Goblet Of Shadows Ao3

Carrie Tuazon built her reputation as one of Makati's most formidable editors-in-chief - sharp, ambitious, untouchable. But in chasing the cover story that could define her career, she stumbles into a world where influence hides behind velvet ropes and secrets are bartered like currency. There, in the shadows of power, she crosses paths with a face she thought she had left in the past: Andrew Lorenzo. Enigmatic, magnetic, and dangerously unforgettable. Old sparks clash with new ambitions as Carrie is pulled into a game she never intended to play. The question is no longer just about the story she's after, but about the man she can't seem to look away from. Will they collide, or will they burn each other before they ever get close?

Reed had always been a tough cookie, with his powerful charisma and billionaire status, he always got away from any trouble. Nobody dared to question him, Reed did what Reed wanted. His love for power and control manifested in his fighting career. He was a renowned MMA fighter, a notorious heartbreaker and a careless prince. His love life stayed in the shadows, always in the dark of night, never crossing the sunlight. Until one day, his mortal wound brought him to Han Yeri, whose personality mirrored him and challenged the status quo. For the first time in his life, Reed's life turned upside down - all because of a woman, an unexpected one at that... one that crossed the sunlight.

I’m done with men! Not because I hate them, but because everyone I meet, and is just fine enough to pique my interest, I compare to him. And it ends right there and then. The ridiculous thing is that my love interest isn’t real. He is a figure that hunts my nights and brings pleasure into the few seconds that I’m captured by my sleep paralysis. I know that, and I am totally okay with it. Just as I start a new job, and my life seems to take a better turn, determined to forget the man from the shadows, I find my forbidden pleasure standing right in front of me. Suddenly my dream man wears a tailored suit and frowns at me. He is my boss. And he is very real.

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

Adrian Wells just wants to be left alone. Quiet nights, warm tea, and his sketchpad are all he needs to survive in a world that has taken too much from him already. Scarred by the fire that claimed his family and plagued by anxiety that keeps him from truly living, Adrian has grown used to solitude. But someone else has been watching—and waiting. When a black box appears at his doorstep, filled with unsettlingly personal gifts, Adrian brushes it off as a prank. But the messages grow bolder. The intrusions into his life become impossible to ignore. Someone knows him. Someone sees him. And that someone is Evan Thorn. Evan isn’t just a stalker—he’s a protector in his own twisted way. Rich, intelligent, and obsessive, he believes Adrian is his to love, to shield, to possess. From anonymous letters to watching from the shadows, Evan orchestrates a careful descent into Adrian’s world, eliminating anyone who gets too close. But he isn’t the only one watching. When a more violent rival stalker emerges, Adrian finds himself caught between two versions of danger: the chaos of the unknown and the devil he’s slowly come to understand. As the walls close in, Adrian is forced to rely on Evan—the very man who shattered his sense of safety. What begins as fear turns into something darker: a toxic intimacy that blurs the line between captor and comfort. As Adrian starts to feel seen for the first time in his life, he questions whether love can grow in the shadows—or if it’s just another kind of cage. In a story about obsession, trauma, what, If someone breaks you just to put you back together, is that still love? And when you finally escape them, do they ever really leave?

"Why do you always look at me like that?" she whispered. "Because you're unlike anyone I've ever known," Damien replied, his voice low and husky, sending shivers down her spine. "Your presence is like a thorn in my side." Eira scoffed. “You're nothing but trouble, Damien. A brooding vampire with an ego the size of a castle. But you need me. Without me, you’ll be dead.” “I hate that," he admitted. She smirked. "Hate that you need me? So, what is it, Damien? A weakness you'd rather keep in the shadows?" Damien leaned in, his face dangerously close to hers, his gaze dropping to her lips. Eira's breath caught, her shock palpable. "I might need you, Eira, but I don’t want you," he said, his eyes betraying a desire he refused to acknowledge. "Remember that." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, her thoughts in turmoil and her lips tingling with the ghost of an almost-kiss. *** The Silverstone Pack is out for blood, determined to avenge their alpha's brutal murder. All eyes are on Damien, the prime suspect, who now lives in the shadows, focused on survival. His only goal is to stay one step ahead and keep himself well-fed. But everything changes when he encounters a girl who is mysteriously immune to his powers. In her, he finds a glimmer of hope he thought long lost. Eira, heartbroken from a recent breakup, unexpectedly crosses paths with Damien. Her confrontation with him quickly turns into a nightmare when she is taken captive. Damien, desperate and cornered, offers her a chilling deal: help him save himself, or face unimaginable suffering. With little choice, Eira agrees, setting off a chain of events that will forever change the course of her life.

Two strangers meet under the guise of chance, unaware they’re each hiding a dangerous truth. Cassandra “Cass” Blake, a secret heiress and the cunning owner of Phoenix Analytics, prefers to work in the shadows, uncovering corporate fraud, laundering schemes, and hidden enemies. Leo Knight, a wealthy, enigmatic operative with ties to covert international intelligence, thrives on staying off the radar, even if it means letting the world think he’s just another self-made billionaire with a playboy smile. Their worlds collide when they’re forced into a series of seemingly coincidental meetings—coffee shops, charity galas, business negotiations—each encounter sharpening the magnetism between them. But neither knows the other’s real name… or the real reason they keep showing up in each other’s lives.

Kiera, was destined for nothing. Nameless, unwanted and unheard from an ugly omega with a defect forever in the shadows of a Beta's radiant daughter whom she believes to be her friend. Until fate spun cruel threads, on her 18th birthday, a door is opened for her, and a life she only believed in her dream is given to her on a plattered of tears and betrayal. Mated not to one, but all three of the Alpha's sons, triplets as different as fire, ice and earth but one thing was certain, one thing common they all hated her and would stop at nothing to make sure she knows. Left with her bleeding heart and a trial after her very life Kiera must find a way to find the happiness she desires or escape this hell.

Tessa is living a quite normal life as a human. Always on the move not knowing why. During a tragic accident she is left alone in the world where she learns about hidden family mysteries and dangers and findings out she is actually a shifter. Shifting into a elegant black jaguar and pure white wolf and a mystery man who help her through al the firsts in her life but as soon as she can focus on what is going on disappearing again. Another claiming her as his mate aswell. Dangers lurking in the shadows and one person hunting her down aiming to make her his queen by force. A war forcing all species to connect for one cause: the safety of Tessa. THe first with her abilities in a century

When Sarah takes a job at an upscale hotel, she expects to deal with difficult guests, but nothing could have prepared her for the anger and aggression of one particular guest. Just as she's about to break down under the pressure, a mysterious and strikingly handsome man steps in and comes to her rescue. As the owner of the hotel, the man is used to dealing with difficult guests, but there's something different about Sarah that draws him to her. Despite his wealth and power, he finds himself captivated by her beauty and vulnerability. As they navigate their growing attraction, Sarah begins to uncover secrets about the hotel and its owner that make her question everything she thought she knew. Will their connection survive the secrets and danger that lurk in the shadows of the hotel? Or will their encounter be nothing more than a fleeting memory?