Release Boost ~ The Belle Jar, Darkholm #2, by Aria Adams

The Belle Jar
Darkholm book #2

by Aria Adams

What reviewers are saying...

This one almost rendered me speechless, and for me that's a miracle, I was blown away.

Its a very dark tale, one which had me with eyes boggling in wonder, and amazement.

...sit back and let the darkness invade your mind, and hold onto your soul in case some of the evil oozes off the pages.





He kicked her legs apart, so her wrists were pulled painfully against the leather bindings that made her hang from the hook above. Then, cold metal was clasped around each ankle. When Marea looked down, she saw a thick metal bar between two shackles.

“Hand me the scourge, please, Coal,” Brendan said.

Coal grinned evilly then passed Brendan something resembling a leather tassle. There were dozens of strands of thick leather dangling from the handle. Marea just kept staring.

Brendan waved it in a figure eight overarm, and it made a whooshing noise as it moved through the air. He slowly walked forward and Marea found herself cringing in fear. It managed to hit both her breasts in quick succession, making her gasp, and the sharp kick made her strain at her bindings almost immediately. She wanted to get away from it, but she couldn’t move, and it kept landing, over and over, biting her breasts and stomach, before Brendan landed it particularly maliciously straight on the exposed part of her pussy. She screamed again. As the pain built up, it flooded her thoughts, and she began to cry, properly, not because the pain was eye-watering, but because this situation was impossible. She sobbed as this more persistent pain ate away her calm demeanor.

“I like seeing you cry,” Brendan said, as he walked around behind her and began to punish her upper back and shoulders.

“Mmm,” Coal agreed, peering at her face. “Seeing you cry makes me want to draw out every tear from inside you, to force you to suffer until they’re all mine.”

The sensations burning through her back were somehow worse, but it was easier to remain still while he was behind her. Avoiding her lower back entirely, he then applied firm discipline to her bottom and thighs. She wailed as the burn got inside her, awakening her pussy in a way she didn’t want it to.

Marea cried harder as she dangled limply from the hook, helpless and utterly at their mercy. What she hated most was that her clit was beating in time with her heart. Her entire body stung from everything the men had done to her, but she was somehow aroused.

Why was this having such a strong effect on her? She tried to push it away, until something trickled down her inside leg, and she realized this was inescapable. They were going to do what they wanted, and regardless of whether the pain was unbearable, or how her body responded with longing instead of disgust, she could do nothing but accept it.

The swats of the scourge became harder and faster, and she began to howl. The men were unstoppable, and she didn’t know how long they planned to keep her here but—oh—her body tingled with a mouth-watering fervor, and her pussy twitched, clearly unhappy that it was empty. She roiled her body from side to side, wishing only for release.

Coal gripped her hair and pulled her head backwards, so her mouth opened and her eyes only saw him, blurry through her tears.

“Are you ever going to try to escape again?” he asked. She tried to shake her head but she couldn’t.

“N-n-n-no, sir,” she managed.

Amazon





The beasts want to destroy her. The mirror-world won't let her stay. The castle hides too many secrets. What's a girl to do? And when Marea finds out how to break the curse, is she willing to do whatever it takes to save two creatures of pure evil, to whom she is nothing?

Marea Belle was doomed at birth. In Darkholm, having red hair means only one thing: Witch.

After her parents are executed in a witch hunt, the only thing that saves Marea is the chastity device that proves her purity. Spared the flames, Marea is dumped in a sack at the doors of a cursed castle; a sacrifice to appease the monsters within.

The denizens of the castle want nothing more than to devour Marea's soul. The huge, terrifying beasts within take her to an underground experiment room and make her their plaything. Somehow, she survives and escapes the monsters, hiding deep within the castle, where she finds a magic mirror which becomes her sanctuary.

Inside the looking glass, she falls in love with two men. But she can only remain there for a few hours at a time before she has to return to the castle and the inevitable horrors within. No-one can escape the castle, and no-one can survive the beasts within. When Marea is forced to give herself to the beasts, she risks losing herself forever, but will her sacrifice be enough to break the ancient curse?

