Once Bitten, Twice Shy - Chapter 374 - Hate It and Like It

The first time she saw him, he was surrounded by flames. She couldn’t clearly see his eyes, but his gaze burned every part of her skin it lingered on.

Surely if the legendary beasts ever had existed, he would be one of them—one of the dragons.

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Kel has spent her life as a palace guard, hiding her mysterious ability. When sent in the princess's place to form a marriage alliance with a neighboring kingdom, she is captured by enemy soldiers and taken to the Serin Empire.

The ruler of Serin is a terrifying and coldhearted man, but he seems to have taken an unusual interest in Kel. How long will she be able to keep her identity and abilities a secret under the constant gaze of the Dragon Emperor?

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!!Slow burn romance!!

~I own no rights to the cover image~

A world from another dimension suddenly appeared in the Milky Way galaxy and collided with the earth. A spatial collapse occurred, which allowed the monsters crossing over from the other side to invade various countries, and the earth fell into great calamity.

The military was powerless against the invasion because modern weapons didn't work against monsters from another world. Under the desperate situation, a god-like figure appeared and bestowed blessings upon the humans to awaken their power. From then on, the earth regained its hope, and these extraordinary people were called Realizers.

Tenku Okuihara is a five-year-old boy who dreams of becoming a Realizer to protect the world and his family. But an incident changed his life goal from a hero to a grim reaper.

Ethan Blackwood wasn’t used to being defied. As the CEO of a global empire, he crushed obstacles with a single glance. But when Lily Anderson stood before him, her chin lifted in quiet defiance, and something in him snapped. “Sign the contract,” he said, his voice like ice. “30 days. You’ll obey every command. After that, you’re free.”She hesitated, her fingers trembling as she gripped the pen. “And if I refuse?”His smirk was cold, but his eyes burned. “Then you’ll spend the rest of your life paying off your father’s debts. Your choice.”Trapped, Lily signed. But she vowed one thing: she wouldn’t let him break her.From the first day, their clash was electric. He demanded perfection; she gave him rebellion. “You think you can control me?” she spat, after he criticized her for being late.Ethan stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “I don’t just control you. Lily, I own you.”But as the days passed, the lines between them blurred. Late nights in his penthouse turned into whispered conversations. His cold demeanor cracked, revealing glimpses of a man haunted by his past. One night, after a heated argument, he pinned her against the wall, his breath hot against her ear. “Why do you fight me so much?”Her voice trembled. “Because I’m afraid if I stop, I’ll lose myself to you.”Their connection deepened, but danger loomed. Secrets from Ethan’s past resurfaced, threatening to destroy everything. When Lily discovered the truth behind his obsession with her, she confronted him. “Was I just a pawn in your game? A way to settle an old score?”His eyes darkened with pain. “You were never just a game, Lily. You’re the only thing that’s ever felt real.”As the final days of their contract approached, their bond was tested like never before. Enemies closed in, and trust hung by a thread. Could they overcome the shadows of their pasts, or would their love crumble under the weight of secrets and pride?

Hey Guys, this story is written by Sinyk on fanfic net. This is not my work. The only reason I am putting this up is because someone has copied Sinyk's entire work word-for-word on this site (claiming it as his own: Harry Potter and the 7 angers), releasing it at a snail's pace, and is also making money off of it on patreon. Pisses me off to no end.Art is by CruderFive1 on DeviantArt-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Warner Bros and some other high falutin' companies. Me, I'm just a PR professional. I don't profess to own - and would never dream of making any money off - JKR's wonderful world. However, its her sandbox and she's left the gate unlatched so we can go in and play a bit. Which, I've done.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Okay, guys and... guyettes,This one is of epic length. And by that I mean really really long. For those who sent me a note about 'Four Heirs' and thought it long - well, this one blows that one out of the water for length. So, if something only up to - say - 150k words is your cup o' tea, then this isn't for you. No sir-ree! This story hits approximately 480k words.To stop all the whining and bitching right now - yeah, like that's ever going to happen - you'll figure out this is a 'Haphne' story; Dumbledore is (somewhat) good but still manipulative as per canon; Ron's an ineffective non-entity; Snape tries to keep sticking his beak in - and get's it repeatedly thwacked with a rolled-up newspaper; McGonagall gets over her hero-worship of DumDum (I mean, Dumbledore); Hermione is a good friend; Sirius is free; kids are kids; and teenagers are walking bags of hormones.The story follows canon a lot; and I've even included many quoted sections out of the books. I didn't do this to pinch JKR's works. Rather, it's in there to demonstrate similarities while being a different story. So, no biatching about that, either. You've been well and truly warned.Yours,Da crazy bastard who thinks he's an author.