Liliana James is a quiet soul with a gentle smile-but don't mistake her softness for fragility. Life hasn't been soft-her mother's endless shifts and sacrifices have shaped Liliana into someone who moves through life with steady self-assurance and quiet command. She doesn't need to raise her voice to take up space. With her best friend at her side and a strong sense of who she is, she's learned to find light in life's overlooked corners-and to be that light when there is none. Caden Smith is a guarded ex-soldier turned reluctant bodyguard, currently working for a spoiled client who treats his team more like staff than security. In his line of work, boundaries are survival-but Liliana blurs those lines with a presence he can't ignore. Though he prefers to stay under the radar, his striking features and uncommon genes have always drawn attention he never asked for, leaving him even more reluctant to let anyone close. Liliana, however, is different-something in her feels like exhale. This is a tender, slow-burning story about two misfits whose paths quietly intertwine. As they navigate unspoken grief, growing pains, and the hush of becoming, Liliana and Caden discover a love that doesn't scream to be seen-but settles in like roots: steady, grounding, and deeply felt. Their souls weren't broken or incomplete. But together, for the first time, they begin to feel whole.

In a city ruled by crime families, betrayal, and brutal consequences, love is the most dangerous weakness of all. Especially when it finds you first. ⚠️ Content Warning ⚠️ This story is intended for a mature audience (21+) and contains themes that may be triggering for some readers. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. Includes: Age gap Nudity Violence Profanity Sexual content Domestic abuse toward a spouse Drugs Mature / dark themes Gore

Destroy Me. ➿⭐︎➿⭐︎➿ "You like that?" Kit whispered. "You like it when I stroke your little clit?" I whimpered, shifting against Alistair who held me down. "Be nice, Kit," Jason said. "She's new to this." Kit just crawled up and pressed his lips to mine. "What do you say, baby? Should I be nice?" "Please..." I begged. "Please, what, princess?" "Ruin me," I begged, "destroy me." "Oh, honey," Raven leaned forward. "We've already started." ➿⭐︎➿⭐︎➿ Emma Rivers had noticed something odd back in October, five men who'd been following her around. but it wasn't until winter when they came out of the shadows. They played with her, teased her, left around little keepsakes... tormenting her. Kidnapping her. Five stalkers, five psychopaths... five lustful monsters. They might've been playful now, but it wouldn't have been long before the drove to destroy her.

She feared him more than anything-until he became the only place she felt safe. After escaping years of abuse, Lina found a fragile kind of peace scrubbing floors in a mercenary's mansion. Quiet, invisible, and broken, she kept her head down and her voice lower. Especially around him. Killian. He kills for a living. He is a powerful, cold-blooded mercenary, a wealthy man who built his empire off blood, fear. He owns a powerful private military company that operates in the shadows, answering only to the highest bidders. He commands killers, closes deals, and never makes mistakes. Until her. A glance. A flinch. A wound she tried to hide. And suddenly, he was watching her closely. Quietly. Like she was a puzzle he didn't mean to touch... but couldn't stop obsessing over. Killian: "You blush like that again, and I swear I'll pin you against this wall just to see how deep it goes." He didn't know how to be soft. She didn't know how to be wanted. But in a house full of violence, he saw her. And he started to change. And soon, she was everywhere in his mind.

Calliope Andrews, 21, has never been allowed to breathe on her own. Her parents kept her on a short leash her entire life- obedience demanded, independence denied. An arranged marriage was simply the icing on the cake for things they made her do. But who was she to be defiant about it. She was raised to listen and obey, so that's what she would do. Silas Viscuso, 26 years old. A business man in public, mafia in private. Cold. Controlled. Calculated- guarded. Raised to value power over affection, survival over softness. His past makes him who he is today, distant; deciding to never let another woman that close. That was until she came. Calliope, a sheltered girl with a gentle heart. Silas, a hardened man with a shattered past. Them, a connection that neither knows how to handle.

