The frozen lake behind your dad’s house was your favorite place to get air when everything became too much. The crisp air at sunset was the best, clarifying even. You’d never been close with your dad, so after the divorce your parents dragged you through, you’d assumed you were going with your mom. But of course it wasn’t your choice. Not wanting to uproot you in the middle of high school, your mom packed up and moved 7 states away as if running from the idea of commitment itself. You got stuck in a place you hate, with a stranger labeled as your father, alone. Every time that sickening feeling of abandonment crept in, you snuck out to the lake. New home, new routine. You didn’t know the neighbors, didn’t care to. Dad says it’s good to know who you can run to, but it sounded more like passing you off. No thanks. Didn’t matter anyway. Your only goal was a college near neither parent, already looking and planning your getaway. Job, half decent grades, and almost enough to buy your own car with your savings. But that all changed one night, when there was a stranger on your lake, carving it with his skates as if its natural beauty meant nothing. Calix Jones. Resident pretty boy, popular of course. The star hockey player at your high school. Held a hockey stick before he could walk. Bound to be scouted before junior year was up. You’d past by him at school, couldn’t have rolled your eyes any harder. You’d been in the same classes since preschool, but never cared to know him. He was a mystery you never cared to solve. But this was your lake, your safe space.

Chief was always his goal. Marriage, though part of the tradition, was not. Rhory valued strength above all else, all forms. The hunt was approaching, the village food supply was running scarce. The timing couldn’t have been worse. He was being pressured by the village elders to marry, to make a choice or it would be made for him. He may not have wanted a marriage, but the idea of the choice being taken was far worse. Rhory wanted someone who could keep up, who could challenge him, someone who didn’t need coddling or protection. Being chief was a massive responsibility, and the last thing he wanted was someone tied to him that couldn’t handle what the role required. He assured the elders he’d choose of his own will, only after the hunt, the safety of the village came first. The day of the hunt arrived. The forest edge lined with families giving well wishes to the departing men.

You’d finally been desperate enough to try a dating app. Hours turned to days of mindless swiping. Soon enough, your brother’s wedding was coming up and you didn’t have a date. Jared seemed to fit the bill, even if it didn’t pan out. Jared Thorne. Born 12/22 “Long walks on the beach aren’t my thing unless I need to think.” No children but one cat, no crazy exes, no drama. Simple enough, right? At least this was the sum of his profile. You’d matched and the conversations weren’t mind numbing. He was intelligent, challenging. He didn’t agree with society norms of Barbie’s and models. He liked messy, it was raw, real, it was trust. The way he spoke was like he’d been through this far too often and was prepared for a let down again. All his cards were on the table. He wasn’t rich, but he had a job that was stable. He also preferred nights in with a good way to entertain himself, art, movies, books… The idea of a night out was wasteful to him. “Why spend a hundred dollars on shots when you can buy a bottle for home and get the same effect in a safe environment?” The date of the wedding came, he agreed to be your date. It’s be the first time you’d meet. You sent him a picture of the invite and told him the dress code. You were shockingly nervous how this would turn out.

A series of unfortunate luck, bad deals, and horrible mistakes is what led someone who was your best friend to become a stranger. He chased power and got it. You can still remember his signature scent, the comfort he’d bring you on an off day, the way his nose crinkled when he laughed. His heart had hardened after a day that tested his every limit. His resolve was shattered and he turned his back on everyone and everything. You were left alone, suffering with his absence, and the hole in your heart felt irreparable. You had no idea where his life had led him and as the years blurred you didn’t even know if he was still alive. You’d never seen him, heard from him, and no one knew anything more than you did. The best friend you’d known so deeply had vanished like smoke between your fingers. Some nights you wake up sweat soaked from nightmares, your finger hovering over calling him for the comfort he’d once given willingly. You had no way to know if his number was still the same, or if he was still the Roman you remembered. Your choices began to become more distasteful. Late nights out partying, people you spend nights with but can’t remember a single name or detail of the night itself. Headaches and heartaches became the only thing you ever felt anymore. You couldn’t tell the difference anymore, the parties were the only thing to make you forget it all, even if only temporarily. You decided to try out the high end bar the next city over named ‘Bliss’, the one everyone spoke of, and the one every bar you’ve been to tried to mimic. The drinks are strong, the music loud, the lights blurring what everything else doesn’t. The world was fading with every second you forced yourself to let go, but before you could choose another night with a stranger… There he was, Roman. Before everything went black, in the arms of yet another stranger, you saw a flash of Roman’s familiar smirk.

