Left to Burn: The Bride Who Came Back for Blood
Agatha Christie · Ongoing · 5.4k Words
Introduction
His first love. The girl he'd never let go of.
Eight years I spent being the understanding fiancée. The one who smiled through her endless crises. The one who died alone because he chose her panic over my screams.
When I opened my eyes again, I was standing at the altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Julian was leaning in, voice low—we needed to pause the ceremony. Emma was having a panic attack at the airport.
Last time, I'd said yes.
Not this time.
I looked at the man I'd died for and smiled.
Then I threw my bouquet at his face.
I turned and walked straight to the man who made Wall Street sweat. Julian's worst enemy.
Victor Kane.
"Go save her," I said. "I need a new groom."
Chapter 1
I screamed as I burned to death while Julian ran past me to save Emma.
His first love. The girl he'd never let go of.
Eight years I spent being the understanding fiancée. The one who smiled through her endless crises. The one who died alone because he chose her panic over my screams.
When I opened my eyes again, I was standing at the altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Julian was leaning in, voice low—we needed to pause the ceremony. Emma was having a panic attack at the airport.
Last time, I'd said yes.
Not this time.
I looked at the man I'd died for and smiled.
Then I threw my bouquet at his face.
I turned and walked straight to the man who made Wall Street sweat. Julian's worst enemy.
Victor Kane.
"Go save her," I said. "I need a new groom."
Serena's POV
I smelled smoke.
That feeling—lungs choked with it, skin burning inch by fucking inch—still lived in every cell of my body.
I jerked awake, gasping like I was drowning, cold sweat soaking straight through my back.
No flames.
No Emma's screaming.
No Julian's back walking away from me.
Instead, I stared up at St. Patrick's Cathedral's soaring dome. Sunlight poured through stained glass onto a red carpet lined with white Bulgarian roses.
"Serena, are you even LISTENING to me?"
Julian's voice snapped me back.
I turned to look at him in his custom tux. That face I'd once loved beyond reason now showed nothing but impatience and that look—like I was being unreasonable just by existing.
I glanced down at my wedding gown.
Shit.
I was back.
Early fall 2024. My and Julian's "wedding of the century."
Last time, right here at the altar, right before the vows, Julian got Emma's call. Panic attack at JFK. Life or death, apparently.
He'd walked out without a second thought, turning the Astors into New York's punchline.
And I'd begged. Actually begged, clutching his sleeve like some desperate fool.
What did he say?
"Serena, stop being so damn SELFISH. Emma will literally die without me. You're just losing a ceremony."
And what happened after?
After, in that warehouse at the docks, when those bastards lit the gasoline, Julian crashed through. He could've grabbed me first. Instead, he scooped up Emma—who had maybe a scratch—and ran, leaving me to burn alive.
"SERENA!" Julian's jaw tightened. "Look, Emma's alone at the airport, scared out of her mind. Her depression's bad again, she's been sobbing on the phone. I need to go check on her. We'll push the ceremony back two hours. Just—have the priest wait, tell the guests something came up, okay?"
Not asking.
Telling.
Like making me stand here in white while all of New York watched me get abandoned was just... fine.
I looked at him, and I actually laughed.
"Julian, I'm serious right now." His anger flashed. "Emma's my mother's best friend's daughter. I can't just let something happen to her!"
I bit back the urge to claw his eyes out and smiled instead. Cold as ice.
I reached up and straightened his crooked bow tie, soft and gentle. It made him pause.
"Oh, I know you're serious, Julian." My voice carried through the cathedral mic, crystal clear. "That's exactly why I think you should go to her. Not just today. Every. Single. Day. For the rest of your life."
Julian's face drained of color.
His hand shot out for my wrist. "Serena, don't—not here, not in front of everyone—"
"I'm not doing anything." I yanked free and stepped back.
Then I turned to face the crowd. Hundreds of Manhattan's most powerful people. Wall Street sharks. Society royalty. And those reporters in the back with their cameras already rolling.
I raised the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, sorry you all had to witness this. Mr. Vance just informed me that his childhood sweetheart, Miss Emma Jenkins, is having a panic attack at the airport. She needs him. Right now. Apparently."
The room ERUPTED.
Gasps, whispers, shocked stares—all aimed at Julian like spotlights.
He looked at me like I'd grown a second head. Like obedient, understanding Serena had just pulled a knife.
"Serena, have you lost your MIND?!" He hissed, lunging for the mic.