"God Damn, she is the most beautiful girl I've ever laid my eyes on. She looks like a fucking angel"; I almost think I'm dreaming as I stare at her full pink lips and dab of freckles across her nose and her eyes... her eyes are amazing I could just get los-" "Wait, what the fuck? I sound like Romeo"

Ellie: I'm a singer, I live a life that seems easy, it's not. I was at a concert, jumping around and singing on stage to crazy fans. But there was one man that stood out, looked 6'7 in height. I focused on my daily life but little did I know that man was my vampire stalker, and he was deeply in love and obsessed with me. Zayn: I'm a vampire. I usually feel nothing. But she changed everything. I saw her at a coffee shop, looking completely drained of energy but absolutely stunning. It was from right then I knew I had to make her mine, to have her as my own, and I knew she would be. It'll just take time my little star.

Aurora Swan was a soft,sweet, gentle, cutely weird, mysterious, kind, and beautiful girl that everyone loved...... But Bella swan didn't like that, and Aurora being adopted made her hate her more then anything ........ Bella might not have liked it but Jasper Whitlock did he loved every thing about her...... not to mention she was a sweet girl with a secret

Book #2 of the (trapped in series) •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Kylie Deborah King Innocently raised by her top mafia family of America, a gorgeous girl with long and curly black hair with blue eyes. You'd instantly fall in love with her. Not very short but not very tall. Friendly, and passionate, people die to be her friend. Guys begging to be with her but the thing is she doesn't do relationships, she doesn't do hookups or any of that rebellious behavior. She likes one person the most in the world after her parents though, but she's not sure she should stir things up between the two. She thinks keeping it low key is the best decision for now, unless he's the one to make a move first. Lain D'arcy Yves With only his mother in his life he wasn't really lucky, but with one girl always on his side he managed and got raised to his feet. Had brown hair but died it black since it made him look 'hotter' as he said. Hazel eyes that were so beautifully mixed with green and brown. So tall, very tall he sure ate his vegetables, and he ate them right. Kylie's Best Friend, and a lot more people. He's attractive, and has a girlfriend. Lots of girls are jealous of his girlfriend...that includes Kylie but she's good at hiding her emotions at some occasions. Lain is a smoker, a drinker, a party kind of guy, but it's unknown if he hooked up with girls daily or not, since he has a girlfriend I think he doesn't go around doing stuff, but that's still bad. Always keeping an eye on Kylie whatever she does, but he can't do anything, he's locked up. He keeps his distance. And that isn't making the situation any good.

AGE GAP ------ 18+ "You're making bracelets," I say, as though it's the most incriminating thing in the world. She groans again, turning her back to me as she crosses her arms tightly over her chest. "So what? I wasn't tired." "It's nearly midnight," I reply. "And you have school in the morning." She doesn't move, but I catch the way her shoulders hunch tighter, her voice muffled as she mutters, "What are you, my dad now?" Dad. Daddy- I exhale a quiet breath, brushing a hand through my hair. "Hardly." Silence again, but not an uncomfortable one. Her room smells faintly of salt and lavender, and I can just make out the soft fringe of her hair spilling across the pillow as she stubbornly keeps her back turned to me. "What were you planning to do, anyway?" I ask, nodding at the shells. "Make a bracelet for every single person in this town?" "Maybe," she shoots back, but I can hear the faint pout in her voice. I crouch beside her bed, levelling myself just below where she lies. "Sadie." She finally rolls onto her back, blinking up at me with bleary eyes. Her hair is a wild mess around her face, her bottom lip pushed out ever so slightly as she glares at me like an unruly child who's been caught. "Go to sleep," I say gently. "Make me." _____________________ Sadie Harper: 17-year-old school girl with a playful and carefree attitude. Victor Hale: The enigmatic 34-year-old newcomer to their coastal town, stirring emotions she doesn't fully understand.