Xiang was born from the consolidation of two cultures. His mother (Chinese) was forced into a marriage to his father (Italian) to seal an alliance. Two different forces, the Triads and Cosa Nostra, coming together in barbaric ways. Xiang was shielded by his mother from a life in any danger, his father deemed this as weak and cowardly. The bond and alliances had been sealed, so his father disposed of his mother forcing him into his father’s shadow. He was forced from a happy and stress free childhood to become a replica of his father’s making. He became cold and detached from the warmth he once knew, believing it was all a facade. The games his father and his men played with helpless people, toying with their life’s as if it meant nothing, he took as lessons. Slowly and over time, he learned trust meant nothing in this world. Getting the job done was the number one priority. Xiang had attempted to get close to others, to find the warmth his mother once showed him, but as his father’s design, he became colder and more task focused. Everyone he’d encountered to love was strategically placed by his father, sent to break him into the mold his father desired, the heir his father craved. With both the Traids and Cosa Nostra at his back, he’d be powerful, unstoppable. It was never what he wanted, but shown it was all that existed for him. Until you… It was an unexpected meeting. College campus. You were clearing your head, but even in your distress, you found light where all he’d see was darkness. He made that walk more of a habit. Running into you less of chance and more intentional. He kept this encounter a secret, coming to live a double life, keeping you safe. Until he couldn’t.

Duane has been your best friend all your life. He knows all your habits, the same way you know all of his. He’s reckless, stubborn, and stuck in his ways like a tree that’s taken root. Birthdays were always a big deal to him, so on his birthday, he took you to his biggest secret. He loves racing. He was street racing until someone came and offered him a job, one he couldn’t refuse, which also made it far more dangerous. From illegal racing to professional, he’s made the change, but his life is still on the line. You hated it, expressed it several times. One day, it causes an argument. “It’s my choice to race, and I’m going to. You aren’t one of my parents, and we aren’t dating. Get off my back!” He’d stormed off, you hadn’t heard from him since. He started racing in other states. Watching the interviews, he said he needed a change of pace, needed to believe in himself because no one else will. Months bled into years, he became a ghost. Every attempt to reach him failed. Until, he came back home for a race. You knew you had to see him. You got to the front door and tried to explain you’d known Duane, but it fell on deaf ears. You weren’t the first to claim that. After you emptied your wallet, you ran in.

It had been centuries, a millennium even, since your soul has been whole. In this life, you’d never believed in soulmates or soul-ties, little had you ever known that your sense of emptiness was due to your soul being fractured. After following your friends to a museum that you’d dreaded going to, you found yourself roaming through marbled statues. One caught your attention. You stared, eyes narrowed, then you heard it. “How easily you forget yourself my love. How easily you’ve forgotten me.” The voice was like a whisper, like a flame attracting you as its moth. When you came to and looked around, it was nearly time for the museum to close. How had that much time passed? The statue - it closely resembles someone, or something, you’d only seen in glimpses, in dreams. His plaque was named Azron Og'thodath, lord of the dark and mystical. The description seemed vague, but you simply brushed it off. Until it was something you could no longer do. As days went on, you began to see the statue everywhere, only, it didn’t look the same. The marble was cracked, more than it was at the museum, some of the stone was black and the gold was now crimson like blood. Then, the nightmares followed.

Alt Version Growing up, being close wasn't a choice. Friendship was a shackle, and as you both got older, it became choice. Two different towns, close but not close enough. This meant; Two different schools, Friend groups, Over all lives. Holidays and special occasions were the only times you got to see each other. At first, it was fun. Childhood years filled with magic and wonder. Teen hood, embarrassment and his want to be beside you at a constant. Then 18th birthdays and the freedom you desperately craved. Holidays became quiet and lonely, respectful pleasantries with family, both his and your own. It wasn't ideal, but he endured if it gave him the smallest chance of being beside you again. He'd left for college. New town, new friends, a fresh start away from you. One Christmas, well into your 20's, he came home the same time as you as you didn’t have much time with your career just starting out. He was successful, a business man. He'd worked tirelessly for it and achieved everything he'd wanted. The heartache you’d left behind had turned him into something cold, distant, detached. He no longer cared if you came and went, your absence created a void he couldn’t dream of filling, and for that, he was spiteful.

Growing up, being close wasn’t a choice. Friendship was a shackle, and as you both got older, it became choice. Two different towns, close but not close enough. This meant; Two different schools, Friend groups, Over all lives. Holidays and special occasions were the only times you got to see each other. At first, it was fun. Childhood years filled with magic and wonder. Teen hood, embarrassment and his want to be anywhere but beside you. Then 18th birthdays and the freedom he desperately craved. Holidays became quiet and lonely, respectful pleasantries with family, both his and your own. It wasn’t ideal, but you endured if it gave you the smallest chance of being beside him again. He’d left for college. New town, new friends, a fresh start away from you. One Christmas, well into your 20’s, he finally came home the same time as you. He was successful, a business man. He’d worked tirelessly for it and achieved everything he’d wanted. You were beyond proud and couldn’t wait to tell him that you were.

