After a failed attempt at a relationship, I try to make it on my own. However, I end up with a new neighbor who exudes charm, danger, and sexual energy as if it's a job. To make matters worse, I find myself semi-kidnapped by the same dangerous, foul-mouthed, rude neighbor who turns out to be a part of the Italian Mafia. Now, I'm stuck riding shotgun while being chased by gun-wielding maniacs on our way to someplace "safe." I'm beginning to think this is my new reality. *Trigger Warning* Graphic violence, explicit mature scenes, and non-consensual touching (not from the main love interest).

"Tell me, Gianna," he says her name like a caress and a threat combined. "Were you disappointed?" He steps closer. Invasive. Possessive. "That I wasn't fighting? That you didn't get to see the Devil play?" His hand leaves her hair to trace her jawline-that same touch from before, the one that made her breath catch. "Because I don't fight for entertainment," he breathes, thumb brushing the corner of her mouth. "I fight when something is worth fighting for. When something is worth taking." His eyes burn into hers. "And I'm trying to decide, kotyonok..." The hand on her jaw tightens just slightly. "Are you worth the war I'd start to keep you?" They say the devil doesn't come with horns. He comes with power, legacy, and a smile that promises ruin. At Halgrave University, last names are weapons and secrets are currency. This is a world built for monsters-heirs raised on violence, dominance, and control. And at the center of it all stands Nikolai Vetrova-cold, untouchable, and feared even by those born into darkness. He was never meant to notice her. She was never meant to survive him. What begins as hostility turns into obsession. What feels like hate bleeds into desire. And the closer she gets, the more she realizes-loving him isn't dangerous. Surviving him is. Because some men don't fall in love. They claim. They ruin. And once the devil touches you, he never lets go. He is the Future Pakhan of the Bratva While she is the Cosa Nostra Princess. [Book #1 in House of Halgrave Series] ⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: This book contains dark romance themes, explicit sexual content (smut), violence, blood, weapons, criminal activities, morally grey characters, depictions of self-harm, PTSD, trauma responses, and emotionally intense scenes. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

I never believed in monsters- until I met him . Arrogant, wealthy and ruthless , he rules the underworld with a hand of iron and a heart of stone. To everyone else, he's untouchable. To me , he's a nightmare I can't escape. One wrong step dragged me into his world. Now I'm bound by his rules , his obsession and his dangerous charm. He wants control, and he will stop nothing until I surrender completely. But every secret I uncover, pull me deeper into the shadows , where desire and destruction walk hand in hand. I should run. I should fight. Instead I find myself craving the very man who could ruin me . And in his world , love might be the most dangerous game of all.