48 Hours

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

He left me there, naked and clamped my body exposed and vulnerable. The cold, dimly lit room terrified me; when I struggled against restraints, the metal biting into my wrists. The minutes stretched into hours, each passing moment filled with a mix of fear and anticipation. Where I was now? Where was my savior, my father? I did all this for him, I deceived Aris, let him suffer but now I was suffering. After what felt like an eternity, the heavy door creaked open once again, revealing his imposing figure. He entered the room, his eyes fixed on me, a mix of dominance and control emanating from his every move. His presence alone sent shivers down my spine, a reminder of my helpless state. He approached me slowly, a wicked smile playing on his lips. His intention was clear - to punish me and assert his authority. With each step, he exuded power, his confidence unwavering. He strode forward and grabbed me by the face, his grip like iron. “Don’t you know when master enters what should a slave to do?” He demanded an answer. I could see the rage in his eyes and I felt my own anger rising. As he tightened his grip, I spat in his face. This was sudden and unintentionally. His color changed in rage. I knew I did a mistake, a horrible mistake. - Lord Aris, a ruthless and cruel Mafia king, he just want one thing in his life, that was revenge. Emma William, a beautiful girl, is sold by her fiancé to cruel Mafia king ‘Aris Johnson’, who actually wants to take revenge on her by enslaving her. But what will happen when his revenge turns into his obsession? Will he fall for her? Will he able to keep her?

Madison Davis, a name that whispered secrets of love, jealousy, obsession, desperation, and separation… A woman every man desired, but only two men would go to war for her. *** Julian's life takes a dramatic turn when his father presents him with a difficult choice: pursue his dreams or remain committed to his beloved girlfriend, Adi, whom he had kept a secret from everyone. Suddenly, Julian came up with a plan to balance his dreams and love, and in two hours, he was on a flight to Scotland. However, his world shattered when his plan failed, and his girlfriend, Adi, vanished without a trace. Despite asking his cousin, Liam who was back at home to help look for Adi, she was still nowhere to be found. Julian's heartbreak was irreparable, as he knew there was no coming back. Liam Anderson, one of the youngest billionaires, with a net worth that can make even kings blush, found love while on his quest to help his cousin, Julian, find a strange girl, Adi. Liam fell helplessly in love with his newfound woman, Madison, a woman he could kill for. As the clock ticked on, fate's cruel hand reached out to them, gradually unlocking the gates of hell upon them. Julian, fresh off the plane from Scotland, heard about his cousin’s engagement party and decides to surprise Liam with his presence. As soon as Julian sets his eyes on Liam’s fiancé, time froze, his heart stopped, and the air around him seized at once. Madison gets entangled with two brothers who would stop at nothing to get her, even if it means taking a life. The game of power, influence, betrayal, and obsession is about to begin, with a touch of steamy romance. Who is willing to back down? Let's find out.

The doctor told me I had 72 hours left, unless I got access to the newest experimental treatment. However, there was only one slot available, and my husband Bowen Liddell gave it to my sister Yvonne Lawson instead. "Her kidney failure is more critical," he said. I nodded and swallowed the white pills that would only speed up my death. In the time I had left, I got a lot done. The lawyer's hand trembled as he passed me the documents. "Are you sure you want to transfer the two billion dollars in shares?" I replied, "Yes. Give them to Yvonne." My daughter, Candice Liddell, was giggling in Yvonne's arms. "Mommy Yvonne bought me a new dress!" I said, "It looks beautiful. Make sure you always listen to Mommy Yvonne, okay?" The art gallery I built from the ground up now had Yvonne's name on the sign. "You're too kind, Kathy," she said, crying. I told her, "You'll run it even better than I ever did." I even signed all my parents' trust fund away. That was when Bowen finally gave me his first genuine smile in years. "Kathleen, you've changed. You're not so aggressive anymore... You're beautiful like this." Indeed. This dying version of me finally became the 'perfect Kathleen Sullivan' in their eyes—obedient, generous, and no longer argumentative. The 72-hour countdown had already begun, and I couldn't help but wonder what they would remember when my heart stopped for good. The good wife who 'finally learned to let go', or the woman who completed her revenge by dying?

