♱ WHEN LOVE REFUSES TO STAY DEAD ♱ Felix Harper, an indie filmmaker with his career on the rise, has always processed grief through horror. His new project is no different: an intimate retelling of Dracula meant to exorcise feelings he'd prefer to see dead and buried. But in his search for the perfect lead actor, the person he's least expected to see again walks into the audition room. Raphael Montrose is Felix's ex-best friend, the person who once knew him better than anyone. The person he hasn't spoken to in years, not since Felix sacrificed their friendship in a desperate attempt to protect what he loved. The person who still makes Felix's heart beat in his throat. Casting him would go against any sort of common sense. But when it comes to Raphael, Felix has never had any. As the two navigate filming a potential cult classic and rebuilding the fragile trust between them, old feelings resurface and the lines between past and present, performance and reality begin to blur. But when the ghosts of their past return to haunt, will they be able to face them, or will they be forced to bury their feelings for good? For readers who enjoyed If We Were Villains and The Picture of Dorian Gray, a gothic second chance/friends-to-lovers romance spanning years of yearning, tenderness, betrayal and artistic obsession. ♱ cover by the amazing @raizelrose3

"Go home Teddy, I don't have the self control you think I do." "I think I'll take that second drink." ~ Teddy Bray didn't know how he let himself get here. He was stuck in a toxic relationship he couldn't get himself to leave. He was a fixer and when it came to his girlfriend Taylor, Teddy should have known there was nothing he could do to fix their relationship. All it took for things to finally change was one look from Cole Madden. Cole had a type and when that type walked into his bar it was hard to say no. Even if that man had his sister clung to him like a leech. They couldn't be together but as tensions rise they both find out just how much self control they really have.

Apollo Quinn is entering the summer before his senior year with one promise to himself; He needs to truly live. After 17 years of being miserably bored, he planned on finally finding himself. Maybe getting a girlfriend, maybe going to a party. No matter what he did, it needed to be big: Something utterly life changing. The only issue? Nicolas Young. While 5 years ago, Apollo and Nicolas had been best friends, these days, they never spoke. Nicolas lived across the country and Apollo was a bit too stubborn to reach out. When Apollo's mom let him know that Nicolas would have to fly from Vermont to California and spend the entire summer in their house, Apollo knew he was doomed. What he didn't account for was how utterly life changing their new friendship would become. 🌊🌊🌊 90,880 words Some content may be upsetting to certain readers! Be sure to read the warnings at beginnings of more triggering chapters.

It could have been simple. Childhood friends - First Crushes - Football - Laughter - Cuteness - Love. Maybe even happily ever after. But it is not simple, and Noah doesn't know why. All he knows is that Ethan suddenly ghosted him when they were thirteen. Cutting their story short at Football. Now, years later, the same game throws them back into each other's lives when Ethan unexpectedly transfers to Noah's school. What he doesn't know is that Ethan comes fighting an invisible battle for control that Noah can't begin to understand. He just feels frustrated that Ethan seems hell bent on keeping a solid wall between them. A wall that keeps cracking. And the question is, once it finally breaks, can they find their way back to the story they were meant to have? ___________ Completed 19 of February 2026

EDITOR'S CHOICE ~ When heartbroken March Marino books a road trip across the western US, he has no idea what he's getting himself into.

It wasn't normal to find yourself weirdly interested in someone for no reason. Not someone you'd only been talking to for a month. And definitely not in the way Aiden was watching Matias like he was studying for a test on his face structure. He wasn't a fucking artist. What was he even doing? Did friends stare like that? ...Were they even friends? "You're a shitty liar," Matias said eventually, his tone casual but definitely laced with amusement. Aiden rolled his eyes so hard he might've sprained something. "Fuck you." "Jeez, Aiden, buy me dinner first."

‎‎"I'm like a fungus," Damian said cheerfully. "You'll get used to me." ‎ ‎"I'd rather contract an actual fungus." ‎ ‎"That's a little dramatic." ‎ ‎"I'm literally a science major," Lukas said, sipping his drink calmly. "I know how bad fungi can get." ‎ ‎Damian leaned forward, like Lukas had just issued a challenge. "Okay. Serious question. What would it take for you to willingly hang out with me?" ‎ ‎"An act of God." ‎ ‎"I'm serious." ‎ ‎"I'm not."

An aspiring knight unwittingly saves the dragon he was sworn to kill. But can he also win the dragon's heart and stop his kingdom from burning to ashes? *** It is tradition for knights to prove their worth by slaying a dragon in the Serpentine Mountains. For Laurence Montbow, an aspiring knight from a decrepit noble house, it's his only chance to save his family from losing their land, and to secure a good marriage. After a dragon hunt gone wrong, however, Laurence finds a naked elven man with amnesia instead. Knowing the guileless elf wouldn't survive on his own, especially when trapped in his enemy's land, Laurence reluctantly takes the man along and tries to help him regain his memories. This act of goodwill turns complicated as the elven man keeps worming himself further into Laurence's heart until it becomes hard to fight the attraction. But the elven man is not what he appears to be... and neither are the dragons from mount Serpentine.

They couldn't be more different. Ridley is a knight in shining white armor, so perfect in every way that it makes people hardly able to stand him. Prince Vandel on the other hand (aka the evil demon prince of darkness) is the sworn enemy of the kingdom, obsessed with gaining power and wearing beautiful clothes. The two young men are right out of a fairytale, practically made to be archenemies...but what if they ended up falling in love instead?

Tom has always treated demons like equals, but he never expected to fall in love with one. Not Ezra, who was condemned to take evil souls because of his own dark past. An angel's virtue is never questioned, while a demon's state of mind is always doubted. Befriending a demon is dangerous. Falling in love with one is an act of lunacy, one that forces Tom to fight for change in a world that's growing more hateful by the day. Violence is on the rise, especially in the Glass Horns pub. Tom has worked behind his parent's bar for four years, and humans are irritating demons more than ever. But are the demons to blame, or is something far more unjust warping the truth?