Barako The Sun Chief

"Oops, I did it again. I played with your heart, got lost in the game.” I close my eyes; I am enjoying the sun on my face and the wind in my hair. The sound of my voice echoing across the fields. Then I open my eyes; I am scared out of my mind by someone standing over me. "Where did you come from?! You should not creep up on people!" "I can ask you the same thing, what the hell are you doing out here?" His eyes run over my body, and I can see amusement build in his smile. "I never thought I would see the day that I find a clearly lost woman in a wedding dress in the back seat of a car singing to Britney Spears." Tyler Moore is the Sheriff of a small town far out from the city. With a body that is carved to perfection, this soft-spoken man should not be underestimated. Even though he is elegant and yet powerful, there is far more than lives underneath the façade that he brings. Jenna Davis, a girl that decides to leave her husband at the altar, runs away to the small little town where Tyler lives. She gets stuck on the side of the road in nothing but an empty tank, a wedding dress, and singing to Britney Spears. Tyler is the one that finds the poor damsel on the side of the road. Even though he finds her situation amusing, he is immediately captivated by her. She pushes him to his limits and brings the danger that he craves, that he desires. The two soon send off on a whirlwind relationship, but there is one thing that Tyler refuses to give…his heart. Will Jenna ultimately win his heart?

"If I have to shoot you to save the lives of myriad, I will without a second thought." His grip tightened on my throat as he leaned forward, mere centimeters away from me, his warm breath licking my face. "Try it, love." "I will. Just you wait." *** Ambition or Love, what will win? A plague has enveloped the whole world into a tight embrace. Just few at different corners of the world succeeded at surviving; including them are the 94 people belonging to Charleston, Carolina. Among these survivors are two doctors; Amelia and her Junior, Erin. Amelia does not only play the part of being a doctor and an amiable friend, but also as a huntress who sets off to a menacing journey to hunt for the daily requirements. Everyday, when the sun sets off and the darkness drinks in the place, silence is followed and not even a whisper is heard as the 'Infected Creatures' starts to crawl out, bringing danger along. Whoever gets bitten by these creatures also gets infected, threatening the life. Unfortunately for The Beasts, (the group of humans with demon like minds and behind the commencement of the plague) the leader of their group, Jake gets bitten by his very own plagued creature. Emergency calls for a rush. This results in Amelia to get kidnapped in order to cure Jake, whom she abhors to her full, for being the cause of the almost ending of the world. She is forced to cure him, which she does, but in between sparks fly and heat intensifies. Jake helplessly falls in love with Amelia. With thousands of lives at risk, both of theirs desire of love keeps getting denser. Will Amelia be able to seal her desire and work on her ambition? What or Who will hinder her mission? Time to dig into the book!

At only 5'2", it's hard to believe that Scarlett Lobo is an Alpha. Yet she is. Scarlett is the Alpha of the Crimson Snow Pack. In fact, she is one of the only female Alphas in the country. Leading her own pack, combined with the fact that as an Alpha her fated mated can only be another Alpha, and despite her petite stature people find her intimidating (okay, some people find her intimidating. Other people still resent the idea of a female Alpha), she has yet to meet her fated mate. She's nearly given up, tempted to take a chosen mate, but every time she brings it up, her family talks her out of it. So, she waits, having the occasional fun with her warriors or with unmated Alphas from other packs. That, along with the satisfaction she gets from being a powerful Alpha, leading her own pack is nearly enough for Scarlett to accept the idea that she may just go unmated. Except for that pesky little problem of needing an heir. But, then the Congress of Werewolves and Shifters (COWS) call their first national conference in nearly a quarter of a century, ordering all Alphas to attend. Annoyed to have to leave her pack, but curious as to why this conference is being called, Scarlett attends expecting several days of rather dull meetings, debates and workshops, thinking her only enjoyment would come in the form of her occasional bed buddy, Raul Farkas the Alpha of the Dark Sun Pack. What she doesn't expect is for Ruby, her wolf, to begin driving her nuts on the plane on the way to the conference. And she really wasn't expecting the overwhelming scent of leather, tobacco and parchment to hit her as she checked into her hotel. Enter Alpha Grey Badar.

