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The Seventh Bell of Lorynth

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Every seven years, at the stroke of midnight, one of Lorynth’s ancient bells tolls. By dawn, someone is missing. No struggle, no trace—just an empty space where they once stood. Elya Mornshade, a relic hunter with a knack for uncovering forgotten truths, arrives in Lorynth on the eve of the next tolling. The city is a labyrinth of shadowed alleys, whispering doorways, and wary souls who refuse to speak of the disappearances. When she meets a man who claims to have been taken and returned—changed in ways he refuses to describe—Elya becomes obsessed with unraveling the mystery. But the bells are not just instruments of time. They are something more—something ancient, watching, waiting. As the night of the tolling approaches, the air thickens with an unseen presence, and the city itself seems to shift beneath her feet. When the seventh bell finally rings, Elya will have to make a choice: turn back, or follow the sound into the unknown… But not everything that vanishes is lost. And not everything that returns is human.
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The Duke’s Bargain

“What did you say?” Félix asked. She repeated, “Name your price.” “What is that supposed to mean?” His voice had tapered off with an unreadable emotion that got her weak in her knees, but she held out her chin. “Didn't you once offer to pay me off? Now, make me an offer I cannot refuse. Otherwise, I will go in there"—she gestured toward the Ball—"and make everyone think you dragged me out here to take advantage of me. I know exactly what that would do to your reputation.” “Say. That. Again,” Félix said through gritted teeth as he inched closer to her. ====================== She hadn’t meant to upset him or, worse, blackmail him. She didn’t even know who he was; she only knew he looked important because of how regally he stood in the moonlit dark. Estella was the baron of Cleverdale’s youngest, born into a hard life and always kept on her toes. Her stepsisters hated her. The baroness loathed her. And her father, the only one she called family, shattered her heart when he sold her to Viscount Alistair Ravensdale to cover up his misdeeds. The night of Lady Agatha’s ball, she seized her chance and ran straight into … Duke Félix of Chateaûbriant. In the dark, he mistook her for Princess Coralie, his fiancée, and kissed her. When the moon revealed her face, something about her stuck with him. He couldn’t shake the image of her running wildly or how she smelled like white lotus with hardcore roots. But when she threatened his reputation, he refused to play along. She returned to her world of cruel sisters and an unwanted engagement. What she hadn’t prepared for was the Duke arriving at her doorstep, making two outrageous claims. One. He was the Duke of Chateaûbriant. And two. She had stolen something valuable from him that night. What had she stolen without knowing it? Or worse, what could he possibly demand as repayment? ✯Like it? Add to Library!
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