Lair of Beasts [Book I in the Curse Of Blood Saga] - Jeanine 🇿🇦 Croft - Wattpad

Lair of Beasts [Book I in the Curse Of Blood Saga]

Reads 3,249,266
Votes 168,319
Parts 52
Time 11h 51m

Reads 3,249,266
Votes 168,319
Parts 52
Time 11h 51m

When Aria's father sells her to a stranger from the north, she never expects to be cherished like a daughter. To live in a castle, showered with every luxury. Her sumptuous new life is every young girl's dream. 
But as Aria grows older she can no longer deny the mystery and strangeness of her beloved foster family. Especially the Greyback men. Nor can she ignore the dark menace of the woods beyond the castle.
Aria is determined to unravel their secrets. Above all,  those of Lucian Greyback, the enigmatic and unsettling man to whom she is betrothed. 
When her curiosity gets the better of her, Aria is compelled to venture into the forest and discover the truth. But beneath flesh and blood lies a beastly legacy. And a birthright she could never imagine.

If you enjoyed the gothic, captivating world of mystery in Jane Eyre (but need a little more bite), you will love the suspenseful and alluring secrets of Aria's journey in this book.

  Cover designed by @JeanineCroft
  Copyright © 2015 by Jeanine CroftAll Rights Reserved

Table of contents

52 parts

Sign up to add Lair of Beasts [Book I in the Curse Of Blood Saga] to your library and receive updates

or

Content Guidelines

You may also like

Snow Bites by skyebmewrites

Grimhelde didn't choose to hunt the creatures of the night. Even though her family had been hunters for generations, she chose to leave and lead a normal life. But, as it often happens, she found love and it destroyed her plans. Young Grimhelde finds herself longing for the king in the castle she chooses to work in, but there's something strange about his wife. She knows the signs, blood red lips, pale skin, an aversion to sunlight. The signs of a vampire. To save the man she loves and his daughter, Heldie slays the evil monster. Happily ever after isn't the next step for her, and now she'll have to decide what to do with the child. A Snow White retelling...with vampires. ONC Shortlist 2023

Moonlight Bound by zianelle02

At sixteen, Lena Carter feels like an outsider in her own life. Adopted as a baby and raised in a loving but conventional family, Lena has always struggled with a profound sense of disconnect. Her dreams are plagued by vivid, primal visions of running through moonlit forests, and lately, those dreams have become darker and more urgent. When her adoptive parents reveal that they have discovered troubling anomalies in her background-clues suggesting she might be different from everyone else-Lena is thrust into a whirlwind of confusion and fear. The revelations push her to the brink, and in a desperate attempt to escape her mounting anxiety, Lena runs away into the nearby forest. It is here, in the moonlit wilderness, that Lena experiences a transformative event unlike anything she could have imagined. As she ventures deeper into the forest, she undergoes her first metamorphosis into a powerful wolf, unlocking an extraordinary new side of herself. The forest becomes both her sanctuary and her testing ground as she grapples with her new identity and the wild instincts that come with it. As Lena navigates her new abilities and the primal connection to the world around her, she must confront the reality of her origins and the legacy she has inherited. With every step, she learns more about the mysteries of her past and the strength within her, all while struggling to reconcile her wild new self with her life back home. Moonlight Bound is a gripping tale of self-discovery, transformation, and the search for belonging. It explores themes of identity, family, and the struggle to find one's place in a world that suddenly feels both familiar and alien. With its blend of supernatural elements and emotional depth, this coming-of-age story will captivate readers as Lena embarks on a journey that challenges everything she thought she knew about herself.

The Attic (Completed) by AuthorBekahFerguson

When Lily Kline takes possession of a Gothic estate with Ian Hawke, her co-heir and a stranger, she soon realizes there is more than meets the eye within the many corridors of the sequestered mansion. Ian is aloof and even hostile at times, and though he warns about rabid wolves in the forest, as though trying to frighten her away, she can't help being drawn to him. As events grow more bizarre, she questions her safety and Ian's identity. Why did her late grandfather see fit to make them co-heirs? Furthermore, what lurks in the attic, that hidden room everyone takes pains for her to avoid?

