John Lloyd Cruz Lock

"You'll do what I say Amelia and there won't be any problems, wifey" He spoke to me as his eyes flashed with anger. He touched my chin, raising my head to meet with his annoying gaze. "What if I don't do what you want? What will you do? Tie me up and lock me?" He drew his face closer to mine. "I'll make your life a living nightmare, kitty" He threatened. . . All her life, Amelia Carter has lived as an obedient omega but now living with Alpha King Lucian Van Othello, her whole life has crumbled. Born in royalty, but lived the life of a slave, Amelia was stripped of her title as the eldest daughter of the Alpha and sent off to marry the cruel Alpha of the Black Blood Pack, as her father handed her position to her younger sister. What happens when fate has other stuff in store for her? What if her father wants her back as she's to be the heir but her fake husband has now become her fated mate?

They say hatred is stronger than love. For Selena Cruz, that has always been true. Born into a cartel dynasty, she swore no man would ever own her—not her father, not her enemies, and certainly not Dante Moretti, the ruthless heir of the Italian Mafia. Their marriage isn’t a choice. It’s a weapon. A deal struck in blood to end a war neither of them wanted. Dante is everything she despises—cold, controlling, untouchable. But every time he looks at her, she feels her resolve crack. He wants her obedience. She wants his downfall. And yet, the fire between them burns hotter than either can control. When betrayal shatters the fragile truce between their families, Selena and Dante are forced to fight side by side. In a world of guns, lies, and vengeance, enemies can become lovers…and hatred may be the only thing keeping them alive. In the mafia, love is never pure. It’s a weapon. And sometimes, it’s deadly.

Dante Cruz looks untouchable star quarterback, all muscle and tattoos, the guy everyone either wants to be or wants to have. But his grades are tanking, and if he fails one more class, football won’t save him. Eli Summers never expected to room with him. Eli’s a lit major, more at home with novels and coffee stains than roaring crowds. He’s blonde, silly, always running late, and his painted nails drive Dante crazy in ways he can’t explain. What starts with late-night tutoring and bickering over laundry turns into something else something hotter, riskier. A kiss in the wrong place. A touch that lingers too long. Suddenly, keeping boundaries feels impossible. But the campus is watching. Rumors spread fast, and Dante has everything to lose if anyone finds out. Eli has to decide if he’s okay being Dante’s secret or if love this strong deserves to be seen.

"I...I don't want you." She stuttered, a slight shiver running down her spine, with his head buried in the hollow of her neck. "Can you prove that without getting wet?" It all started with a one-night stand and went on with a marriage of convenience. Trusting her fiance with her sister was the dumbest thing she would forever hate herself for, they backstabbed her making her look like the fool she was. Her plan to get herself not to marry her cheating fiance went futile, but just on their wedding day salvation with the horns of the devil came for her. Her fiance's uncle, Cruz Hayes, A devilish angel shrouded in mystery, had proposed a marriage of convenience, which she accepted. Her plan was never to get into an intimate relationship with him, but what happens when she can't refuse temptations and seduction, and letting herself succumb to it was the only option to keep her sanity in check?

Having a mate was every she-wolves’ dream and November was one of them. Imagine her surprise when she found him, the Alpha of his pack was his mate. She was happy, and her excitement of creating her own fairy tale would start with her mate. She thought everything would be okay, but then her Alpha rejected her, claiming another she-wolf as his mate leaving her devastated and with a broken heart and wolf. For two years, November endured the pain inflicted by the rejection, and every time Knox mated his chosen Luna. And with the help of Wolfnip, she temporarily forgot her pain despite the side effects of the drug. Little did she know, the drug dealer had his eyes on her. His golden yellow eyes focused on her and her alone. Imagine her shock when this man appeared in her pack’s clinic when she was about to give in to death claiming he’d help her to fix her and accept him as her new mate… Will this man be able to fix her broken heart and body? Or was it too late for him? Will November hand her heart or choose to lock it to prevent anyone from hurting her again?

