The pounding hail and rain hammered down on the thin roof of the small house, almost concealing the screams of the to-be mother.
She was a beautiful woman, with long eyelashes framing her blue eyes and the most beautiful sandy brown hair that grew to her shoulder blades.
With her legs widely spread open and her red face drenched in sweat as her expression was scrunched up in pain, her right hand held her husbands tightly, almost cutting off his blood circulation. But he didn't mind, his pain was nothing compared to hers.
With one last loud scream, hers stopped, and a different type of cry filled the small house, the high pitch bringing smiles to the new parents' faces.
The nurse handed the baby to the couple before standing aside.
"Willow." The woman smiled at the baby as it started to calm down.
"Honey, not that name again, Pheonix sounds better." The man shook his head as the woman passed him the baby to hold.
The baby began to cry loudly again and the man let out a small laugh, "Looks like she's going to be a mummy's girl."
Looking at her beloved husband and baby, her heart warmed as tiredness began to consume her being. The lasting image in her head, was of the two people that she loved so much. That would be the last thing she saw as she drifted off into eternal sleep.
---
The naive and innocent daughter of the rebel leader, Willow Fern Soleil enters the palace in disguise as a maid. Her goal was simple, assist in helping the people.
Successful, she goes back home.
Bad things await her.
Things that change a person.
In a game of chess, the King may be the most valuable piece, but the Queen is the deadliest.
And Willow will bring hell to those who wronged her because the King would do anything for his Queen.
---
Please note that this book deals with rape.
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]