The Atla Awards 2020. All writers. All Stories. Let the competition commence.

She is defiant. He is resilient. No. Longer. Safe.

Author Note: If you have already read my story 'The Northman's Bride', this is the same story with no changes or edits. I have written a full length novel, book 3 in my Sons of the North series and have decided to use the title 'The Northman's Bride' for it. I apologize for any confusion. What would you do with only a few days left to live? Would you do throw your pride aside and dare to love? Aleksi has lived his life by the motto that woman were to be worshiped, not understood, much like religion. Now, one of the last two survivors on a plague ship, he has begun to wonder if he hasn't missed out on enjoying the comfort that a charming young wife might have brought him. Wounded in a recent battle, Commander Aleksi Ekstrom awakens on the Norrland ship to discover the priest's ward, a young French woman, locked below deck in a cabin of dead nuns, all other passengers and crew lay dead or dying of what looks like plague. Feeling fevered, yet unwilling to surrender her life just yet, Mimi has the forty-day ship quarantine to live her final days to the full. Her sole wish is to not die a virgin. Promised to the church since birth, she always knew she'd be a terrible nun, and so apparently had the evil priest that was selling her to a warlord in Estonia, where the ship had been heading before contracting the deadly plague. Anchored off the coast of Sweden, the quarantined plague ship is well supplied by Aleksi's grieving father and Jarl Magnus, who generously provides his loyal commander with anything requested, grateful to Aleksi for years of brave, loyal service to Tronscar. Aleksi and Mimi toss social restraints aside and speak openly and honestly, holding nothing back, both desiring to live out their final days with no regrets. But, if they survive the quarantine what then, will Aleksi return to his old life and will Mimi be returned to the warlord she was promised? **Adult content.**

[SAMPLE] Reed frowned, his eyes filled with confusion when he saw that Lena seemed to be fine. "I heard a scream," he announced stiffly, standing awkwardly over Lena's bed. Beneath the sheets, Lena was torn between renewed arousal and slight mortification. Embarrassment won. "Everything's fine," she muttered, trying to discreetly disengage the battery-operated toy from between her thighs. It was a thick phallus, way too thick to silently exit her wet pússy, but finally, finally, it popped out. "But you screamed." "Because I came, Reed." His bewilderment only grew. "Came where?" And that was when Lena knew that even after what had happened between them last night, Reed was still like a newborn, an innocent. He might have been the most intelligent guy she knew but in many ways, he was still the boy he'd been before the accident that had marred his life. So she heaved out a sigh, clamping her thighs together when she felt his gaze scorch her damp skin. "I had an orgasm, Reed." She calmly spelled it out, wondering if she should mention that it was his cock she'd been imagining inside her. Now that she knew what he was packing, it was impossible to get the image out of her head - not that she was trying. Reed swallowed, a blush creeping up his neck. Lena was instantly turned on by that blush, by his obvious discomfort and arousal. So she did the most natural thing that came to her. She pulled her sheets away.

[Explicit Content] Jo Bennett is an apathetic college student by day and a highly skilled spy by night. She uses sex to get what she wants and alcohol to numb her feelings. She's perfectly content with the status quo and has no intention of looking backwards... until painful ghosts from her past come looking for her. When Jo's long lost brother and childhood love break into her apartment, her carefully constructed double life begins to fall apart, piece by piece. Kidnapped by her brother's enemies whose end game is to kill them both, Jo has to employ every trick in the book to make it out alive. The question is, will it be enough? WARNING: This book contains sex (and lots of it), violence, strong language, and drug and alcohol use.

"You want me to be a genius or do you want me to fuck you?" • • • The Alexandrettia is the finest school in the state, known for producing the smartest, and most talented kids in America. 21 year old keen painter Mia Hanson managed to get a spot. She worked her whole life to get inside, to see the hallowed halls her biggest idols once walked through. But those very same halls gets vandalized one wild night, and the person responsible gets sentenced to do community service, working as a janitor to clean up his mess. With his brooding eyes, filthy mouth and body covered up in ink, Eli the type of guy you run away from; The type who only lives for the trouble; The type you just know packs a brain the size of a peanut. But when one of Fermat's biggest unsolved mathematical problems gets solved by an unknown source, rumors start as to who and where this genius might be... Well: Three guesses who?

Miranda was abducted as a child, faced with a life full of secrets, betrayal and hurt. Will she be able to come out stronger or will she be defeated? • • • Shaking her head frantically, she couldn't believe it, wouldn't accept it, he couldn't be dead. No! She placed her head steadily on his chest again checking for the normal *thud thud rhythm of a heartbeat, but like the first time, she heard nothing. Miranda looked with horror at the ashen face of the man she had been attending to for the past hours, he looked like death itself. But she couldn't bring herself to believe it. Standing up like the speed of light, Miranda moved to the end of the tiny room. Her heart beating wildly. What had just happened? She looked at her hands which were shaking terribly. Had she just killed a man? Enjoy the read!

It started on Wattpad but now is EVERYWHERE! with a published book, a captivating Webcomic on WEBTOON, a published graphic novel, and an upcoming film adaptation by Wattpad WEBTOON studios in Partnership with Stampede. Read, scroll, or watch - Enjoy this romance in any way you like. Stay tuned for film release updates! Basketball star Caleb Lockhart had it all - until a chance encounter with a mysterious woman in red changed everything. For the first time in his life, Caleb wanted something; something he could never have. ***** College heartthrob Caleb Lockhart is the last person a girl like Veronica Strafford should be involved with. Intelligent and ambitious, with good reason to be cynical of the world, Veronica refuses to be the campus player's next conquest, even after a chance encounter sparks an undeniable attraction between them. But with nowhere to stay, and running from recent tragedy, Veronica finds herself leaning on someone else for the first time. Caleb has never wanted something like this before and he's determined to pursue her, even as the secrets of their pasts threaten to break them apart. Book 1 in the Red series

*Want a paperback copy? Go here: https://goo.gl/forms/lhJx5X63RTGG90T93 (The link is also on my profile)* Terrified of being sent off to marry a man who would only control her, Saeran Sinclair disguises her identity by posing as a male. Instead of being the renowned beauty that she really is, she must help her sister gain "The Lion" of the Highlands favor, even though the feat seems impossible, for every word and look coming from him shows just how feral the man really is. A deadly Highlander shouldn't be forced to marry-but that's exactly what's happening to Kane "The Lion" Shaw. With a new squire, a leper of a lady living in his keep, and his neighboring highlanders beginning to stir with unease, Kane has a lot on his plate. But a Highlander never surrenders...and ignores the odd feelings his squire stirs inside of him. When Saeran, posing as a squire, is forced to be around "The Lion", the roughest, meanest, most barbarian man she's ever met, she is sure her ruse is hanging by a thread. When he begins to suspect what she really is, she makes the most dangerous decision...and finds that this Highlanders touch makes it harder and harder to deny what is happening between them, even while danger wars around them. The complete version of this book is available on Amazon! Message me if you want a signed paperback!