𝑫𝑹𝑶𝑾𝑵𝑬𝑫 𝑩𝑳𝑶𝑶𝑫, Book 1 in 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 a dark enemies-to-lovers gang/mafia romance by 𝐊. 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊. 𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐎𝐋𝐘𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐒 One of the most feared and deadly syndicates in all of Italy. Whispers of their names alone sent shivers down the spines of even the boldest criminals. But among them all, none cast a longer shadow than 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐀-the leader, the weapon, the son of the oldest Russo, and the most brutal soul in the underworld. He wasn't a monster carved from myth. He was worse-human. A man built like a god, carved by rage, and cursed with eyes like the original Gorgon. They didn't turn people to stone anymore... but they froze them just the same. An arms trafficker. A tactician. A tyrant. Medusa wasn't born from the Echoes of Olympus-he forged them with blood and fire. But he wasn't the only myth walking in flesh. She had spent a year running from her past, a year choosing every day not to end it all with a blade across her veins. She could have vanished. But instead, she reached out with bloodstained hands-back into the shadows where it all began. Her name was spoken in the underground like a curse. 𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄-the black-haired goddess. Unpredictable. Unyielding. A tormentor of tormentors. And a woman with nothing left to lose. Now, both rulers of the dark are forced into a fragile alliance-two myths wrapped in flesh, carrying fire and fury in their veins. And they just happen to share the same enemy. 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 - Strong langue - Sexual content - Violence

Anastasia Vitalio. The Manipulator. Dante Rossi. The Killer. ... Anastasia: Some rise by sin, and some allow their sins to destroy them. In this world, I was the reckoning of those sinners and the salvation for their victims. My life danced on the fine line that divided the corrupted Upper East Side from the ordinary people of this world. Joining hands with the devils I knew was no more than a game of survival to me. Until Dante Rossi came along. Infamously known as one of the most ruthless killers and agents, Dante was a vicious man and a wicked genius. Someone lethal. He had the power to ruin someone at his will, and in this lifetime and every other, he chose me. He was the punishment for all my sins and the redemption for all my crimes. Bound together by the tangled threads of fate, I found flames ignited between us, set to burn us to the ground. Dante would either be my own reckoning or salvation. Perhaps, both. Every shade of all my sins so invitingly wrapped in one. Dante: Intelligence was the strongest weapon in a greedy world like ours. To control and survive in a ravenous city, I learned to make people bend at my will. The easiest way to have someone at your mercy was to find one single thing that could destroy their life. What I never expected was someone with the capability to destroy mine. That someone being Anastasia Cobalt Vitalio. Widely known as one of New York City's most fatal agents, Anastasia was a woman with an unbreakable mind and the allure of a temptress. With the power to make any man crumble at her feet, she was a woman anyone would worship at her command. She was never part of my plan, yet I found myself coming back to her each time I'd escape. She was the answer to all my prayers and the atonement for all my sins; the only one in this world who could make me kneel and repent. She was every shade of sin, all in one. TW: Violence & Murder

Amara Milano. The powerful and lethal. Tristan Harper. The heartless and deadly. Together, the two would be a force to reckon with. Unstoppable. Untouchable. Unbeatable. But hate had other plans. ... Amara: They say that revenge is an act of passion and vengeance of justice. With enough money, time and vengeance, anybody could be powerful and in this corrupted empire of New York, I was lethal. I spent my entire life seeking justice for everything that was taken from me and my morality quickly faded to gray. Despite that, nothing could have prepared me for a man as heartless as Tristan Steel Harper. But I never lost inside or outside a courtroom and I'd win this too, even if I had to fight for my life. What I never expected was the fire ignited between us and the twisted lies spun in this game. Because this fire could burn everything. Tristan: The need for ruthless control is insatiable and only someone heartless could control this corrupted empire. I was a man who relied on violence, revenge, and brutality to win every battle inside and outside the courtroom. I spent years trying to avenge what I lost and my morals quickly bled into the darkest shades of gray where weapons became my specialty. But I was unprepared for the lethal weapon that was Amara Ruby Milano and I gravely underestimated her. Nothing could stop me from taking my revenge on those who wronged me, even if the person standing in my way was her. Nobody warned me about her dirty little games and I never expected to fall into her trap. The one thing I knew was that her life always belonged to me and if killing Amara Milano was what it would take, then I would shatter her.