This full-length story is grim and a little complicated. This is a dark fairytale that tiptoes on the boundary between horror and romance. It is disturbing, bleak, and certainly not for the faint-hearted.

Amazon



Aria is an author of dark erotic romance that dances on the boundary between horror and romance. Her heroes are not always immediately obvious, and neither are the villains. Her books often have elements of horror, and the characters at the end of a story are forever changed by the events that befell them. But she always makes sure there’s a happy ending, even if the characters have to work for it.

Aria also writes the warm fuzzy romance stuff as Katie Douglas, and writing as Katie, she has had USA Today and multiple number 1 bestselling books in the US and worldwide.



Get a free dark adventure when you sign up for my newsletter.

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Release Tour ~ The Belle Jar, Darkholm #2, by Aria Adams

The Belle Jar
Darkholm, #2
by Aria Adams

Available Now!





“Stupid girl,” Coal began, “The only way you can leave is if you surrender your soul to us. The door is a one-way ticket into this hell. And you got left on the doorstep by the villagers. If you try to leave, it saps the life force from everything inside the castle to maintain the magic that binds us here.”

Marea was too afraid to take in everything Coal said, and her eyes were fixed on the wand, with its lightning bolts. She was sure that she didn’t want it anywhere near her.

“Scream all you like, there’s nobody coming to save you,” Coal added, and Marea couldn’t look away as he moved the wand toward her. When he touched her belly, just to one side of her belly button, she shrieked as a white-hot jolt of pure agony burst through her body. It was like the wand distilled pain into its purest, strongest form and channeled it straight into its victim.

Before she got a handle on what was happening, the pain was gone, leaving an echo that lingered where the wand had touched her.

He touched it to her left nipple, and this time the pain seemed to radiate out like a gloved hand ensconcing her breast, then traveling through the rest of her body, until it converged again inside her clit. It burned unstoppably, and Marea screamed. As the pain overwhelmed her, there was nothing she could do.

The wand touched her other nipple, sending out sparks of lightning as it did, and this time, she shook as the searing agony shot through her.

“You never try to leave the castle again,” Coal told her. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

She stared at him, mind blank, and with no idea what the correct response was. Sir? Master? Lord? As she tried to figure it out, he walked around to where her legs were spread.

“Yes, sir,” he growled, then touched the lightning wand to her unprotected bottom hole. She screeched, then, a high-pitched keen of terror as the pain seemed to fill her entire body, outside and in, and her whole world trembled. Her ass winked and tried to clamp down on something that wasn’t there, and as she shook, a glowing sensation appeared in her pussy.

“Try again. Yes what?”

“Yes, sir!” she squeaked quickly.

“I don’t think you understand how serious this is,” Coal growled, his voice barely intelligible. “Disrespect me again, or try to escape, and I’ll attach this lightning wand to your clit, and I’ll leave you there for hours. Here’s a taste of what that would feel like.”

With icy dread, Marea tried to close her legs but she couldn’t. Instead, she scrunched her eyes up.

Amazon



The beasts want to destroy her. The mirror-world won't let her stay. The castle hides too many secrets. What's a girl to do? And when Marea finds out how to break the curse, is she willing to do whatever it takes to save two creatures of pure evil, to whom she is nothing?

Marea Belle was doomed at birth. In Darkholm, having red hair means only one thing: Witch.

After her parents are executed in a witch hunt, the only thing that saves Marea is the chastity device that proves her purity. Spared the flames, Marea is dumped in a sack at the doors of a cursed castle; a sacrifice to appease the monsters within.

The denizens of the castle want nothing more than to devour Marea's soul. The huge, terrifying beasts within take her to an underground experiment room and make her their plaything. Somehow, she survives and escapes the monsters, hiding deep within the castle, where she finds a magic mirror which becomes her sanctuary.

