Nightshade Keri Lake

🩸 SYNOPSIS – Blood Moon: Claimed by the Mafia Alpha In a world where power is ruled by blood, loyalty is bought with fear, and monsters walk among humans… one wrong night changes everything. Amara Vale was never meant to be part of the darkness. Just an ordinary girl trying to survive, her life shatters the moment she witnesses a brutal mafia execution—an act that marks her for death. Hunted, broken, and bleeding, she runs… but there is no escaping men who own the night. Until she falls into the hands of something more dangerous. Lucian Vex Nightshade is not just a mafia lord—he is an Alpha King, ruler of a hidden werewolf empire built on dominance, violence, and absolute control.Ruthless, and feared by all, Lucian does not hesitate to kill… especially not fragile humans who wander where they shouldn’t. But when he finds Amara on the brink of death, something impossible happens. Instead of killing her… he saves her. Turned against her will and thrown into a world she doesn’t understand, Amara should have become just another wolf under Lucian’s command. But she doesn’t. She fights him. Defies him. Challenges a man no one dares to question. And worse… there is something inside her. Something ancient. Something powerful. Something that makes even the most dangerous Alphas uneasy. As rival mafia empires rise, enemies close in, Amara finds herself at the center of a war she never asked for. And Lucian? He is no longer just watching her. He is obsessed. And dangerously unwilling to let her go. In a world where love is weakness and power is everything, one truth remains She was never meant to survive. He was never meant to feel. But under the blood moon… He will claim what is his.

“Lila,” I began softly, choosing my words. “About last night...” She stood abruptly, cutting me off. “Don’t. There’s nothing to apologize for. It happened.” I frowned, trying to gauge her. “So, what are you saying?” She crossed her arms, steadying herself. “I’m saying I have a deal for you.” “A deal?” “We keep seeing each other—secretly. No one has to know. No strings attached.” I stared at her, wondering if she was serious. But from the look in her eyes, I knew she was. ********** Lila Frost, a brilliant bio-genetics student and the fiercely protected sister of Alpha King Ronan, returns to Silver Lake for a quiet summer focused on her research. But one reckless night changes everything when she shares an unforgettable encounter with Caden Walker—her brother’s dangerously irresistible best friend. Their one-night stand ignites a fiery connection, and they agree to indulge their passion without complications—no love, no strings attached. But when Lila discovers she’s pregnant, her world unravels. Torn between her growing feelings for Caden and the fear that he could never love her back, Lila retreats into her studio, burying herself in her work to escape the truth. The secret she carries threatens not only her heart but also her bond with her overprotective brother. As Caden remains unaware of Lila's internal struggle, Ronan uncovers the truth about their relationship—and his fury knows no bounds. Now, Lila must confront her feelings, her brother’s wrath, and the uncertainty of what her future holds. Can she risk everything for a chance at love with Caden? Or will she lose him—and herself—trying to protect her heart?

“Why did you bend over, Maverick?”   “Because you told me to, assh*le.”   “I’m so tempted to f*ck you right now. You’re the most exquisite woman I’ve ever been with, the only beautiful thing I see and have.”   “Then what are you waiting for? Just punish me already!” *** MAVERICK As a working college student, I struggle to make ends meet until a stranger approaches me with a proposal—to be his employer’s wife for an enormous sum of money. Knowing the cash will help me pay my grandmother’s medical bills, I accept the offer with a demand—just a marriage of convenience, nothing more. It’s too late to realize I’m marrying the gorgeous, to a fault, young Mr. Winston. And there’s this instant fire between us despite my inhibitions. Things get more complicated when our marriage is put to the test by his father, who threatens to expose my dirty little secret. *** LAKE Being a Braddson-Winston heir is sometimes a curse. My father is a real SOB and a pain in my ass. He makes one outrageous demand for me to secure the CEO seat in the company—marriage. So I find a perfect bride— Maverick Bates II, beautiful but in a dire financial situation. I only ask two things. We stay MBA and keep things purely business until the contract ends. As simple as that. It was meant to be a straightforward deal, but each day I get to know her, my position is not the only thing at stake but also my heart. I realize I can’t let her go even if she’s the daughter of the ruthless don of the Sicilianos.

