Empty Smiles

A woman runs, holding onto her torso as she keeps glancing behind her. Tears spilling from her already wet cheeks. She catches her breath and screams as the hurt in her chest tore her up internally. "Why... why?!" She cries as her clenched fist hits her broken heart. Her lover tried to rid her of their unborn baby. She was hurt. She felt betrayed. She grew to hate him with all of her being. Still, memories of the love they shared still plagued her. How could she possibly still trust him? And yet, despite her anxiousness, she still held onto a small scale sliver of hope. All she could do now, was to leave him and keep their child safe. *** 16 years passed and there stood a young boy with silver hair and bright amethyst coloured eyes. He smiles at the horizon, staring at the capital city of the country of Enoch. Finally, he was old enough to venture out into the great city. Said to be the largest and most prosperous of the kingdom. He holds firmly onto the hope of an exciting journey as he kissed his mother goodbye. Thinking of all the warning she gave him before his journey could begin. Once in the city, his life changed forever and his perilous struggles began.

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

"Who are you?", the thick voice fills the young woman's ears scaring her, and unconsciously her whole body trembles with fear, it's definitely him, it's the murderer. "He has come to kill me!" - shouts the young girl's inner voice. But without giving up the flesh she gets out of the carriage and starts to run, she looks back and Occisor follows her. "I have no choice" - she thinks and transforms, Occisor stops running immediately and watches the huge wolf running in front of him. "She it's not an omega, the scars must be from battles it has won, but that fur, I've never seen it like that, what kind of wolf must it be, what do those red spots mean?" - He wonders thoughtfully and smiles, for Occisor that will be an interesting hunt.

"I love you," he gazed at her eyes which are dropped on the floor while he cups her cheeks with his palm. She doesn't look at his eyes. She seems scared. But with what he doesn't understand. "Do you not like me? Even a little bit?" his voice enunciates but she doesn't response to it. He waits for her answer but she doesn't reply him. He tries to back away from her. But as he is leaving, she holds his hands suddenly. "I don't know. I don't know whether I like you or not. I just don't want you to go away. I just don't want you to leave me," she says with the tears sparkling on her eyes. "Esther!" He presses his forehead against her as his breaths fasten. He can feel that along with his, her breaths are quickened as well. He realizes that the fire is burning on both side and she is equally anxious as she is. A smile creeps on his lips as he feels that. "I love you, Esther. You're made for me and I am made for you. We are made for each other," he smiles and presses his lips against her. "You're day dreaming one more time? What the fuck are you dreaming about Esther? Is it about my old man? Are you dreaming about him?" He pushes her against the wall and punches hard on the wall making his knuckles be red and bleed. "Nooo...Nooo... Caden! You're wrong," she cries.

In the third year of her marriage, Natalie Spencer uncovers a devastating truth. Her blindness wasn't caused by a car accident. No, it was because her beloved husband, Jason Pereira, plotted to have her corneas removed and transplanted them into his first love. The only reason he married her in the first place was to save that other woman. The marriage Natalie once took pride in turns out to be nothing but a calculated lie. Crushed, she quietly begins planning her escape. Half a month later, she vanishes without warning. She leaves behind nothing but a signed divorce agreement and a jar of formaldehyde containing an undeveloped embryo. Those are her final gifts to Jason. He loses his mind searching for her, scouring the world in desperation. But when he finally finds her, she's no longer alone. There's another man by her side. Jason stands in front of her, eyes red with guilt and regret. "Natalie, I was wrong. Please don't leave me. Not like this." But the Natalie standing before him now is radiant and powerful—she's an internationally acclaimed artist and a woman reborn. She looks at the man she once loved and feels nothing. "Jason, I'm not that blind bat who used to live and breathe for you anymore." She turns and wraps her arms around the regal man beside her with a smile. "Someone's bothering your wife. Aren't you going to deal with him?" The man smiles back, leans in, and kisses her in front of everyone. "Of course. Whatever my wife says, goes."