"So here's what's happening." I sidestepped him smoothly. "Julian Vance, you're out. Done. This wedding? Consider yourself fired as the groom."
The murmurs turned into chaos.
Vance family elders shot to their feet. Julian's panic broke through his anger. "You think this—this tantrum—will make me stay? Jesus, Serena, you've ruined EVERYTHING. Not just the wedding. The Astor-Vance deal, the partnership—do you have ANY idea what you just did?!"
"Partnership?" I laughed in his face. "You think Vance Group landed that Lower Manhattan project on your own merit?"
Beat of silence.
"Julian, take your precious Emma and get out of my cathedral."
Before he could explode, the heavy cathedral doors slammed open.
A figure walked in, backlit and imposing.
Black suit, tailored perfectly. Sharp features that could cut glass. Cold gray-blue eyes that seemed to see straight through bullshit.
Victor Kane.
Wall Street's nightmare. The Kane empire's iron fist.
Technically, Julian should probably call him "sir."
Every conversation died. People barely breathed.
Victor walked down that red carpet like he owned it—which, let's be honest, he probably did—and came straight for me.
He didn't spare Julian a single glance. Those intense eyes locked on mine.
"Heard someone's giving you trouble." His voice was low, rough around the edges. Almost... protective.
He leaned in close enough that only I could hear. "How about you upgrade? New groom, better deal."
I looked up at him, and something in my chest cracked.
Last life, after I burned, I'd watched this ruthless bastard kneel at my grave and sob like his world had ended.
He'd destroyed Vance Group piece by piece for me. Then put a bullet in his own head at my tombstone.
I owed him everything.
I took a breath, and right there in front of Julian and every power player in New York, I slipped my hand into Victor's.
"Deal, Victor." I smiled up at him. "You're brave enough to marry me? I'm damn sure brave enough to say yes."
Last Chapters
You Might Like 😍
A Queen Among Darkness (Book 4 in the Gods' Saga)
For centuries, she has been on the run, helping the supernatural community under the cloak of anonymity while she works to clear her name and save the very people after her from destruction.
Enemies are closing in, but an unexpected complication befalls her when she realises she’s been fated to someone who wants her species exterminated. After all, an evil chance seldom comes alone.
A Queen Among Darkness is the 4th book in the Queen Among Series/The Gods' Saga. This is an interconnected series. To see how it ends, I recommend reading the full series.
Books in the series in order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (will be available under book 5)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (will be available under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (will be available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Generation Coming Soon)
After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms
I’d appreciate all your support, thank you so much!
From first crush to wedding vows, George Capulet and I had been inseparable. But in our seventh year of marriage, he began an affair with his secretary.
On my birthday, he took her on vacation. On our anniversary, he brought her to our home and made love to her in our bed...
Heartbroken, I tricked him into signing divorce papers.
George remained unconcerned, convinced I would never leave him.
His deceptions continued until the day the divorce was finalized. I threw the papers in his face: "George Capulet, from this moment on, get out of my life!"
Only then did panic flood his eyes as he begged me to stay.
When his calls bombarded my phone later that night, it wasn't me who answered, but my new boyfriend Julian.
"Don't you know," Julian chuckled into the receiver, "that a proper ex-boyfriend should be as quiet as the dead?"
George seethed through gritted teeth: "Put her on the phone!"
"I'm afraid that's impossible."
Julian dropped a gentle kiss on my sleeping form nestled against him. "She's exhausted. She just fell asleep."
Goddess Of The Underworld
When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armour, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of an orphan pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to be better. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.
Accidentally Crossing the Tycoon
Four years ago, the Bailey family faced a devastating financial crisis.
Just when bankruptcy seemed inevitable, a mysterious benefactor emerged, offering salvation with one condition: a contract marriage.
Rumors swirled about this enigmatic man—whispers claimed he was hideously ugly and too ashamed to show his face, possibly harboring dark, twisted obsessions.
Without hesitation, the Baileys sacrificed me to protect their precious biological daughter, forcing me to take her place as a pawn in this cold, calculated arrangement.
Luckily, in those four years, the mysterious husband never asked to meet in person.
Now, in the final year of our arrangement, the husband I've never met is demanding we meet face to face.
But disaster struck the night before my return—drunk and disoriented, I stumbled into the wrong hotel room and ended up sleeping with the legendary financial mogul, Caspar Thornton.
What the hell am I supposed to do now?
The Ice Between Us.
Then comes Jax Miller.
