Elydes - Chapter 31: Time to do some Alchemy

[Mature Content:]Alaric was too close to Nicolette.Her mouth was just inches away from his.He could smell the lavender on her skin, the heat radiating from within her.But he held back, refusing to be carried away by her charm…“Mr. Allens…” she purred, and he looked down at her.Her eyes widened with desire, and he knew, in that moment, that if he wanted to kiss her, she would let him.The last thing he wanted was commitment. He knew that Nicolette didn’t want that either.But why was she this tempting?So willing?It was that willingness that confused him.She blinked, then swallowed as she pulled the jacket off her shoulders. His eyes lingered on her exposed neck.God.He just wanted to bury his mouth in that hollow spot.“Here,” Nicolette said calmly, extending the jacket to him.He took the jacket, his hand brushing hers just a second. She flinched, her face turning pink as she clutched the towel against her chest.His stomach flipped at the sight.If only that towel would give way to…Before he could stop himself, Alaric pressed his arousal against her stomach, pushing her against the wall, cornering her.She gasped at the sudden movement and for a moment, he lost his mind.“Cole…” he breathed, crushing himself against her.Her eyes gleamed with desire and a vulnerability that rocked him to his core.He would be foolish not to give in to this feeling.But he would also be a fool if he did.She had chosen to marry him.Not her boyfriend.And definitely not Lucian Crawford.Yet, he couldn't help it.She was only his for a year.But still…***************When her business and the gallery she inherited from her mother burn to the ground, Nicolette Voss is determined to rebuild—and get revenge on her father.She turned to her father’s rival, Alaric Allens, for an alliance.Alaric is willing to help, but on one condition—she must be his wife for a year.They called him Ruthless Alaric after an infamous incident 6 years ago. Alaric is back in town, and so are the crumbs of his past. But he is determined to change everything with a wife.He has his hidden agenda.She needs her revenge.But will this marriage between storm and steel survive the heat? And what will they do when deep secrets threatens to destroy them both?

Ace had always harbored feelings for his childhood friend, only to have his heart shattered when he learned she was secretly in love with Duke. The betrayal left him disheartened, but nothing could have prepared him for what came next.That night, instead of waking up to another ordinary day, he opened his eyes in a completely different world—inside another man's body. Worse still, the first thing he heard upon waking was yet another rejection.Thrown into an unfamiliar land with a past he doesn't remember and a future he never planned for, Ace faces a choice: chase after love once more or embrace a new passion—one that comes in the form of an unexpected farming system. As he cultivates spirit crops and reaps rewards beyond imagination, he begins to wonder: perhaps love isn't found in a person, but in the soil, the growth, and the endless possibilities of the land.Will Ace sow the seeds of a new destiny, or will the echoes of rejection root him in the past?

She is a daughter of a marquis. People only know her as the timid and cowardly young maiden, unaware that her other identity is the imperial capital’s famous, who awes the world, “slender gentleman“ is her.

She was promised a marriage 10 years ago and painstakingly waited 4 years for her groom. The morning her supposed partner returned to imperial court, he’s holding another woman.

In a single evening, from primary spouse she was demoted to secondary spouse.

For love, she supports and assists him. Together they share trials and tribulations, flying side by side. Who would expect all he did was for another woman?

He was born in the top chain of power, yet he grew up inside the darkness, enduring among conspiracies. Maturing from a weak youngster to a war-god.

For the woman he has once loved, he met her on the battlefield [1]. Every move fierce. He helplessly watched her ripping apart her sleeve, falling into bottomless cliff with a smile….he was hurt to the core. After this imperial ancestral temple and jiang hu, sky and sea, are we never to meet?

Coming out of prince’s manor, visiting vast sea, walking on the grassland and dealing with maritime power struggle.

The world is in chaos, love came in troubled times. Palace. Jiang Hu. Power. Mutiny. Naval battle. Four years of silent endurance. She, commanding thousands of pirates, returned, swirling the imperial court and jiang hu.

Only, you have once said you have been waiting for a person — a person who you admire, who you adore, a woman who could stand side by side with you.

Now, have you regretted?

- Description from Novelupdates

Untolerated by heaven, a boy was restricted by the most powerful spell.

He accidentally acquired a painting inhabited by nine souls that claimed to be immortal.

Then, the legend of a strong young man who violated heavenly principles against the course of nature began.

- Description from Novelupdates