Laura Davis

I’ve been quiet long enough. I’m nothing like my brothers. I’ve devoted my life to my work, and I don’t care about God or family. I live alone, and I like it that way. Soon, I’ll have the job of my dreams far away from this place, and that’s all that matters. Everything is going perfectly. That is until Sadie Green walks into my class. She is brilliant and funny and infuriating, and she’s ruining everything I have planned for my life. When she gets the news that she’s pregnant, and the baby’s father isn't going to help her, I step in. She needs guidance, control, and discipline.

My boss's secret daughter was never mine to lose. But I lost her anyway. Violet Holt might bend with the wind, but she'll never break. At least, that's what I used to think. Now I'm not so sure. The men who abducted her didn't break her. Nor did the days she spent as their captive. It was my deceit that did it. Now that she's gone, my heart barely beats. The only thing keeping me going is vengeance. I vowed to make the men who hurt her suffer. And I plan to do just that, and win her back in the process.

The more I watch her, the more the lines blur between protection and obsession. I never intended to come face to face with her, but in a moment of weakness, I intervened. And it changed everything. She makes me feel things. Things I’m not ready to feel. I never thought I had a heart, but the more I'm with her, the faster it beats. Now, I’m left wondering, will she forgive me for the things I’ve done to protect her?

Less than three weeks ago, my life flipped on its axis. After infiltrating a world designed for men, my role in the brotherhood became more than I ever dared it could be. I had a mission: find out what happened to my best friend and destroy everyone who was involved with his disappearance. Falling for them was never the plan. After my worst nightmare became my reality, and the past I thought I'd escaped came knocking at our door, the feelings we shared became something far beyond anything I could have anticipated.

A female initiate is unheard of at Hawthorne Hall, but after forcing the brotherhood's hand, they had no choice but to let me stay. My plan should have been simple: Find out what happened to my cousin and best friend in the world, Will. Nothing is as it seems. This brotherhood is steeped in tradition and built on loyalty, but the deeper I dig, the more I see fissures in their supposedly tight-knit group. With the evidence I've found, every move I make seems more dangerous than the last. I no longer know who to trust.

A year ago, my best friend received an exclusive invitation to join an elite brotherhood at Kingston University. He went into Hawthorne Hall for his initiation—but never came out. I intend to find out why. The brotherhood would never knowingly invite a female into their ranks. So what if I forged my father's signature on the recommendation? With a name like Elliot Ashford, they'll never see me coming. I'll endure whatever hell these brutal brothers put me through because I have no intention of backing down or bowing out gracefully. It won't be pretty.

I never planned on sleeping with him. Nor did I intend to make him my enemy. I only went into the bar to scope out my competition–him. The scorching hot night that followed was a mutually pleasurable accident. Of course I knew we were in the running for the same position. It’s not my fault he didn’t know who I was. Gathering intel is my specialty. Maybe if he were better at it, he would have gotten the job instead of me.

I was to wed a Lord of my parents’ choosing. Wealth can’t buy you everything, or I would have had freedom years ago. Instead, my strict parents made sure I lived a dull life in a mansion resembling a prison. But on my wedding day, I was handed over to another man—an even more ruthless Lord that my family hated. Tyson Riley Crawford only wanted me for his revenge. I’m nothing more than a debt to be paid. I didn’t have a say in the matter. So when I said my vows before the congregation, I knew I’d break them. Consequences be damned.

I was raised in a world where money and power are at your fingertips. My father is a lord, a very respected member of a secret society that knows no bounds. When tragedy struck my family, we discovered we weren’t untouchable. Just when I thought life couldn’t get any worse, I was shown what hell is really like. Then he came and saved me. The devil disguised as my personal hero. But of course, nothing is for free. Not when a soul is up for grabs.

I thought I’d hit rock bottom when I turned 16. The day I broke my first love's heart, ending things before I could ruin his career as a rock star. But damn, was I wrong. Things got progressively worse from that moment on, until now. Eight years later, when I find myself homeless, jobless, covered in blood, and running from a ghost of my past.