Jax is a hotheaded rookie with a lightning-fast puck and a reputation for burning bridges. He doesn't follow playbooks, he doesn't respect authority, and he’s determined to melt Julian’s icy composure. When a viral video of their on-ice collision threatens to bankrupt the program, Coach Clain delivers an ultimatum that feels like a death sentence: they must live together in a cramped, two-bed dorm for the duration of the season.
Forced to navigate the high-stakes world of sports fame, "forbidden" locker-room tension, and the mysterious blackmailer who caught their first mistake on camera, Julian and Jax must decide what’s more dangerous: losing their careers, or losing themselves to the person they were supposed to hate.
Where The Ice Gives Way
Blake Atlas scents his mate the moment Charlotte arrives. The bond hits hard and unmistakable, but Charlotte doesn’t recognise it. She doesn’t know why her chest keeps pulling toward the one boy she absolutely cannot afford to want. Blake is Charlie’s new hockey captain. Charlie’s chance at making something good. Charlie makes it clear; his sister is off-limits and Blake tries to do the right thing, but secrets don’t stay buried forever. Rogues prowl the edges of town. The ice cracks. The bond tightens. Then Charlotte’s rare white wolf awakens, the very thing that makes her powerful, also makes her a target.
Shanti needs Shakti. (Peace needs strength.)
Where the Ice Gives Way is a slow-burn YA paranormal romance filled with fated mates, protective alpha energy, fierce sibling loyalty, found family pack bonds, hurt/comfort, and quiet, aching tension. It’s a story about first belonging, learning to be cared for, and what happens when the girl who has always held everyone else up finally falls, and someone catches her.
Survival Island
Zane, a powerful vampire and the island's owner, has spent centuries unable to feel desire for any woman. But when he notices Zara's intelligence, resilience, and determination to survive, she awakens something in him that no one ever has. For the first time in his vampire life, he is interested in a female, and his member is also starting to come to life. Who is this woman and why does he suddenly crave her and not just for her blood?
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates
"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."
I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.
Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.
"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."
New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.
Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates
When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.
But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
A PRINCESS IN DISGUISE; BOUND TO THE ENEMY KING
I fell to my knees, the cold marble digging into my skin. I had studied for years in the flickering candlelight, memorizing every herb and poison to pass the healer's exam. I wanted freedom. I wanted to save my mother from the servant's quarters. I placed second. I thought I had won my life back.
But the King didn't give me a badge of honor. He gave me a death sentence.
"Raven Thorne shall be wed to the King of Grok," he announced, his voice echoing in the silent hall. Princess Ellie, the woman who had tormented me for years, slapped her hands over her mouth to hide her cruel laughter. She was supposed to marry the Beast. Now, I was the lamb being sent to the slaughter in her place.
They say King Liam drinks the blood of his enemies. They say he is more monster than man. And now, I have to walk into his bedroom, wearing the Princess's silk gown, and pray he doesn't tear me apart.
I looked at the King, tears streaming down my face. "I'll do it," I whispered, my voice trembling. "But my mother must be safe."
I sold my body and soul to a monster to save her. But when the carriage door opened and I finally looked into the Beast's golden eyes, I realized the terrifying truth...
He wasn't a stranger. He was the man I met in the woods.
Let Them Kneel
Cast out by her pack. Forgotten by the Lycans.
She lived among humans—quiet, invisible, tucked away in a town no one looked at twice.
But when her first heat comes without warning, everything changes.
Her body ignites. Her instincts scream. And something primal stirs beneath her skin—
summoning a big, bad Alpha who knows exactly how to quench her fire.
When he claims her, it’s ecstasy and ruin.
For the first time, she believes she’s been accepted.
Seen.
Chosen.
Until he leaves her the next morning—
like a secret never to be spoken.
But Kaelani is not what they thought.
Not wolfless. Not weak.
There is something ancient inside her. Something powerful. And it’s waking.
And when it does—
they’ll all remember the girl they tried to erase.
Especially him.
She’ll be the dream he keeps chasing… the one thing that ever made him feel alive.
Because secrets never stay buried.
And neither do dreams.
Mated to Her Alpha Instructor
Weeks later, our new Alpha combat instructor walks in. Regis. The guy from the woods. His eyes lock on mine, and I know he recognizes me. Then the secret I've been hiding hits me like a punch: I'm pregnant.
He has an offer that binds us tighter than ever. Protection… or a cage? Whispers turn ugly, darkness closes in. Why am I the one without a wolf? Is he my salvation… or will he drag me to ruin?
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
