BOOK ONE Coming out was supposed to set Julian free. Instead, it left him with a broken arm, a mother who won't stop preaching, and a silence that grows heavier every day. High school feels like a cage, and Julian is certain he doesn't belong anywhere-until Paul crashes into his world. With his inked skin, effortless charm, and a following that makes him untouchable, Paul should be the last person Julian lets close. But in Paul's arms, Julian feels something he's never known before: safe. As their connection deepens, so does the danger. Loving Paul means risking exposure, rejection, and heartbreak all over again. Worse, it means facing the cruelest voice of all-the one inside Julian's own head. Tender, raw, and unflinching, Open is a story about first love, first heartbreak, and finding the courage to believe you're worthy of both. ::: I could feel it when his body finally went slack, when he'd fallen asleep and soft snores emitted. And I thought I was getting better at this breaking down thing... I honestly did but when I was alone, I seemed to fall apart. Endless serenades of how worthless I'd been and how destructive I was; I was a disappointment to literally everyone and I hated it. My breathing became shallow as I cried for the second time that day, finally feeling content being immersed in guilt. A shudder wracked through my body, tears escaping and Paul pulled me closer as he woke silently. Mumbling soft nothings against my skin and kissing it to slow my breathing, he tried to lull me to sleep, "It's okay, you're okay." Refusing to speak -my voice failing me- his arm came up to wrap around my shoulder and I held him there, placing a small kiss to his tattooed skin in a broken sign of gratitude, I must've run out of tears. And I felt at ease.

"You're mine." I said, only inches away from her beautiful face. Her eyes. Her lips. I could not resist. "There's only you... Only you." My thumb caressed her cheek, marvelling at the softness of her skin. From under her dark nut-brown hair, peeked eyes of hazel and honey, edged with a deep forest-green. Held innocence, and fire that dwindled down to smoldering ember. I was warned about the threats in life, but never the ones with hazel eyes. I held her close, so close that I could feel her heartbeat against my chest. Her body- chiseled to perfection. Must she be so perfect? I couldn't stop myself from pulling her close to me and kissing her lips. At first, it was a delicate butterfly of a kiss, so faint, like a whisper. But, oh, it grew into so much more. Kissing her hungrily, my hands roamed all over her body. I wanted to kiss her lips, trace the curves, the lines and the twists they hid. I wanted to caress her body, cover with my hands every inch of her skin from head to toes, run my fingertips over her, and hear the melody of her laughter, and the symphony of her moans."More," I growled silently, still kissing on her bottom lip. "Give me more, Amelia." I kept kissing her, over and over again, each time harder than the last. The more love I give her, the more I have bursting inside me... Crazy, huh? "Dimitri" The silvery melody of her voice serenaded trough my heart as the air softly touched her lips when she whispered my name. My aesthetic senses came alive. I was once again struck by what she did to me, by her beauty. Her kisses, they lit my brain on fire, the warmth spreading throughout my entire body. After each one of them, I was more addicted. I couldn't bare not to be with her and I could barely breathe when she wasn't around. I, the Vampire Prince of Venedocia was swollen under the spell of this human. Amelia was my salvation and my torment. I lived for her and I would die with the memory of her in my arms. She was the half that made me whole.

Miguel has a natural air of maturity. His body is a canvas for his latest tattoo, covered with long sleeves and a suit coat by day as he runs an esteemed line of cruise ships out of Port Canaveral. He won't hesitate to bash a metal bar into the side of a person's head if they cross him or anyone he cares about. He also has a dark past that he would rather forget. Miguel does not intend to fall for any woman. Love is a weakness he does not need. Then he meets Kiara - his employee. She is an intelligent, petite woman with long brown hair. She is dedicated to furthering her education all while working two jobs and sending money back home. Kiara has also been betrayed by the man she was going to marry, hurt in the worst way possible. She tries to cut ties with Julian, but it's more difficult than she imagines when he is the son of her father's best friend. Julian follows her from her home town of Miami to Orlando where she attends school. He tries to attack her but she manages to escape. She escapes right into the travel agency where she works and passes out, only to wake up in one of the guest bedrooms in Miguel's home.