Inside the looking glass, she falls in love with two men. But she can only remain there for a few hours at a time before she has to return to the castle and the inevitable horrors within. No-one can escape the castle, and no-one can survive the beasts within. When Marea is forced to give herself to the beasts, she risks losing herself forever, but will her sacrifice be enough to break the ancient curse?

This full-length story is grim and a little complicated. This is a dark fairytale that tiptoes on the boundary between horror and romance. It is disturbing, bleak, and certainly not for the faint-hearted.

Amazon



Aria is an author of dark erotic romance that dances on the boundary between horror and romance. Her heroes are not always immediately obvious, and neither are the villains. Her books often have elements of horror, and the characters at the end of a story are forever changed by the events that befell them. But she always makes sure there’s a happy ending, even if the characters have to work for it.

Aria also writes the warm fuzzy romance stuff as Katie Douglas, and writing as Katie, she has had USA Today and multiple number 1 bestselling books in the US and worldwide.



Get a free dark adventure when you sign up for my newsletter.

Amazon | Facebook | Website | BookBub

Teaser Blitz ~ The Belle Jar, Darkholm #2, by Aria Adams

The Belle Jar

Darkholm book #2

by Aria Adams

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And an excerpt from the good guys:

She decided, in the midst of this mystery, that she would like to spend some time getting to know these two. So far, they had given her no reason to fear them, aside from their resemblance to the men in the castle.

“You cannot eat or drink, here, but come and relax.” Brendan led Marea to the riverside and she sat down in the grass. Coal maneuvered her between his legs and soon her ass pressed against his groin. The closeness made her blush furiously once more. These men were certainly attractive; well-groomed, with perfectly-defined muscles beneath the leather pants they both wore.

Birds gently twittered in the trees above them, and on the other side of the stream, little rabbits snuffled the grass, gently nibbling on it as they explored. It was a world apart from the dark, gloomy castle where the only thing that grew was mold.

“You’re carrying a lot of tension. Fear. Sorrow. Uncertainty. Let me take some of it for you,” Coal's voice was warm and immediately put her at her ease.

“He is a genius with massage,” Brendan told her. “Would you like him to help?”

Wait, they wanted her consent? To a massage? That was new. She couldn’t decide if it was refreshing or over-the-top, so she just nodded silently.

Coal put his hands either side of her neck, and his thumbs pressed firmly into the muscles he found there. He drew little circles in her shoulders, and she moaned in delight as he eased a strain she hadn’t realized she carried. Gradually, he worked his way up to the base of her skull, then back down to her shoulders. He repeated this a few times, the small circular motions soothing her body, and lower down her spine, Marea felt deep stress, her now-constant companion, being lifted from its resting place, as though the tension were being siphoned out of her. Coal’s hands felt amazing on her body, and she leaned into his touch, sighing as aches and worries were replaced with a warm glow and a sense of wellbeing.

As she relaxed, Marea found her eyelids becoming heavy. She was dimly aware that she had fallen backwards against Coal’s hard, toned body, and it was a warm, reassuring place to be. Before she knew what was happening, he was gently massaging the front of her neck.

The slight pressure aroused her, as she drifted in and out of sleep and half-wondered what it would feel like if he squeezed harder, if he choked her, until her life ebbed away and she was utterly dependent on him to allow her to breathe again.

Wait, why would she want that?

She startled at the thought, and fully awakened. The thought lingered for a moment, then Coal’s gentle, skillful fingers moved further down, massaging her décolletage. The strange choking idea passed, and she lost herself once more as he filled her breasts with tingles, gradually working on both of them with all his fingers, taking his time to circle every area diligently.

When he reached her nipples, he took each one between his fingertips and expertly rolled them. The sensation was unlike anything Marea had felt in her life, and an urgent heat shot down to between her legs, where her clit swelled and throbbed. The last time it had done that, she realized with a frown, was when castle-Coal had touched her with the wand of sparks. How could two things, so different, one kind and one terrifying, have the same effect on her body? It made no sense.