Nine Shillings by SisterQuill

COMPLETE Not a Hero. A Different Kind of Monster. Lot saved the dude. But can she get the guys and live chaotically ever after? Lot has been a vampire for six months and immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be. Josef thinks she's his personal damsel-in-distress, Bran thinks it's all his fault, and Lot thinks she doesn't need supervision to avoid accidentally eating the neighbours. She'd only do that on purpose. Josef's overprotectiveness only tightens the tension between him and Lot. Josef loves her but Lot doesn't know how to name what she feels for him. She would never leave Bran. She doesn't want to be without Josef. And Bran doesn't want to lose either of them. They'll have to sort themselves out to solve the mystery of an energy stealing supernatural prowling the city who might find the power of two old vampires too delicious to resist. And a quash a human threat from Bran and Josef's past seeks to break the trio apart. Lot is about to learn; if you live long enough, everything comes back around. A slowburn polyamorous gothic romance/horror with vampires, vigilantes, and Victorians. Nine Shillings is book 2 in the Book of Lot Saga. New chapter every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Content Warning: Sexual content and humour, including kink, violence, references to physical and emotional abuse and self-harm, depictions of anxiety, depression, and trauma Read Victorian Mistress, the first book in the series here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/329408695

Rush of Dusk (Dusk Series - Book 1) by AmeliaCrossGE

Meredith had always known about magic. Her family was magic, one of the most powerful mage lines out there. Having lost her parents to all the fighting though, she stayed far away from it, focusing on school and lading a primarily normal life. Until magic came knocking on her door. Someone in her family murdered one of the Shade vampires, and under treaty law, they must offer up a life in exchange. Mages are too precious, too valuable, but a single girl who refused to dance to their tune, well, not as much. Meredith is thrust into the world of the dark as a sacrifice to pay for her family's crimes, and she finds herself at the mercy of a cold vampire who hungers for her body and soul Somethings are inescapable. The dark past of her parents who she's never met. The power of creatures that thrive in the night. The call and will of magic she's fled from. While Meredith may not have signed up for the world of magic and the clash between the vampires and mages, she is now deep in the murky waters that divide the two. What lies in her family's past? Can she figure out the man who is now her owner? What does she do when her magic finally awakens and breaks free like a desperate animal free of its chains? One can run from magic, but it always gives chase. Ranked #1 in VampireRomance 10/2024 & 8/2023 & 04/2021 & 06/2020 Ranked #1 in Werewolf 05/2023 Ranked #2 in Fantasy-Romance 06/2020 Ranked #1 in EroticRomance 07/2020 Ranked #1 in Spells 08/2020

The Song Of The Wolf (Unedited) by PienPouwels

WATTPAD FEATURED - 30/11/2017 WATTYS 2018 LONGLIST - 31/08/2018 WATTPAD WEREWOLF FEATURED - 05/09/2020 WATTPAD EXPLORER WEREWOLF WEEK - 26/10/2020 [WORD COUNT: 110k] *I have begun posting the edited version on my page* In an era that gods dwelled among men and greed reigned the land, the selfish actions of a king and his sons damned them to take the form of nightmarish beasts. Forced to flee at the hands of their curse, the quest for refuge lead them past countless places, leaving whispers and legends in their wake. Finally, a safe haven was found and peace returned once more. But centuries later, the natural course of this story takes a sharp turn when a lavender-eyed girl arrives to disrupt their means of life in more ways than they could have ever foreseen.

The Hushing [#ONC2022] by ACampbellAuthor

**A Snow White Dark Fairytale Retelling** - - - - - - - - - - - Marion Price wished something exciting would happen during the long, hot, sluggish summer vacation spent at her grandmother's house. Instead, she is tasked with cleaning out her grandmother's musty old attic full of junk. But when Marion stumbles upon the antique mirror with a liquid surface, she finds herself plunged into a cold, cruel world known as The Hushing. With ash-laden fields and shadowy forests of black apple trees, Marion quickly learns nothing living can survive this place for long. The wraiths who govern this realm hunt her for the warm soul harbored within her body. And the only way to stay alive is through the protection of Lady Ingrid. But Lady Ingrid is just like everything else in this kingdom - a dark and twisted thing. She wields her power with an unforgiving hand and destroys anyone who dares to defy her. It's only a matter of time before Lady Ingrid turns against Marion. And when Marion no longer has the Lady's favor to shield her, she faces a grim execution. Can she find her way back through the mirror to return home before it's too late? Or will she be stuck in The Hushing forever? *** 5.11.2022: #1 in Gothic Romance