Clara Massey has loved Jack Devereux, the younger of the two Devereux brothers, since childhood and dreams of the day they are to wed. Her father has arranged their marriage, a union she believes befitting and fated since youth, but after her mother dies of consumption and she is sent to a prestigious Boarding School for Young Ladies, time has wrought certain changes that she is ill-prepared to handle, changes that could potentially wreck havoc on her winsome heart. Jon Devereux is reputedly a scoundrel and considered a notorious rake among the London masses, but their colored opinions of him have not swayed his incorrigible ways, in fact, they simply fuel them all the more, dubbing him London's Devil. He has little interest in matrimony and honors his lecherous ways, until he sets eyes on his Massey brat and is riveted by the stunning beauty she's become. Clara is not the slightest bit surprised to learn that Jon Devereux, her childhood tormentor, is London's very devil himself. She recalls nothing but his brusque manners and incessant taunts, yet he is anything but the unruly boy she remembers and vows to steer clear of London's Devil, but she would soon learn that Jon Devereux is a creature of habit and fully intends to thwart her every whim. She is certain he is nothing more than an impish cad of libertine ways, but when plans go awry and secrets are disclosed leaving Clara with a discarded, broken heart - she will later discover an unwarranted love for the unlikeliest of suitors.

Kaiden couldn't tell what kind of fate had pulled him and his oldest best friend together at university after not seeing each other for over four years but he sure as hell can't decide whether it's a good or bad thing. Would both individuals willingly recover their friendship and continue from where they left off? After all, everyone changes and it's not always for the best. DISCLAIMER: boy x boy content, dark themes and drug use.

[COMPLETE ✓] Rumour has it that a new guy is joining our class this year. All the girls are going crazy, imagining all the case scenarios from cliché YA books: mysterious, rebel, bad boy, werewolf, fallen angel, even vampire! The worst part, I don't even think they have read the books; they only watched the films. However, it doesn't make much difference to me, it's not like he is going to see me. No one sees me. Oh but don't worry, I got used to this and I learnt to enjoy it. Believe me, being unseen has its perks. I'll show you. ⋙⋘ Illustrator: Sarah Bochaton

When Franny learns why former popular boy Tyler fell from grace, she gets thrown head-first into his dangerous world but also closer to his timid heart. ***** Eighteen-year-old Tyler Madden used to have everything. He was captain of the football team, popular, high achiever, and was set to have a successful career. But when a secret too hard to handle comes to light, he turns to underground fighting to deal with the pain. Now, he's in too deep. And when Francesca Howard befriends him at school in the hopes of figuring out what went wrong, she unknowingly gets pulled into the criminal world he's now stuck in. As the two find comfort in each other, they find themselves faced with their impending future and trying to get Tyler out alive. Content/Trigger Warning: this story contains scenes pertaining to drug use, substance abuse, and violence. [#1 in teen fiction, romance and action]

Keely Staub has grown up. At least that's what she thinks has happened. No longer a naive eighteen year old being introduced to a music industry that's equal parts grandeur and grime, she might even be considered a veteran. At just twenty six, she's lived almost too much of a life in the intervening years since she first came to New York. A great love and a great band, not to mention more than a few unsavoury addictions picked up along the way in the time honoured traditions of the rock stars before her. And she gave it all up - except the rock star part, of course. That was a different Keely Staub, a more innocent and wild one all at the same time. She's determined that person and all the things that came with her will stay in the past, and has a very clear path laid in front of her. A measured, smart, hopefully one day respected, path. The problem is the past refuses to remain the past.

Haunted. Terrified. Alone. Those three words seem to be the only emotions that seventeen year old Gabriel Adams knows how to feel. At the age of thirteen, when other boys were chasing after pretty girls and playing in the dirt, Gabriel had been kidnapped and molested. Now, several years later, Gabriel still can't return to the normal life he'd lived before the Incident. He's terrified of the dark, and even the daytime gives him anxiety attacks. Gabriel hates being touched. A simple brush against him will set him off into spasms while panic quickly takes over his mind. It seems as if nothing will relieve Gabriel from the constricting, painful claws of the man who'd done him harm, and Gabriel is becoming desperate. That's when Evan Ricci steps in. Evan, a stubborn yet surprisingly selfless teenager, moves to the small, quiet town of Clydesdale Heights. When Evan sees a small, awkward blond haired boy carrying pop boxes across the street while he's bringing moving boxes into the new house, he decides to help him. Things don't go exactly as planned, though, and their relationship begins with a rather rough start. The two eventually learn to bond, and Evan helps Gabriel learn to deal with the psychological consequences of being molested, which eventually blooms into an understanding so deep they can't imagine themselves with anyone but the other. A hint of infatuation sparks up, but not quite yet will the love blossom out like most. Their love will take time. And lots of patience and persistence, too.

Giselle isn't your average teenage girl. Besides the fact that she's hot headed and argumentative she also can control fire. When she's captured and taken to a special school by the name of Gifted Academy, Giselle Riley doesn't know what to expect. All she knows is that the last thing she wants is to be among people with special gifts such as speed, earth bending and telepathy. That is until the moment she realizes shes one of them. Through challenging struggles and suspense Giselle tries to figure out who she really is and who shes destined to be. Through falling in love, making new friends and destroying dark forces will Giselle finally find out who she really is or is there something more shes been needing to find out all along?