Mumbai. The city of dreams. Shining bright with impressive skyscrapers, glamorous filmstars, and glittering malls. Standing tall on the shimmering coast of the Arabian Sea. Everywhere Sun hits here, this city dazzles. But beneath this warm dazzle, there is another Mumbai. The cold Mumbai. The dark Mumbai. The stronghold of the mafia. Where narrow alleys are splattered with gun-powder and blood. Where lives are discarded like tissue papers. Where an obscene amount of money circulates unaudited. And since years now, this formidable underworld is under Lala Amarnath Vaghela's thumb. The powerful mafia kingpin who started his ascent from the slums of Dharavi years back, today he controls most of the Indian subcontinent's illegal dealings and organized crime with an iron fist. But not without help. Kunal Ranjan Vaghela. Lalaji's grandson and his heir apparent. Apple of his grandfather's eyes, he is calculative, sly, and cold-blooded. Samar Jagtap. Lalaji's ruthless and cunning protege. Indispensable, he is as unapologetic as they come in this business. Everything is working smoothly in Lalaji's world. Like a well-oiled machine. Or is it? Because apart from sharing Lalaji's trust, apparently these two capable young men also share an undisguised hatred for each other. Not above playing dirty in this high-stakes arena, both are merely bidding their time to tear one another down. But no matter who emerges the winner out of the two, there is someone who will only lose. A torn heart that refuses to take sides. A girl who dared to love them both. Stubborn and loyal-to-a-fault Maahi. Full name Maahi Ranjan Vaghela. Kunal Vaghela's beloved baby sister. And the beautiful confusion of Samar Jagtap's life.

He loved her, but her heart belonged to another… When Lucien’s bride died in his arms centuries ago, he wanted to end his own life by going out into the sun, but he stayed alive, waiting for the day she would be reborn. He had loved her for years, decades, centuries and he waited for her to return, but when his prayers were finally answered, she was born not as a human, but as an Omega mated to an Alpha King with no memory of who he was or why he was by her side. Nivera Hayes, a lowly Omega has always believed she is possessed due to the fact that she dreams of a vampire every night and calls out his name in her sleep. She alas finds favour in the eyes of the Moon Goddess as she is mated to the Alpha King. Lucien is always there when she needs him, but she falls deeply in love with Alpha Tyler even though he greatly despises her. Alpha King, Tyler Jefferson hates the Omega whom he has been mated with and wastes no time in rejecting her, but as she slowly drifts apart, his heart begins to feel something different. He would do anything to have her, especially if it means getting rid of the vampire he has never been fond of. Luckily for him, he knows he has always been her first choice. When Nivera makes her choice, whose heart would she decide to break? The vampire in her dreams who has always loved her or the possessive Alpha who wants her now more than ever? With new memories of her past life burdening her, would she succumb to it or allow her heart get what it wants?

My sister and I slept for a thousand years. Tonight, we would Awaken. We would become true High-Bloods. Our Sire, Countess Lylandra, brought us two men. We had to choose a Blood Thrall. A cold, celibate priest. A young, harmless noble prince. In my past life, Lilith grabbed the prince by the neck and vanished into the shadows. She left me with the cold-hearted priest. The prince's blood was sweet, his soul pure. He was supposed to be the perfect sacrifice for the Awakening ritual. Lilith should have become a High-Blood without any trouble. But she fell for the prince's sweet words and gentle lies. She poured her ancient power into him. She forged a false blood bond to help him seize the throne. On his coronation day, he plunged a dagger dipped in blessed silver into her heart. With his own hands, he carved out her new Blood Core. He offered it to his werewolf allies. Lilith nearly turned to dust. And me? The priest helped me purify my blood. I broke the vampire curse. I no longer feared the sun or blessed silver. I became the legendary Daywalker Queen. Jealousy drove her mad. She used her last drop of power to unleash a kin-curse. It killed us both. Then I opened my eyes. I was back. Back to the night we chose our Blood Thralls. This time, Lilith chose differently. She wrapped herself around the priest, a vision of seduction. Her blood-red wings spread, ready to carry him away. My fangs slid from my gums. A choice? Why should I have to choose? The priest and the prince... Both are mine for the taking.