Before she stopped herself, a moan came out of her mouth, and she arched her back to press her breasts more firmly against Coal’s hands, inadvertently thrusting her bottom against his…

Very hard cock. Her breath came in short gasps as she realized this was turning him on, too. If only she wasn’t wearing a chastity belt, she knew she would willingly give herself to him. But if she had to return to her own plane, didn’t that mean she needed to remain a virgin, to protect herself from the men in the castle?

Bloggers sign up for the tour

The beasts want to destroy her. The mirror-world won't let her stay. The castle hides too many secrets. What's a girl to do? And when Marea finds out how to break the curse, is she willing to do whatever it takes to save two creatures of pure evil, to whom she is nothing?

Marea Belle was doomed at birth. In Darkholm, having red hair means only one thing: Witch.

After her parents are executed in a witch hunt, the only thing that saves Marea is the chastity device that proves her purity. Spared the flames, Marea is dumped in a sack at the doors of a cursed castle; a sacrifice to appease the monsters within.

The denizens of the castle want nothing more than to devour Marea's soul. The huge, terrifying beasts within take her to an underground experiment room and make her their plaything. Somehow, she survives and escapes the monsters, hiding deep within the castle, where she finds a magic mirror which becomes her sanctuary.

Inside the looking glass, she falls in love with two men. But she can only remain there for a few hours at a time before she has to return to the castle and the inevitable horrors within. No-one can escape the castle, and no-one can survive the beasts within. When Marea is forced to give herself to the beasts, she risks losing herself forever, but will her sacrifice be enough to break the ancient curse?

This full-length story is grim and a little complicated. This is a dark fairytale that tiptoes on the boundary between horror and romance. It is disturbing, bleak, and certainly not for the faint-hearted.

Aria is an author of dark erotic romance that dances on the boundary between horror and romance. Her heroes are not always immediately obvious, and neither are the villains. Her books often have elements of horror, and the characters at the end of a story are forever changed by the events that befell them. But she always makes sure there’s a happy ending, even if the characters have to work for it.

Aria also writes the warm fuzzy romance stuff as Katie Douglas, and writing as Katie, she has had USA Today and multiple number 1 bestselling books in the US and worldwide.

Get a free dark adventure when you sign up for my newsletter.

Amazon | Facebook | Website | BookBub

Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ Beauty of the Beast, Fairy Tale Retellings #1, by Rachel L. Demeter

Beauty of the Beast

by Rachel L. Demeter

Fairy Tale Retellings, #1

Release Date: March 15, 2017

Genres: Adult, Historical Romance, Fairy Tale Retellings, Gothic Romance

#BeautyOfTheBeastTour

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🥀 Book Blurb 🥀

Experience the world’s most enchanting and timeless love story—retold with a dark and realistic twist.

A Beast Living In The Shadow Of His Past

Reclusive and severely scarred Prince Adam Delacroix has remained hidden inside a secluded, decrepit castle ever since he witnessed his family’s brutal massacre. Cloaked in shadow, with only the lamentations of past ghosts for company, he has abandoned all hope, allowing the world to believe he died on that tragic eve twenty-five years ago.

A Beauty In Pursuit Of A Better Future

Caught in a fierce snowstorm, beautiful and strong-willed Isabelle Rose seeks shelter at a castle—unaware that its beastly and disfigured master is much more than he appears to be. When he imprisons her gravely ill and blind father, she bravely offers herself in his place.

Beauty And The Beast

Stripped of his emotional defenses, Adam’s humanity reawakens as he encounters a kindred soul in Isabelle. Together they will wade through darkness and discover beauty and passion in the most unlikely of places. But when a monster from Isabelle’s former life threatens their new love, Demrov’s forgotten prince must emerge from his shadows and face the world once more…

Perfect for fans of Beauty and the Beast and The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty of the Beast brings a familiar and well-loved fairy tale to life with a rich setting in the kingdom of Demrov and a captivating, Gothic voice.

Beauty of the Beast is the first standalone installment in a series of classic fairy tales reimagined with a dark and realistic twist.

