Ocean County Library Jackson Novels & Stories

On the first day of every month, my mom will give me my allowance based on the number of times I had checked in with her last month. "You'll receive 20 dollars for greeting your parents once in the morning and once in the evening. But last month, you only hit ten days' worth of quota, so you can only receive 200 dollars. This also means your 300-dollar punctuality fee will be deducted as well. "After adding on 150 dollars for your basic necessities, you shall receive only 350 dollars for this month's allowance. Remember to write a reflection report on your lack of punctuality later. I'll only transfer you the money if your report is acceptable." I become so overwhelmed by anxiety that my voice starts trembling. "I was busy with my finals last month, Mom! I had to line up outside the library at 5:00 am every day just so I could secure myself a seat! That's why I couldn't call you in time!" In a choked-up tone, I plead to my mom, "I need 600 dollars for the train ticket all the way home during the holidays! 350 dollars really isn't enough for me! Mom, can you please—" But my mom cuts me off firmly, "The allowance system is something that I've specifically designed for you so that I can help you get rid of the bad habit of wanting to receive everything without putting in hard work! Why can't you just understand that I'm doing this for your own good?" After that, she ends the call mercilessly. Just as I'm filled with despair and helplessness, a blond appears before my eyes. He's willing to buy my train ticket for me, but in return, I need to leave with him.

Sold like a circus animal. Collared, forced into misery and self-hatred. With a single blow, she hopes to change her life, only to find herself trapped again. Ocean has no idea what freedom means, but she desires nothing more than a taste of it. The secrets hidden from her will unfold before her eyes, no one can escape the truth. ~~~ The book excerpt: "Here, I have a key to your heart," I left the key in my palm, metal, and skin together. I stumbled upon the ancient artwork in the locker rooms. It caught my attention because it resembles a dagger, so I took it and waited for the perfect opportunity. "Silly girl, that is not the key to my heart. Pathetic attempt." Vladimir growls in disgust. If I'm lucky, I'll be free by the end of the night. Taking the first step toward my destruction, I grin and move my hips in time with the slow music in the background. Vladimir swallows, his Adam's apple bobbles in his throat. The vampire's eyes focus on the crook of my neck as I stop directly in front of him. I place my palm on his chest, guide my fingertips down to his abdominal muscles, a corner of my lip twitches in disgust. When he closes his eyes, I take the opportunity to plunge the key directly into his heart, smiling as his eyes shoot open and he looks down at me in horror. "Are you still convinced I don't have the key to your heart?" I ask, grab him by the collar, and pull him closer. My lips nearly touch his ear as I whisper, "It fits."

Three years ago, on the day I married Luca Moretti, he personally handed me a marriage contract with a fixed term of three years. His tone was casual, indifferent, as if he were discussing an ordinary business deal. "This marriage exists solely to serve the alliance of interests between the Morettis and the Vitales. Sign this agreement. After three years, the marriage will automatically dissolve. When that time comes, you can go and pursue your true love." I barely hesitated before signing. Ten years earlier, at an inter-family business gala, when I was ten and Luca was sixteen, I had already fallen hopelessly in love with him. What looked like a strategic alliance was, in truth, the outcome of my decade-long unrequited love. During the three years of our marriage, Luca was attentive and gentle toward me. Over time, I began to believe I was loved. I sank into that illusion, unable to pull myself out, forgetting entirely about the agreement. That illusion was shattered completely on the night of our third wedding anniversary. That evening, Luca arrived with Elena, who had just returned to New York, and attended what was supposed to be our third anniversary celebration together. She stood beside him with ease and composure, smoothly engaging with business partners. People praised her, saying she looked more like the Donna of the Moretti family. In that moment, even though Luca never mentioned the agreement again, I understood clearly that it was time for me to step aside. After breaking free from his control, crossing an ocean to rebuild myself, and becoming a brilliant leader in my industry, I would no longer wait for his love.

16 year old Scarlet Paine struggles to understand what’s happening to her, as she wakes and realizes she’s becoming a vampire. Alienated from her parents and her friends, the only person she has left to turn to is Sage, the mysterious boy who has quickly become the love of her life. Yet Sage, whose house she finds boarded up, is nowhere to be found.

Scarlet, alone in the world, with nowhere left to turn, seeks out her friends and tries to reconcile with them. All seems to be patched up when they invite her to join them on a trip to an abandoned island in the Hudson—but as things get out of hand and Scarlet’s true powers are revealed, who her friends and enemies are becomes more confusing than ever.

