Kylie Kent

Love and hate. Sometimes it’s hard to see the difference. And right now, it’s love that wins out. Love that has me hunting them down like the animals they are. It’s the driving force that keeps me going. Keeps me fighting. She’s the reason I’m going against everything I’ve been taught.

Aurora. Prey or be prey. It’s the way of life. Me? I prefer option one. Hunting those down who hurt the people I love is my life’s mission. I’ve never allowed myself to be caught in someone else’s sights. At least until now. Love makes you do crazy shit.

The moment I see Alyssa enter my club, I knew I wanted her. Even as she sat across the bar with another man—I knew I’d make her mine. The moment our skin connected every cell in my body exploded like fireworks. That moment sealed her fate....

My mother taught me one valuable lesson that I’ve used to get to where I am today. And where am I? Las Vegas. Who am I? Well, that depends on who you are. To some, I’m the king.

Romeo: fictional, someone who can fall in love with his whole heart, without a shred of doubt. The thing about fictional characters is just that; they’re not real. That kind of love doesn’t exist outside of the pages of books. At least, that’s what I thought… Until I saw her.

Four years ago, I did the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I walked away from the love of my life. She was young; she needed to go and live her dreams without me dragging her into my darkness. She’s also the little sister of my best friend. Now, Ella is back, and she’s not 18 anymore....

I’d endure the fiery pits of hell if it meant I could be with Connor. Although the sandy beaches and blue oceans surrounding us are far from that.

Emily came crashing back into my life, bringing with her everything I was missing. But she’s not the same girl I knew years ago. Gone is the girl who was always happy and eager to please everyone. The one who didn’t let life get her down.

Some things are off-limits. My best friend’s little sister has always been one of those things. Years later, I can still hear his voice in my head telling me not to go there. The fact those warnings are coming from beyond the grave doesn’t help matters either.

Everything we’ve built is crashing down around me. I’m consumed by the darkness, my blood boiling with the need for revenge. My wife is the only light in my life; she’s the very reason I keep on fighting. They’re coming after me. And worse yet, they’re coming after her. But let them come....

A lie. Presenting a false impression. To be deceptive. That’s what I am. A lie. My family sees one version of me. The world sees another. Neither is real. I like it that way. Prefer it even. And then there’s her. She sees right through the lie. Through me.

Emmanuel. Love is a weakness. You either kill it or it will kill you. I’ve been in love once, and that’s what I did. I killed it. I’ve managed to avoid the weakness throughout my entire life. And then I saw her. A ghost from my past, very much alive and right in front of me.

Have you ever loved someone so much it physically hurts? That’s how much I love my best friend, Matteo Valentino. It’s also the reason I’ve done everything I can to make sure he’s firmly rooted in the friend zone.

Work, sleep, and sometimes eat. Rinse and repeat. That’s been my life for the past two years. One struggle after another. Fighting to keep my sister alive. Fighting to maintain the strength to not give up. I had everything under control. I had a routine. Order.

Lailani Out of all the jobs I’ve had over the years, this has to be the most mundane. It requires me to be someone completely different. A meek, quiet girl working to put herself through college. I really do deserve an Oscar. It’s easy money, though.

Everything was perfect until it wasn’t. Nobody warns you that it can all be taken away in the blink of an eye.

Blood. Pain. Tears. Despair. Hate. All words I associate with those around me. But it’s true what they say. You can’t choose your family. And mine? Well, I don’t think anyone would choose them.

SantoCold. A deep, bone-chilling cold. I’ve felt it since the night I clutched my pregnant fiancée to my chest and had a pair of cold, lifeless eyes stare back at me. My family wants me to move on. To start living again. But it’s not so easy to do when your heart and soul are still six feet under.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. This isn’t the happily ever after I was promised. He was meant to be here. He was meant to be sitting on this throne. Not me....

Most men I date are scared away as soon as they meet my family. Travis isn’t most men. He’s stared down the barrel of my father’s gun without flinching. He should have run, though. If he had, he wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed right now.