Disclaimer: This is an edgy retelling of the classic fairy tale. Due to strong sexual content, profanity, and dark subject matter, including an instance of sexual assault committed by the villain, Beauty of the Beast is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

🎬 Book Trailer 🎬

🥀 Teasers 🥀

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🥀 Excerpt 🥀

~ The East Tower ~

Arms sprang out from the darkness. They spun her full circle and slammed her body against the king’s portrait. Isabelle gasped, more in shock than from pain, as she stared into Adam’s deformed face. The lantern flickered behind his massive form, casting his cloaked body in silhouette. But she saw enough to know he was far from pleased. Rage and frustration radiated from his body like a palpable force.

“I warned you to stay out of here,” he said, his voice dangerously cold and deep. Those rugged vocals vibrated against her body and seeped into her marrow. “What part of forbidden didn’t you comprehend?” His voice lashed out from the darkness like a hurtled knife, and the word “forbidden” seemed to whisper another meaning altogether. Isabelle tried to answer but failed to find her voice. Indeed, her vocal cords had turned to solid ice, as numb and cold as the blood rushing through her veins. She couldn’t breathe; she felt like she was suffocating.

“My mother gave me that musical box on my fourth birthday,” he said, the sensual lull of his voice causing the fine hairs on her nape to stand erect. “And now your recklessness has destroyed it. Have you nothing to say?”

“I—I’m sorry.” He offered no reply; only the ragged sound of his breathing and the hammering blizzard broke the silence. “Please—I didn’t mean any harm.”

She struggled under the weight of Adam’s colossal body and battled to free herself. He merely gave a low chuckle and pressed her firmly against the portrait. He looked otherworldly at that moment, like an angel of death seeking vengeance. Both beautiful and monstrous, his cool, sapphire eyes overflowed with warring emotions. In spite of his harsh and ruthless exterior, she detected a quaver in his voice and saw that his large, cloaked shoulders trembled. The darkness in his soul cast a shadow that embraced her; as she peered up at him, she knew he was drowning in the turbulent waters of a past time.

“What a disappointment,” he went on, his voice growing deeper still, mocking her words from so many days ago, “You’re like any other woman.”

“I—I’m sorry. Please, Adam. I—” Her gaze shot past his body and over the wreckage of a past life. She thought of her private chamber again—of the stale perfumes and outdated garments.

Her flight or fight instinct seized hold of her. She attempted to scramble free, but he merely grabbed her shoulder and whirled her back against the portrait. Gloves wrapped his hands; his long, silk-clad fingers grasped her shoulder and kept her firmly in place.

He stood intimately close.

Far too close.

As close as Raphael had been that night.

“Going somewhere, ma belle? After you’ve worked so hard to find my East Tower?”

Hands like two steel bands held her wrists in place. Hot breaths, which faintly smelled of wine, seared her cheeks and assaulted her senses. Her breasts flattened against the pressure of his strong chest, and she felt that same chest swell and deflate in perfect sync with her own. One large hand slipped down her elbow and glided across her extended arm. The lush material of his gloves drew a shudder from her heaving chest. His breathing grew more ragged, shallower, and the erratic beat of his heart banged against her own.

Anger and desire warred on his face, twisting his features into a mess of both monster and man. “Find anything of interest, aside from my musical box? Come, come. You went through such great trouble to get here,” he asked, his voice now threaded with both anger and something else.

Yes, Isabelle recognized that something else. It was the same note that had entered Raphael’s voice that night…

She attempted to duck under his arm, but he moved swiftly, capturing her in the crook of his elbow. Reeling her toward him, he emitted a low, haunting chuckle that swelled the eastern tower to its rafters. She was back where she’d started—pinned against the portrait, Adam’s body serving as a flesh-and-blood blockade.

Hunger radiated from him, enfolding her in a current of sizzling power. His silk-clad hand grazed the curve of her breast as it moved down her body in a painfully slow caress. Even more alarming was her reaction to him. Her treacherous body responded with a crush of hot and cold pulsating waves. Then he whispered a taunt in her ear, and his liquid baritone slid down her backbone like honey; it swirled inside her, finding its home in her most intimate area.

