Evening Shadows

The Goddess weaved their fate. It is now up to the Luna to strengthen the threads. ... Recent graduate Saira Malivik has her future all planned out; Go home and inherit her father's pack. Wait for her soulmate to come her way and lift her off her feet. Because she has zero faith in the resilience of a chosen mate bond, she never dated a man up to this date. Already 21 and going on 22, the pressure on her increases as the end of the year arrives. Shadows stalk her, while nightmares haunt her dreams. So when Einas Raed, the Lycan Commander of the Pacific Sea, turns out to be her goddess' chosen mate, she leaps at chance to escape her demons, poorly indisposed to mingle with his arrogant species and seemingly gentle Chosen Luna? Not exactly who she claims to be, how will she with this unexpected situation? Join us on this journey to find out!

On the eve of giving birth, my world turned into a nightmare. My husband’s sworn enemy broke into our home, seeking revenge. I was brutally cut open and my baby was ripped from me. Yet, I made the chilling choice not to call my husband for help. In my previous life, desperate and terrified, I begged him to return home. He abandoned a Valentine’s dinner with a scholarship student to rush back. That night, the student was preyed upon in a bar, leading to her tragic suicide. My husband’s wrath was unrelenting. Blaming me for her death, he locked me in a kennel, leaving me to be savaged to death. “This is the pain Wynne endured because of you. Now it’s your turn to suffer!” Given a second chance, I resolved to make a different choice. This time, I let him stay for his romantic Valentine’s evening with her. But when I returned home, he had spiraled into madness.

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

Camilla's entire world shattered when her husband Nick Sinclair abruptly ended their three-year marriage, hurling divorce papers at her. His cruel, harsh words still echoed in her ears... "I'm done with this marriage. Get out of my house!" She always knew their arranged marriage was devoid of love, but she had clung to the possibility that he would one day grow to love her. However, the arrival of his first love, bearing a child she claimed was his, destroyed any lingering hopes and exposed the emptiness of their relationship. Fingers trembling, heart bleeding, she signed the divorce agreement. But the shock overwhelmed her just as she stepped outside Nick's mansion and she collapsed. Hours later, she awakened in the hospital, staring into the icy blue eyes of the stranger who saved her. ... Derek Donovan, New York's heartthrob and wealthiest billionaire CEO, had been searching for a way to deflect the media's attention from his status as a sought-after bachelor. In exchange for saving her life, he proposed a contract to Camilla: pretend to be his wife for three years to keep the press and paparazzi off. With no other options and no one to rely on, Camilla felt compelled to accept the proposal and sign the contract. But as they navigated the path of their fake marriage, the lines blurred. Derek's icy facade cracked, revealing a burning passion for Camilla. As Camilla's heart wavered, a shocking truth emerged: Derek's past hid secrets, and she was now entrenched in a deadly game of wealth, power, and deception. Will she risk everything to love again, or will the shadows of her past and the danger lurking in Derek's world destroy her forever? The contract has been signed, but the real stakes are only just beginning...

Scarlett Oslon found herself in a nightmarish scenario when her family announced her marriage to the most infamous man in the city, Sébastien Ashford. He was poised to become the next CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, but his rise to power was shrouded in rumors of ruthlessness, and it was said he valued neither women nor family. Scarlett, a firm believer in love and mutual respect, made a daring escape from her own wedding, refusing to be part of this contractual marriage. In an unexpected twist, the man Scarlett thought could be the love of her life turned out to be the very person she had fled from. Sebastian had been investigating her since their tumultuous wedding day, initially driven by a desire to understand the woman who had humiliated him in front of the city's elite. However, as he delved deeper into her life, his curiosity evolved into a more profound and complicated emotion. Torn between love, secrets, and a world of shadows, Scarlett and Sebastian must navigate their feelings and confront the truths that threaten to tear them apart. How long can he hide his true identity, and will their love prevail over the web of secrecy that binds them?

Saraid is your average witch hidden in a small town in Alabama. A blind date set up by her best friend and faerie, Wendy sends Saraid's ife spiraling out of control as the evening ends with her magically bound to Liam Maddox, a man with a secret all his own. Liam Maddox, born and raised in Ireland used to be one of the highest-ranking warriors of the Guardians of the Celtic Coven. An unforeseen attack left him cast out of the ranks for what the witches he protected called impure blood. Hired in secret to locate the true heir to the throne of the Celtic coven, Liam moves to the states where he meets Saraid. The one whom he has been tasked to find. A simple date flips their entire world on its axis as the two are magically bound together, leaving them sporting strange and unusual powers. When the truth is revealed Saraid finds herself traveling to Ireland to protect the lives of her closest friends and the man she unwillingly fell in love with, but when she is faced with the choice of her magic or love, will she choose to surrender her powers for the people she loves or is she strong enough to have both?

