Kiss or kill? When three vicious men with troubled pasts become entangled in a vengeful web of lies and lust, sparks quickly turn into an all-consuming fire. *** To escape his abusive father's heavy hand, Jace Carter gets wasted and hooks up with strangers on weekends. While notorious for never sleeping with the same person twice, one incredible night with sexy mafia boss Renato "Ren" Merlo makes him reconsider this policy. Ren's interest in Jace is more complicated than mere lust, though. He is out for revenge against the Carters in a long-running feud between the two families and has the perfect plan; a plan to entangle Jace in a shady business deal designed to bring everything crashing down. While it may have started as mere revenge, Ren soon realizes there may be something between him and Jace beyond desire. When sparks fly between Ren's lethal henchman Kieran and Jace as well, the original plot starts to seem less important - but actions always have their consequences. *** "You need to be used. You yearn for it. And I can use you in the most beautiful of ways imaginable." "So you want me in as one of your pawns," he replied, and squared up his shoulders. "You will be so much more than that." *** CONTENT WARNING: This story contains mature themes. Sex is always consensual but sometimes rough, and various kinks may be involved. Language and violence are both explicit. There are mentions of both physical and psychological abuse. Mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts, are present. *** Weekly updates on Thursdays. Wait & read for free, or unlock with coins-the choice is yours!

One Crown. Two Claims. A War That Cannot Be Won. The death of King Adame Leafvale shattered the realm, and his daughter, Aalina, fled the court-crushed by grief, hunted by guilt, and swallowed by the shadows of her own fears. Now, she returns, scarred but resolute, to claim the throne that was always meant to be hers. But the court she once knew is no longer a place of loyalty or honor. It is a battlefield of deceit, where every smile hides a blade, and every step is a dance of betrayal. In the darkened halls of power, only the strongest will survive. To the south, Britius, bound by a sacred oath and a haunted past, struggles to unite the Etheri-an ancient people torn between honor and survival. His quest to claim the crown is a perilous gamble, one that tests not only his strength but his very soul. And though he walks the path of kings, it is one stained in blood and shadow. But beyond the realms of men, in the forgotten corners of the world, an ancient enemy stirs. His vengeance is as old as the kingdom itself, and his claim to the Thorn Crown is not one of mere ambition-it is a thirst for retribution, a desire to see the kingdom burn. His return will mark the beginning of a new, darker age. In a realm where loyalty is fleeting, and alliances are fragile as glass, every truth is twisted, every promise broken. The fires of war are kindled, and the ashes of a shattered kingdom will leave no man or woman untouched. Only one question remains: Who will emerge from the storm to claim the crown-and what will they have lost in the end? [BOOK ONE OF THE THORN CROWN SERIES] ©Cover rights belong to: Pennywithaney

Details on the 2022 NONC Open Novella Festival can be found here!

Pirates of the Caribbean comedy and adventure meets a naive narrator, werewolves, fish people, and more in this fantastical adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's timeless Treasure Island. After the murder of his mother, Walter Avery sets off on an expedition to a supposedly nonexistent island, led by the X-marked map that Lisa Avery had left in his possession. With this as his only lead to those that had torn his life apart, Walter disembarks with a varied cast of personalities on a voyage of revenge, while those with him seek peace, knowledge, glory, and adventure. "AUDIOBOOK" for chapters up to "The 'Just Right' Captain": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNQrysFZubI&list=PLCZjhmwo5_DGvtPux_sn7IeVlB5p5uy-z 1st place winner in the Action/Adventure category of The Butterfly Awards 2020 1st place winner in the Adventure category of The Chaos Awards 8 2020 1st place winner in the Adventure category of the Glory Awards 2020 1st place winner in the Fantasy category of The Belle Ame Awards 2020 Featured on @ StoriesUndiscovered official reading list from March-April 2020 Featured on @ talesofthedeep official Ships Ahoy ~ Pirate Tales reading list Featured on @ Wattpad's Editors' Choice List January 2021