I stepped out of the shower with just a towel wrapping my body and was startled. It was my first wedding night, and instead of my husband, the ruthless Alpha, Silas, I found a handsome man sitting on the bed shirtless, smirking at me! “Who are you?” “I am your husband!” A few hours ago, I heard that cold voice at the altar. I had expected my husband to be unattractive, but he turned out to be incredibly handsome. So, why did he wear that dreadful mask during our wedding? What shocked me more was when he got up from the bed and walked over to me! Wait, he’s not crippled?! “You couldn’t even recognize your husband! He growled. Seeing him growing ferocious, I walked backward frantically. Just as the towel threatened to slide down, leaving me exposed and naked, he swiftly pulled me into his strong, muscular arms, his hands quickly catching my towel! His face was reigning with lust as he gaped down at me. “Someone is desperate to have her first night!” He inclined his lips to my ear and whispered, “Beware, lady, it wouldn’t be pleasure but pain!” He dropped the towel, and there I stood naked in his arms. He looked at me with lust as if I were his prey. “I will be so hard on you that you won’t forget your husband for eternity!” My heart thumped! I have heard that he is the most ruthless and ferocious Alpha history has ever had! What will he do to me on our first wedding night? ------- I am Bruna Walters, an illegitimate daughter who married my sister’s fiance to save my grandmother. I was scared. What if Silas, my ruthless husband, discovered that I am not Regina but a substitute?

A girl jumped into the river, cursing her fate and God. She was sinking in water and a pair of huge arms saved her. Someone, who came to save her is her Saviour. He carries her in her arms and puts her in his car. He reached the hospital in a few minutes with the unconscious body of that girl. All the way, he was looking at her thinking about the girl. She became conscious after treatment of a few hours given by doctors. She asked first of all, as she woke up, "Who saved me?" A sound like a roar is colliding in her ears, "I saved you." "You...... What the hell ?" She yelled. "Don't shout Ms Aradhya Kashyap. Now I gave you a new life so you have to pay for this." Samarth said conditionally. "What should I pay? And why should I pay?" She asked back and added angrily, "Did I ask you to save me?" The disgust for this man was shown on her face. He was just giving a winning smirk to her. "You have to marry me." He bored her orbs sharply. "Marry you, my foot. I will choose to die... Go to hell, Mr Goenka." She replied with disgust in her tone. "Really" He saw her photos when he saved her, she was in torn clothes and it was visible that she was raped. She was startled. He is blackmailing her without hearing her. "If you will not marry me, I will publish it in the newspaper. The choice is yours." He smirked again. A tear spilt over her cheeks, she replied, "Yes, I will marry you. But...." "What but..??" "I'm only 17. How can you marry a minor girl?" "Let me remind you, Ms Aradhya Kashyap, you turned 18. Today is your birthday, 21st February."

To the world, I’m just Macey Carter. Mason’s little sister. Samantha’s best friend. The girl who somehow landed her dream job as lead designer at Seams & Touch. But inside? I’m someone else entirely. Someone who aches to be broken down and put back together by a man who knows exactly how to use me. Someone who craves submission so badly, it’s like a sickness. My ex never understood. David was too soft, too careful. He wanted to hold hands and make promises, while I wanted to kneel and beg. When he left me, I didn’t fight it. Two years later, I’m twenty-four, single, untouched, and suffocating under the weight of everything I can’t admit out loud. And then there’s Damien Blackwell. My boss’s older brother. Ten years older, sharper, and rougher, with a reputation that makes people whisper when he walks by. I shouldn’t want him. But I do. God, I do. He’s the finest thing I’ve ever seen. I know because I’ve seen all of him—one reckless afternoon when I walked into his office and caught him taking a woman apart on his desk. She looked like she wanted to disappear, like she hated every second of it. And I hated her. Because I would have begged for more. Damien promised his sister he’d stay away from me. He told himself I was too young, too close, and too dangerous. For a while, he believed it. But that ended the night he caught me touching myself in my office, late after hours, knowing he was watching. That’s when everything changed.