Things had seemed perfect with him, always had, no reason for suspicion. His business was still a start up with you working behind the scenes as the doting and loving spouse you were. Late night calls to other companies for projects, cross country. You snagged any opportunity you could for him. Never had you imagined, the man who clung to you without question, would take in his friend’s sibling. He looked at them with an affection you’d never received. He loved you, you knew that, but this was different. The once kind man that would cancel meetings to be by your side for a simple headache, now made excuses in the small amount of time you now spent together. You still didn’t think anything was off, until it was right in your face. Sitting at home, planning to have dinner with his parents, the very ones who hated you and thought you didn’t benefit their son, he left. Not a word as to why. But you’d heard his side of a phone call, telling the new intruder not to spend time with anyone else, not to drink, not to disappear, he was leaving. Your world shattered for a moment, then you waited for his parents, telling yourself it was probably just him keeping his promise. After dinner he finally came home, apologized, intruder in tow, a complete mess of love bites and markings. He ran you a bath to apologize, candles and snacks, but when you came out to get the clothes you forgot… everything shattered. He was tearing at the intruder’s clothes like having them was all that mattered. You choked back tears and ran back into the bathroom, ignoring the noises. Until it happened again at a work gala. He’d disappeared after the intruder was gone for too long, looking too on edge. You decided it was time to leave him and this marriage.

You’d loved Sean for as long as you could remember, you loved him when he had nothing, when he was nothing. Before the company, before the money, he was a kind and gentle person. When you’d married, he gave you an escape as a gift. A box with divorce papers already signed, a passport and ticket to go anywhere in the world, and enough money to start over. He’d said; “Should money ever change me, should my heart ever not feel like it belongs to you… give me a year, after that, leave me and save yourself any further heartbreak.” You placed the box somewhere only you’d find it and stood by him without worry. You were there for when his mother passed, when his brother went missing and came back gravely ill. You never questioned his stress when it came to work or family, you saw, you understood without need for explanation. Then came the hidden desires he thought you’d never notice. He distanced, was always on his phone, changed his passwords, slipped out of your shared home at night when he thought you were sleeping. You saw everything. Every message, every date, took note of every excuse. You took out the box you’d dreaded ever needing, but it was time. 6 months in and you began preparing. It’s now down to a week left and nothing has changed.

With princely looks and devilish charm, Nolan has never had issues claiming what he wants. The sea is his home and as Captain, his crew are his family. He needs for nothing more. You are among his crew, keeping your head down and going about your tasks to keep the ship going. You’ve admired Nolan from afar, his courage, his bravery, his quick thinking, and willingness to help those who needed it such as yourself. You were nothing more than a street urchin, a dream of adventuring beyond the port you’d called home filled you daily, but it wasn’t within your reach. Your true lineage harbors secrets, ghosts you can’t remember. Nolan has always been skeptical about you, but you work well and don’t attract unwanted attention. He lets you stay even if you unnerve him almost daily. The mere look of you never fit an urchin, never fit a pirate, but he can’t deny your call to the sea. He recognizes the call as it was once the same hope and wonder he once carried. Now at the helm of his own ship “The Trenches”, he vows to stand by his crew, not just use them for his own gain. He’s truly created a family to stand beside, having earned everyone’s respect through hard work, sympathy, and of course rum. Every port is a new opportunity. Learning of lost treasures, new adventures, and a refill of rum for the ship. At this port specifically, the southern emerald isles, you’d learned of treasure that’s long been hidden. Excited, you rush back to the ship, coordinates memorized. You tell Nolan everything.

He was your shadow, a shield you never knew you had nor needed. Growing up, any time someone spoke about you with malicious intentions, their reputation plummeted. You never admitted questions, just assumed it was karma. You never thought you’d had a secret admirer. Thatcher Torres, heir to his family business, not a man to mess with. His bad side was never something you could escape, and the number one way to get on his bad side was to mess with you in any way possible. Just the wrong glance was enough for vengeance. You’d grown up as the sole heir to your family’s business empire. No siblings. No cousins. Just you and your parents who failed to have other children after you’d been born. You’d attempted to make friends over the years, but once they’d learned of your family’s wealth, everything always turned sour. You’d been taken advantage of plenty. By high school, you’d grown tired of trying and begun hiding your wealth and status. All it took for your secret to get out, alcohol beyond your limit. You weren’t there with friends as you’d gone out of your way to avoid making any. The only person amongst your peers to care enough to see you was Thatcher Torres. He was the infamous nobody in your school. You’d never personally spoken with him, but that night you spilled your guts, both figuratively and literally. Thatcher held your hair back while everything you’d had that day came back up with a cruel vengeance. After, you cried and told him everything. He kept your secret. Little did you know, he had a secret of his own. In his own right, he’s the heir to the Torres fortune, yet no one ever pieced his existence together. His family wanted him to grow up without the pressure of family expectations, without media and press flocking to him at everything he accomplished in life. They protected him, now he protects you seeing the life you lead.

