Halloween: A Novel

"Mom, Dad, I’ve decided to come home for the blind dates you mentioned. I’ll be back by the end of the month." In the early spring, with the lingering chill of winter in the air, Valerie Stonecutter pushed open the door while speaking softly into the phone. Her gentle voice drifted through the rain like a thread weaving through the mist. Pulling her collar tighter against the cold, she heard her parents breathe a sigh of relief on the other end. "Val," her father began, his voice heavy with age. “Your mom and I haven’t been in good health these past few years. So now that you’ve made up your mind, that’s good. When you’re back, I’ll have your Aunt Laura arrange a few suitable candidates for you to meet." Hearing that her parents were already making arrangements for her future, Valerie’s gaze flickered, her emotions momentarily unsettled. After a few more words of small talk, she ended the call. She glanced around her home with a heavy heart, her thoughts tangled in a quiet storm. Then she retreated to her bedroom and began to pack.

Being born with a predetermined fate can be overwhelming. It’s baffling and exciting at times. And for Zane to have lived a life outside his fate, completely oblivious of it, he never expected that he is more than just an ordinary guy living in the small town of Tilbury. When all he knew are the people dear to him and despite being abandoned by his biological parents, Zane loved his new family for giving him another chance to live his life and have a future to chase. But his joie de vivre will soon be caught in a turmoil of his real identity. The once normal birthmark he used to wear proudly will bring him into a new world he never knew existed and later finds out that he has the werewolf print. Zane is a werewolf!

"I have this strong urge to kiss you." He said as his eyes flicked to my lips and then back to my eyes. I felt my heartbeat increasing and my knees were starting to feel weak by his closeness. I wet my lips, "Uh...no one is around. There is no need." I said through the lump in my throat. "I know, but I just want to." He said as he crashed his lips to mine. ~~~~~~ Emily Samuels was devastated when she found her boyfriend of a year cheating on her. She was angry and hurt that she swore she would never forgive him. Logan has apologized to her and said it was a mistake, but Emily did not want to hear it. She also turned him down when he begged for her back. Logan's plea for her has gotten consistent that Emily wanted him to stop, so she did something that she hadn't expected to do... She kissed the school's player and heartthrob; Tyler King. She only did that to let Logan see that she has moved on. Tyler, on the other hand, got an idea, so he strike a deal with Emily - to pretend that they were dating. Spending a lot of time with the player has allowed Emily to see the real Tyler. Would their fake dating be just that; fake? Or would it turn out to be real?

Finlay MacLeod, the leader of Clan MacLeod, is bound by duty to marry Ailsa MacDonnell, a woman from a rival clan, to secure peace in the Highlands. But each night, he is drawn into the arms of Moira MacEacharn, a mysterious and seductive dark priestess who has haunted him since childhood. Fin believes he is in love, unaware that Moira’s power over him is anything but natural. As Fin’s devotion to Moira threatens the fragile truce between the clans, Ailsa—a healer and practitioner of white magic—begins to suspect that he is under a powerful enchantment. Determined to save him and prevent war, she unearths the truth of an ancient curse binding Fin to the priestess. But breaking the curse proves impossible, as magic demands payment, and Moira refuses to relinquish her claim. Caught between two women and two destinies, Fin must decide whether to fight for his freedom or surrender to the dark pull of the priestess, even as his choices risk the lives of everyone he holds dear.

"You woke me up," a cold voice echoed from the shadows. Ivana gasped awake, heart pounding, unsure if it was a dream—or something far more dangerous. ~~~~~~~~~~ Years ago, Ivana should have died in her mother’s womb—until a mysterious seer performed a forbidden ritual to save her. The price? The unborn child had to be betrothed to a god, bound to him for life without her parents ever knowing the true cost. On Ivana’s eighteenth birthday, her parents mysteriously vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a notebook filled with strange symbols and cryptic warnings. Now, years later, her search for answers leads her to Egypt, where she joins an archaeological team investigating a newly uncovered chamber. Deep inside, they break a seal that should have remained untouched… and awaken the very god she was promised to. A god who despises humans. With divine wrath rising, ancient secrets unraveling, and a bond she never asked for tightening around her fate, Ivana must confront the truth: The answers to her parents’ disappearance begin with the god she was forced to belong to.

My husband, Ethan Parker, brought our daughter on a trip to the countryside with his first love, Mandy Sanchez. Halfway through, he abandoned our little girl and left with Mandy. When our daughter was surrounded by wolves, I could not reach him. By the time I arrived, the car was empty—the only thing left behind was a bloodstained piece of pumpkin pie. As I was dealing with my grief, Ethan finally answered his phone. "We're celebrating Thanksgiving. Why are you ruining the mood?" I internally scoffed at that man's audacity. Well, happy holidays indeed! Let me deliver a bloody pumpkin pie for you to really get into the spirit.

Six months after our divorce, my ex-wife, Shanon Reich went viral with her new influencer boyfriend, Tobias Hunt, gaining over ten million followers. One day, by sheer accident, I scrolled into their livestream and saw my three-year-old daughter, Ginny Herbert, trapped inside a car. She was crying so hard she could barely breathe. Her little face was flushed, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. She looked utterly helpless. Shanon didn't smash the window, nor did she call the police. Instead, she laughed brightly at the camera. "Thank you to our top fan for the moneybag gift!" Then she grinned and said, "Send another moneybag! I'll smash the window once I get it, okay?" I lost my mind. I raced over like a madman and wrenched the car keys out of her hand. "Leomund Herbert! Are you insane?" she screamed. "Do you know how much this stream is worth? It's just a little heat! She's not going to die!" I held my daughter in my arms. Her tiny body was limp, and she was barely conscious. With reddened eyes, I pointed at her and shouted, "Shanon Reich! You will pay for this!"

Lisa will do everything, including marrying a billionaire playboy, to stop her father from harming the one person she truly cared about. Six years later, he came into the picture; again. And just when she thought she had found a way to escape the sham of a marriage she was in, she stumbles on a big secret that rocks her entire life.

Wade Collins is a genius who is affected by the mediocracy of normal life. Multi-billion deals no longer excited him, life was bland. Especially since he was not only a genius but also had the ability to see people’s true intentions. His life became interesting when Marianna crashed into it. Mistaking him as a bartender. She was the most genuine person he had ever met. And she had a proposal for him. She was willing to hire him as her husband. Well, it was not every day that he got prepositioned the way she did. And there was something about her that fired up his protective instincts. Well, there was one thing he knew for sure. His life was no longer boring. Not when he was now introduced to the family drama of opportunists, inheritance wars and corporate subterfuge

Natasha Amery. A sheltered young girl who recently lost her mother. Raising her younger sister, Gia, in hopes to find a better life for the two of them like she promised her mother. She tried her best to escape her abusive father, but the second she turned 18, he sold her to Lorenzo Romano. The most deranged, ruthless man imaginable. Known as the devil on earth. Lorenzo Romano, hands stained crimson red. He had killed more men in his life than everyone in the famiglia combined. He didn't feel emotion. He had killed his brother with his bare hands at just 16. But the moment he laid eyes on her, he felt. He felt emotions he believed weren't real. An overwhelming need to protect her at all costs. She was the only thing that could fix the devil. After vowing to never touch her in order to keep her innocence, his obsession grows stronger. But when Lorenzo's vindictive uncle buys Natasha for him, he does everything to avoid her in hopes to keep her safe and innocent. But when he simply places a mask over his face making her fall into his arms, can he stay away knowing how she truly felt? Their love story was one of death and despair. it was never to happen. love forged in the hands of the devil for an angel. It was like she had broken the devil.