Eleven years ago, I met him. A year later, I was betrothed to him. Now he’s come to claim me, slaughtering anyone standing in his way. My husband-to-be is a monster from a family as ruthless and powerful as mine, a man who deals in violence and destruction...a man terrifyingly like my father. For more than a decade, he’s stalked me, shadowing my life. I fear him. I hate him. Worst of all, I want him. My name is Alina Molotova, and Alexei Leonov is a fate I can’t escape.

I went to a sex club to lose my virginity, but all I got was the attention of a man I should’ve stayed far away from. Nicholas is dark, dangerous, and charming. When he fails to sweep me off my feet, he finds another way to claim me. Now, locked away in his secluded mansion, I either give him what he wants or risk facing his wrath. This is a dark game, and if I’m not careful I could end up dead—if I don’t lose my soul to him first.

I should’ve trusted him, believed him when he told me he was only trying to keep my safe. I thought the worst was behind me. Little did I know the worst was yet to come. Kidnapped by a man capable of the worst kind of evil, I am thrust into a dark and dangerous world where blood and wealth are the only things that matter. I’m a pawn in the war for power. The man I was desperate to escape from is now the only one that can save me. I’ll do anything to be back in his arms. He saved me once; he’ll do it again.

Welcome to Corium University, where the most dangerous criminals in the world send their offspring.

I made a vow to protect her when we were just kids. First, from the monsters hiding under the bed and then the ones roaming the world freely. My obsession with Dove wasn’t normal. It toed the line on psychotic, but my love for her overshadowed that. I’d killed, destroyed, and hurt those who had done her wrong. I’d watched her for years wanting to claim her but refusing to. I was both her guardian angel and a demon lurking in the shadows. She was mine, even though she didn’t know it yet.

One wardrobe malfunction. Two people who don’t belong together. Three awful words: “Be my wife."

My father never intended to honor his promise to marry me to the most despised crime lord in Corsica. He thought that handshake would be long forgotten. Until Angelo Russo shows up at my sixteenth birthday party and demands his due when I turn eighteen. A man to whom no one dares say no is determined to take what he considers as his, especially when he’s told he can’t have it.

An ancient curse. Two families bound. A forbidden love. When the Wildbloods presented their daughters to me on the night of the Tithing, they knew what was to come for the chosen girl. The crescent moon that marked Willow made her mine. I had no choice but to take her. Destiny determined our fates long before we were born, laying our roles out for us. A Sacrifice would be made. A Tithe paid. Only then would our families be free, at least until the next payment came due. I would have done my duty as Penitent. I tried.

Working as Ruslan Oryolov’s personal assistant is the job from hell. After a long day spent tending to the billionaire’s every whim, I need some stress relief. So when I get home that night, that’s exactly what I do. Problem is, my thoughts are still stuck on the bosshole, who’s ruining my life. That’s fine—because of all Ruslan’s many sins, being gorgeous might be the most dangerous.

I’m in trouble. Deep, deep trouble. I never meant for it to happen, but my ex is dead—and I’m the one who pulled the trigger. Whether he deserved it or not, whether anyone will even miss that jerk, it doesn’t matter. Joey is dead, and I have to figure out what to do before I get caught with a corpse on my hand.

Maximo and I, we were definitely a fairy tale. Not the cleaned-up, sanitized ones where life’s problems are solved with a smile and a song. We were the old-school kind. A twisted tales packed with murder, violence, and tragic beginnings. Okay, so maybe we weren’t a traditional fairy tale. After all, Maximo was more villain than prince. He was scarily sexy. Devilishly charming. Controlling, possessive, and dangerous. Especially when it came to me. His little dove. And heaven help anyone who tried to free me from my gilded cage.

Lazzaro Rosetti just locked eyes with fresh prey: the virginal, high-school girl from a rival family. Me, Mia Bianchi. He’s screwed his way through half the city’s female population and he’s running wild—until his family finds a way to curb his behavior by forcing him to wed.

Bastian Bishop. That’s his name. He’s rough, rugged, and utterly unpredictable. He’s not cautious or contemplative. He’s a volcano. Silent and steady one second, and a nightmare in the next. But that’s not the worst of it. This guy? He’s an outsider, and in my world outsiders don’t belong.

All my life I’ve been a prisoner. Locked away by men who think they hold all the power. First my father. And now him. The devil himself. Reid Harris. Even my husband can’t save me from the most infamous man in Harrow Creek and his loyal best friend. I’m tangled up in their twisted games. One woman. Three dangerous men. They expect me to cower. To beg and plead for mercy. But Reid’s about to discover that not everyone bends to his will.

Running away from home at 17 wasn't easy. Let's face it, though, nothing before or in the ten years since has ever been easy for me. And I'm doing okay—sorta. I just need to keep scraping by, living under the radar. Staying out of people's way, off people's minds. When a man walks through my open patio door, stepping boldly into my home and my life, I should be scared, frightened, terrified. I must be more broken than I realized because I'm none of those things. I'm intrigued—and I'm wondering if the way to take control of my life is by giving in to him.