Blade Runner Pawn

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

"Kali, what have you seen?" The other warriors crowded around Kali and I. They were craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the captive. They had never seen such a being before. "Destruction looms over us all! He must be killed. The warrior must be killed." Kali rushed to get the blade but I grabbed her arm and stopped her. "No. In as much as we are a warrior tribe of women. We are not savages. We must investigate this." "Suprema Sequoia, please you must listen to me. No good can come out of this. Men can never be trusted. Their hearts are full of darkness and evil. They poison and corrupt the ways of nature. He must die!!!" I was confused. I could only grasp one strange word from all Kali had said. "Men? What do you mean by men?..." In a tribe of alpha female wolves born from the mystical waters of the Lunaria, Sequoia is born the Suprema of the pack, Mystic Shadow. All is well until they are attacked by male warriors. Sequoia is immediately curious of the new gender she and her other warriors have never seen and she is taken on an enlightening journey of love with their attackers Alpha. All soon falls to pieces with jealousy, greed and betrayal and Sequoia is now forced to make the choice between her new found love and the safety and continued existence of her pack.

Not being able to wolf out was the worst thing that could happen to 18-year-old Calliope Wren—until she became prey to the ruthless Alpha Damon, all because of a deal gone wrong between him and her father. As her family tries to flee, tragedy strikes. Her father is killed, her mother vanishes without a trace, and Calliope is left alone—until something dormant within her awakens. A hidden power surges to the surface. She’s not just any wolf. She’s the Moon Wolf—rare, powerful, and coveted. When Alpha Damon discovers her true identity, his obsession deepens. But the truth cuts deeper than any blade: Damon is her biological father, the same monster who once abandoned her—and now seeks to extract her magic through dark means for his own twisted gain. As she runs for her life, fate intervenes. Calliope crosses paths with Alpha Ryker—the one the Moon Goddess destined for her. Fierce, protective, and haunted by his own past, Ryker may be the only one strong enough to help her survive what’s coming. Will Damon succeed in harnessing her power? Or will Cal—the child he once discarded—rise with her mate at her side as his ultimate downfall?

Penelope thought she was her husband’s one and only love. Until she caught him in bed with her twin sister. Penelope Verdant has lived her life as a pawn and slave to her family desiring freedom. The only happiness in her life was her marriage of four years. She believed her husband loved her, he treated her well and never gave her a reason to doubt his love. But when she finds out he’s been sleeping with her sister longer than she’s been married to him, she becomes disillusioned with her marriage. She wants revenge for her wasted years. She files for divorce, only for her husband to reject it. Backed into a corner, she seeks help from a man she should never have sought out. The man known as The Devil of Deals, an elusive billionaire who wants nothing more than to possess her completely. His price is costly, one she isn't sure she can afford. But marriage is an even worse fate than selling her soul. Will she get her revenge, shatter the chains of her old life, and rise as the queen? Or will she sink into the depths of hell? The path from pawn to queen isn’t an easy one…and the Devil is not patient. (Content Warning: this is a dark billionaire romance containing mature themes including but not limited to: explicit sexual content, unhealthy obsession, toxic love, forbidden love, pain and blood kink, physical and sexual abuse (not between main characters), taboo family dynamics, a lot of swearing, and violence. Morality is but a friendly suggestion to the characters of this story. Proceed with caution.) THE THALORIAN PANTHEON SAGA LINEUP: BOOK 1.0: FALLING INTO THE DEVIL’S BED. BOOK 2.0: INFERNAL LILY (coming soon). BOOK 0.5: HIS HEAVENLY CURSE (coming soon).

She was born of two worlds… and belonged to none. Wolfless and rejected by her own kind, Freya, the hybrid daughter of a witch and a wolf, was sold by her father to the most feared Alpha in the land—Alpha Logan of the Northridge Pack. Her only purpose? To bear his heir and strengthen his bloodline. But love was never part of the deal. Torn between his lingering feelings for his first love, Lucia, and the bond he cannot deny with Freya, Alpha Logan spirals—cold, cruel, and indifferent. And when tragedy strikes and Freya loses the baby, his words cut deeper than any blade: “You’re just a breeder.” Shattered and betrayed, Freya flees to the human world with the help of a mysterious ally. There, she finds peace… and perhaps a new beginning in Daniel, a kind stranger who sees her as more than just a tool. But fate isn’t done with her yet. A prophecy looms. A war brews. And when Logan’s brother returns to claim the throne, only Freya—his true mate and the key to his power—can save his legacy. But will she ever come back to the mate who broke her heart… or choose a new path, and a new love, forever?

