Toaru Majutsu no Index: New Testament - Volume 3, Prologue: In the Fiftieth State. Crisis_of_Blue_Ocean.

[Mature Content:]Alaric was too close to Nicolette.Her mouth was just inches away from his.He could smell the lavender on her skin, the heat radiating from within her.But he held back, refusing to be carried away by her charm…“Mr. Allens…” she purred, and he looked down at her.Her eyes widened with desire, and he knew, in that moment, that if he wanted to kiss her, she would let him.The last thing he wanted was commitment. He knew that Nicolette didn’t want that either.But why was she this tempting?So willing?It was that willingness that confused him.She blinked, then swallowed as she pulled the jacket off her shoulders. His eyes lingered on her exposed neck.God.He just wanted to bury his mouth in that hollow spot.“Here,” Nicolette said calmly, extending the jacket to him.He took the jacket, his hand brushing hers just a second. She flinched, her face turning pink as she clutched the towel against her chest.His stomach flipped at the sight.If only that towel would give way to…Before he could stop himself, Alaric pressed his arousal against her stomach, pushing her against the wall, cornering her.She gasped at the sudden movement and for a moment, he lost his mind.“Cole…” he breathed, crushing himself against her.Her eyes gleamed with desire and a vulnerability that rocked him to his core.He would be foolish not to give in to this feeling.But he would also be a fool if he did.She had chosen to marry him.Not her boyfriend.And definitely not Lucian Crawford.Yet, he couldn't help it.She was only his for a year.But still…***************When her business and the gallery she inherited from her mother burn to the ground, Nicolette Voss is determined to rebuild—and get revenge on her father.She turned to her father’s rival, Alaric Allens, for an alliance.Alaric is willing to help, but on one condition—she must be his wife for a year.They called him Ruthless Alaric after an infamous incident 6 years ago. Alaric is back in town, and so are the crumbs of his past. But he is determined to change everything with a wife.He has his hidden agenda.She needs her revenge.But will this marriage between storm and steel survive the heat? And what will they do when deep secrets threatens to destroy them both?

“Ugh…enough with the threats, sourpuss.” I huffed. He wasn’t the only one that was good at giving people funny nicknames. “And in case you don’t know…having to be in a fake relationship with you is already making life a living hell for me.” I dropped my voice to a small whisper just in case anyone was eavesdropping.We were in an open place after all.“Speaking of our relationship, I’m not sure if you know who Naomi is but she’s already suspecting that something’s off so you better do something about it. If you would have listened to me when I told you how ridiculous this idea was then maybe we wouldn’t have to be dealing with all of this.” My eyes drooped.“What are you talking about?” His brows dipped as he took a step back.Oh wow, he couldn’t even understand a few words. Who would’ve thought that he’d be so dumb?“Naomi thinks it’s unusual for us to be in a relationship.” I drawled with air quotes. “You better do something about it if you don’t want people to doubt you.” I said sizing him up and I was just leaving when I had barely even taken a few steps and something yanked me back.My back hit the wall, and before I could even process what just happened, a warm hand landed on my waist, fingers pressing just enough to make my breath hitch. My eyes snapped up…only to find Liam’s face hovering way too close to mine, his blue eyes sharp and calculating.“What…” My voice came out weak. Embarrassingly weak.“Where do you think you’re going, four eyes?” His voice was low, his breath tickling my cheek.My stomach flipped and I swallowed hard. “Liam, what the hell are you doing?”He didn’t answer.Instead, he leaned in…his lips nearly grazing my ear.Panic surged through me. He was too close. Way too close.“Didn’t you just say I should do something about this girl’s suspicions?” he murmured, his voice dropping into something almost dangerous.I blinked, confused. “What?”He ignored me completely, his fingers tightening slightly against my waist. “And what better way is there to clear someone’s doubt than not giving them room for it?”My heart stuttered and I suddenly became hyper aware of the way we looked…his body caging me in, my hands pressed flat against the wall, his head dipped low, his mouth close enough that if I moved even an inch…Oh, crap.~~~~~~Eleanor is a 23-year old woman who was involved in a car accident on her way to her interview. Unfortunately she doesn't make it and assumes she's going to find herself in the afterlife but instead finds herself in the body of a college student named Theodora. And this college student happens to be a side character in one of the books she read in her past life.Having found herself in this body, she decides to find out why she's there and try to return to her old world. On her quest for answers she realizes she has to play her part as Theodora in this world which however lands her in a lot of problems.

