How Did Escanor Die

It’s end of October 1985 and the crumbling river town of Dubois, Iowa is shocked by the gruesome murder of one of the pillars of the community. Detective David Carlson has no motive, no evidence, and only one lead: the macabre local legend of “Boris Orlof,” a late night horror movie host who burned to death during a stage performance at the drive-in on Halloween night twenty years ago and the teenage loner obsessed with keeping his memory alive. The body count is rising and the darkness that hangs over the town grows by the hour. Time is running out as Carlson desperately chases shadows into a nightmare world of living horrors. On Halloween the drive-in re-opens at midnight for a show no one will ever forget. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

The day I learned the truth about my husband, Duke Alistair, and his adopted sister, Liana, I left. I abandoned my title, my home, and returned to my father's palace. A year passed. Then came news of chaos in the duchy. The servant Alistair sent spoke with desperation, “Your Highness, the Duke and your son are lost to reason. If you don’t return, I fear they will burn everything to the ground.” I looked at the blood I'd coughed onto my handkerchief. I nodded. "Fine. I'll go back." The doctor had already given me my diagnosis. Consumption. I had only a month left to live. So I went back. And I played the part of the perfect duchess. I no longer demanded Alistair's loyalty. I even found him three new mistresses who looked just like Liana and sent them to his bed after he had sent her away for me. I no longer made Damian study the arts of statecraft and not forced him to master his courtly duties. Instead, I supported his ridiculous dream of joining the Expeditionary Force. I took the pain they gave me. I wrapped it in the "understanding" they always craved. And I served it back to them cold. But it drove Alistair mad. He threw out the mistresses. He crushed me in his arms. His kiss was a punishment. He bit my lip, drawing blood. "I sent Liana away! What more do you want from me? How can I earn your forgiveness?" Damian cried and clung to my arm. "I'll never call Aunt Liana 'gentle' or 'beautiful' again! Mother, please. Just stop." They didn't understand. I wasn't making a scene. I just wanted to live out my last month in peace. And then, I wanted to die.

Five years later, Stella was released from prison—only to face the brutal vengeance of Joseph, the new Alpha. Convinced she had caused his father’s death, he tormented her mercilessly. Yet he never imagined the truth: the accident five years ago had been his father’s doing, and Stella had been innocent all along. Now, as Joseph realizes he’s fallen in love with her, where does that leave him?

The best way to live in a sinful and harsh world is to choose your battles wisely. That was what Tayla Del Mariano, a 23-year old college student knows ever since her parents died in a car crash and was forced to live in a house with owls. The girl thought that staying silent and not arguing with fools will make her life easier, and enduring everything will make her closer to her goal: To build a better life for his younger brother, Terren.She works three jobs and studies, believing that she will reach her dreams when she got fed up with her family's treatments and met Auton Smith and found out about his little secret–he was a musician hiding behind a criminology student. He happened to be her new landlord, but she didn't know that those small talks and silly acts would make her fall.Tayla only wants the best for his brother, and Auton only wants the people to hear his story through music. Auton thought that Tayla is her safe place, she's her home, for she's the only person who believes in him, until something came up which led the mute beauty's voice to howl.

Tyla never imagined that the person she loved could bring her to the brink of death. As a vulnerable Omega working as the Prince's personal maid, she fell in love with Reynold, and after three years of dating, she dreamt of a future together. Her hopes were like a dream come true when she learned that Reynold was her Mate, filling her with joy. Excitedly, she shared the news with him, expecting to see his happiness, only to face rejection. Tyla soon discovered that Reynold was set to marry Loara, the Alpha's daughter, in just two days. While dragging the matter, Loara was fueled by anger and pushed Tyla, causing her to hit her head and bleed. Scared of the consequences, Reynold and Loara dumped her at the edge of the pack territory, abandoned in favor of another pack. As Tyla gasped for breath, fearing for her life, a group of soldiers arrived to rescue her. Among them is Arthur, the Lycan Alpha, who happens to be her second chance mate Now, for a weak Omega like Tyla, what will it mean to have a second chance mate who is a powerful Lycan Alpha? How will she navigate this unexpected turn of events?