Alpha Kai's Son. My father's shadow still dominates the BloodCrest Pack I'm trying to lead; even becoming Alpha didn't change a damn thing. So I take my anger out on any poor bastard put in the steel ring with me. It calms me, but only for a few hours; because blood-red rage follows me everywhere I go. It follows me into the cage the night I'm pitted against an opponent half my size. An opponent with a bigger chest than your average gym buff. A woman... I think I'm doing the right thing by refusing the fight because I know this woman will meet Death at my hands. That is, until my wolf growls the word I never expected to hear in the middle of a fight. MATE. With a name as sweet as her scent and a right hook to match, I know I can't accept Cherie as my mate. Not with the beast I inherited from my tainted bloodline - a Lycan with a thirst for blood… So do I reject sweet Cherie to protect her, or do I indulge in the whims of my beast and claim her? * Cherie I didn't expect to meet my mate when I decided to step into that ring that night. But the second my wolf recognized its mate, I knew it wouldn't be over. Creed Volkov is every bit as terrifying as they say, but I won't allow myself to be bullied by another man. I've come here to win; I NEED to win in order to protect those close to me. Running away from Creed seems like the logical choice, I find myself in that ring with him again. Why can't I bring myself to say the Rejection Vow? And why am I suddenly having dreams about a red-haired woman?

(Reverse Harem) (Book 2 of Her Wolves series) (Can read as Stand Alone) Orphaned at the age of 17, Nerezza had no one to rely on and nowhere to go. Down on her luck, one day she ventures the streets of Makatza, the werewolf capital, in search of food when something else entirely finds her. Her mate. Through their ups and downs, the two conceive a child but were thrown a loop when he is stolen away just hours after his birth. Her mate sets out to find him but leaves her behind as the price. Alone in the world again, Nerezza doesn't know what to expect. Surely, there was no way things could get better. Until she becomes the concubine of the werewolf king and finds out, love has no limits. Especially not with six mates surrounding her. *** “I'll have you know that if you were to want me. Or come with me, even, you will have to toss that possessive Alpha male bullshit to the side.” I sneered. I could feel the bond slip into place. Enough that it took me off guard. Slightly. “What, can't handle a challenge?" Cocky, arrogant bastard. Of all the men in the world, I was stuck with him. If I wanted to have him. Pawns were disposable and I rarely came upon them. His fighting could prove useful, although I doubt his abilities in bed would suffice. “Look, whatever your name is, you might be my mate but you aren't the first one this week. Okay? So if you retain your possessive nature, you and the other guys might not get along very well,” I turned on my heels and headed back out the alley. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw his confused look. “And I much prefer not cleaning blood from my carpets.”

•••[Excerpt]••• "Stop... Stop!" Rosana's voice quivered as tears of fright brimmed her vision. She had been crying for hours, but not because she was leaving the beautiful life she had planned with her fiance behind. She was crying because her newly wedded husband had tortured and murdered a man mercilessly on their wedding night. "Stop, please..." He ignored her. "No... Stop touching me. Take your bloody hands off me!" Indeed, his hands were covered with the blood of the man he had killed earlier. But he didn't care. "S... Stop touching me!" He grabbed her neck and she gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "You shouldn't make me do this on our wedding night, Bambolina. You are mine and I will take whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want, and however I want, till death do us part, Mi Amor" ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Rosana Marcello was already living the life she had dreamt about. With her boyfriend-turned-fiance by her side, nothing could be more perfect. Some weeks before the wedding, she was called back home by her parents and welcomed with devastating news. She had been betrothed since when she was a little girl but never knew. Now, he has come to claim what is rightfully his. With or without her approval. He is deadly, He is evil, He is the ruthless Sergio De Niro, known by everyone. Rosana can't escape this. She can't run away from him because he will comb the world and kill everyone in it, just to find her. She is now his possession, his property. It's either she tames him and melts his cold heart or he breaks her into a thousand pieces. Will she succeed or get consumed by his burning hell?