BeastKeeper by mckennagrace22

*** CHAPTER 3 CONTAINS MORE EXPLICIT SCENE*** In the mystical kingdom of Eldoria, Aria, an orphan with no memory of her past, is about to discover a secret that will change her life forever. As she trains alongside other young heirs with extraordinary abilities, Aria uncovers her true identity as the last in a line of powerful Beastkeepers-guardians of the elemental balance in the realm. But dark forces are stirring in the shadows, threatening to plunge Eldoria into chaos. With ancient evil on the rise and her newfound powers still untested, Aria must learn to harness the elements, form unbreakable bonds with her companions, and face the haunting mysteries of her past. The journey will demand every ounce of her courage, and the cost of failure is more than just her life-it's the fate of the entire kingdom. Will Aria rise to her destiny, or will the darkness claim her and all she holds dear? Dive into a world of magic, mystery, and adventure with BeastKeeper, where the line between light and darkness is as thin as the edge of a blade, and the heart of a young girl holds the power to save-or destroy-the realm.

The Castle Thorne (Book One of The Candlelight Series) by nightmarewraith7

When Lena, stripped of her nobility and title, goes to work as a servant under Lord Thorne, mysterious killings occur at the castle. She must solve the mystery before the castle crumbles under the weight of destruction. TRIGGER WARNING: I don't write smut or language but this will have some level of GORE. I'm talking about blood in all its forms, so beware. There will also be some measure of physical ABUSE. This is gothic literature inspired by Beauty and the Beast. Thanks for reading!

The Wolf of Dorian Gray - A Werewolf Spawned by the Evil of Man by brianference

Sage Holdsworth is a gifted painter with a terrible secret. She never imagined her passion would give birth to a vicious monster that could cost her everything. Sage has hidden the source of her talent from her friend and benefactor Lady Helena, but Sage cannot conceal her infatuation with the handsome and charismatic Dorian Gray. Sage creates a lifelike painting of Dorian and a small wolf pup, but there is more to the painting than meets the eye. Lady Helena is determined to meet the mysterious man in the painting. If there is one thing she is good at, it is corrupting young men. Dorian's loss of innocence at her hands soon descends into a life of evil. Dorian pursues all the pleasures of life, unaware that his debauchery has spawned a werewolf that begins killing in the streets of London. Can Dorian and Sage save their souls? Or will the beast consume them all? "Rarely does romance and revenge intersect so pleasurably and delicately, forming a dance of passion and purpose that embraces a soul search and a confrontation between choices of salvation and sin." - Midwest Book Review "A delectable page turner. An excellent debut by Brian Ference. Full of excitement, anticipation, and rich scenery." - Pavan "It has something for everyone with action, romance, and mystery." - Rachel "There on my desk is the first passionate love-letter which I have ever composed in my life-and it is addressed to a dead girl." "The engorged moon hung full and low in the sky like a yellow skull. Misshapen clouds stretched across the floating orb with elongated hands and bony fingers grasping. As they neared the docks, the gas lamps grew fewer and the streets gloomier. The cobblestones blackened as they passed the deserted brickfields. Bottle-sgoodreadshaped kilns spat their outrage with orange tongues of fire into the cooling air. Mangy dogs snarled in hunger and wandering sea-gulls screamed their displeasure at the hansom's passage."

You may also like

Slide 1 of 10

Snow Bites cover

Moonlight Bound cover

The Attic (Completed) cover

Nine Shillings cover

Rush of Dusk (Dusk Series - Book 1) cover

The Song Of The Wolf (Unedited) cover

The Hushing [#ONC2022] cover

BeastKeeper cover

The Castle Thorne (Book One of The Candlelight Series) cover

The Wolf of Dorian Gray - A Werewolf Spawned by the Evil of Man cover

Snow Bites

Grimhelde didn't choose to hunt the creatures of the night. Even though her family had been hunters for generations, she chose to leave and lead a normal life. But, as it often happens, she found love and it destroyed her plans. Young Grimhelde finds herself longing for the king in the castle she chooses to work in, but there's something strange about his wife. She knows the signs, blood red lips, pale skin, an aversion to sunlight. The signs of a vampire. To save the man she loves and his daughter, Heldie slays the evil monster. Happily ever after isn't the next step for her, and now she'll have to decide what to do with the child. A Snow White retelling...with vampires. ONC Shortlist 2023