Novels by Serene Damsel

As Luca approached, disbelief crashed over him like a wave. The figure slumped on the cold floor was just a girl. A fragile, battered thing. She looked like she belonged anywhere but in Dante’s grasp. He just couldn't understand why his brother would go after someone so vulnerable.Kneeling down, he brushed back some messy hair from her face. She was out cold, with bruises all over her delicate features. He noticed she was wearing expensive clothes. Proof that she wasn’t a nameless nobody. But they were dirty and torn. Like she’d been through a lot in a short time. Luca wondered. What had happened to her? What story did she carry? But none of that mattered to him right then. All he saw was someone who needed help.Sympathy flooded him, a quiet, undeniable ache in his chest. He didn’t know how she’d ended up here, or why Dante was keeping her hidden… but one thing, he was sure of. He couldn’t just leave her like this.He slipped back quietly but quickly to gather some bandages. When h

I always knew my brother was strict. Fierce, ruthless, almost obsessively protective. Especially since Cain was gone. But lately, Dante's concern for my safety felt more stifling than ever. It was like a dog collar. Choking on whatever scrap of freedom I had left."Stay home, Luca." It's the same tiring command every day. "It's not safe out there." He made it clear to the guards: "Don’t let Luca leave the house. And if he does, keep the security tight." He barely let me out of his sight. I was constantly watched, like some fragile thing he thought would shatter at the slightest breeze. He still treated me like a kid, even though I was nineteen now.But even I could see what his endless protectiveness was hiding. He didn’t just want to keep me safe—he was afraid.Ever since Cain's death, Dante had changed. He wasn't just my overprotective older brother anymore. He became a force solely driven by revenge. Working day and night to track down whoever had taken Cain away from us. The phon

Nora woke up with deep chills running through her. Ice-cold water drenched her whole body and soaked her clothes. She started coughing, trying to catch her breath. She blinked rapidly to clear the sting from her eyes. She finally opened them to see one of Dante's men standing there with an empty bucket. He stepped back, and Dante came into her still-blurry view. He watched her intently as she wandered back into consciousness.For an odd moment, she was grateful for the water. She could tell she was getting weaker each day. The stench of her own body was settling over her. The water felt more like a grim kindness than a punishment. She tried to swallow through her raw, dry throat. Fatigue had grown over her so much that it was hard to even tell where exactly it ached. There was no way to keep track of time. No windows. No clock. How long had it been? Days? Weeks? All she could spot was a buzzing overhead bulb. It was always on, casting a pale, unpleasant light across the room. She was

A cold, biting voice brought her back."So, this is Aria." Dante's tone soaked in disdain. He ran a hand through his dark hair, letting it fall perfectly back into place. His broad shoulders commanded the presence of the whole room. His tanned skin suggested a life spent under harsh sunlight. His sharp, polished look said otherwise. Even his veined, strong hands seemed made for both power and detail. His jaw tightened as he spoke, making no attempt to conceal the fury burning beneath his now-calm exterior. "The woman who sold my brother to my enemies." His words stabbed between her ribs. Nora kept her gaze down, forcing herself not to react. But the mention of Cain, a man she'd taken the blame for killing yet had never seen in her life, was almost too much to take in. She was the last person capable of harming anyone, and the accusation cut deep. The unfairness was grave but it was all she had ever known. She had no room for weakness. Not here.Dante stepped closer, disgust dripping

Aria's ambition grew limitless as she made connections in the underworld. She plotted new ways to grow her reach. Then, she found her next perfect prey. She set her sights on Cain, Dante's brother.Cain was the type Aria disliked. Kind, good hearted and trustworthy. But that only made him an easier target. She approached him acting all sweet and vulnerable to gain his trust. Cain, a man known for his loyalty and kindness, had no reason to suspect her. Just when he let his guard down, she betrayed him, tipping off Dante's enemies to seal his fate.Something worse than death.A blood-stained box arrived on Dante's doorstep, heavy and silent. Inside was Cain's severed head. Eyes dull. Mouth slightly parted. A final, gruesome message from his killers. Dante's hands shook as he lifted his brother's lifeless face, fury erupting within him like a blaze. His brother had trusted too easily, loved too blindly. And now he was gone. Because Dante had let it happen. He had failed. The only way to

Nora felt the weight of his words but her mind was drifting off to somewhere else. Glimpses of the past starting floating through, ones that she had tried so hard to drown. Stubborn memories that refused to sink. Now they forced her to relive through every moment that had lead her here. Her mother’s death when she was six left a void. Her father, August Reeves, tried to fill it by marrying into another Mafia family. Marcella came into their lives with her daughter, Aria, but for Nora, it was just torment. Nora still remembered her very first encounter with Marcella. She wasn't tainted by misfortune yet. She still had hope in her. Just desperate for a mother’s warmth. Little Nora looked up at her new mom with wide eyes. She hesitated for a second. Then made up her mind and reached out for a hug. An innocent act of welcome. Marcella gave her a dismissive glance before shoving her away like something diseased. Nora saw her smooth out her dress, like she was brushing off something filt