Lau Black Butler

Richard Franklin has left his Midwestern roots behind to live on the coast of Maine with his family. But in the autumn of the year 2000, he must return to his Illinois birthplace on a sorrowful journey. His wife Michelle has been killed in New England by a hit-and-run driver who is never found, so back home he comes with her cremated remains, to fulfill a final wish and on her birthday scatter her ashes in the park along the river in Blackwater Valley—simply Blackwater Val to locals—the small town where they both grew up and fell in love. With him he brings his six-year-old daughter Katie who still grieves for her lost mother: Katie, who can sometimes guess who’s going to be on the phone before it rings. Who can stop all the clocks in the house, and break up clouds in the sky with her mind, and heal sicknesses, and who sometimes sees things that aren’t there...people who are no longer alive. All gifts she inherited from her mother. Only something isn’t quite right in the Val. Sinkholes are opening up, revealing the plague pits the sleepy hamlet was built over in the 1830s, when malaria and cholera outbreaks ran riot. Mysterious bird and fish die-offs begin to occur, and Katie can see ghosts of the dead gathering all around. But what she can’t see is the charred, centuries-old malevolence which has been waiting for her, and wants her for its very own. Or the pale Sallow Man who haunts the town’s nighttime streets...or the river witch—another Blackwater Val, of sorts—each of whom will be drawn one by one into the nightmarish bloodletting about to take place. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Lydia Darnell died after betrayal. She was framed by her family, abandoned by her husband, and discarded like trash. But death wasn’t the end. She wakes up three months before her murder with one chilling resolve. Once bitten, twice shy. This time, she would never take the fall for her sister’s crimes. She would not stoop low to beg for her cold billionaire husband’s attention. Lydia sets out to dismantle the gilded cage they had used to imprison her. And she certainly will never let the so-called “gratitude” be used as a leash. Adrian Blackwell watches in stunned silence until the wife he ignored becomes the woman he can’t live without. Now that he is obsessed with her, he would do anything to win her back. But Lydia’s done playing victim. Her revenge is quiet, lethal, and flawless without an iota of empathy. Along comes Lucas Costello, a kind architect who shows her what real love looks like. And Adrian realizes too late that the woman he had been hell-bent on destroying is the only one who ever truly loved him. He wants her back again, but some second chances, they come too late.

In the eighth year of my marriage to Georgia Snow, her 108th lover, John, showed up and made a scene in front of me. In the past, she would have dealt with anyone this bold before they even reached me. However, she broke from her usual pattern this time. She indulged his behavior and allowed him to taunt me. Georgia even brought him along to high-profile events. She turned a blind eye to all the rumors circulating everywhere. She even dared to skip my family banquet. When I saw the photos my secretary had sent over, Georgia was in a high-end restaurant enjoying a meal with John. The next second, I showed the photos to her mother. Georgia and I were in a business marriage. We had agreed from the start that we could each do as we pleased. With that said, there was an unspoken rule. We had to keep up appearances and maximize the combined interests of both families. Since she refused to follow the rules, I had to ditch her, lest she affected my family business’ stock price.

Untuk ke-99 kalinya tunanganku, Javier, menutup teleponku. Aku menyeret diriku menuju gereja keluarga sambil menggenggam erat hasil diagnosis gagal ginjal stadium akhir di tanganku. "Pastor, aku ingin melepaskan diri dari Keluarga Pramudya dan membatalkan pertunanganku dengan Javier Laksmana." Belum sempat kata-kata itu benar-benar meninggalkan bibirku, orang tuaku tiba-tiba menerobos masuk bersama adik angkatku, Tasya. Ayahku, seorang penasihat mafia, tidak ragu sedikit pun. Dia menamparku keras, tepat di depan pastor. "Tunanganmu adalah seorang pewaris Mafia yang dihormati di dunia kita, dan kamu memilih untuk menghina dia!" "Kamu mencoreng nama keluarga kita di depan seluruh organisasi!" Ibuku merebut hasil diagnosis dari tanganku, lalu mencibir setelah sekilas melihatnya. "Berpura-pura sakit demi menarik perhatian lagi, ya? Apa yang kamu inginkan kali ini?" Adik angkatku, Tasya, berpegangan pada lengan kedua orang tua kami. Suaranya tersendat oleh tangis. "Aku minta maaf, Kak… Kakak boleh mengambil tempatku di gala. Tolong… jangan buat Ibu dan Ayah susah lagi!" Aku mengusap darah yang menetes dari hidungku, lalu dengan tenang mengulangi perkataanku kepada pastor, "Aku bukan lagi putri Keluarga Pramudya. Aku tidak layak menjalin pertunangan dengan Keluarga Laksmana." "Aku akan mati dalam tiga hari. Aku ingin pertunangan ini dibatalkan sebelum itu."

When Ava walked into that bar, she only wanted to forget. Forget the man who left her for money. Forget the wedding she was never meant to attend. But one drink, one stranger, and one reckless night changed everything. She woke up in a stranger’s bed only to find out he wasn’t a stranger at all. He was Adrian Blackwell, her CEO. Cold, powerful, and dangerously irresistible. Adrian swore he didn’t do love. He didn’t chase. He didn’t lose control. Until Ava. Now he wants her body, soul, and every breath she takes. But loving Adrian means walking a thin line between passion and danger… because the man who owns her heart might also be the one who ruins her.

