Heart of Darkness - Chapter 22

A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires.

It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.

This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags.

Cover by Antti Hakosaari: https://www.artstation.com/haco

Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Hesketh, Rhaegar, Yaksher, Selkie and Raven for proofreading my stuff. Thanks to my patrons and you dear readers, for the support. I could not do it without you.

Journey is on Amazon, both in ebooks and audio. here is a link to the first one:

https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08DK6G8Y8

The story probably exists in your local marketplace as well of I can tempt you.

Tricked by a soothsaying mother, during the ghost year, ghost month, ghost day, and the wide-open Ghost Gate, I sneaked into the deep mountains with a Zhang Family heirloom, the Star Stealing Life-changing Talisman.By a mix-up of Yin and Yang, a devastatingly beautiful thousand-year-old female corpse absorbed some of my life force, and she awakened...Kids over 12, please watch this book together with the little buddy on your back, and don't block his view! (Note: don't turn back now, because he has also seen this text!)

Xu ZiYan has a little brother, and that little brother is gay. As an older brother, he has always felt a bit regretful.

One day he transmigrated into the inside of a novel and found himself with another chance to raise a younger brother.

Immediately rolling his sleeves up to prepare for battle, he planned to raise this little brother into an exceptionally good man! And a perfectly straight one!

Taking a lesson from his past experiences, he continuously perfected his training plans.

Clearly, he strangled any opportunities to turn his little brother bent in the cradle, yet why was it that the little brother he had used all his heart and blood to raise — was still a gay guy!!!

And he was a gay guy who made him his target!!!

Your father ain’t playing around anymore!

A body you can save, however a warped soul……how do you want him to save it?! What a godly problem!!!

Twisted black-belly younger brother X irritated wifey older brother.

- Description from Novelupdates

Pei Qin, upon transmigration, was instantaneously drenched in a basin of misery.The Scholar father was murdered on his way to the exams, and eldest uncle Jian Shen had two households.There was a son from the second wife, but neither grandparents nor villagers liked him, and he was also a thorn in the side of eldest aunt.Valuing sons over daughters, they wanted to sell her to buy land.Malnourished and poorly clad, her mother and siblings toiled like beasts of burden.Before she could strive for a better life, that already deceased Scholar father came back to life.He'd married a rich man's daughter? Sired two sons?Life was so hard, yet it drove his wife to her death.Pei Qin looked at her emaciated younger siblings, her hands trembling: To the mountains!!————————Lived in caves, built a hut, ate wild vegetables, gathered wild fruits.In poverty-stricken days, Pei Qin led her siblings to quietly amass wealth and silently prosper.Just as they were about to thrive, another wave of misfortune was thrown their way!Pei Qin with hands on hips: If you want to play the scoundrel, I'll make sure you're reduced to nothing!********************