He leaned closer still. His face’s uneven skin brushed against her neck, the black waves of his hair tickled her chin... His thick arousal expanded against her, reminding her of what he was capable of—and of her sheer vulnerability.

His lips teased the base of her throat. Cursing her traitorous body, Isabelle gasped at the gentle scraping of his teeth. His tongue and lips tormented her throbbing pulse—just barely, stirring her skin in a mere ghost of a touch.

🥀 Excerpt 🥀

~ Adam and Isabelle’s ballroom dance ~

Isabelle entered the ballroom at precisely eight o’clock. Moonlight, bone white and lustrous, threaded through the grand windows like prying fingers. The illumination set the medallion flooring aglow. Columns lined the oval-shaped room and graced a domed ceiling. A handsome grandfather clock towered in the corner, ticking off the seconds with a pulsating drone. Candelabras reached around the edge of the circular room and lurked like quiet sentries. Their wavering candles mated with the moonbeams and threw golden patches across the intricate marble floor.

Incredible silence surrounded Isabelle, pressed into her very being, as she slipped into the heart of the ballroom. She could almost hear the gay whispers of ladies and the delicate swishing of their lace fans. She smelled the sweet scents of their exotic perfumes and could hear the distant, ghostly echo of a pianoforte. And she knew that, despite the castle’s neglected state, it had once been a place of unrivaled beauty and glamour.

Much like Adam himself.

Isabelle spun around full circle, her mind transporting to a past era that brimmed with elegance and luxury. She felt the darkly romantic pull of the castle and its numberless mysteries... felt herself falling in love with its shadows and secrets. Dust motes danced in the shafts of moonbeams and wavering candles. Faintly she hummed beneath her breath, testing the acoustics in the spacious room. Her voice carried, swirling around her in an echoing cyclone.

Then she came to a standstill as a soft touch grazed her bare shoulder. Large, silk-clad hands rotated her body with a startling gentleness. A breath escaped her lips as she drank in Adam’s proud, towering form. Her mind slipped back to the previous day and night—to their sensual kiss in the stables.

A navy, double-breasted coat hugged the muscular curves of his body, offset by shimmering golden buttons. They looked like small glowing suns floating against a sky of rustic blue.

He resembled a flesh-and-blood prince. Proud. Formidable. In full command of everything and everyone in the room. Even a hint arrogant. Her heart hammered, threatening to burst. Suddenly she felt like she’d been thrust into a world of magic and romantic hushed secrets. The scars look out of place on his smirking features, she mused with a pang of sadness. And dressed in a cascade of cornflower damask and lace, the sparkling tiara half-buried in her curls, she felt like a princess.

Then it began.

Adam took a deft step backward, sank into a shallow bow, and outstretched his gloved hand. Isabelle grasped her flowing skirts and dipped into a curtsy, her heart madly pitter-pattering. Feeling like a young girl during her first ball, she accepted the invitation and abandoned her silk-encased palm in his own. Strength surged through his fingers, sending chords of awareness thrumming through her body.

Am I dreaming? If so, then let me sleep forever.

A muscled arm snaked around her torso and tugged her intimately close. Everything seemed to fade away while the heat of their bodies mingled as one. Her heart banged against her ribs as she sought the depths of his eyes. At this range, flicks of gold contrasted against his sky-blue irises. Much of the sadness seemed to have vanished, leaving an almost boyish delight in its wake. The right side of his face was devastatingly handsome, his hair so black it drank the twinkling candles.

Keeping her body pressed to his own, he swung her into the scandalous waltz dance. Her small fingers curled around his bicep as he lifted the other hand in midair. He swept her across the smooth marble floor, twirling her body, his large hand securely on the center of her back, his footwork extravagant and exact. Cords of muscle bunched and slid beneath her fingers, and light from the candelabras flashed over the mismatched sides of his face.