(WARNING 🔞🔥) Di masa depan, dunia tak lagi butuh cinta. Dunia butuh keturunan, untuk menghindarkan manusia dari kepunahan. *** Fiora diutus untuk mengandung anak dari seorang pria misterius yang ada di sebuah pulau tersembunyi. Sebagai salah satu dari segelintir wanita yang selamat pasca tragedi virus mematikan yang membuat sebagian besar wanita seluruh di dunia tewas, Fiora dituntut oleh untuk melahirkan bayi sebanyak mungkin agar manusia tidak punah. Namun betapa terkejutnya Fiora saat ia baru saja tiba di Pulau tersebut... ... dan ternyata bukan hanya untuk melayani hasrat satu orang pria, melainkan lima! Dan bukan cuma sangat tampan dan kuat, namun mereka juga berbahaya serta memiliki kekuatan di luar batas manusia biasa. Vael, yang bisa mengendalikan ingatan, sekaligus pemimpinnya. Riven, si pembaca pikiran. Darius, yang super kuat. Elyon, memiliki kemampuan penyembuh. Dan Zephyr, si pengendali angin. ***

I thought my life was ruined when Kelvin betrayed me again. I thought heartbreak was the worst I’d ever feel. I didn’t expect it would lead me straight into the arms of danger or desire. When Professor Adrian Metcalfe offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse a fake relationship to make Kelvin jealous. I thought it was just a game. But Adrian wasn’t just a professor. He wasn’t just dangerous. He was my mate. My fated mate. And I was human… or so I thought. The night of Kelvin’s wedding changes everything. I watch my teacher shift into a werewolf. Secrets unravel. My own hidden power awakens. And suddenly, the past isn’t just painful, it's deadly. Kelvin wasn’t who I thought he was. Adrian’s control isn’t just discipline; it’s destiny. And as the web of betrayal tightens around me, I realize love is the only weapon that can save me and claim what is rightfully mine. Welcome to a world where forbidden love, hidden power, and revenge collide… and where your mate is the only one who can keep you alive.

It was a bad idea. She knew it but she had no choice. After finding herself penniless after the death of her parents who nevertheless had a good fortune, Rose had no other idea than to loot the trunk of her old house to pay for her little sister's treatment. Anyway, it wasn't a theft because nobody knows about this safe... The house was empty because it was for sale, she was going to sneak in and she would never set foot there again. It was a perfect idea... When she entered the house, she suspected that there was someone but she persisted and continued... -Who are you? What are you doing at my house? She was so relieved that no one had touched her money so she hadn't even heard the footsteps... She turned to see a man...a man with a mask covering half his face. .. Frightened, she did not expect that this night could change her life... -I'll let you take your trunk and I'll offer you double more so that you serve as my escort, for one night... Rose could not understand such a proposal. However, she had no choice...

Claudius has not had it easy when it comes to mates and love. He found his mate, only for him to die in his arms before he ever knew his name. Then, he allowed his heart to fall for another, only to be disappointed once again. Time went by, and Claudius thought he would never get a second chance mate. But one fateful day, he came across that beautiful scent again, the scent of a mate. That scent would belonged to an Alpha. An Alpha who refuses to accept Claudius because of what he is. A lowly dominant Delta 3, one who can't bear children and produce an heir. Claudius struggles, trying to win his Alpha's heart, only to be hurt over and over again... Little does Claudius know the Alpha is fighting his own battles within himself. He's fighting the bond, struggling to fight it as it grow stronger. But he's determined to fight it, knowing his pack wants a luna who can produce an heir. What the Alpha doesn't know is that with every day that passes that he fights the bond, Claudius is getting weaker, and it's killing him. Will the Alpha stop fighting the bond in time and accept Claudius? Or will it take Claudius' death to make him realize everything he wanted was right in front of him.

Willa Hale hatte nicht vor, gefährlich zu werden. In der Nacht, als sie ihren Freund und ihre beste Freundin in flagranti erwischte, gab sie sich ein Versprechen: Keine Tränen mehr, kein kleines Spiel mehr, nicht länger das Mädchen zu sein, das alle vergessen zu beschützen. Sie hatte genug davon, weichherzig zu sein. Sie hatte nicht mit Cassian Blackwood gerechnet, ruhig, beherrscht, aber mit einem brennenden Verlangen unter der Oberfläche. Sie hatte nicht mit Lucian gerechnet, rücksichtslos, charismatisch und unwiderstehlich. Und vor allem hatte sie nicht mit Elias gerechnet, still, vorsichtig, der sie sah, als sie sich am meisten bemühte, ungesehen zu bleiben. Sie wusste nicht, dass sie Brüder waren. Jetzt weiß es jemand. Jemand, der sie von Anfang an beobachtet hat. Jemand, der Dinge über Willa und die Blackwoods weiß, die keiner von ihnen dem anderen anvertraut hat. Und sie sind im Begriff, jedes Geheimnis wie ein Streichholz zu entzünden. Wenn dich das Feuer findet, kannst du nicht entscheiden, ob es dich verbrennt. Du kannst nur entscheiden, was überlebt.