In a world where Lycans and Werewolves never see eye to eye and second chance mates do not exist, Sienna Coleman is rejected by her destined mate, Jasper. Shattered by the pain of losing her one true mate, Sienna decides to focus on training to become Luna after her father retires. However, fate smiles on her and she is given a second chance mate. Although Sienna is happy for the rare and golden opportunity, she is conflicted because her second chance mate, Sylvester is a lycan and her father harbors a deep hatred for Lycans. As the bond between Sienna and Sylvester grows stronger, opposition from all sides rises and threatens to break them apart. Will their bond stand the test of time or will the opposition succeed in separating them? Will Sienna be able to convince her father about Sylvester? What will happen when secrets about Sienna's true roots are revealed? Will Lycans and Werewolves ever have peace between them? Find out in this interesting and spellbinding paranormal romance story.

They take girls and women in the depth of the night, when the moon is as high and powerful in the sky. They sit back only ready to hunt at their time crawling through the streets of our tiny town, the people all quiver in fear doing all sorts of spiritual and religion tailsman like marking their doors with the cross symbols to stay safe from the beasts... But that dosen't scare away the beast but no one wants to be the next girl or woman people pity over being mauled by the beast. No one wants to be the next girl who was found dead in the woods last week with her body parts missing. Garbage trash and sewage and many others is the next best remedy to use to hide their smell since they noticed the beast rely on their sense of smell. No one wants to be the mother, or father or sister that wakes up in an empty bed to the loved ones... The humans just want to be safe from the beasts, if only their ancestors hadn't signed some kind of treaty that made them reign over the humans now.. They once underestimated the beast but now no one wants to take the risk, everyone is advised to stay in their house under their covers to protect themselves from the beast...

Fairytales don’t always come from the earth... until her. 
 Mermaid legends are human fables, but beneath the waves, war is looming. A missing daughter is the only hope for a dying species. 
 Rescued during a typhoon, Galene finds herself in a new world amongst a dangerous species—humans. With no memories of her watery pasts, she doesn’t see the predators closing in until it’s too late.
 Stralath is a shape-shifting bounty hunter dedicated to keeping the peace in a violent universe. His earthly mission? To find the elusive mermaid who he’ll dangle in front of a dangerous oceanic pod.  Except Galene is not what he expected—she’s an innocent caught in a dangerous game of extinction. An angel who paints with color and smiles at the world.  She is easy prey, and Stralath abandons his mission, unleashing his brutal self to guard her heart and life. 

On the day the gauze was removed from my eyes, I joked that I was blind. "Don't be afraid if you can't see. I'll take care of you my entire life." My husband and best friend took care of me while I was in the hospital. They sincerely made that promise to me. However, when we got home, all three of us were on the same bed. My best friend rode on top of my husband breathlessly. They were caught up in their intimacy as they thought I could not see. My best friend was worried I would suspect something and spoke up to eliminate any suspicion. "Uhh… Summer, I'm just giving your husband a massage." I was so disgusted that I wanted to throw up, but I held myself back. Once they were done, I was about to find an excuse to leave the room when my five-year-old suddenly ran in. "I miss you so much, Mom!" Hearing that warmed my heart, and I opened my arms to hug him, but he ran past me and lay down next to my best friend instead. The 'happy family of three' were all smiles and threw me looks of disgust. I could no longer tolerate this. When I called my lawyer, I told him to bring me the divorce papers. If they wanted to become a family so badly, I would make their wish come true. I just did not know if my best friend could afford to earn a decent enough income to take care of my useless husband and son.

My husband secretly swapped the transplant recipient, giving the kidney that was meant for our daughter to the daughter of the woman he had always loved. Not long after, our daughter's condition worsened. The doctors tried to save her, but it was no use. She didn't make it. At the same time, the other girl's surgery was a success. My husband was so overjoyed that he handed out little gifts to the entire hospital in celebration. Rage and grief overwhelmed me, and I collapsed. When I came to, the doctors told me I had cancer. Late-stage. My time was running out. With nothing left to hold on to, I walked out of the hospital, clutching the urn that held my daughter's ashes. In the cold, empty house, I sat alone and drafted the divorce papers.