[Free Read] If Only For The Night
Get early access to my new short story, If Only For The Night. Warning: It gets a little spicy in the end. Just a little jibber-jabber before you grab the short, though.
Just want the free book and not all the talk? Grab your copy of If Only For The Night here.
Hey beloveds!
My grandma used to say something I remind myself of a few times a week: “You don’t have nothin’ to worry about. You’ve just got stuff to handle.”
And damn, was she right.
These days, it feels like there’s more than enough to worry about. I worry about my LGBTQIA+ friends. I worry about the economy. I worry about this country’s unsettling trajectory—toward fascism, slavery, and "relocation camps."
But this morning, I made a promise to myself: to unplug.
I’ve already deleted Meta apps from my devices, but I found myself deep in a doom scroll, watching confirmation hearings and the endless breaking news on the Parnas Perspective and The News Girl on TikTok.
I know this is psychological warfare, and I refuse to fall for it.
So I’m leaning into my grandmother’s wisdom: Don’t worry, just handle it.
What does that look like for me?
It means writing—writing a lot. It means embracing what brings me joy—creating—and gifting myself the space for creativity.
It means consuming the info but not letting myself be consumed by it.
And it’s why I’ve returned to the Devils Saga.
The Shadowplay Trilogy is part one of The Devils in D.C. Saga. I began writing this series when the world didn’t look like it does now, and it felt more like an alternative history—a "what could have been" if Trump had gotten re-elected instead of Biden, and unchecked billionaires just continued to do whatever the fuck they wanted, but with bolder moves in the public eye.
But the real heart of the series? It’s about good triumphing over evil. The secret society that works in the shadows (hence the title, Shadowplay) is outed and ousted—broken down by commoners (Winter) and their peers (Hunter).
Hunter Brigham is the prince of the ultrarich. He’s heir to a system of depravity.
Winter Vaughan is the definition of resistance and healing—and an example of what it looks like to stand on morals even when the easiest option is not to.
So…this isn’t really an escapist read—not in the way that a lighter romance would be. It’s dark. It’s gritty. It’s infuriating at times when all you want is to have them run away and ride off into the sunset.
But they stand up, take down the bad guys…and they win.
To me, that’s the sweetest part of all of it. And maybe, if it feels a bit like there’s no hope of getting off this road America’s on, well, maybe my trilogy will give you a sense of possibility.
I wrote If Only For The Night because I was angry as hell. I’ve been struggling with writer’s block since election night, and as the barrage of news started to overwhelm me, I needed to do something. I needed to handle my anxiety.
So I sat at my laptop and joined my friends—my characters.
In this short story, Hunter and Winter take a break from the chaos. They’re not wrapped up in the plot’s suspense. Instead, they’re just two people—getting to know each other, dating, connecting, being soulmates.
I needed that moment to kick my feet and giggle.
So while The Shadowplay Trilogy is dark, this short story isn’t. Not really. But if you need a reminder of the content warnings, here’s the link to access them on my site.
Anyhoo…here’s the story. I hope you love it.
XO,
Angel