by Vivian Wood
And I want.
Villains & Vodka
My life is one long fevered dream, balancing between being killed or killing.
The name Harley Crow is one to be feared.
I am an assassin.
A killer.
The villain.
I own it. I choose this life. Hell, I crave it. I hunger for it. The smell of fear makes me hard and is the very reason the blood runs through my veins.
Until I meet her…
Marlowe Masters.
Her darkness matches my own.
In my twisted world of dancing along the jagged edge of the blade…
She changes everything.
No weapon can protect me from the kind of death she will ultimately deliver.
Scoundrels & Scotch
I’ll stop at nothing to own her.
I’m a collector of dolls.
All kinds of dolls.
So beautiful and sexy, they become my art.
So perfect and flawless, my art galleries are flooded by the wealthy to gaze upon my possessions with envy.
So fragile and delicate, I keep them tucked away for safety.
The dark and torrid tales of Drayton’s Dolls run rampant through the rich and famous, and all but a few are true.
Normally I share my dolls for others to play with or watch
on display.
But not my special doll.
No, not her.
Ivy is the most precious doll of all.
She’s mine. All mine.
Devils & Rye
Forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.
It had been years since I had seen her.
Years since I last saw those eyes with pure, raw innocence.
So much time had passed since I lusted after what I knew I should resist.
But she was so right.
And I was so wrong.
To claim her as mine was breaking the rules. Boundaries should not be broken. But temptation weakens my resolve.
With the pull of my dark desires…
I know that I can’t hide from my sinful thoughts—and actions—forever.
Beasts & Bourbon
My royal blood flows black with twisted secrets.
I am a beast who wears a crown.
Heir to a modern kingdom cloaked in corruption and depravities.
The time has come to claim my princess.
An innocent hidden away from my dark world.
Till now.
Her initiation will require sacrifice and submission.
There is no escaping the chains which bind her to me.
Surrendering to my torment, as well as my protection, is her only path to survival.
In the end…
She will be forever mine.
Sinners & Gin
My power is absolute. My rules are law.
Structure.
Obedience.
Discipline.
I am in charge, and what I say goes. Black and white with no gray.
No one dares break the rules in my dark and twisted world… until her. Until she makes me cross my own jagged lines.
She’s untouched. Perfection. Pure.
Forbidden.
She tests my limits in all ways.
There is only one option left.
I will claim her as mine no matter how many rules are broken.
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About the Author
Alta Hensley is a USA TODAY bestselling author of hot, dark and dirty romance. She is also an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author. Being a multi-published author in the romance genre, Alta is known for her dark, gritty alpha heroes, sometimes sweet love stories, hot eroticism, and engaging tales of the constant struggle between dominance and submission.
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Dark Castle
Fawn Bailey
Chapter One
Amber
Excitement flowed through my veins, making me jittery as I walked into the arrivals section of Luxuria’s only airport.
Finally, I had arrived.
Thorn had let me borrow his private jet to ensure my safe arrival for the selection process at the court of Luxuria. I still couldn’t believe what was happening. That I’d been invited to join the process of Prince Olivier choosing a wife.
We’d only spent one night together, but it was a night to remember. I couldn’t get the crown prince off my mind. My nights were spent tossing and turning, thinking of the way he’d spoken to me, of the way he’d touched me. Even though I had a few other suitors from the night of my coming out party at my dear friend Rose’s house, I was stuck on Olivier.
I could’ve gotten married to a nice, rich man, who would let me serve him in any way he saw fit. But there was a thing about my submission that made it impossible to kneel for a man I didn’t want. I could have been reasonably happy with someone else. I could have had the life Rose had, in the States, with the man who owned and loved her, giving her everything she’d ever wished for.
But I wanted more.
I wanted what I’d had that magical night at Rose and Thorn’s house. I wanted Prince Olivier, who’d touched me with tenderness, knowing just how much he could hurt me but holding back because he didn’t want to break me during our first meeting.
I’d become addicted to him, my thoughts overwhelmed with him. And so, when I received the invitation to enter the selection process and possibly become Prince Olivier’s royal bride, I didn’t hesitate. Even though there would be twelve other women competing for Olivier, I was confident he would pick me in the end.
The connection we had that night couldn’t be rivaled. We were meant to be together.
My eyes scanned the crowd at the arrivals section of the airport, a shiver going down my spine. There was nobody with a sign with my name there, though I’d been told someone would be waiting for me.
The airport was small, with only a few flights per day.
I struggled with my luggage when a hand wrapped around my wrist.