Je suis morte le jour de mon anniversaire, mais ni mes parents ni mon mari ne l'ont remarqué. Ils étaient trop occupés à consacrer toute leur attention à la préparation de l'anniversaire de ma sœur jumelle, Esme Shaw. Pendant qu'elle était entourée de gens qui l'aidaient à choisir une robe, moi, j'ai été ligotée et jetée dans le sous-sol. Avec le peu de force qui me restait, j'ai forcé mes doigts brisés à taper le code 9395. C'était un signal sur lequel mon mari, Edwin Grant, et moi nous étions mis d'accord autrefois. C'était une façon simple d'appeler à l'aide en cas de danger. Je n'aurais jamais pensé que j'en aurais réellement besoin un jour. Mais quand je l'ai envoyé, il ne m'a pas crue. Sa réponse était froide « Claudia, simplement parce que je ne t'ai pas emmenée faire du shopping pour une nouvelle robe, tu as décidé de faire ton cinéma ? Tu peux encore porter la robe de l'année dernière. Arrête de faire des histoires. On se voit tout à l'heure à la fête. » Ce qu'il ne savait pas, c'est qu'Esme avait déjà déchiré cette robe en morceaux. Et ce qu'il ne pouvait pas imaginer, c'est qu'à l'instant même où il a raccroché, j'étais déjà morte. Ainsi, quand la célébration a commencé, je ne suis jamais apparue. Mais lorsque tout le monde a vu le cadeau d'anniversaire que j'avais préparé à l'avance pour Esme, toute la salle a perdu la tête.

Before I married Gavin Whitaker, his mother put me through a so-called premarital obedience test. She made me kneel and serve tea to the entire family, so I knelt. She made me walk barefoot across a reflexology path to prove my "resilience". I went through it. She made me sign a prenuptial agreement stating that if we ever divorced, I would leave with nothing. I signed. Throughout it all, Gavin watched coldly from the sidelines. All he said was, "Sienna, don’t make a big deal out of this. Just bear with it. These are our family’s rules." I smiled and nodded, even as tears slid down my face. The final test came without warning. His mother slapped me hard across the face. "If you marry into this family, you need to understand what humility means." I didn’t move. However, upstairs in the study, where Gavin was in the middle of a video conference, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed. He clutched his face and stared at me in terror. [System Notification: You and Gavin Whitaker have successfully bound to the Empathy Sync System. From this moment on, all harm inflicted upon the host will be experienced in full by the other party.]

Years after graduation, someone suddenly tags me in the class group chat. "Mr. Warren is gravely ill, Mira. Aren't you going to do anything? You really are heartless!" I only realize what's going on when I click on the fundraising link in the chat. Our high school homeroom teacher, Joseph Warren, has late-stage cancer. Thus, Lyra Fairfield, the class belle, is leading a fundraiser and patient-donor matching process. "I'll donate ten thousand dollars. My husband is the director of Waverly General Hospital, and I've already asked him to arrange a VIP ward for Mr. Warren." Right after I send that message, the group pounces on me. "Mira, you contracted an STD back then and tried to pin it on Lyra. She didn't even hold it against you, and now you're trying to steal her thunder? You're unbelievable!" "I can't believe you're still lying through your teeth during such a serious situation. You never change, do you?" Lyra immediately defuses the tension. "Mira, I don't blame you for what happened in the past, but you really shouldn't impersonate the director's wife. I've already arranged the ward and surgery, and I'm donating another 100 thousand dollars to Mr. Warren!" I'm this close to laughing out of sheer anger. She's the one who scratched her name off the diagnosis report and framed me for having an STD all those years ago. I never even confronted her about it, and now she's playing the victim? Lyra soon posts a photo in the group chat, showing off her husband's car. Yet, when I see the man in the passenger seat, I guffaw. Isn't that my husband's driver? When did he start running a hospital?

What I thought was fictional turned out to be real, and I eventually fell under the spell of the two beasts that shifted under the moon. Meet Jasper, the young man who lives next door and whom I trust the most. Then I met Damon, one of my class's most mesmerizing and strange students. They aren't just good-looking teens because they have a secret that only I know. And knowing their secret is what will put me in danger. The closer I get to them, the more dangerous it is for me. The moon will show what kind of creature they are. And what are they? It's a secret!

Isabel Queens chose love over her legacy. She wanted a fairytale ending with her Prince Charming, Leo Hunters, even if it was going to cost her everything. Her perfect marriage to Leo crashed when he started maltreating her, abusing her, cheating on her and finally requested to open up their marriage. Isabel was scorned. The man she abandoned her family for and walked away from her legacy ended up stabbing her in the back in the most brutal way possible. She was twisted with revenge, vowing to get back her pound of flesh. Thus, she accepted to open up her marriage and made sure he witnessed her getting banged by three hot male billionaires. What started as a means to get back at her selfish husband ended up with her getting tangled amid three close friends, who were best of friends and business partners; Ares Blackville, Marcos De Santos and Harvey Smith. Will Isabel get carried away by their attention and choose one of them or give in to what she felt for three of them?