Chapter 1: The Royal Dating ProfileHenry VIII sat slumped in his throne, drumming his jeweled fingers against the armrest as his advisor Thomas Cromwell approached with yet another stack of marriage proposals."Your Majesty," Cromwell began cautiously, "we've received seve...
Read MoreThe Mentor's ShadowChapter 1: New BloodThe Miami-Dade forensics lab hummed with its usual controlled chaos as Dexter Morgan bent over the blood spatter analysis on his desk. Three drops, medium velocity, arterial spray consistent with a defensive wound. The killer had been sloppy—emotio...
Read MoreThe Northern Wolf's GambitChapter 1: An Unlikely AllianceThe smoke from burning villages darkened the autumn sky as Uhtred of Bebbanburg rode hard toward Winchester. His horse's hooves thundered against the Roman road, each beat matching the urgency pounding in his chest. Behind him, thre...
Read MoreThe Silence BeforeI carried the secret for twenty-three years like a stone in my chest, growing heavier with each passing day. It lived in the spaces between words, in the careful deflections when friends asked about girlfriends, in the way I'd change the subject when conversation turned to d...
Read MoreChapter 1: The InheritanceThe key felt ice-cold in Sarah's palm, even though the August sun blazed overhead. She stood before 1247 Elm Street, staring up at the Victorian mansion that now belonged to her—a house she'd never seen before, inherited from a great-aunt she'd never me...
Read MoreWhen you look at me with those gentle eyes, The world goes quiet, time softly dies, And in that space between heartbeats, I find a home where my soul meetsThe tender curve of your smile, The way you pause and stay awhile To trace the lines upon my face As if memorizing every trace.Your laugh beco...
Read MoreThe first time Maya saw him, he was standing at the edge of the forest where the hiking trail curved toward the lake. Tall and broad-shouldered, with russet hair that caught the late afternoon sunlight and dark eyes that seemed to see straight through her. When their gazes met across the clearing...
Read MoreThe letter arrived on a Thursday, its edges yellowed with age, the ink smudged as if dampened by trembling fingers."Elias, if you’re reading this, I’m already gone. Don’t come looking for me. But if you do… stay out of the Hollow."My sister, Clara, had vanished ...
Read MoreThe Nine-Tailed LanternsLong ago, before shinobi built their villages, the world was wilder, softer, and stranger. Forests whispered secrets to the wind, mountains held grudges, and rivers sometimes got up and walked away for a while. In those days, the great Tailed Beasts roamed free — col...
Read MoreIt had been three years since the molten cheese eruption of Mount Doom, and life in the Shire was peaceful. Sam was mayor, Frodo was writing a cookbook called There and Snack Again, and Pippin had started a band called The Second Breakfast Club.But one day, a strange announcement appear...
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