**FEATURED STORY JULY 2018* **WATTPAD HQ READ OF THE WEEK AUGUST 2018* **WATTYS 2018 WINNER** Casey Brogan is on a mission to self-destruct. Whether it's booze, drugs or men, she's spiralling out of control and stepping over the line, to destroy the demons of her past and herself in the process. Ethan Drake isn't looking to be anyone's saviour. He has enough demons of his own and a legacy he'd do anything to avoid. Following a near-fatal overdose, Casey discovers a world beyond the one she knows, one where dark creatures wage an age-old war and where nobody is who they appear to be. Now hunted by those who want their world to remain a secret, she must decide whether she can put her trust in Ethan, or whether he is just as much a threat as those that want her dead. After a lifetime of trying to destroy herself, Casey is about to do just about anything to keep herself alive.

Ayla has uncovered a terrible secret: the man she loves is in fact her worst enemy. As a mighty army gathers to destroy her and her people, she must ask herself: will he join them to destroy her? Must she cut him out of her heart to survive? Or is there another way – a way to forgiveness and... love? Sequel to Robert Thier's #1 Hit 'The Robber Knight'.

Aspiring writer Norah Jacobs needs an escape. In the span of two weeks, her corrupt brother has been jailed for murder and his partner has been hovering on her doorstep, threatening to ruin what little peace she has left. Packing her car, Norah flees the city and goes off the grid, finding refuge in the small coastal town of Bellvale. However, Norah's newfound refuge lands her right in the middle of a power struggle between creatures she thought only existed in fairy tales, and she begins to see that no matter how hard you try to run from your troubles, they seem to have a way of catching up with you... Watty 2014 Winner Haven Copyright © Melissa Lucas 2013 All Rights Reserved. No part of this literary work may be reproduced or used without written consent from the author.

(COMPLETED) There were creatures in this world lurking behind the shadows, unseen and unrelenting. But among them, standing proud and mighty were nine angels known as 'Amaranths'. Being the only white-winged Amaranth, Nine was deemed special. Forced to be confined within the walls of their fortress, she only had one friend, a human boy. He named her 'Callie'. She called him 'Zeke'. For eight whole years, everything was perfect... until the night he disappeared. Compelled to know the reason, Nine found herself accepting a deal just to become a human. Little did she know that it would be biggest mistake she had ever made. Because the guy who greeted her was not anymore her best friend, but a cold heartless Alpha whose hands were tainted with blood. In a world full of lies and secrets, what if love was not enough? This is a story of a selfless love and how a simple choice lead the fates of two people to be changed forever.

Unbeknown to Nikki, her next delivery will offer her two choices; deliver the package and die or flee and be forever hunted by demons. On a routine delivery, Nikki meets a handsome stranger in the wrong part of town. After this brief encounter, she finds herself thrust into a bloodthirsty, apocalyptic war that has been raging, unseen, around mankind for centuries. Devoid of an escape route she must learn to survive with the help of her demon slaying Guardian, Josh, and his band of unearthly cohorts. However, Nikki soon finds herself plagued by doubt as her Guardian refuses to answer any of her questions. Discovering her ability to produce fire only makes the situation worse as she finds herself unable to quench the overwhelming fury that comes with it. Leaning on Josh for support, Nikki's attachment to him grows but so does her suspicion and resentment. Realising that Josh is the cause of her inability to control her deadly weapon Nikki is left with little choice but to leave him. Out on her own, she must confront her darkest fear, not the demons that hunt her but the ones within. Faced with this choice, Nikki must either accept who she is and join those who oppose Josh, or fight that which attempts to consume her and risk the lives of the man she loves and all who stand with him.

Pining for the love she can no longer have and condemned to the shadows, Nikki searches for a way back to her life, back to humanity but most importantly, back to her Guardian and love, Josh. With only time on her side, she stumbles across a possibility which could answer her prayers, but what she seeks is shrouded in myth and forgotten by time. Carefully keeping her distance, she chases down demons until the night her hunt leads to him and his new Charge. Upon discovering the woman he loves is still alive, Josh forces his way back into her world only to discover Nikki isn't the person he thought she was. With the demonic battle still raging and a growing number of new enemies, Nikki must navigate her way through a torrent of animosity, distrust and danger if there is any possibility of her happy ever after. A feat made both easier and more complicated by her faithful demon companion Ezekius. Sequel to Behind Those Eyes (Book One)

Ambrose. The name is not only feared, but shunned and reviled. He's a monster sentenced to a life of desolation and loneliness, and no one but his tormentor knows his whereabouts - at the bottom of the ocean. A creature of the sea cursed because of one simple mistake... Mari. Her life was a small happy bubble until it's popped by the finding out that her boyfriend has been cheating on her - just as the cruise ship she's on starts to sink! She's sure that death is near until she drowns upon an underwater cave...and a hulking man with swirling eyes. Seeing a chance to escape, Ambrose forces the terrified Mari to help them both, but not before ultimately changing her life...and her legs. Their worlds turning upside in the matter of minutes, Ambrose is on a mission to clear his name and Mari's on a mission to return to land. But how can she do that when she slowly starts to fall for the dangerous, damaged man who only wants to be free...and heal her own heart in the process? THIS IS A FREE SAMPLE

'Whitechapel. The East End of London. Streets of tawdry degradation and grisly dark crimes of unlimited horror.....' From the comforts of London's middle class suburbia, to taking refuge in an old abandoned asylum in Whitechapel, Megan's life has changed immeasurably since meeting the vampire, Harper Cain. Now living with Harper, his blood brother Garrick and Garrick's gang of mercenaries, Megan finds herself at the centre of an age-old war between the vampires and their enemies, the lycan-esque Varúlfur. Still struggling to cope with the turn her life has taken, Megan discovers that not only is she unable to escape the ghosts of her past, but she is going to have to contend with some very dark revelations about her future. A vampire with the history of Whitechapel running through her veins she might be, but Megan will soon learn that there are far worse things to be frightened of than ghosts.

[2013 Watty Finalist] Thea Gibson lives a normal life. She waitresses at her local bar, pays her bills on time, has a secret crush on Detective Josh Cooper and let's her friend Shae drag her to parties when she'd rather be curled up at home buried in the latest paranormal fantasy. In one night though, her life becomes a paranormal fantasy when she is attacked by Titans and saved by a man claiming to be Hermes, Messenger of the Gods. Hermes tells her she is a reincarnated deity, with latent powers she must remember so she can return the recently escaped Cronos back to Tartarus. Thea refuses to believe such nonsense but with the strange things happening around her, Thea begins to discover that fantasy is more closer to reality than she once thought... Note: Some myths have been altered for this story. Please do not presume to correct them as they are altered for the purposes of my story. Forsaken Deity Copyright © Melissa Lucas 2013 All Rights Reserved. No part of this literary work may be reproduced or used without written consent from the author.