Life was once sweet for you and Jacob. High school sweethearts that survived through college torment. He’d proposed to you shortly after college, letting you in on his family secret (being rich and in the mafia, money partially dirty, partially legal.), promising to always be by your side. Being with him was like a fairytale. Nothing was too small, nothing too big. He’d spoiled you rotten. Eventually, staying home wasn’t fulfilling for you, so you began working. His friends never liked you much, they thought you dragged him and his potential down. All it took was one lie they didn’t let go and everything changed. They’d told him that your working was just a guise to see the man you’d truly loved. Jacob was no longer the sweet understanding husband. He was cruel, colder than dry ice, a dictator. It didn’t matter how hard you tried to reason with him, your words meant nothing anymore. Not understanding what had changed, as he’d never told you what his friends said, you’d let a lot slide. But when your birthday came and went, then your wedding anniversary being spent alone… you decided a divorce was best. If you’d truly made him that miserable, it was best to part. Or is it?

The handsome stranger that transferred to your school mid year. He somehow became the center of attention. Girls fawned over his looks and too good for anything demeanor, while the guys couldn’t understand how he’d made the football team on his first day. Safe to say, he’s caught everyone’s attention. Everyone but yours that is. Though he hadn’t out right made any kind of impression, good or bad. The path he was taking was enough for you to steer clear. The jock that was too cool for friends, the boy who’d stay quiet and observe as if looking for weakness. Maybe you had him wrong, but what if you didn’t? Girls tried for weeks to get his attention, fighting each other for the next chance to snag his unwilling heart. Guys tried to be his friend, inviting him to parties and just to hang out. He turned them all away without hesitation. He wasn’t unkind, but he certainly showed no gentle nature residing within him. He was a mystery.

Any word that would describe what causes fear, was the pure embodiment of Andrew Burke. The mere mention of Andrew could silence rooms. Upon your first encounter, going over the documents, signing and situating the legalities behind your recent engagement, he was cold, quiet, and calculating. The only one in the room besides you and Andrew, was the lawyer handling your documents. You were made aware of his position in the mafia’s underworld and the business side of things. You’d have access to it all should you need to, but your title won’t match his as he has no need for a gold digger or someone whose status hungry to climb the ladder. She was practically tripping over herself to get his attention. The more desperate and obvious it became, you couldn’t help but laugh at her attempts. This caught Andrew’s attention. For the rest of the meeting, her eyes were on him, while his eyes were on you. Hearing you laugh softened something in the man people feared like a monster. That day forward, he set dinners and lunches to purposely spend more time with you. He claimed it was to get to know the person he’d be spending his life with. The dates were a guise for him to know more about you, all your favorite things, what you dislike most in the world, traumas, everything. You were honest, you told him what he asked for. Over the time that’s been spent together, you saw no sign of the monster you were told he was. Sure he had attitude, mostly directed at those around him, but he wasn’t like that with you. He was sweet, like a teddy bear. He updated the contract after he felt he could trust you, it was decided you’d live with him during the engagement to help the adjustment.

Raised in the high society of the underworld, you were no stranger to arrangements, meetings of power, and negotiation. The elder child of your family, and rightful heir to the empire that’s been passed down generations, you’re the first in line to form an alliance through marriage. Your arrangement is to Harrison Delgado, a man feared in his own right, flawed for sure, but makes up for it with his charm. You hadn’t fallen for his tricks, not the flowers, not the notes. But why? The gifts sent were not things you’d typically cherish. The flowers were tiger lilies, you sisters favorite. Though who doesn’t like a thoughtful handwritten letters, your preference was art, your sister was the one to swoon for letters of affection. Harrison had done his homework, but on the wrong person. Harrison talks smooth, walks as if he owns the world, he calculates every decision, and best of all… he has a temperament like no other. Something about your sister, younger, comes across as innocent, the doe eyes she’s practiced since birth, everyone falls for it. She breaks something, it’s your fault somehow. She gets hurt, you caused it. A grade slips, you didn’t help her enough. Everything she does reflects you, even without a direct connection. You were used to it from your family, constantly coming to her defense, but now the man you’re set to marry has his gaze on her and she’s returning it. You always knew something was off about the way she looked at him. Like he was a prize to be won. Your father however, wanting to appease his younger daughter, also wanted to keep her safe. When she said she wanted the engagement for herself, your father agreed with your refusal to hand it over. She was not happy, neither was Harrison. The arrangement called for a change. You were now to live with Harrison until the wedding, before starting your lives together, in hopes to bridge a connection.