The Hungry Spider

My father died of esophageal cancer. For the final two years of his life, he could barely swallow anything. By the time he passed, he was nothing but skin and bones. The first New Year after his death, he came to my mother in a dream. "I'm starving," he said. "I just want to taste the thick-cut steak you used to make." My mother believed it without question. That very day, she pan-seared a large platter of steak and carried it to his grave. The next morning, she suffered a sudden heart attack and died on the spot. Devastated, I handled my mother's funeral together with my husband. That same night, my husband dreamed of my father as well. "Chester," he said, "I haven't eaten in so long. I want your pâté, served with some strong liquor." When my husband woke up, he bought the finest liver pâté, opened a bottle of single-malt whiskey, and went straight to the grave. However, not long after returning home, he collapsed from acute liver failure. He was rushed to the ICU and died three days later. I was on the brink of collapse myself. I left my daughter in the care of a close friend while I tried to handle the endless wave of tragedy. That evening, my daughter never came home from school. I searched everywhere, and finally, on the road to the cemetery, I found her. She was clutching a bowl of spicy stew, several grilled sausages floating in the broth. "Mom," she said, "Grandpa and I used to eat this all the time. I dreamed he said he was hungry." I finally lost it. I knocked the bowl from her hands and carried her home. That night, my father appeared in my dream once more. "I suffered so much while alive," he said. "Have some pity on me. "New Year's is coming. I want to come home for a meal. Make sure you cook fish." I woke in terror. Holding my daughter, I sat before the three framed portraits for two full days without eating or drinking. On New Year's morning, I realized she was no longer breathing. Clutched tightly in her hand was a packet of spicy dried salmon. I could not believe it. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my mother, her eyes red with worry, said she was going out to buy steak.

Sera Ashford is a Null—a walking void where magic and memory go to die. Dogs hate her. Spells slide off her skin. And the supernatural world would kill to own her blood. But Sera doesn't know any of this. She just knows she got fired from her diner job for "creeping out the customers." Then she meets Kael Valerius in a rain-soaked alley. Kael is a Voidborn—the first vampire, cursed for nine hundred years to hear the screams of every life he's ever taken. Witches he burned. Kings he betrayed. A little boy with dark curls who just wants his mother. The voices never stop. They never forgive. And they've been driving him slowly, exquisitely mad. But when Kael touches Sera, the screaming stops. Desperate for silence, he offers her a contract: stand at his side during the Conclave of Thorns—a gathering of every bloodline, coven, and pack with a grudge—and he'll pay her enough to erase her debts. One month. Then freedom. The deal shatters the moment their hands meet. Sera doesn't just silence Kael's curse. She absorbs it. Now the voices scream inside her skull. Ghosts wearing familiar faces crawl out of the walls. And a dead woman named Margot—Kael's former Tether, who clawed out her own eyes—whispers warnings in the dark. Trapped on Kael's estate, bound by a curse that will tear her mind apart if she strays too far, Sera has thirty days to master the deadly politics of immortals, survive the hungry ghosts inside her, and uncover the truth Kael buried with Margot. Because the curse doesn't just collect the dead. It remembers how they loved him. And in a world where regret is a hungry god, Sera might be the only one who can end the feast—or become its next meal.

Out of boredom and maybe a little loneliness, Sebastian Wilder makes a reckless purchase: a “Perfect Companion” Succubus advertised on a private marketplace. No refunds. No returns. Absolute satisfaction guaranteed. What arrives at his doorstep is beyond expectation. Beautiful. Otherworldly. Dangerous. Reed Montgomery is everything the listing promised… except stable. He doesn’t eat. He doesn’t sleep. His body burns with fever, his crimson eyes locked onto Sebastian like prey that has finally found its meal. When Sebastian demands answers, the seller responds with chilling calm: “Dear valued customer, hello. Your Succubus is not malfunctioning, nor is he ill. He is simply extremely hungry and needs you. Not food, but you. This includes, but is not limited to, kissing, hugging, and any form of… intimate energy exchange. Wishing you a pleasant experience!” What starts as a strange, intimate arrangement quickly spirals into something far more dangerous. Because Reed isn’t just hungry— He’s bound. And the more Sebastian gives, the deeper the bond becomes… until desire turns into possession, and affection turns into something that may no longer let him go.

Jeff Pritchet isn’t much different from other teenage boys, with one exception. His monstrous, spider-like appearance and loner persona make him a target for bullying, when all he wants is a friend who sees beyond the surface.The unconventional pair find themselves marked for hatred, and when his bond to Aarav is threatened, Jeff discovers a sinister side he never knew he had, proving that, when pushed too far, emotions can be deadlier than venom.©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

He drove there to annihilate the whole pack which had the audacity to combat against Him, The Dark Lord, but those innocent emerald eyes drugged his sanity and He ended up snatching her from the pack. Lyceon Villin Whitlock is known to be the lethal Dark walker, the Last Lycan from the royal bloodline and is considered to be mateless. Rumours have been circling around for years that He killed his own fated mate. The mate which every Lycan king is supposed to have only one in their life. Then what was his purpose to drag Allison into his destructive world? Are the rumours just rumours or is there something more? Allison Griffin was the only healer in the Midnight crescent pack which detested her existence for being human. Her aim was only to search her brother's whereabouts but then her life turned upside down after getting the news of her family being killed by the same monster who claimed her to be his and dragged her to his kingdom “The dark walkers”. To prevent another war from occurring, she had to give in to him. Her journey of witnessing the ominous, terrifying and destructive rollercoaster of their world started. What happens when she finds herself being the part of a famous prophecy along with Lyceon where the chaotic mysteries and secrets unravel about their families, origins and her true essence? Her real identity emerges and her hybrid powers start awakening, attracting the attention of the bloodthirsty enemies who want her now. Would Lyceon be able to protect her by all means when she becomes the solace of his dark life and the sole purpose of his identity? Not to forget, the ultimate key to make the prophecy happen. Was it her Mate or Fate?

Quinn, a sweet, social and bubbly turned cold and became a badass. She changed to protect herself caused of the dark past experience with guys she once trusted. Evander will come into her life will become her greatest enemy, the villain of her life, but fate brought something for them, she fell for him but too late before she found out a devastating truth about him. What dirty secret of the villain is about to unfold? And how will it affect the badass?