A betrayed politician’s wife. A rebel alpha with nothing to lose. A town crawling with secrets. And a war waiting to ignite between blood and fang. Calla Hart thought the worst thing her husband could do was cheat. She was wrong. After catching Senator Blake Hart in bed with a vampire and learning he’s part of the Crimson Order, a vampire mafia that wants her blood. Calla runs. Not for love but for survival. Because what’s in her veins isn’t normal. She hides in Ravenridge, a decaying supernatural border town where monsters walk like men and shadows bite back. A place where the veil between worlds is wearing thin. There, she crashes—literally—into Axel Cain, the 20-year-old Alpha of the Vanguard Pack, a feral biker gang that patrols Ravenridge like outlaw wolves. Axel doesn’t do politics. Doesn’t do mates. And definitely doesn’t do soft, wealthy women from the city. But something in Calla’s scent sets his wolf on fire. And when he learns who she’s running from—and what she really is—he makes a choice that will cost him everything: Keep her close. Claim her. And start a war that could burn the veil between their worlds. --- Extra Note for Readers This is a slow-burn paranormal romance with steamy heat, deep emotions, and an age-gap dynamic. She’s older, hunted, and secretly powerful. He’s younger, dominant, and doesn’t play nice. Together, they might save the town… or destroy it.

Claimed by Samael Velasco to be his future bride, Merryn hid in the shadows of his protection from the day he found her. She lived her entire life believing it as truth until the day came when this shattered. The shocking revelation that changed her perception also urged her to escape from Samael’s gilded cage. To him, she was just a possession and his precious pet. Her heart throbbed and yearned for something real. She knew not what this meant, at least not yet. Until she escaped, and ran right into the arms of Samael’s known mortal enemy… Giovanni Salvatore, a rare lycan of Royal bloodline. He is the king of the lycans and the werewolves. The ruler of the Mystic Mountain Kingdom. Merryn’s appearance in Giovanni’s life upset a few well-laid plans for his future. And so began a path of mutual discovery and perils they couldn’t begin to imagine. What will she do when she finds herself in the cave of wolves? ^~*~^ This tale is for those 18 or older. Reader’s discretion is advised.

Shania thought she had it all—her husband Adrian, her home, her future. But that illusion shattered the day her twin sister, Stephanie, appeared on her doorstep, cradling a baby that looked unmistakably like Adrian. The triumphant glint in Stephanie’s eyes delivered the truth: betrayal. Two facts now defined Shania’s life: 1) Her husband, whom she gave up everything for, had slept with her sister. 2) She became pregnant by a stranger after a drunken night, just 240 days after Adrian struck her. Enter Stefan—an enigmatic billionaire with his own dark past. He needed a woman whose name began with 'S' to carry his child. Unbeknownst to Shania, Stefan had been orchestrating her life from the shadows, drawn to her for reasons she could never have imagined. And now, a baby is involved, divorce papers are moving from one home to the lawyer, and a fresh new contract marriage is being drafted. Will Stefan reveal his secrets before it’s too late? And can Shania find the strength to confront her past and embrace the unexpected bond forming between them?

Destined to be an Alpha heiress, she suffered immense loss in a tragic evening, the slaying of her family, the collapse of her pack, and her autonomy. Deprived of her strength and deceived by her destiny, she turns into a renegade, eventually getting seized by a harsh Alpha who was meant to safeguard her. He was her fated mate, but he turned her away ruthlessly, labeling her as weak and unworthy to have him after using her. She is left battered and shattered to struggle. She promises to rise from the ruins and regain her heritage. However, her journey to redemption takes an unforeseen twist when she is sold to the greatest rival of her mate, a sly Alpha who is intent on using her as a weapon against her fated mate unknown to her. With secrets revealing and alliances changing, she finds herself at the heart of a lethal power conflict, caught between vengeance and the murmurs of an inescapable connection. She is left to face two choices and which will she choose? Will she allow her history to shape her or will she create a new fate for herself? In a realm of treachery, pain and regret, there are taboo passions and hidden babies which leaves love a perilous pursuit. And now, the stakes are higher than they have ever been.