She the heiress to an empire and his darkest temptation. He's a ruthless attorney and her darkest addiction. Stella: I've been wrapped in the dark world of corruption all my life, becoming a picture-perfect daughter. The reins to my life were in everyone's hands except my own. It was time for that to change. Starting with a stolen two million dollars. Robbing my family was my escape from an arranged marriage and I took my chances. But I never expected my father to hire one of New York's most dangerous men to find the culprit. Rhys Romanov, the paragon of criminally intelligent. The bane of my existence. Rhys was a man with few morals and far too much power. A deadly lawyer and CEO with a devilishly handsome face to deceive this world. From the moment we met, we succumbed to animosity. Rhys had more power and authority than anyone else and with limited options, I struck a deal with the devil. Everybody had a blind spot. Rhys was mine. Making him my darkest addiction wasn't part of the plan... because it could ruin me. ... Rhys: Power, wealth, and control were the things I chased and thrived on. With only enemies in this world, I held my cards close to my chest and stayed elusive; I kept my secrets and used everybody else's against them. Running a tech company in the name of law, I ruled the world of corruption. But to lead this life, I lived by certain rules. Rules that one person dared to threaten. Stella Almonte, the epitome of elegance and grace. She had the power to draw gazes to herself. Whispers of seduction dripped from her movements that only I seemed to notice. Stella was always charming but she was far more dangerous than a weapon. Stella was poison disguised in jewels and sparkling eyes. With a stolen two million dollars in her pocket, she was the culprit I never knew I was chasing. Until we struck a deal. Everybody had a weakness and Stella was mine. She was my darkest temptation... and she could ruin me.

She feared the dark and escaped it. He ruled the dark and lived in it. Zarah: I've spent my entire life in the spotlight, living up to the facade of the perfect Romano Princess, turning a blind eye to the dark, twisted world of the wicked. Nobody ever saw through me... except him. Logan Ivan Markov, the paragon of morally gray; an intelligent criminal lawyer and agent. He was charming, deadly, and a devious manipulator sitting in expensive tailored suits, playing the part of an ethical and calculative attorney. Those who knew him knew the dangers of a man like Logan. But not me. He was a puzzle I couldn't solve, a message I couldn't decode, a mystery I couldn't unravel, the oblivion I chased. I knew from the moment I met him that we were destined to animosity, to stay far apart. But our bickering and fate had other plans. I never expected to get wrapped up in the dark world of corruption and billionaires; I never expected to need saving, but most of all, I never expected Logan to save me, let alone marry me. ... Logan: All my life, I've lived in the dark and twisted world of corruption, danger, and betrayal. Most people knew the life I came with. The murders, the money, and the brutality. Most people... except her. Zarah Amaira Romano was the bane of my existence from the moment I met her. She was the embodiment of chaos, someone who made me feel too much, someone I couldn't erase after a single night together. She could bring me to ruins if she tried. I knew from the moment we met that Zarah was more dangerous than any bullet or dagger to the heart, she was worse than any drug. I knew if I got too close, she'd be the fire that burned me. The oblivion I would crave. But when she became the key to all the secrets I spent my life trying to unravel, I knew what I had to do. I never expected to get involved with her again. She was too bright, too passionate... untainted. Until she became my wife.

Jules: A year ago, I had it all. The perfect job, the perfect life, and the perfect fiancé. Christian Allister Lukov was the most insufferable, arrogant, yet deadly charming man I knew. A manipulative and intelligent liar disguised in Tom Ford suits. One I fell in love with. Fate threw us together and I mistook his deception for love once. I refused to make the same mistake again. But it just took one little disaster for me to run back into his arms. I desperately needed a date to my brother's wedding, unfortunately, my options were limited. With a family that pounced at the first taste of drama, my broken engagement had become my dirty little secret, and when time came for me to bring a date to the wedding, I was left with no other choice. Christian knew his way around the world, he knew how to make people love him and hate him. I learned my lesson and I would always choose the latter. But in desperate need of a fake fiancé that my family would adore, I made yet another bargain with Christian Lukov. But there were conditions to everything, even love. ... Christian: I may have lost Jules a year ago, but I still had it all. Somewhere between meeting my little sister's annoying best friend and then hiring her years later to become my assistant, I had fallen in love with Jules Evangeline Declan. I would have given the world to be with her but Jules was the one to throw away everything we'd built. When she came back to me a year later, demanding to put a ring on my finger again, I had my suspicions. But I was an opportunist and there was no rest for the wicked. Ever since Jules walked out of my life, I'd been a mess. I lost a fiancé, maybe even the love of my life, but I also lost a perfectly capable employee. One I desperately needed back. I knew my way around the world, I knew how to make people fear me and hate me. But nothing mattered when it came to Jules, I would do anything to have her in my life again in any damn way, even lie.