On the night of her 18th birthday, under a blood-red moon, Elara Voss feels the mate bond snap into place—straight to Damon Blackthorn, the golden Alpha of Silver Moon Pack. The entire pack watches in breathless silence… until Damon turns cold eyes on her, his chosen Luna—Valentina Reyes, Elara’s cruelest bully—smirking at his side. “I, Damon Blackthorn, reject you, Elara Voss, as my mate and future Luna. You are weak. Unworthy. Forgotten.” The words shatter her. Val’s laughter echoes. Humiliated, heartbroken, and bleeding from the fresh rejection mark on her neck, Elara flees into the forbidden wilds… straight into the jaws of the most dangerous wolf alive. Lucian Draven. Scarred. Cursed. Ruthless Alpha of Nightshade Pack. His wolf has torn through enemies and lovers alike, leaving only fear in its wake—until he scents her. The bond ignites like wildfire. His massive hand clamps around her wrist, voice a low, dangerous growl: “You ran from one Alpha… but you just ran straight into mine.” Elara wants nothing to do with another bond that could break her. Lucian wants her—body, soul, and every defiant inch of her—more than he’s ever wanted anything. But when Damon realizes the “weak” girl he discarded is now claimed by his greatest enemy… regret burns hotter than any mate bond. He’ll beg. He’ll fight. He’ll bleed. Too late. Some bonds are rejected. Some are reclaimed. And some… are forged in fire and fangs.

"Runaway BillionaireWhat happens when two sets of parents decide their thirty-something offspring need to get married? To each other. The problem? Neither one wants wedded bliss, and they don’t even know each other. Kyle Montgomery is happy with his single state and the excitement of running the Montgomery Hotel Corporation. Pepper Thornton is just as happy running the family B&B, the Hibiscus Inn. What started out as a fun ploy suddenly turns into something much more—until reality pokes up its head and nearly destroys it all.Touch of MagicMaddie Woodward is in a pickle. The last person she expects to see when she returns to the family ranch for one last Christmas is her former lover, Zach Brennan. He’s hotter as he ever was, all male and determined to get her naked. She’s just as determined to show him she’s over him—until she ends up in his bed, enjoying the wildest sex of her life. A night of uncontrolled, erotic sex shows her that Zach is far from out of her life. Now if she can just get him to help her convince her sisters not to sell the ranch—or sell it to the two of them.Wet HeatIt was supposed to be a month in a cottage by the lake in Maine. For Peyton Gerard it was time to recover from not one but three disastrous breakups and try to find her muse again. A successful romance novelist needed to believe in romance to write about it believably, and Peyton had lost her faith in it.All About Love is created by Desiree Holt, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author."

I used to be a top ballet dancer. The year I was diagnosed with a spinal hemangioma, my boyfriend Julian Blackwood said, "Wherever you go, I go." We'd been together three years. He walked beside me as I went, step by step, from the most luminous dancer on that stage to a woman in a wheelchair. Every time the nerve pain hit and I collapsed, he was the one who lifted me off the floor. Every round of electrostim and acupuncture, he sat in the corridor outside the therapy room and waited for me to come out. Before I got sick, he promised me—the night I finished my final performance of Swan Lake, we'd sign the marriage license. He'd bought tickets for that show three months in advance. I never stood on that stage again. And the marriage license never came up. Until the morning I noticed the collar of his white dress shirt carried a smudge of lipstick that wasn't mine. I heard him on the balcony. A woman's voice on the other end. "Mr. Blackwood, you left your jacket at the hotel last night. I'll bring it over." I stared at that smear of red, and something in me snapped. I laughed. "Send me to Westbrook. The locked-down rehab facility. I don't want to drag you down anymore." Something flickered in his eyes—a brief, animal panic. Then he nodded. He thought I meant rest. He didn't know I'd already signed the papers to donate my body to science. I was going there to die.

My husband, Don Cassian, just survived an assassination attempt. He limped in, bleeding, and ordered me to stitch him up. But when I reached into his blood-soaked suit, my fingers brushed against something soft. Black lace panties. Not mine. My hand flew to my still-flat stomach. For our child. How could he do this to us? Ice flooded my veins. “We’re done, Cassian.” His gaze was heavy, exhausted. He gave a single, sharp nod. “Fine. I’ll have my lawyer draft the papers.” But then, a frantic little voice—one that wasn't mine—screamed from deep within my womb. [Mom, don’t leave him! Dad didn’t cheat! The family isn’t going to fall. It’s a setup!] [Oriana Gallo planned all of this! She wants your place! She put those panties in his pocket herself!] [If you leave, her men will grab you. They’ll take you to an abandoned warehouse and dump your body in Lake Michigan. Then she’ll play the grieving friend, comfort Dad, and become the new Mrs. Marino!] [Mom, I came back to stop this! Please, don’t fall for it again!] I snapped back to the present. Spinning around, I launched myself into Cassian's arms, my body wracked with sobs. “I was just trying to scare you! How could you agree so easily? Are you that tired of me?” I jabbed a finger at his chest, tears streaming down my face.

