Darkness-4/10/21 **There will be a sequel; it will be a duology!