Evie: Rowan Alastair Volkov had been my biggest nightmare and rival since I met him. He was like a shadow I couldn't shrug off. Perhaps my own. With his arrogance, his snide remarks, his grumpy frown, and his sadistic smirk, he proved to be the one thing standing in my way to a happy life and a happy ending. Regardless of our history and families, we were strangers. That was until the one link separating us shattered. What I never imagined was Rowan asking me for help. Asking me to be his wife. On paper only. Worse? I never imagined falling for him. We signed ourselves away to certain terms & truths, but now, everything was different. Because I fell in love with him beyond those terms. Rowan: Evie Rose Spencer has been the epitome of an annoying thorn in my side that I can't pull out. I've done everything to escape her. With her sarcastic wit, her confident facade, her brighter-than-the-sun smile, and her sparkly ocean blue eyes, I'd come to hate her more than anybody I'd ever met. But, we had an understanding. Be strangers. Then my whole life began to fall apart all thanks to one inheritance will. I was meant to take the seat beside my older brother and run the Volkov empire. In order for me to take what I inherited, I had to be married and make it last a whole year. If I failed, everything I wanted would be taken from me. The best shot I had at finding a new wife was marrying a stranger. But fate tied me down to Evelyn. We signed ourselves away to certain terms & truths, but if she breaks them, she'll have no one to blame but herself. Breaking her heart was inevitable with this marriage license. No matter those terms. . . . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INSPIRED BY - MARRIAGE FOR ONE, THE FINE PRINT, AND TERMS & CONDITIONS <3

Never in a million years did I think I would cross paths with him again. Michael Woods. The boy who broke my heart. The boy who picked hockey over me. The boy who left me behind. After giving three years of my life to him, it was all over after his college graduation. He went his way and I went mine. But I never imagined landing a job at his agency when I moved to Boston four years later, let alone as his assistant. A job that's meant for me to service him, do as he asks, and give him all smiles. So, I play the part. I play the nice, kind, sweet assistant in public and ignore him like my life depends on it in private. The thought of getting close to him again terrifies me because I know. I know that once I let him again, I'll never be able to let him out. And if I do, it'll be at the cost of my heart, and this time he'll leave it broken beyond repair. I used to think he was forever mine. But hockey changed everything. What would he do now if he had to make that choice? Me? Or hockey? Or both? . . . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of death by accident and depression

Four years. Four years ago, he left her. And now he's back, showing up at her bookstore, asking for a second chance. Oh, and for his book to be sold. Runville is a small town in North Carolina. A small town where smiles are made and hearts break. A small town where London and Ronan were each other's whole world. From growing up hating each other to falling in love only to break their hearts and wound up hating each other. It came down to career against family, love against self-love, and choosing who you love against yourself. And Ronan chose himself. And London chose her family. And it tore them apart. Now, four years later, he's done with college, made a name for himself, and is back in Runville. History always repeats itself. What goes around comes around. And where you start is where you end. Can Ronan win her back? They were pieces that fit perfectly together. Only they didn't belong to the same puzzle. . . . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Follow my Instagram for any updates and if you have any questions: @nikki_k123 Alex has been living the same life, with the same routine, repeating it every day. Every day is the same. The one thing she does look forward to is going to cafe de l'amour every morning on her way to school, where she sits and writes, all while seeing Carter Reed. The most popular boy at school who, surprisingly, prefers the solitary life. They go to the same cafe every day, sit at the same tables every day, and notice each other every day, yet are strangers who have never uttered a word to one another. And strangers they shall remain. Perfect strangers. But that's about to change. . . . . . I watched as he kept his eyes trained on the notebook in front of him where he aimlessly drew spirals and coils that surrounded each other, trapped each other, and suffocated each other. My eyes traced the movement of his pen, following each line he drew onto the paper. "Your tea." I snapped out of my trance and looked up, thanking Katy before she went back to the counter. I turned back and caught him looking at me. I expected him to look away and continue acting like I don't exist. Like he's always done and so have I. What I didn't expect was for him to walk right over and sit with me. "Hi, I'm Carter." PSA: This story is inspired by the Wattpad novel 'Caffeine' by @meddlingkids ALL RIGHTS RESERVED