She was born of two worlds… and belonged to none. Wolfless and rejected by her own kind, Freya, the hybrid daughter of a witch and a wolf, was sold by her father to the most feared Alpha in the land—Logan of the Northridge Pack. Her only purpose? To bear his heir and strengthen his bloodline. But love was never part of the deal. Torn between his lingering feelings for his first love, Lucia, and the bond he cannot deny with Freya, Alpha Logan spirals—cold, cruel, and indifferent. And when tragedy strikes and Freya loses the baby, his words cut deeper than any blade: “You’re just a breeder.” Shattered and betrayed, Freya flees to the human world with the help of a mysterious ally. There, she finds peace… and perhaps a new beginning in Daniel, a kind stranger who sees her as more than just a tool. But fate isn’t done with her yet. A prophecy looms. A war brews. And when Logan’s brother returns to claim the throne, only Freya—his true mate and the key to his power—can save his legacy. But will she ever come back to the mate who broke her heart… or choose a new path, and a new love, forever?

Damien, last name unknown, better known as the Devil's son. The heir to the Kingdom of hell, well, that is until some brave soul drives a silver blade through his dear father's heart. A heart whose affection he has never known. With a body carved to perfection, biceps that clench and flex, abs tighten with every movement to give nothing but pure pleasure. He is powerful and elegant. He is drawn to danger and a determination to conquer. Yet, there is one that he has not conquered yet. The things that humans crave…love. As he does on so many nights, he defies his father's rules and returns to the surface in search of what this monster cannot have. And it is on one of these nights when he creeps through the gates that he lays eyes on her. Mirabelle Rose, an exquisite beauty; she is mysterious and the girl that every man desires. She presents all the things that Damien cannot have, and this is the very thing that draws him to her. They spent several glorious nights of bliss together until the Devil learns what his son has been keeping his time with. Both Damien and Annabelle are punished for their deception. The only thing that keeps them hoping is their letters.

His hand shot out, gripping her chin tighter, forcing her to meet his eyes “listen carefully and make sure this words stick in your head” “You belong to me, I own you. No matter how far you run.. i will find you and then the next time you try to escape, I will make sure you are in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. Do you understand?” Rosa’s body shook as his words sank in, each one a cold sharp blade, she nodded unable to form words. ******* Sold to Italy's most feared mafia don to repay her father's debt, Rosa's life becomes a prison. Her only way out? Escape - even if it means running while eight months pregnant. But one wrong move leads to betrayal, a bullet, and her disappearance. Years later, Rosa reemerges as Jia - a new name, a new life, a loving husband, and twin children. She's finally free... or so she thinks. When fate brings her face to face with Silvio, the man she fled, Jia must hide the truth at all costs. But with each encounter, danger grows and so does a forbidden attraction

Milo Petrov ruled Russia’s underworld with an iron fist. For years, I was nothing more than his possession—his plaything, his captive. His wealth and dangerous charm ensnared me, but I couldn’t escape the truth: I was nothing more than a pawn in his game. At just 19 years old, I never imagined my life would spiral so far out of control. He was ruthless, but everything about him intrigued me. The only problem? I had once loved his son, Andrew. Now I found myself torn between the deadly allure of Milo and the guilt of betraying Andrew, my first love. Could blood really be thicker than desire? My name is Emilie, and this is the twist story of how Milo Petrov took my heart and shattered my world.

Bound by desire. Cursed by blood. Evelyn Cross was never meant to be a bride— only a pawn in her family’s alliance with the powerful Valehart clan. On the night before the wedding, the heir of the wolves, Lucien Valehart, was drugged. She was pushed into his room as the sacrifice. Under the silver moon, his instincts took control. He marked her. Bound her. And from that moment, neither of them could escape the pull of the mark— a bond of desire that chained their bodies, but not their hearts. To Lucien, she was a mistake he could never forgive. To Evelyn, he was the curse she could never forget. But when betrayal burns their world to ash, Evelyn wakes in another life— reborn before the night of the mark. This time, she won’t be the prey. She’ll own the wolf who tried to claim her.