Isabelle felt clumsy—as if she had sprouted two left feet. She’d spent her youth traveling the countryside and coastline with Papa—not blushing behind a lace fan or dancing in lavish ballrooms. Adam, however, danced with a haunting grace; his movements executed with a fine, cultured polish. He clearly hadn’t been raised in the back of a wagon, she mused. Prince-like and regal, he’d danced this dance many times before; maybe it had been in another place and another life, but his confident, masterful steps gave the truth away.

Isabelle struggled to keep up with his graceful strides, though she knew she was making a fool of herself. She stumbled as Adam swept her into an unexpected twirl again; he reeled her back to his side, so they stood intimately close, then chuckled in her ear with the audacity of a pirate. The decadent sound rippled through her veins and mingled with the wine. His lips pressed against the shell of her ear, and the whisper of his warm breaths sent chills thrumming down her backbone.

I am falling for him—falling fast and hard.

Indeed. She’d been falling for him for some time.

“You’re a dreadful dancer,” he murmured against her ear. Paired with the husky baritone of his voice, the insult sounded rather like an endearment.

Regardless, she returned the blight with a swift and playful vengeance. “Perhaps my partner is to blame.” She cocked her head back and captured his bright gaze. He offered no retort aside from the arch in his thick brow.

Her face reached the height of his shoulder and not a centimeter more. She curled her head against the security of his chest and inhaled his essence with a reverent breath. A tangle of emotions welled in her gut, blurring everything but the moment... everything but the exquisite feel of Adam holding her. As he swept her across the smooth marble floor, the world whirled by in a beautiful, dreamlike mosaic.

She felt like she’d fallen into one of her fairy tales.

“Oh, Adam... I never want this moment to end,” she heard herself whisper against his coat.

“It doesn’t have to.”

Adam shifted back and forth in a tantalizing rocking motion, slow dancing to a melody only he could hear. As she melted into his embrace, the candelabras crackled and seductively flashed, accompanying each of their steps. Then he bowed his chin and hummed a beautiful tune against her forehead. It sounded achingly sweet, like a tender lullaby from the depths of a dream world. The force of his vocals resonated deep inside her, massaging Isabelle’s body with delicious caresses. Her heart resembled a drum—and she trembled in time with its beat. That immaculate baritone stoked her imagination, igniting an inferno deep within her soul.

Closing her eyes, she rubbed her cheek against his coat’s rugged material and sparkling buttons, abandoning herself to his rhythmic sways and husky baritone. Drawing her into its sultry, comforting depths, his voice surrounded her like liquid velvet. With increasing pressure, his palm swept up the length of her back, down and up, tickling her spine with each soothing movement. Heated breaths wafted against her hairline, stirring the curls about her shoulders. His every gesture felt numbingly gentle, executed with a startling grace. Isabelle had to remind herself to breathe, lest she faints from the pleasure of it all.

Emotion claimed the best of her. Isabelle exhaled a shaky breath as tears singed the corners of her eyes.

They danced like that for close to an hour, moving in perfect unison to the calming melody of Adam’s voice, the slick medallion floor sliding beneath their feet like some magical carpet. The marble ground reflected their waltzing images with the ease of a looking glass.

Everything felt dreamlike. Peaceful. Beautiful.

🥀 Meet the Author 🥀

Rachel L. Demeter lives in the beautiful hills of Anaheim, California with Teddy, her goofy lowland sheepdog, and her high school sweetheart of fourteen years. She enjoys writing poignant romances that challenge the reader's emotions and explore the redeeming power of love.

Imagining dynamic worlds and characters has been Rachel's passion for longer than she can remember. Before learning how to read or write, she would dictate stories while her mother would record them for her. She holds a special affinity for the tortured hero and unconventional romances. Whether crafting the protagonist or antagonist, she ensures every character is given a soul.

Rachel endeavors to defy conventions by blending elements of romance, suspense, and horror. Some themes her stories never stray too far from: forbidden romance, soul mates, the power of love to redeem, mend all wounds, and triumph over darkness.

Her dream is to move readers and leave an emotional impact through her words.

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