Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Luke
I’m your typical small-town loser stuck in a dead-end job. Single, because dating is for well-adjusted human beings, not traumatized gay boys with trust issues. All I want is to leave my past behind and finally start living.
My wish comes true in the most bizarre way imaginable. One evening, a beautiful man with pointy ears and flowing dark locks appears out of nowhere. He proclaims I am to be his ‘Dark Companion’ based on some stupid deal I made in a dream. Oh, and apparently he’s an elven prince, the Lord of Shadows, Protector of the Nightmare Realm and Knight of Grief Ocean.
Which is a weird way to ask me out, but okay.
It’s a hard no from me, but this absolute psycho abducts me to his palace in a moonlit realm populated by vicious beasts and backstabbing courtiers.
If I am to ever get back home, I need to adapt, because our full moon wedding is approaching fast. I can’t allow myself to buy into his seductive kisses, poet shirts made of spider silk and bouquets of sapphire roses. They hide poison and deception. A gilded cage is still a prison.
But…
What if I just never realized that what I need is a man with a cruel smile and a sword dipped in midnight? A man with secrets, and scars, and smoky eyes, and a past filled with darkness, and… have I mentioned he has a big d—
*
“Taken by the Lord of the Nocturne Court” is a standalone, scorching hot, dark gothic M/M romantasy filled with snark and dark humor, but also violence, peril, jealousy, and angst.
The book is a darkly romantic escape into the shadows where love and destiny collide. Dive into the pages to discover if a gilded cage can become a home when shared with a seductive elven prince devoted to his Dark Companion’s every wish.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Themes: abduction, enemies to lovers, size difference, fake relationship, dark humor, snark, jealousy, hurt/comfort, afraid to commit, obsessive hero, forced marriage, isekai, fantasy elven prince, gothic castle, childhood trauma, shadow magic, monsters and fantastical creatures, fish-out-of-water, secrets, portal fantasy
WARNING: This story contains scenes of violence, abduction, offensive language and morally gray characters unafraid to burn the world down for their beloved.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter 1
Luke
“Would you like fries with that?” I ask, trying to not sound bored, but the man behind the counter doesn’t seem to notice my disinterest anyway.
“Do they come with your number?”
This guy. This fucking guy. I may have accidentally swiped right on him on Grindr some time ago, and now he just won’t go away. He is handsome enough, if not in the age range I tend to go for, and wears a studded leather jacket that screams midlife crisis. The red sports car waiting for him in the parking lot completes a picture of someone who would rather hit on a guy half his age at Best Burgers Bonanza than deal with his issues in therapy.
“No,” I say, giving him a level glare, because I’m at work and hate it when people forget that I can’t just tell them to get lost.
He raises his hands. “Jesus! I was just kidding. I know you’re goth and all that, but it wouldn’t hurt you to smile.”
I don’t even blink. “My mother died yesterday. Lung cancer,” I add, because the yellowish tint on his fingers suggests he’s a smoker.
I love seeing his face fall and eyes widen as flustered panic colors his cheeks. He glances at the tip jar. Yes, fucker. Make it a big one, so I can actually afford a new car.
A car in which I can leave this town one day and never look back.
No more flipping burgers.
No more mediocre hookups with locals.
And no more stupid bosses.
“Luke? Can we have a chat?” My boss’s voice is like fingernails screeching over a blackboard. “Kurt, will you please finish serving this gentleman?” Marty asks my co-worker, who appears dead inside as he shuffles over to swap with me at the register. For Kurt’s sake, I hope the customer’s type is sad goth boys, not perky jocks.
“Sorry for your loss.” The customer chokes out as I walk off.
Best Burgers Bonanza, otherwise known as BBB, isn’t the worst fast food joint in town, but its years show in the peeling leather chairs and the paint that has long faded from a lively green to a washed-out mint.
Which unfortunately also happens to be the shade of my uniform consisting of a barfalicious polo shirt and shapeless black pants. I’m also obligated to wear a baseball cap with the BBB logo and that thing always makes my scalp itch. At least Marty lets me wear my combat boots and doesn’t make me take out my nose ring.
He speaks once we pass the kitchen and reach the corridor leading to the staff room. His gray hair bristles, in a stark contrast to the flushed face.