Christmas in ashes
This Christmas, Elora discovers the one thing more dangerous than the monster in the snow…
is the truth buried in her blood.
When Elora returns to her family’s remote winter lodge for the holidays, she expects awkward dinners, annoying relatives, and too much peppermint hot chocolate.
She doesn’t expect glowing eyes watching her from the forest or a beautiful, terrifying stranger whispering her name through the storm.
They call him “The Winter King” a forbidden, ancient being who chooses one mortal bride every generation.
A bride he marks.A bride he claims.
A bride he hunts.
And this year, he chooses her.
As secrets erupt, doors splinter, and frost creeps beneath her skin, Elora is forced into a deadly game of desire and survival. Her uncle reveals the truth: their bloodline has been hiding from the Winter King for centuries and LIORA was never supposed to exist long enough for him to find.
But he has found her and he will never stop.Because the moment he spoke her true name,she became his.
Now, trapped between a family that lied to protect her and a dark, magnetic creature determined to claim her soul, Liora must decide,it's either she Runs,Fight,or surrender to the forbidden bond pulling her toward him… even as the snow outside turns red.
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Chapter: Chapter 69: Aftershocks Hallowpine doesn’t explode after the hearing. It vibrates,That’s the more dangerous kind of reaction.Explosions burn out fast, Vibrations travel through walls, through routines, through conversations that pretend to be casual but aren’t. By evening, the town feels like a glass held too close to a speaker,every surface humming with something no one wants to name.We don’t go home right away.Lucien insists we circle the long way, past the mill road and the river bend, where the trees grow dense enough to block sightlines. He doesn’t say ambush, but his shoulders are tight, his eyes always moving.“They’ll spin it,” Ruby says from the back seat. “You know that.”“Yes,” I replied. “But spinning takes time. Silence takes coordination. They don’t have that anymore.”Milo watches the passing trees. “People were looking at you like they didn’t know where to put you.”“That’s good,” Ruby says. “That’s the face right before doubt.”The presence stirs, slower now, like something settling aft
Last Updated: 2026-01-25
Chapter: CHAPTER 68: The HearingThey call it a hearing because the trial would be too honest.The word sounds clean and. Neutral,As if what’s about to happen is merely procedural and not a coordinated attempt to compress a living person into something manageable. The notice arrives before dawn, slid under the door like a confession no one wants to own.Emergency Mental Health Review. Community Safety Consideration.Elias’s handwriting isn’t on it, but his logic is. Gideon’s voice hums between the lines, sanctified and calm. They didn’t choose violence because violence leaves marks. This leaves paperwork.Lucien reads it once, then again, jaw tight. “They’re invoking emergency authority. If they control the framing, they control the outcome.”“They won’t,” I say.Ruby snorts. “Bold of you to assume they won’t try.”Milo sits very still at the table, reading the paper upside down. He doesn’t need to understand the words to know what they’re for. “They want you quiet,” he says.“Yes,” I replied. “But they also want wit
Last Updated: 2026-01-21
Chapter: CHAPTER 67:What they buried still breathes Morning comes whether you want it to or not, the light sneaks in thin and gray like it’s not sure it’s welcome, I stay at the kitchen table way past when the sun’s properly up, last night’s memories still looping behind my eyes, twelve years old, snow everywhere, blood that wasn’t mine on the ground, a prayer I said too late when nobody was listening anyway.Ruby won’t sit still, she keeps wiping counters that are already clean, folding and unfolding a dish towel like it’ll keep everything from falling apart, Lucien looks like he hasn’t slept in days, his eyes red-rimmed and restless, Milo just watches us all quiet, the way kids do when they’ve already figured out grown-ups are full of shit but haven’t decided what to do about it yet.The thing inside me, the silver, whatever you want to call it, is quiet for once, not gone, just waiting.Lucien finally breaks the silence, “They’re not gonna let this slide, Elias especially.”“No,” I say, “he’ll run from it as fast as he can.”Ruby
Last Updated: 2026-01-18
Chapter: CHAPTER 66: The thing that chose meThe first time the silver said my name, I didn't actually hear it.I just... remembered it. That's the difference, and it's finally clicking now while I'm standing in this freezing kitchen at dawn, gray light leaking in, Milo slumped asleep at the table because he flat-out refused to go back to bed.Memory isn't sound. It's more like something inside you suddenly sitting up and going, Oh. There you are.The presence gives one slow pulse. Not frantic. Not screaming. Just deliberate.“Cognitive barrier weakening,” it says. “Retrieval possible.”I grip the mug Ruby basically forced into my hands tighter. “Retrieval of what?”Lucien snaps his head up. He's been too quiet since last night,way too quiet,like he's waiting for something bad he already knows is coming.The silver doesn't rush to answer.Milo does,“It didn't start here,” he says, so soft it almost disappears.Everything stops,Ruby freezes with one foot still in the air. Lucien turns all the way around. Even the damn house feel
Last Updated: 2026-01-16
Chapter: CHAPTER 65: When the mirror breaksThe snow finally quit sometime before dawn, but the whole town still looked frozen in place-sharp, brittle, like one wrong step and something would shatter. Hallowpine was holding its breath,or maybe I was the one holding mine.I woke up heavy, that familiar silver weight sitting right under my ribs, throbbing soft and low like it already knew the day was going to suck before I did. Milo was still out cold next to me, curled in on himself the way little kids do when they feel safe, which just made everything feel more fragile. God, that innocence-it’s the worst kind of shield.Lucien was already up, pacing by the window like he does when he’s restless. “They’re gearing up,” he said, not even turning around. “You can feel it. The streets smell different.”“For what?” I asked, even though the answer was already crawling up my throat.“Everything.” He gave a short, bitter laugh. “Last night didn’t fix a damn thing. You shoved the truth in their faces. Now they’re scheming the parts they
Last Updated: 2026-01-14
Chapter: CHAPTER 64: The cost of being seenBeing seen isn’t free, it just sends the bill later, usually when you’re already tired.The morning after the council meeting, Hallowpine stops acting polite, no more sideways glances or fake smiles, people look right at me now, some grateful, some pissed, most carrying something heavier, like they’ve just realized they’ve been part of something ugly and can’t hand the guilt back.Ruby flips the shop sign from CLOSED to OPEN with a big theatrical swing.“If they’re gonna stare,” she says, “let’s give them something worth watching.”Lucien gives a short laugh that doesn’t reach his eyes.“You’re actually enjoying this, aren’t you.”“Chaos is more fun with an audience,” she answers, shrugging.Milo’s perched on the counter, legs swinging slow, eyes sharp and quiet, he’s not hiding anymore, he’s watching everything like he’s taking notes for later.The silver in my chest hums soft and steady.“Post exposure stabilization in progress,” the presence says, “secondary pressure vectors probab
Last Updated: 2026-01-12
Beneath the confession
When novices begin disappearing into the night, Sister Caterina, a brilliant, tormented novice fighting her vows, is pulled into a storm of lust, lies, and buried evil.
