But she was so right.
And I was so wrong.
To claim her as mine was breaking the rules. Boundaries should not be broken. But temptation weakens my resolve.
With the pull of my dark desires…
I know that I can’t hide from my sinful thoughts—and actions—forever.
Beasts & Bourbon
My royal blood flows black with twisted secrets.
I am a beast who wears a crown.
Heir to a modern kingdom cloaked in corruption and depravities.
The time has come to claim my princess.
An innocent hidden away from my dark world.
Till now.
Her initiation will require sacrifice and submission.
There is no escaping the chains which bind her to me.
Surrendering to my torment, as well as my protection, is her only path to survival.
In the end…
She will be forever mine.
Sinners & Gin
My power is absolute. My rules are law.
Structure.
Obedience.
Discipline.
I am in charge, and what I say goes. Black and white with no gray.
No one dares break the rules in my dark and twisted world… until her. Until she makes me cross my own jagged lines.
She’s untouched. Perfection. Pure.
Forbidden.
She tests my limits in all ways.
There is only one option left.
I will claim her as mine no matter how many rules are broken.
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About the Author
Alta Hensley is a USA TODAY bestselling author of hot, dark and dirty romance. She is also an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author. Being a multi-published author in the romance genre, Alta is known for her dark, gritty alpha heroes, sometimes sweet love stories, hot eroticism, and engaging tales of the constant struggle between dominance and submission.
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Dark Castle
Fawn Bailey
Chapter One
Amber
Excitement flowed through my veins, making me jittery as I walked into the arrivals section of Luxuria’s only airport.
Finally, I had arrived.
Thorn had let me borrow his private jet to ensure my safe arrival for the selection process at the court of Luxuria. I still couldn’t believe what was happening. That I’d been invited to join the process of Prince Olivier choosing a wife.
We’d only spent one night together, but it was a night to remember. I couldn’t get the crown prince off my mind. My nights were spent tossing and turning, thinking of the way he’d spoken to me, of the way he’d touched me. Even though I had a few other suitors from the night of my coming out party at my dear friend Rose’s house, I was stuck on Olivier.
I could’ve gotten married to a nice, rich man, who would let me serve him in any way he saw fit. But there was a thing about my submission that made it impossible to kneel for a man I didn’t want. I could have been reasonably happy with someone else. I could have had the life Rose had, in the States, with the man who owned and loved her, giving her everything she’d ever wished for.
But I wanted more.
I wanted what I’d had that magical night at Rose and Thorn’s house. I wanted Prince Olivier, who’d touched me with tenderness, knowing just how much he could hurt me but holding back because he didn’t want to break me during our first meeting.
I’d become addicted to him, my thoughts overwhelmed with him. And so, when I received the invitation to enter the selection process and possibly become Prince Olivier’s royal bride, I didn’t hesitate. Even though there would be twelve other women competing for Olivier, I was confident he would pick me in the end.
The connection we had that night couldn’t be rivaled. We were meant to be together.
My eyes scanned the crowd at the arrivals section of the airport, a shiver going down my spine. There was nobody with a sign with my name there, though I’d been told someone would be waiting for me.
The airport was small, with only a few flights per day.
I struggled with my luggage when a hand wrapped around my wrist.
“Amber Jonathan?” a deep voice asked.
I looked up into the man’s eyes with a shy smile playing on my lips.
“That’s me,” I responded. “Are you here to take me to the court?”
“Yes,” the man replied with a smirk, taking my luggage away from me as if it weighed nothing.
It was my first chance to get a good look at the man, and I tried to hide my surprise, though his all-knowing grin seemed to see every thought inside my head.
He was handsome, not in a refined, sophisticated way like Prince Olivier, but devilishly so. His hair was jet black and peppered with streaks of silver, slicked back and giving him a sexy, dangerous look. His eyes were grey, so bright they startled me. He towered over me.
“Come with me,” he said now, and I rushed after him outside the airport, struggling to catch up.
“You work for the royal family?” I asked in a rush.
“I do.”
He didn’t elaborate, and I bit my bottom lip as we left the airport building. Had I already overstepped? I’d been warned by Rose that the Luxurian court was a bit old-fashioned. Even though I knew how to behave at these kinds of events, I was terrified of breaking a century-old tradition or something of the sort.
“Wait,” I said, tugging on the man’s sleeve.
My luggage tumbled to the ground and he turned to face me, a snarl on his face. It made me take a step back, and he cleared his throat, giving me a stern glance.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that, or you’ll get hurt.”
I was so shocked I couldn’t even manage a reply, instead just nodding and falling into step behind him again. At least he’d slowed down now, and I could keep up easily.
We arrived at the drop-off section in front of the airport where a beautiful lacquered white Rolls Royce was waiting. My eyes widened at the sight of it and I felt the now familiar rush of excitement running through my veins as two other men joined us. They were both wearing uniforms, and nodded at me, not saying a word as they started loading my luggage into the car.
I had to bite my tongue to stop all the questions I had from pouring out. I had no idea what I was getting in to, and I wanted to know so many things – like when the other women would arrive, and whether I’d be able to see Olivier soon. However, the man who picked me up was wearing a somber expression that made me shut my mouth again. He didn’t seem like the type who liked to answer questions, so I kept them to myself.