One day, after getting rear-ended outside my office, I, Maeve Dahlman, call out for help, but Austin Cooper, who is simply passing by with Carmen Holt, merely glances at me impatiently, annoyed that I've disrupted their lunch plans. Instead of helping, he has his assistant take me to his private club and lock me in a room, accusing me of being paranoid and dramatic. "I'll give you three days to calm down," he says before walking away and leaving me in isolation. Eventually, I escape and call the police. An ambulance rushes me to the hospital, where doctors diagnose me with a brain injury that requires immediate surgery. I keep calling Austin, only to realize that he has blocked my number. Then, I see Carmen's latest post online, gushing about a romantic luxurious dinner with him. After I'm discharged, I cancel the wedding, destroy all the invitations, and finally call my mother. "Mom," I say, "I've made up my mind. I'm ready to meet him."

In an East London lock up, two film makers, Jimmy and Sam, are duct taped to chairs and forced to watch a snuff film by Ashkan, a loan shark to whom they owe a lot of money. If they don’t pay up, they’ll be starring in the next one. Before the film reaches its end, Ashkan and all his men are slaughtered by unknown assailants. Only Jimmy and Sam survive the massacre, leaving them with the sole copy of the snuff film. The film makers decide to build their next movie around the brutal film. While auditioning actors, they stumble upon Melissa, an enigmatic actress who seems perfect for the leading role, not least because she’s the spitting image of the snuff film’s main victim. Neither the film, nor Melissa, are entirely what they seem however. Jimmy and Sam find themselves pulled into a paranormal mystery that leads them through the shadowy streets of the city beneath the city and sees them re-enacting an ancient Mesopotamian myth cycle. As they play out the roles of long forgotten gods and goddesses, they’re drawn into the subtle web of a deadly heresy that stretches from the beginnings of civilization to the end of the world as we know it. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

His precious childhood sweetheart got drunk one night and ended up in a stranger’s bed. When she showed up again, she was pregnant—just like me. On the day I gave birth, Harold handed me the divorce papers. "Rachel’s about to return to acting," he said coldly. "She and the baby need a proper title. If a scandal breaks out, it’ll destroy her." Dragging my frail body, I calmly signed the papers. In my previous life, I refused to step aside. I went live, holding my daughter, and exposed the award-winning actress Rachel Underwood for knowingly becoming the other woman. The internet turned on her. She lost every endorsement and was driven to the edge by massive fines—eventually jumping off a building. Harold quietly took care of her funeral... and then stood by as her fans harassed me in the streets, even tried to burn my child and me alive. It was not until I saw him lock the door behind us that I realized—he had wanted us dead all along. Then I woke up. And it was the day he gave me the divorce agreement... again.

Burdened by her parents' expectations, Hannah Morales found herself trapped in a loveless and abusive marriage. When she finally breaks free she relocates to another town. With hard work and determination, she begins to rebuild her life and regain the confidence that was once shattered. As Hannah's business flourishes, she finds herself becoming stronger, more independent, and determined to never let anyone control her happiness again. Serenity Gils, on the other hand, is a free spirit who lives life to the fullest. She cherishes every moment, embracing adventure and spontaneity. However, beneath her carefree demeanour, Serenity yearns for a deep connection with someone special. Her casual encounters leave her feeling unfulfilled, always searching for that missing piece of her heart. One fateful day, as life's unpredictable twists would have it, Serenity's eyes lock with Hannah Morales's across a bustling crowd. In that fleeting moment, she finally understood she was searching for love in the wrong age group. But with Hannah's past resurfacing and catching up with her, will the love they have for each other, despite the age difference, be enough to conquer all odds? ------

It’s all fun and games until a body washes up…. Beth Monroe just wants to make it through the summer baseball season without being the constant target of her brother Shane’s jokes, but he is relentless, and she’s ready to lock herself in her room and hide. Until the new girl shows up. Halley appears in small town Barryville like a ghost. No one knows where she came from or anything about her past, not even her last name. When she gives Beth a piece of unsolicited advice that, “It’s what’s on the outside that counts,” Beth changes everything about herself. By the time Beth realizes she’s becoming a monster, it might be too late, and Halley has already sunk her claws into Beth’s best friend Ryan—who might’ve been something more if Beth had opened her eyes a little earlier. As Halley’s past catches up to her, Beth realizes there’s more to this mysterious girl than she realized. Can she stop Halley from revealing her true, monstrous nature to Ryan before it’s too late?