As explosive passion erupts between her and the charismatic Father Jordan Brick, centuries of conspiracy claw to the surface: secret recordings that could destroy the powerful, staged miracles, and a monstrous crime the Church itself was built to conceal.
In this house of God, every soul wears a mask. Every confession is a weapon. And the kindest priest in the monastery may be the devil they invited in.
A dark gothic thriller of psychological suspense, forbidden hunger, and shattering betrayals, where nothing is holy, and no one is who they seem.
I welcome you guys to St Eudoxia’s ancient seminary and convent, where forbidden desires burn behind stone walls and blood stains the sacred tunnels.
This is definitely an explicit story,under 18 really shouldn't consume this.
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Chapter: Chapter 4Caterina's POVMy heart hammered so loudly I was certain Agnes would hear it. Jordan’s hand was warm and steady in mine behind the collapsed pew, but my mind raced. The beams of their flashlights sliced through the dusty air of the abandoned chapel like accusations. One swept inches above our heads, catching on the faded gold of a broken crucifix.“Check the altar,” Agnes ordered, in a low, sharp voice. “They were seen near the east wing earlier.”Signore Vittorio’s smoother tones followed. “The girl is clever. Brick… he’s still an unknown quantity. But if they’re digging where they shouldn’t—”“Quiet,” Agnes snapped.I held my breath; dust tickled my nose from the old wood. Jordan’s thumb traced a slow circle on the back of my hand, a silent reassurance that sent warmth spreading through my chest despite the terror. Minutes stretched, and their footsteps kept moving closer, then retreated. 'Huhhhhhh,' I exhaled in relief. The door creaked shut and silence returned, broken only by the
Last Updated: 2026-07-11
Chapter: Chapter 3Jordan's POVI couldn't get my mind off what happened last night; the morning light felt wrong after the tunnels. I stood in the chapter house with the others for the bishop’s address, my cassock freshly pressed, but my mind was still down there in the dark with Caterina’s body pressed against mine and Agnes’s voice echoing off stone.Bishop Augustus Hale looked smaller today. The years had carved deep lines into his face, and his hands trembled slightly as he gripped the lectern. Yet his eyes were sharp and calculating and swept over us like he could read every hidden thought.“Tragic news," he began, voice steady despite his frailty. “Sister Perpetua passed peacefully in the night. Her body has already been prepared for burial in the consecrated ground, as is our custom. Let us pray for her soul."A murmur rippled through the assembled priests and nuns. Peacefully. Prepared. The lies slid so easily from his tongue. I glanced across the room at Caterina. She kept her gaze lowered, ve
Last Updated: 2026-07-11
Chapter: Chapter 2Jordan's POV I moved through the corridors like a ghost in my own skin. The note from Caterina burned in my pocket as I descended the narrow stairs behind the old sacristy. Two in the morning. The monastery slept, but it never truly rested — the stones themselves seemed to breathe, shifting with faint creaks that followed me down.With a single lantern swinging from my hand, throwing long shadows that danced across the tunnel walls. The air grew colder the deeper I went. These passages ran beneath the entire complex, older than the buildings above. Some said they connected to crypts no one had entered in centuries.My boots scraped softly on the uneven floor. Water dripped somewhere ahead, steady as a heartbeat. I kept one hand on the rough wall for balance. Perpetua’s dying words wouldn’t leave me. “The saint buried beneath this monastery… isn’t a saint.” Who was she protecting? Or what was she afraid of?A faint light appeared around a bend. Caterina waited there, her lantern set o
Last Updated: 2026-07-11
Chapter: Chapter 1“Father! Come quickly!”I pulled on my cassock and followed the novice through the darkened halls into the infirmary wing. Sister Agnes stood by the cot; you could see worriness all over her face. On the mattress lay Sister Perpetua, one of the oldest nuns. Her habit was soaked dark with blood, and her breathing came in wet, ragged rattles.I dropped to my knees besides her. “I’m here, Sister. Speak if you can.”Perpetua’s eyes fluttered open. She reached up with surprising strength, her hands clutching at my neck and pulling me closer. Her breath was hot and laboured against my ear.“Forgive me, Father… I lied to God.”My pulse spiked. “What did you lie about?”Her lips trembled. “The saint buried beneath this monastery… isn’t a saint.”Her grip loosened. A final, shuddering exhale escaped her, and she went still, her eyes fixed on the ceiling beams.I made the sign of the cross and gently closed her eyelids. The room fell silent except for the distant drip of rain from the eaves.By
Last Updated: 2026-07-11
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