After five years in a world ruled by werewolves, I still haven't found a way back to the human world. So I did the only thing I could. I married my fated mate, Ryan Darcy, a devastatingly handsome Lycan Prince with a towering frame. The night we sealed our mate bond, we traded secrets. Leaning close, I whispered in his ear, "The truth is, I'm not from this world. Treat me wrong, and I'll disappear back to where I came from. You'll never find me again." Ryan immediately swears he'll love me more than life itself. He pulls me close, holding me so tight it's like he's afraid I'll disappear any second. But then Eleanor Darcy—his stepsister, sent away for a political marriage in another pack—returns. Bit by bit, I watch as Ryan's attention shifts to her. Devastated, I start looking for a way back to the human world. I throw myself at walls, try to hang myself, even jump into the lake, but nothing works. Ryan grows more distant with each passing day. "Susan, I expected better from you. Since when have you stooped to cheap attention-seeking stunts? 'Crossed over from another world?' You can't honestly expect me to buy that nonsense." That's when I realized he hadn't believed a single word I'd said.

This is a modern adaptation of the classic tale "Le Mort d Arthur" also known as"King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table" told from the point of view of one of the classic villains, Morgana or Morgan Le Fay. In this version, Morgana is the hero, fighting against the forces of Queen Mab, the Evil Faerie Queen of Summer and Light. She has been trapped in a cycle of reincarnation where she has been assassinated before she rises to power as the Queen of Winter and Shadow. It is now 2025. Morgana has been reborn as a biracial woman named Faye Archer. She is living in Oakland (San Francisco East Bay) with her mother Elaine (the Lady of the Lake) and is still recovering from the tragic death of her father. She is a 23 year old college student with striking red hair and violet colored eyes. She and her best friend, Embyr (A no nonsense city girl with a sharp tongue and wit) attend a fancy bonfire party in the Kensington Hills, an exclusive neighborhood above Berkeley. She has a one night stand with a billionaire playboy, the 19 year old Arthur Drake, who happens to be the reincarnation of King Arthur. Shortly after waking up next to him, she discovers that he is her new stepbrother. She slowly starts to develop powers and runs into Devona, or Merlin, who is a beautiful woman that she is oddly attracted to. Devona, Arthur and Faye and Embyr go on several adventures together where they battle deadly monsters (the mysterious horsemen) take on the Queen of Summer, and fight for Avalon and Earth at a terrible cost.

"I...don't... I don't... remember anything...." I stammered as I gripped my head, the throbbing pain in my head was already getting worse. "I don't even remember my name." Tears slid down my dirt stained face, the pain from the headache and the fear of my situation only made it more difficult to stop crying. "Hey!" His soft, yet hard eyes locked with mine as he touched my shoulder gently. "I am here for you." His words was oddly reassuringly, even if I don't know who he is, I felt comfortable in his presence. An ambitious werewolf gathers an army of forbidden soldiers, werewolves and vampires together in one force against the human race, he wishes to dominate politically and socially, annihilating the weaker race (Humans). Now one step is left for him, he must mate with the last surviving Lycan, the only surviving daughter of the most influential family known as Golden Corporation, the political and economical gods on the earth. The incident on one fateful night results in Natasha loosing her memories. Faced with an opportunity of controlling the last possible Lycan alive, he fabricate lies on who killed her parents and convinced her to join his course. Groomed into a merciless killer by the man that killed her parents and brainwashed into agreeing to become his mate for what he calls the "greater good.", Natasha Nightshade becomes a shadow of herself, lost in a labyrinth of self discovery, tormented by nightmares that seemed to be memories of her past, and now the Luna of a powerful and ruthless Werewolf kingdom, she stumbles upon a prisoner, brought in to be executed, a man that looked like the light at the end of her dark tunnel and somehow seems oddly familiar.