Thunder rolled low and menacing in the sky, kind of mimicking the storm brewing in Claudia's mind that night. It was 12.40am and her husband, Steve, had not returned home from work. Standing barefoot in

“Young lady, get off your tablet and wash these dishes. Now,” Kate Buttons said, distracted herself, watching the stock market on her phone while pouring coffee into a mug from the machine. “Why?” her

“WHERE IS IT?!” The voice was loud and especially angry, a kind of rage that made me quiver with fear, heart pounding as I raced up the stairs two by two till I crashed into Papa's study. The scene before

If Claus Marley had known that a night out with the boys at a high-end quarterly party hosted by Penelope Xyon, founder of Xyon Aeronautics, Dubai's most successful aerotech company, would disrupt his

BEFORE.... A cold smile touched Princess Imogen's beautiful face, icy enough to freeze the warmest spring as she took two steps back and began circling Prince Kaelor like a predator sizing up its prey.

BEFORE..... As the bells of IIrywn rang at dawn, the people couldn't say whether it was for triumph or mourning. They waited with bated breaths, many praying to the goddess that Princess Imogen would win

The darkness in the skies thickened over the kingdom of IIrywn for the Blood Tournament was a night away. Icy winds howled as it blew through the forests hedging the kingdom about, the cries growing louder

BEFORE.... Smoke curled up from stone chimneys as Yamini took me through the village to a modest cottage surrounded by herbs and climbing vines. The houses in the village all looked the same—modest with

When he found me, I was neck-deep in a swamp, slimy greenish scum flowed across the surface of the water. Clumps of it stuck fast to my neck and cheeks. I had no control over my descent though I wished

The sky just barely broke with the first hues of daylight as Alex dusted his palms with flour and began kneading the proofed dough. Thoughts of his recently deceased father weighed on his mind. His lips

BEFORE..... The sight of Marcus tied to a heavy wooden chair beneath a single hanging light, his Armani suit torn by the shoulders and chest, one eye swollen shut, and dried blood along his temple down

BEFORE.... Heavy footsteps thundered outside the bedroom floor as Henry descended the narrow steel staircase leading into the bunker while the hatch above him sealed close with a hiss. His pulse hammered

“I'm in trouble!” The statement drove away sleep from Henry's eyes as he sat upright, instantly awake. He checked his phone again and it displayed 2.17am. His brother's name, Marcus, flashed on the screen.

My phone buzzed twice on the coffee table. It was April 15th, a gray and humid day in the city. Memories rushed back in that moment as I watched life move on from my window. It was exactly a year I ended

I was only fourteen, naive enough to mistake the silence in my home for peace. That illusion changed the evening I saw a horrifying side of my mother I never knew existed. She didn't look like herself.

Theus Maclin wasn't moved by tears, but Opal Gracian knew she had to cry more if she was to break free from the vampire king's glamour before it tore down the last defenses of her mind. She was not a mundane

As the sun began to fade, dipping below the horizon, Sarah tucked her sock-clad feet beneath her and huddled into the comfy sofa. She sighed before lifting her gaze to meet the writer's curious eyes. The

BEFORE…… N'kaw cawed as I slipped deeper into her vision, urging her to perch by the window and watch Leopold inside his bedchamber. He shrugged into his favourite leopard-skin coat, sheathed his sword

The cool brush of the breeze soothed my skin but not my pounding heart as I stared the Council in the face, one after the other. After all, I was their queen, a title that I struggled with. “I will speak

BEFORE….. They reached the Last Border before dawn, sweaty, tired but determined. They were faced with a questionable fate, one that their elders had spun versions of tales around it and for decades, their