Zhu Tong was born in a wealthy family, but the pampered young master suffered from a serious cleanliness addiction, and there were so many things that even God can’t stand it, so he was given a sickness and even coughed three mouthfuls of blood.

The day before his death, he was inexplicably bound to a system.

The system told him that he was actually a cannon fodder villain in a danmei novel who humiliated the heartthrob protagonist and suffered the consequences. If he wanted to survive, he had to find the only one in the novel, the white moonlight, who was not attracted to the protagonist and get full favorability from him.

In order to find him, Zhu Tong changed schools.

The new school was located in a remote small county with eight-person dormitories, a canteen for big pot meals, and only one public toilet in a teaching building.

Zhu Tong: In order to survive, he will endure!

- Description from Novelupdates

[Warning: Mature Content R18+]The taste of forbidden love is the sweetest agony!!They were fucking right.I, Frery Kane was whipped and captivated by a Lycan Shifter from the Bay Shifter pack in Paradise Bay. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, an irresistible pull I couldn’t deny. Alpha Tor Gale, a Lycan Shifter of unparalleled strength, only of his kind, his blood as intoxicating as ambrosia, his presence a temptation, I couldn’t escape. He made me crave more than I should or was allowed.In Paradise Bay, Vampires and Shifters are bound by ancient laws, their rivalry etched into the marrow of our existence. To meet him was to defy centuries of hatred; to love him was to risk everything.Each secret meeting was a dance with death, a betrayal of the Paradise Vampire Coven, and a rebellion against the laws that chained us. But Tor was my forbidden desire, my beautiful torment, and my greatest weakness. I knew the cost of this love, a love that could ignite war and destroy us both. But how could I resist the one thing that made my immortal heart beat once more?Excerpt from Alpha Tor's POV:“So you’ve been following me,” Tor’s deep growl echoed in the icy cavern. His golden eyes caught the flicker of torchlight. His breath misted in the freezing air, curling like smoke between them.“What gave me away?” I responded my voice as low, deep, and steady.Tor laughed a deep rumble that shook the cavern walls. “You reek of desperation. Do you think I didn’t notice your scent clinging to the trees? Are your footprints melting the frost? What is it, vampire? What do you want from me?”My jaw clenched and my gaze didn’t waver. “Your blood,” I taunted as my voice was laced with coldness to see if he could be threatened by my words. “Your kind is... intoxicating. Forbidden. I can’t stop myself.”I expected him to cover but he stepped forward and responded “If it’s my blood you want,” he murmured, his voice low and teasing, “then come closer and take what you need”The words struck me like lightning, and a fiery heat surged through my veins. My beast clawed at my control, drawn to him in a way that defied logic. His gaze held mine, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t know whether to run or to stay.___________________________________________________________________________________________In the end, they called me a betrayer. A traitor to the Paradise Vampire Coven. But how could I hold back when I had tasted something far sweeter than immortality? Alpha Tor was my forbidden fruit, the Lycan Shifter Alpha who defied everything I was taught to hate. But when I surged forward, ready to face anyone who dared stand between us, fate revealed the old prophecy hidden in Hanka Island. Alpha Tor wasn’t just my lover, he was my lifetime mate, our bond blessed by the ancient magic of Hanka Island itself.And our love was not meant to follow the rules, it was meant to break them.