“Amber Jonathan?” a deep voice asked.
I looked up into the man’s eyes with a shy smile playing on my lips.
“That’s me,” I responded. “Are you here to take me to the court?”
“Yes,” the man replied with a smirk, taking my luggage away from me as if it weighed nothing.
It was my first chance to get a good look at the man, and I tried to hide my surprise, though his all-knowing grin seemed to see every thought inside my head.
He was handsome, not in a refined, sophisticated way like Prince Olivier, but devilishly so. His hair was jet black and peppered with streaks of silver, slicked back and giving him a sexy, dangerous look. His eyes were grey, so bright they startled me. He towered over me.
“Come with me,” he said now, and I rushed after him outside the airport, struggling to catch up.
“You work for the royal family?” I asked in a rush.
“I do.”
He didn’t elaborate, and I bit my bottom lip as we left the airport building. Had I already overstepped? I’d been warned by Rose that the Luxurian court was a bit old-fashioned. Even though I knew how to behave at these kinds of events, I was terrified of breaking a century-old tradition or something of the sort.
“Wait,” I said, tugging on the man’s sleeve.
My luggage tumbled to the ground and he turned to face me, a snarl on his face. It made me take a step back, and he cleared his throat, giving me a st
ern glance.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that, or you’ll get hurt.”
I was so shocked I couldn’t even manage a reply, instead just nodding and falling into step behind him again. At least he’d slowed down now, and I could keep up easily.
We arrived at the drop-off section in front of the airport where a beautiful lacquered white Rolls Royce was waiting. My eyes widened at the sight of it and I felt the now familiar rush of excitement running through my veins as two other men joined us. They were both wearing uniforms, and nodded at me, not saying a word as they started loading my luggage into the car.
I had to bite my tongue to stop all the questions I had from pouring out. I had no idea what I was getting in to, and I wanted to know so many things – like when the other women would arrive, and whether I’d be able to see Olivier soon. However, the man who picked me up was wearing a somber expression that made me shut my mouth again. He didn’t seem like the type who liked to answer questions, so I kept them to myself.
It would have been nice to know his name at least, but I was too scared to ask.
He helped me into the car, and I settled into the plush leather interior. It was an incredible car, one that I’d only seen in movies before.
The two men who’d been loading my suitcases into the back took the front two seats, and the other man, the one that made me a little afraid, climbed into the back with me.
I looked through the windows as the car pulled away from the airport, a frisson of excitement making my hands shake in my lap.
“Nervous?”
I looked into the man’s eyes and offered him a shy smile.
“A little bit,” I admitted. “This is all so new to me.”
“But you’ve met Prince Olivier before. You know what to expect, don’t you?” His eyebrows shot up and it hit me just how handsome he was, making me blush.
“Not a lot,” I told him. “I met him at a party my friends organized. Rueben Thorn, perhaps you’ve heard of him?”
He stared at me blankly and I sighed. He was such a hard man to read, and he seemed intent on making this conversation even more difficult than it had to be. But I decided to fight my own nerves and get some information out of him. After all, I deserved to know what was going to happen next.
Before I could ask a single question, the man looked out of the window and began talking himself.
“Luxuria is a little old-fashioned, you’ll find. You might be surprised by our traditions, but we love them. We’ve been following them for centuries.”
“Can you tell me about the selection process?” I glanced at him, and he grinned at me before shifting his attention back to the landscape outside the window.
“You will find out everything soon enough,” he replied. “But the gist of it is this – you and twelve other women will be competing for the Prince’s attention. It is a tradition that has been present in Luxuria for over five centuries. There are usually twelve women.”
“I was wondering about that,” I said. “It seems such an odd number to have thirteen. You know, it’s always thought of as an unlucky number.”
“It is,” he replied. “But as you know, the Prince insisted on adding a thirteenth woman to the selection.”
“Who?” I wondered out loud, and he laughed at me, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.
“I’m sure you can figure it out.”
I blushed once the realization hit me.
Had Olivier really gone against his own country’s tradition to include me in the selection process?
The thought filled me with butterflies. I knew there had been something special between us. This only confirmed that Olivier had felt it too, and it made me so excited.
“If you’ll look outside now,” the man said, motioning toward the window. “You’ll be able to admire the landscape of Luxuria.”
I followed his gaze to the beautiful countryside that surrounded us. It was a mixture of France and Italy, beautiful in the autumn glory of the afternoon. The leaves were changing colors already, coloring the forests in enchanting golden and ruby colors. It was breathtaking and made me gasp as we drove down the winding road.
