Nicole

My name is Madelaine Moneta and I am a survivor. I fought my way up from the streets of Chicago to claim a spot at one of the top-tier criminal defense practices in the city, but when the looming shadow of the local mob threatens to engulf the firm, I make a life-altering decision. Carrying my mother’s ashes, I escape to Ireland, intent on starting anew in my mother’s homeland.

I cultivated my shamelessness. I wore it as a badge of honor at my convent school, and I've been turning it into an art form at Alchemy, the club whose social media I manage. My boss, though? He's the most proper person I've ever met. No one would peg him as the finance director of a sex club. (I mean, no one's pegging him at all, which is probably his problem. #justsayin) I get it. He's a widower, single-parenting two little girls while holding down a massive job. He needs an outlet, something just for him.

I've been taught since birth to hate the Melnikovs. They're the monsters who are responsible for my father's death, or at least that's what my mom says, but Luka Melnikov isn't the monster I'm expecting. He's a man who's dedicated his life to his family's Bratva, a man who's never allowed women to get close to him, but he takes one look at me and decides I'm his. He wants me to be his first, his last, his everything. And he'll end anyone who tries to stand between us.

In a world of warring orcs and men, Lady Norr is condemned to a childless marriage, a cruel lord husband, and a life of genteel poverty—until the day her home is ransacked by a horde. Leading the charge is their hulking, deadly orc captain: the infamous Grimarr. Grimarr has a wicked plan for Lady Norr, and for ending this war once and for all. She’s going to become his captive, and the perfect snare for Lord Norr. There’s no possible escape, and soon Lady Norr is dragged off toward Orc Mountain in the powerful arms of her greatest enemy.

West Archer, Ezekiel Cavanagh, and Xander King. AKA The Unholy Trinity. Ruthless. Ambitious. Intimidating. With dark tastes and even darker desires, they've been searching for the perfect woman to fit into their unique lifestyle for over a decade. But despite their best efforts, none have made it past three months. Believing they're destined to never find the one, they swear to stop looking. Until they meet Lily.

The first letter arrived the day my husband was buried. It was postmarked from the state penitentiary, and contained a single sentence: I’ll wait forever if I have to. It was signed by Dante, a man I didn’t know. Out of simple curiosity, I wrote back to ask him what exactly he was waiting for. His reply? You.

Protecting him is my duty, but falling for him could be my undoing. I’ve spent five years burying my past, leaving behind the violence and bloodshed of my former life as a Bratva enforcer. Now, I’m just Luca—the quiet guy who keeps his head down, working security for a professional hockey team. I don’t get close to anyone, and I definitely don’t let anyone get close to me. But then I’m assigned to protect Max Ryan, the team’s star defenseman, and everything changes. He's my obsession. My crush.

When Caroline Randall showed up at my door with the Italian mob after her and nowhere else to go, I took her in. Then I took off my belt and taught her what happens to naughty girls who get themselves in over their heads and need their best friend's dad to bail them out.

I can't go back to my family. I'm not worthy of them, could never be one of them again. The sister they know, love, and remember doesn't exist. Not anymore. Until him... The one who took me in, healed me from my demons, my fears, my scars, piecing me back, bit by bit.

A violent underground fighter and a Bratva boss, Lev Melnikov, is a walking red flag, but I can't stay away. I need him to teach me how to fight so I can protect myself. Our arrangement is simple… until it's not. Being close to him and feeling his sweaty body against mine makes it impossible to not want more. And once I start touching, I can't stop. I know he's dangerous. I know I should stay away. But I also know I won't, because every part of me is already his. He just needs to take it.