Invisible Flames

Mature Content! Trigger warnings, violence and smut “I'll make you crave the darkness and beg for my salvation," he growls, his voice laced with both danger and desire. My eyes blazing with defiance, meets his gaze head-on. “I won't be owned by anyone, especially not a dangerous man like you.” my voice waver, barely a whisper. In the gritty underbelly of the city, where power, danger and secrets collide, an unlikely connection blooms amidst darkness and despair. Romeo Valentino, a dominant force in the mafia world, battles his inner demon, his alter ego seeking control. When he lays eyes on the enigmatic Julia, a fire ignites within him, compelling him to possess her, body and soul. Julia, a woman shrouded in mystery, harbors her own scars, her path intertwined with Romeo’s in unexpected ways. Drawn to his power and dominance, she fights the magnetic pull between them, even as her heart begs for his touch. As their paths entwine, passion blazes between them, fanning the flames of a love that could destroy them both. Will they find solace and salvation in each other's arms, or will their dark secrets tear them apart?

**Dez** Dezmond woke in a cold sweat. The ache in his heart was worse than ever before. It had been growing more intense over the past few weeks. He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He didn't bother looking in the mirror, he knew what he would see. His face would be white and his eyes haunted with the need to find answers. Dezmond needed to know why he was being tormented in his dreams. He was never supposed to dream again. "I can't take this anymore." said Dezmond gloomily. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Ruby** Ruby couldn't focus in class, another night of tossing and turning. Seeing the flames consume her house. Hearing the screams as her family slowly died, knowing there was nothing she could do. It had been almost three years since the incident. The day she lost her family in the fire. She was the only one who wasn't in the house. And she relived that horror every night in her dreams. Though recently her nightmares felt different. More like a warning rather than a memory. "Rough night?" whispered Haven. Haven had been friends with Ruby since they were little kids. "Yeah, they started happening again." Ruby whispered back. They never really stopped. "Have you talked to anyone about it? Ruby, you can't keep it a secret forever." This is the same discussion they had just after the incident.

The universe is no longer what it used to be and the world has become a total mess. The death of Gadelia, the ancestral wolfwitch assigned by the Heavenly Principalities to maintain the balance between the witches and wolfs has wrecked upon the two supernatural world, choas and war. The soul of Gadelia was prevented from passing through the third gate of Heaven by the Second Triad after she was murdered out of greed and jealousy by Madera, her blood sister. Sometimes the ones we least expect something from are the ones that does the most shocking things. For millenniums, the soul of Gadelia wondered the surface of earth, in search of a perfect and pure body to inhabit and all but one was found after decades of searching. Young and naive, Amaris Croston discovered a world that was believed to exist only in fairytales when she bumped into Lucian Moon, King Mozerus only son and also the heir to the wolf throne who turned out to be her 'mate', a word she didn't understand until she dived into the world of the supernaturals. A world so beautiful and enchanting yet full of mysteries and sometime, chaos and wars. She houses a soul as old as time itself and is been subjected to mental tortures by an invisible force. Fate is tricky but the moon goddess and other triads of heaven had it all planned out. Their meeting was a collision, a fuel and spark of combustion. The angels worked overtime to diffuse this bomb whilst two powerful mind found even ground, opening their mind to a destiny, only imagined in dreams long ago. Follow Amaris and Lucian on their daring journey of self-discovery, Love, Betrayal, War and Maintaining Stability.

Naomi spent her summer reading books and planning how she will stay invisible so she can finish off her last year of high school drama-free. But all those plans go down the drain when an unexpected Asian family of a widowed mother and her teenage son moves in across the street. Even though Naomi tries to keep her distance from Hero so he doesn't find out about her heart disease, he seems to have taken a liking to her. Naomi's cousin Riley had called dibs on Hero but his interest lies elsewhere so she often blames Naomi for trying to steal Hero. Most of the girls at school fawn over Hero because of his good looks and height which spell problems for Naomi since he keeps hanging around her. The more Naomi tries to stay away from Hero the larger her curiosity grows and even though Hero has secrets of his own to protect from Naomi's prying eyes he can't stop himself from wanting to know more about her. The two try to deny their feelings to try and protect their secrets but jealousy starts to show its face when Josh asks Naomi on a date and Hero hooks up with a random girl at a party in retaliation. Who will break first? And spill their secrets?

"Do you think I would hurt you? You were hand-selected for me by the Goddess." "I don't know what to think. I have waited the last two years to be claimed by you. I arrive here and I have been essentially ignored!" He stepped into me, his luminous golden eyes razing me with the stoked flames burning in their depth. "Madison, I want to love you. I have never wanted anything more than to love you!" His words were a fervent plea as he snatched my hand. "No, you wanted a Bride. A walking womb. Nothing more, nothing less." Ice settled in my chest. I could never love a monster that only wanted me for my ovaries. "So here I am, Husband. A ripe field to plow." He staggered back, my words cutting him as sharply as any knife. He turned his wounded gaze on me, but I steeled myself. I would not allow myself to believe this could ever be anything more than a business arrangement. I was a means to an end for the Weres. The continuation of their race. A broodmare. Madison Timms had known she would be a Moon-Bride since the year she turned sixteen. Now she has finally been claimed by her Alpha husband. When Alpha Xander Cross meets his goddess-blessed mate, he only wants to love her. Regardless of her humanity. Will his love thaw her icy heart? Or will they be torn apart by the world they are trying to rebuild?

