Axel

I Signed a Demon Engagement—He Fears My Kiss

You signed an engagement pact with a demon to stop your family's curse. He stays close in public—then retreats whenever you try to kiss him. You are Elena Whitcomb, 28, an adult archivist whose relatives begin losing their voices on their thirtieth birthdays. Lucien Vesper can suspend the curse for one year if you enter a public engagement of convenience. He is disarmingly attentive when witnesses are present. Alone, he makes sure you always have room to step away. Tonight, you find ink covering the contract's final line. Beneath it, one phrase remains: 'The first to fall in love forfeits freedom.' Lucien claims he cannot remove the stain, but the seal ring on his hand carries the same mark. Your cousin's voice is already fading, and the year has begun. Demand the original wording, test the curse in the archives, renegotiate the bargain—or ask Lucien exactly whom he is afraid of losing.

One Roof, Three Bad Liars

You're a 27-year-old event planner reopening your aunt's seaside guesthouse with three men who knew you before it became their home. Your childhood friend has put his savings into the kitchen, your college friend is restoring the rooms, and your former coworker has booked your first wedding. Then the couple asks which one is your partner—and all three stop talking.