[Warning: Mature content | Dark romance]

Aliana Vanderbilt is the witty, fierce heiress to a multi-billion-dollar empire. She always lived life on her own terms, until one fateful night changed everything.

After a brutal accident involving a "lost child" that only she could see, Aliana woke to a terrifying new reality. 

By day, she is haunted by restless spirits. By night, she is consumed by vivid, steamy dreams of a mysterious man with icy blue eyes.

Her search for a solution comes to an abrupt halt when she finally comes face-to-face with Gavriel Valentine. An enigmatic man sitting at the pinnacle of a rival business empire. He is dominating, dangerous, and everything Aliana should avoid.

Yet, he alone possesses the power to end her misery. Whenever she is near him, the ghosts vanish.

Driven by a desperate need for peace, Aliana bulldozes into Gavriel’s life with a scandalous demand. However, what she does not expect is his counter-offer… that she must marry him.

What happens when two strong-headed personalities are tied together in a sacred union? Will they find peace, or will it spell disaster?

.....

Excerpt:

“I warned you, didn’t I, Aliana?” His deep, masculine voice reverberated through the air like silk. Her name rolled off his sinful lips so seductively that it made her want to roll her eyes in reluctant delight.

That thought alone made her brows knit in confusion until she heard him continue, “You step into my world, and I will ruin you in ways you never imagined.”

Aliana shivered, not only at the warning he had given her far too many times, but also at the way his icy blue eyes pierced her so intensely that it felt as though she might burn and freeze all at once.

Ignoring her thrumming heartbeat, she drew in a sharp breath and replied, “You did… but didn’t I say there is nothing I love more than a challenge? If you’re going to ruin me, Gavriel, at least make sure you’re the only one left standing when the dust settles.”

His eyes widened ever so slightly before he rose from his armchair and padded across the carpet to stand right before her.

The moment his fingers lifted to touch her chin, a jolt of electricity shot down her spine as he leaned in and said, “You want to play a dangerous game, Aliana…. and make no mistake, this devil loves to play.”

Tilting her chin closer to his face, he whispered, “So here’s my offer, Aliana…. marry me.”
....
The book cover is mine, don't use it.

[Music recommendation: Autumn in Stillness · Violin Sky]


"With our bond corrupted, it was only a matter of time before the curse claimed both our lives."


Aliana listened quietly, the very same question she had once posed to Cillian resurfacing in her mind. Unable to hold it back, she asked, "But... how are you the only one bearing the brunt of it? If a mate bond is meant to claim both of you, then how is Gavriel's father..."


"Still alive?" Lilith completed her thought.


Lilith paced slowly across the chamber before continuing. "While it remains true that the death of one mate inevitably claims the other, there exists a cruel exception to that law."


Aliana's brow furrowed. "What exception?"


Lilith halted and turned to face her directly. "There is only one circumstance where a mate does not follow their partner into death. And that is... when one mate slays the other with their own hands."


Chapter 404 - The Ashes Of A Forgotten Past