Blake, still interested in her, tries to make amends. He seems sincere, and Scarlet is confused as she has to grapple with whether to be with Blake or to wait for Sage, who is nowhere to be found.

When Scarlet finally finds Sage, they have the most romantic time of her life; yet it is tinged with tragedy, as Sage is dying, with but a few days left to live.

Kyle, meanwhile, turned into the only other vampire left in the world, is on a murderous rampage, seeking Scarlet; Caitlin and Caleb consult with Aiden, and they each embark on different missions—Caleb to stop and kill Kyle, and Caitlin, to the famed Yale University library, to research the ancient relic rumored to both cure and kill vampires for all time.

It is a race against time, and it may be too late. Scarlet is changing rapidly, barely able to control what she’s becoming, and Sage is dying with each passing moment. As the book culminates in an action-packed, shocking twist, Scarlet will be left with a monumental choice—one that will change the world forever. Will Scarlet make the ultimate sacrifice to save Sage’s life? Will she risk everything she has for love?

I took a shortcut through the alley and watched Dante Marchetti put a bullet in a man like it was nothing. He saw my face. That was the end of my normal life. Within an hour I was in the back of his car being driven to an estate I had never seen before with gates that locked from the outside and a wardrobe full of clothes in my exact size waiting like someone had known I was coming before I did. He told me I wasn't a prisoner but a guest. He said people who wanted to find me were considerably worse than him and that his walls were the only thing standing between me and a conversation I wouldn't survive. Maybe he was right. The problem is the longer I stayed the harder it became to remember which one was true. Because the man who caught me in that alley wasn't the only version of him. There was another one that nobody else seemed to get to see. The one who stood alone in his dead mother's library looking tired in a way that had nothing to do with sleep. The one who had my cat brought to the estate because he heard me crying through a closed door and didn't know what else to do about it. The one who almost smiled when I threw a glass at his head. That version of him was the one I couldn't stop thinking about. I came here as a witness. I stayed as something else entirely. Somewhere between the locked doors, the candlelit dinners and the secrets we started sharing in the dark I stopped wanting to leave. The question was whether a woman like me could survive loving a man like him. I was about to find out.

Lilian Jackson has the worst luck, between balancing multiple jobs, playing the role of both parents for her siblings, managing her alcoholic father and paying back her student loans, 24 hours is just not enough for her. As if that's not enough life throws her a curveball in the form of a life threatening heart disease. "I must be paying my debts from my past life for all this to be happening to me" There is Byron Bladell, heir to a multi-million chain of restaurants and CEO in his own right. He is tall, rich, handsome and seems to have it all with a loving family and a beautiful girlfriend. The world sees him as the most eligible bachelor in town but he is chasing a shadow from his past. Their lives intertwine as pictures of their chanced meeting sweeps the internet suggesting an intimate relationship. "It's just a rumor" Lilian attempts to convince everyone. "Why don't you just marry me" Bryon suggests. In what seems like the answer to both their problems, Lillian and Byron enter a contract marriage. The initial indifference towards each other fade as they stay under a roof and play the part of a loving couple to outside world. The lines between acting and reality start to blur as their emotions come to play. Without the pressure of providing for her family, Lilian regains her fierce and cheerful attitude which mirrors someone from Byron’s past. It's just a fake relationship but what was happening to her heart. "Is this a symptom of my heart disease or is my heart racing for him?" It is the journey of two hurting souls finally finding healing from their past and inner peace, after all it all started with a racing heart.

**FIRST BOOK**Meet tall and handsome, slightly tanned Alpha Dominic Thunders, Alpha of the notorious and merciless Red Moon pack, his features could make the Greek gods jealous even though it is believed that he was hand crafted by them. His broad muscular body with his perfect bulging muscles and well chiseled and could make you drool; one look from him with those damn beautiful brown eyes could make girls wet and the men in worlds known mafia's bow down to respect him, they spoke the words of authority and had a mischievous look. A true born Alpha who leads by example. Admired and adored by his pack; he has protected them by putting his life on the line, a story for much later; a storm brewing and it is coming for the Red Moon Pack. His right hook is known to put the toughest of men out in one swing. His beast needs to be tamed and the storm in his soul needs to be calmed. Now! Meet Athena Breeze, her stunning body and those sexy curves; she is half heaven and half hell and believe me you do not want to be on the half that is hell. Long black waist length hair and dark brown eyes, her smile could either make your heart melt and her fair skin so soft and smooth, not a single blemish. The women warriors of the first world would be in admiration of her fighting skills. Stubborn and strong minded like any other female Alpha who is being groomed to take the reins of Ocean Moon. She has a heart full of love; don't forget the sass. She needs to be grounded. Could it be coincidence that these two fated mates meet a couple of days later?