To the outside world, Emma's life was perfect. She was married to the most powerful man in New York, she was the envy of many ladies, everyone wanted to be in her shoes because she had it all. Or so they thought. What people didn't know was that Emma had been sold off to Jeff as a result of her parents debts, they were the perfect couple outside but secretly, Emma was miserable. A unexpected pregnancy turns Emma's life upside down and when Jeff discovers that the pregnancy isn't his, he goes ahead and divorces her causing Emma to leave New York. Four years later, Emma returned to the city that was both her home and haunted her, now accompanied by her twins. Yet, New York was no longer the sanctuary she had hoped for. Jeff, still powerful and relentless, set his sights on reclaiming her. As if fate itself toyed with her emotions, the father of her children, Sam, reentered her life, bringing with him a second chance at love and happiness. Emma now has to choose between reigniting the flames of her past with Jeff or forging a new path with Sam, Emma faced her most daunting choice yet, one that would redefine not just her future, but the lives of her children as well.

Eidolon Avenue: Where the secretly guilty go to die. One building. Five floors. Five doors per floor. Twenty-five nightmares feeding the hunger lurking between the bricks and waiting beneath the boards. The sequel to Eidolon Avenue: The First Feast (“a great read...powerful and jarring” - Cemetery Dance) returns to the voracious Eidolon as it savors The Second Feast. A narcoleptic man in apartment 2A battles a vengeful past determined to rob him of everything as he runs from the barbaric disaster of a delusional love. A woman in 2B, reinventing herself to please a callous boyfriend, discovers the horrors that wait in the shadows of her self-renovation. The man in 2C, a teacher at the nearby Catholic girl’s school, collapses beneath the brutal consequences of his lecherous desires. An older woman in 2D, after decades dedicated to the church, is cornered at last by the grisly carnage beating at the hollow center of her faith. And a college student in 2E, hungry to escape an ignored life of invisible anonymity, finds herself captured between the pages of a ravenous book. All thrown into their own private hell as every cruel choice, every drop of spilled blood, every silent, complicit moment of cowardice is remembered, resurrected and relived to feed the ancient evil that lives on Eidolon Avenue. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

She was a piece of Heaven he wanted to own. And he, was the flames of Hell she wanted to tame. "You must be tired." The unparalleled face softens with an indulging smile, and I nod hastily like a chick pecking at grains. My reason, wisdom, and rationality became words of a foreign tongue when the fingers tangled amongst my hair trail down to my cheekbones. The caresses like the fine strokes of a paint brush that gave colour to my skin. "But next time." His eyes of hellfire narrows, reflecting the features of a iolite-eyed mortal, and crimson lips pull back over sharp canines. "I might not be as easy to tame." ■What happens when the greek god of the Underworld becomes the 'Grumpy Patient' to a kind hearted mortal, burdened by a curse untold and a gift unrivalled.■ Slow burn Update schedule : Every 2 days ◇

Everly’s family is unique. Her father is a demigod of Death and her mother is a lycan, making Everly and her siblings unique hybrids with intense abilities. Eighteen doesn’t mean much for an immortal, but it does mean freedom. Everly finally gets to leave her coven’s realm and explore the human realm on her own. Determined to prove herself worthy of her family’s name, Everly sets off on a simple mission. Go to the music academy and reap the soul of the phantom that haunts it. It should be simple, but things are far from simple when Everly gets paired with the dark, mysterious, and good looking Sebastian for a performance. Things heat up between them as they rehearse for their roles to perform two songs from a beloved musical that hits closer to home for Sebastian than Ever realizes. What happens when Ever discovers Sebastian is the phantom and a hybrid that should not exist? As their slow burn of desire ignites into burning flames neither can ignore, new challenges come their way. They must work together to save the other spirits being trapped by Sebastian’s wicked half-brother, who is hell bent on revenge.

"You invade my thoughts a lot Neah" Damon drawled, his eyes seemed starving, his tone softer than she had ever heard. "I-I ," Neah's eyes were drawn to his lips, she swallowed. "I envision to be deep inside you spread beneath me, my fangs at your neck, yet- yet I cannot do that to you, why?"Without waiting for her reply, Damon slammed his lips on hers. The kiss was fierce, desperate, yearning. Neah surrendered to the heat that arose within her, all opposing thoughts vacated Neah's head as Damon plundered her mouth. The reality of the kiss shattered every wall she's built. Damon's hands moved to her lower back, caressing her butt cheeks. "Mmmrh please~~" Neah moaned into his lips as his tongue delved deeper, coercing her into a dance she had never learned but now found herself desperate to master. Damon suckled at her lips greedily, every pull igniting flames in their entwined body, drawing more throaty moans from Neah. A deathly obsession! Neah, a wolfless Alpha heir had wet dreams about three beautiful Lycan Brothers. But then, amidst her chaotic life, fate swiveled her at the mercy of the three Lycan Brothers; Damon, Damian, Dylan who was possessive of her knowing she was their mate despite her young age as she couldn't find feel the bond yet. Neah later realizes that they were her mates and couldn't escape from their grasp but then, a false truth shattered her to the brink of confusion, hate and revenge for her mates. Now Neah's left to grapple the forbidden desire and the chilling truth about her mates merciless actions.