How long does it take to give up on a man you've loved for ten years? It takes me 3 seconds. The first second, I signed my name on the contract to become the chief designer of a renowned studio in Paris. The second second, I lock away ten years of my youth in my heart. The third second, I completely prepare to leave Levi's world. My fiancé Levi is the heir of the Smith Group, the absolute aristocracy. For others, he is untouchable. But for me, he's the childhood sweetheart who, with a crooked paper ring he made himself for the first time in his hand, told me, "You're the only girl I'll ever marry, even if I have to wait a hundred years." From that moment on, the only person I wanted to marry was Levi, and I never doubted that I would eventually marry Levi. But on the day of our engagement, he disappeared. I waited for a whole year, waiting for a message, a phone call, or a knock on the door, but nothing came. Later, he finally appeared. He stood next to a red Ferrari, holding flowers, and said that he still loved me, that he wasn't ready before, and begged me to give him another chance. I almost believed him. But at the same time, I received a provocative message from Levi's first love, Ruby: [Aren't you curious where he went during the time he eloped from your engagement? I'm already pregnant with Levi's child, and he loves kissing my pregnant belly the most.] I wiped away my tears, turned around, and applied to study in the Sorbonne University Faculty of Medicine, leaving only one sentence: "Levi, we're breaking up." Learning that I was leaving, Levi went crazy. He braved the heavy rain and blocked the entrance to my new place, his eyes red, asking me: "Stella, if I make Ruby abort the child, can you come back to me?"

After five years of being mated to Alpha Lucas, I finally got pregnant. Lucas and I were ecstatic, but five months into the pregnancy, I suffered an accidental miscarriage. The Chief Healer told me it was because my wolf was too weak. I couldn't handle the news and blacked out. The usually stoic Alpha couldn't stop weeping. I thought he was as devastated as I was. That was until I accidentally overheard his conversation with his Beta. "Alpha, why gag the healer? Luna clearly ingested Wolfsbane. Why aren't we hunting down the culprit?" Beta Marcus's voice was full of confusion. "We bury this." Lucas's voice was heavy with suppressed pain. "It was Isabella. She slipped Wolfsbane into Emily's tonic by mistake. Isabella suffered severe brain damage saving me three years ago; she has the mind of a five-year-old. She can't tell the difference between Wolfsbane and Moon Grass..." "She just wanted to help brew the tonic to help Emily get better, to make me happy. But if the Council catches wind of this, they will absolutely execute Isabella for murdering the Alpha heir." Ever since Isabella saved his life three years ago and became mentally regressed, she had shamelessly invaded our lives. On stormy nights, she would crawl into Lucas's bed wearing translucent lingerie, crying that she was scared, forcing Lucas to hold her all night while I was relegated to the guest room. He always said Isabella was brain-damaged, stuck with the IQ of a five-year-old, just like a child. He treated her like a sister and told me not to hold it against her. Since you loved your Isabella so much, I would grant you your wish. I picked up the private phone I hadn't used in five years. "I regret it. I'm willing to return to the Royal Pack. Come get me tomorrow." But when I truly disappeared, the once arrogant Alpha killed his precious Isabella and begged me to come back.

“I hate you, Ora.” He growls, his eyes two burning green pools. “I hate you so fucking much, but I cannot seem to stay away. Look at me.” He orders. I shake my head sharply then jump when I feel his slender fingers beneath my chin. Tingles of electricity ripple through my frame. His eyes burn a steady green fire, branding me. “I hope to the goddess that I am the only man who has ever touched you. I pray for your sake that your body is mine and mine alone, because you do not understand what you do to me, angel. If I find out that another Lycan beneath the sun has touched you, he will not live to see the next full moon. You are mine. Mine! And I am willing to chase you to the ends of the fucking earth to prove it.” *** Ora’s life turns upside down right from birth when prophecy reveals that she is the future Queen Luna of the Blood Moon Clan and the golden child who would one day single handedly rule a pack of Lycans. Now, she has people hunting for her, people who desperately want her dead. While running away from one of such hunts, she lands right in the devil’s clutches – in the arms of Alpha Jake Anderson, the most feared Lycan in the Clan. His dark gorgeous looks and smoldering intensity has all her senses on high alert. He hates her but he wants her…desperately. His obsession is dark and deadly. Will Ora be able to keep her powers a secret from Jake forever? When circumstances get out of hand and people have to die, will Ora and Jake’s attraction survive the inferno? Will she be able to keep resisting the alpha?

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