There prevailed to be six kingdoms consisting of humans, werewolves, vampires, fairies, elves, and dragon kingdoms. A hostile war transpired between the dragons and the werewolves. The very war destroyed a lot of lives and the dragons' kingdom. However, the werewolves were getting defeated and the human kingdom agreed on assisting their allies which were the werewolves. But then, amidst the battle, something significant happened. Alpha Jeffrey, the king of the werewolves was at the point of winning against the Almighty king of the dragons. He zipped the arrow at the dragon king. However, his strike jabbed right into the heart of King Dawson, the human king. Anguishly, this brought a great disputable conflict between the humans... A wave of venomous anger and pure hatred against the werewolves. When the war was won, the dragons vanished from the earth. Then, the battle between the humans and the werewolves arose. Queen Isle being the spouse of king Dawson, swore with her life to avenge her husband's death and make Alpha Jeffery... Her slave. ************************** Extracted from the story. ************************** "Strip!" the feminine cold voice, ordered. A thick groan, a scratchy voice responded to her utters. "And what if I don't, woman!" he growls outrageously yet, weakly. "Then, await to withstand the dance of the devils, Alpha!" she chuckled, evilly and viciously. And then, she walked out in her regal strides away from the room. She is the queen, the tyrant ruler of Denmark's kingdom. Her voice is authority, her voice is the law! No one dares to mess up with her, no one dares to weigh a war on her kingdom. She's like a fire, that not even the ocean can quench her whole. Even the moon is extremely envious of the voluminous beauty she carries. She's known as the tyrant Queen Isle.

When our two packs were at war, I secretly injected myself with the deadly Silverthorn Toxin to save my Alpha mate. But when he woke, Fenris hailed another she-wolf, Vanessa, as his savior, and condemned me as his enemy. "Freya, you are here to repay a blood debt. Your Silver Crest pack owes me the lives of my entire pack." He obliterated the last remnants of my family in this city. He imprisoned me on his private territory, tormenting me daily, his Alpha presence a constant, crushing weight. He dressed Vanessa in the Luna's gown and announced that she was carrying his child. And to everyone else, I was nothing more than a canary in his gilded cage. The tearing agony of our rejected mate bond was more lethal than any torture. He gripped my jaw, forcing me to watch as the landmarks my family had built were torn down, one by one. "Did you really think one mating ceremony could wash away the ocean of blood between us?" he sneered, his eyes devoid of any warmth. "You slaughtered my people. Do you think sending just one of you could ever atone for that sin?" Every time I tried to end my own life, he would dig up the bones of one of my kin from their graves and grind them to dust right in front of me. "I told you, you don't get to die without my permission." I stopped struggling. Let him hate me. After all, I only had three days left until the Silverthorn Toxin in my veins ran its course.

Hillary Amelie Marquez is a beautiful and smart-witted woman who has a strong soul and owns a big heart. Despite the rumors attacking her to be an infertile woman, behind her fit and young figure, she has kept an undisclosed secret any person should not intend to know. A secret that answers her mysterious background as the faceless heir of the Marquez Corporation, the infamous 'Yama queen' who wrecked the business world as she was titled the very first woman that succeeded in handling a company better than the articles told about her. Hillary is well-known to have pushed her family's company rankings, where she managed to trample on two of the most influential 'Big five' after two years of her reign that's still a mystery to everyone. And so her title as the 'rising phoenix' begins. Inside the walls of the renowned Marquez's main mansion, a three years old boy was hidden from the prying eyes of the media. A boy whose eyes were like the deepest part of the ocean, its beauty was remarkable than the rarest gem. Nothing was more realistic than the truth she holds, no one not even her parents knew, that the father of her child was a man who is defined to be god's favorite masterpiece. A man whose blood and eyes were considered royal and divine in the race of humankind. He goes by many names, but everyone knew him as, The Grim Reaper. A man who is infamous for brutally slaughtering heads and fiddle over human souls under his fingers. When fate favors their hearts to be one again, will Hillary be willing to attach herself again towards the overbearing, malicious, and coldblooded man who was said to live a life without mercy and is more cunning and inhuman by nature?