“Do a lot of tourists visit Luxuria?” I wondered aloud, and the man shook his head.
“We only accept a small number of them each year. We protect our country from the riff raff.”
I blushed, feeling almost attacked. I was English but having lived in the States for the past few years, I felt a little offended by his statement.
“Your English is so perfect,” I added. “But the official language of Luxuria is French, right?”
“Correct,” he nodded. “Although a lot of people are bilingual and speak Italian as well. Mostly everyone speaks English, though. It is taught in our schools from an early age.”
“So, you are a native, too?” I asked, but his sharp gaze reminded me I didn’t get to ask as many questions as I would have liked. I looked away, blushing. “I’m sorry, I’m just curious about Luxuria… I did some of my own research, but I would love to learn more from a local.”
“And you will,” he replied. “Soon enough.”
The rest of the ride was spent in silence, but I didn’t mind much, focusing my attention on the glorious landscape on the other side of the window.
Luxuria was picturesque and beautiful. I didn’t see anything out of order – not even a piece of litter on the ground. We drove through little towns that I’d seen on images when I did some research on the country. Every sight out of the window seemed perfect for a photo op, and I couldn’t get over the beauty of this tiny country I hadn’t even known existed a year ago.
I felt like Cinderella being delivered to the royal ball in that beautiful car. It was much better than a pumpkin carriage… but I was no princess.
My cheeks flushed at the thought of everything I’d been through.
But I had one advantage over most of the girls who would be competing for Prince Olivier – or so I’d tried to convince myself.
Prince Olivier had taken my virginity in a night filled with lust and passion, and I knew I’d made an impact on him just like he had done to me.
My hands smoothed down the simple silk jade dress I was wearing. I’d changed into it and paired it with strappy heels at the airport bathroom, and I was grateful for it. All three men who’d met me at the airport were impeccably dressed, and I didn’t want them seeing me in the leggings I’d worn for the plane ride. But now, as I pulled my faux fur shrug over my shoulders, I felt confident. I’d done my hair and makeup on the plane, and I knew I looked presentable. Well, as presentable as I could after the long plane ride.
“We’re almost there.”
The man’s voice woke me up from my thoughts, and I looked out the window again.
The winding road led up to the most glorious building I’d ever seen.
It stood in the distance, reminding me of a fairytale castle. It was built in a combination of white and red brick and had a beautiful blue roof, with towers raising from the main building. It was glorious, and I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped my lips.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I said. “Pictures don’t do it justice.”
“A beautiful thing is always meant to be appreciated in person,” he muttered, and when I looked at him, he was looking into my eyes. It made me blush.
“I’m sorry to be so forward,” I said, twisting my hands in my lap. “But you never introduced yourself.”
We came to a stop in front of the castle, and for a second, I was convinced he wasn’t going to answer me. But he kept looking, and finally, his reply came, hitting me like a brick.
“I’m Prince Olivier’s brother,” he said.
“I thought he was an only child?” I asked, my eyebrows shooting up.
His expression darkened.
“I’m a bastard,” he replied, shocking me with the honesty of his statement. “You can call me Bruno.”
“O-Okay,” I stuttered, trying not
to convey my surprise.
“We’re here,” he said next, and the car door opened to an incredible view of Luxuria’s winter court.
Bruno stepped out first, offering me his hand and grinning that wicked smile I’d come to know all too well.
“Welcome to Luxuria, Amber Jonathan.”
Chapter Two
Olivier
Four Years Ago
I stood before the double doors, knowing full-well what awaited me on the other side.
My life was about to change forever. I would no longer be the carefree young man who partied too hard and drank too much, indulging in every luxury my thick wallet could pay for. I was about to come face-to-face with my future.
The doors opened, and a woman emerged. She was petite but held herself in a regal way. Her hair used to be naturally blonde but had greyed completely during the last few months. Now, she relied on a hairdresser who charged four figures to keep her looking as perfect as she always had. Her face was streaked with tears, tired from the months of hardships we’d endured during my father’s illness. Still, it didn’t take away from her beauty.
My mother was a classically built woman with an aristocratic nose, a high forehead, and a beauty that would be as enchanting in antique times as it was now. I knew it had been the first thing my father had noticed about her.
“My son.”
I looked at my mother’s face, trying hard to hide my feelings as she approached me and took my face in her hands. I looked anywhere but into her amber eyes, matching mine to the last fleck of gold in the iris, knowing that if I did, I would break down completely.