To save her father, Ceryn reveals she's the only fertile maiden in the kingdom and offers the king an heir. Being only a peasant, her audacious claims instantly capture the king's attention and the kingdom's wrath. *** Ceryn's quiet life shatters when her father is sentenced to death. Desperate to save him, she sneaks into the palace and exposes a secret she planned on taking to the grave: She's the only fertile maiden in the land, capable of bearing the king's heir. With war looming, King Varkon already has enough on his plate. A calculating, level-headed ruler, he knows reckless moves could threaten his throne. Yet something about the peasant girl ignites his blood and makes him risk it all by claiming her. Their bloodlines are oil and water: a powerful king with an ancient ancestry, and a peasant with secrets that could ruin the kingdom. Their union exists only to produce an heir. Romance was never part of the bargain, yet every stolen glance and heated touch forces them to tread a razor's edge of duty and temptation. Their attraction threatens to shatter the kingdom's fragile balance. And with enemies circling and betrayal whispering through every hall, their union could either forge a new dynasty - or doom the realm forever. *** "My entire body tingles with the maddening need to pleasure and protect her. I am a king for Kryndor. But for her? I am a beast. There are no politics, bureaucracy, or rules when it comes to her. Only primal instinct."

She's a shy bookworm on scholarship, desperate to escape the Mafia. He's Chicago's most infamous mob boss, and he's running out of time to find a wife. When Maya Green is saved from a dangerous Italian don by Henry Wallace at a ball, she has no idea who her Prince Charming really is. But when Henry presents her with a deal - save him from an unwanted marriage by becoming his fiancée in return for his protection - Maya is thrust into his world of sin, betrayal, and violence. Now, with a no-strings-attached arrangement quickly becoming something more, Maya and Henry will have to navigate their fiery relationship as they wage a war with the Italian mafia - including its don, who isn't about to let Maya escape his clutches so easily. Will Maya fight to find her place amongst the ruthless criminals who surround her? Or will this business deal have a price that pays in blood?

(STORY IS BEING UPDATED - 04/23/2025) "What is your name?" he asked, his voice a deep, commanding thunder that rolled across the great hall. I stood before the Red Dragon in all his ruthless glory. Towering. Fearsome. Every breath he took seemed to shake the walls-but I refused to tremble. I said nothing. The guards moved in, seizing me by the neck, forcing me to bow. "BOW, YOU FILTHY WOMAN! ANSWER!" one of them roared. Still, I remained defiant. And strangely... they let go. The crowd hushed. Celebration faded to silence. I could hear the click of his boots as he stepped down from his throne. Draya's whisper brushed my ear. "Answer him..." "You dare defy me?" he growled, his eyes flashing gold with something ancient and untamed. I straightened my spine, though my voice caught in my throat. Still, I forced the words out. "I will not give you my name. You don't deserve to know it." Gasps rippled through the room. A hand, rough and merciless, wrapped around my throat. The Red Dragon's. "Why don't you tremble in my presence?" he hissed. I laughed-a bold, reckless sound. "Because I don't bow to men like you. I never will. Go ahead, choke me if you must. That seems to be what you're best at." He laughed then. Low and dark. A sound that promised danger-and something far worse. "I have my ways of making you surrender," he said, his lips curling into a wicked smirk. And in that moment, I knew-I wasn't facing a man. I was staring into the eyes of something far more dangerous.