Being summoned to save the mortal realm always has its irritations. Demigod Emmanon is attacked before he can fully possess his new mortal vessel, which then proves to be only the first of his many, many troubles. It's a turning point for the Southern Kingdom in the war against Enis the God-King, but their finest immortal warrior is nowhere to be found. When Emmanon finds himself stripped of his divine powers by an upstart healer with a life-debt to the previous inhabitant of his new body, he'll find himself having to rely on this begrudging mortal in order to restore his powers, thwart Enis' machinations and uncover the truth of the heavens. Provided, that is, that they can get through a day without throttling each other. -- Standalone story --

Night marches on the Everburning City. The life-killing mist enshrouding the world, the Gloam, clings to the walls. Golems, towering monsters of stone, shake the earth as they march. And the dead rise again, puppeteered by some distant, titanic power. For Corporal Valen Redgrave, on the watch at the outermost walls of the City, the night marks the end of the military life he has known. The idyllic simpering of the watch has ended, and Valen finds himself the pillar upon which his companions' courage rests. For Gwendolyn Aranhall, stewarding a work rehabilitation camp for youth guilty of petty crimes, the night heralds the dismantling of everything she has known. As the Gloam claims the world around her, and she becomes the last thing standing between children and monsters, she finds in herself a heart unbroken by her fear. And that resilience will see darker responsibilities laid upon her. For Crafter Olivia Polden, the fire she commands and the red coat she wears represents the single greatest power in the City. Weirder of a power that could doom the City as surely as the foes marching upon it, she will stand first among those sent to halt the invasion. And only then, begin to learn how to live with despair. There is no night in the Everburning City. There can never be. (Cover courtesy of Mahana258)

Detective. Judge. Executioner. In an icy, Victorianesque world, a harsh god rules, and He has one law: a life for a life. Konrad Savast is the Malykant: detective, judge and executioner in one. It's kill and be killed in Konrad's world, and his unhappy duty to mete out his Master's implacable justice. The body of an aristocrat lies in the mist-shrouded reaches of the Bone Forest. Her killer has signed their own death warrant; but first, Konrad must learn who could have wanted the delightful Lady Rostikova dead... With a pair of bloodthirsty ghosts to assist him, Konrad will hunt her ladyship's killer the length and breadth of the city - and stop at nothing to finally bring them down. Classic murder msytery meets the supernatural in this tale of dark justice, deduction and black magic.

Summer, 2003. An easygoing teen skateboarder and his insensitive best friend must navigate their changing friendship when a flirty boy comes between them. ***** Sixteen-year-old Matteo is a simple dude. It's 2003, his brother is fighting in Afghanistan, and his best friend Logan is obsessed with gay jokes, but Matt doesn't like to worry. He just wants to film his skateboard video. Then cute emo boy Quinn applies to work at the skate shop with Matt. Being friends with clever, flirty Quinn is like learning a new skateboard trick: a little bit intimidating but totally (probably) worth the challenge. Now Logan hates Quinn, there's money going missing at the shop, and Matt can't seem to figure out if Quinn might possibly, maybe, want to kiss him back. This summer just got a lot more complicated. ***** *featured in LGBTQ+'s "BxB Teen Fiction", LY's "Love Your Identity", and WattpadNaNoWriMo's "2019 Top Picks" lists* Complete at 59k words.

One soul. Two lives. One destiny. ***** Torn apart by the gods, twin sisters, Sheala and Cassandra, are each anointed by the Fates to end the war raging upon Geiha. The sisters, one of the light and one of the dark, find themselves on the opposite sides of the conflict between the remnants of the ancient Kingdom of Hitithe and the evil empire of a vampiric Blood Lord. Their separate paths set them on a course where facing their destiny means ultimately facing each other. While one runs from this inevitability, the other has embraced it. And the fate of the world will depend upon which one shall ultimately claim it. Cover designed by Ray Gardener

There are certain known facts about vampires. They revile change. They are obsessive-compulsive. They are illogical. They are cursed. They will burst into flames in sunlight. They are dying. With less than a hundred vampires left in the world, Yasuko is a rare breed. More importantly, she's a protected breed, preserved and sheltered thanks to a centuries-old mistake that the government wants everyone to forget. Regardless of what others hope, she knows that extinction is a slow but sure thing, yet a change of situation brings with it an awful and chilling reminder: the death of the vampires includes the death of her sister. And someone is determined to make sure that happens. *updates every Monday* MATURE: language, violence and themes