Otherworldly Gaze

When the apocalypse struck, Ray Morley was brutally murdered and eaten by his wife's family. Only in his dying moments did he learn the cruel truth—his beloved son wasn't his own flesh and blood. He had been nothing more than a pathetic stand-in, a fool used and discarded. But fate gave him another chance. Reborn three months before the end of the world, Ray awakened to find himself in possession of an enormous, otherworldly storage space. This time, he wasted no time—he divorced his venomous wife, won a massive lottery prize, stormed into the stock market, and earned billions. He built fortified shelters and hoarded mountains of supplies. In this new life, he would make his ex-wife and her family pay—every last one of them. No more groveling. No more weakness. This time, Ray would rise above it all.

“Why me?” The petite girl tilted her head sideways to gaze at the concrete wall that suddenly looked quite interesting whilst steadying her erratic breath but within seconds her body roughly flew to the other side of the cave with a harsh thud knocking everything out of. Blood splashed from her mouth in immense amount. Her unsteady blurry gaze shifted at the intruder and what she saw made her heart tighten in terror. There and than she knew she was a goner.

“You are not here to love me. You are here to set me free. Do not forget that.” He was cursed for a thousand years. She was betrayed in a single night. Ivy was born glowing, otherworldly blue hair, glowing eyes, and a destiny too big for her fragile heart. Once cherished as the savior of her pack, she was brutally betrayed, rejected by the very alpha she loved... and left for dead. But death didn’t claim her. He did. Damon Blackfang. The cursed Lycan King. A beast feared by nations. A god in wolf’s skin. Silent. Brutal. Deadly. Bound by invisible chains that only a true mate can break. He never wanted love. He only wanted freedom. And she? She wanted revenge. Bound by prophecy. Fueled by vengeance. Tempted by something neither of them dared name, love. In a kingdom ruled by blood, betrayal, and beasts, Ivy must make an impossible choice: Break his curse… or break her own heart. Because when the chain falls… so might the king.

"Apologize this minute, or else!" Kade roared, his tone threatening. My heart skipped a beat, as if electrocuted, and my body tensed. I watched, fuming, as Kade's gaze locked onto Lisa's, their eyes melting into a romantic stare. My blood boiled, rage rushing through my veins. "Or else what?" I challenged, my tone dripping with defiance. Kade's gaze shifted to me, a manipulative smile spreading across his face. "Or else your tears will kiss my divorce papers tomorrow!" he sneered. I fired back, my voice steady. "No, my pen will kiss your papers in response!”

When I was finally able to snap out of my fear, I diverted my gaze to my father's head on the ground as my anger began to burn deeper within me. As tears slid down my cheeks, I raised up my head to meet Castro's gaze. His sword was still aimed at my neck unflinchingly. My gaze moved between Jasmine, my cousin and him one more time before I questioned. "What do you think you are doing, Castro?" "What does it look like, Katherine?" "A coup?" Castro smirked. "You're right!" "But why?"

Sofia Russo dashed into the elevator, running late for work. But as soon as the doors closed, she found herself face-to-face with the notorious mafia don, Luca Greco. Her heart raced as he pulled her closer, his smoldering gaze sending shivers down her spine. Suddenly, he whispered in her ear, "Two minutes before the elevator stops. Enough time for a quickie." Sofia was taken aback, disgusted by his brazen proposition. She tried to push him away, but he was too powerful. “Disgusting” she blurted. "Sofia Russo," the words rolled off the tongue of the infamous mafia don, Luca Greco, as he pulled her closer, his smoldering gaze locked onto hers. "Ex-husband Tony Moretti. Has a seven-year-old daughter, Isabella." Sofia's heart raced as she realized this man knew more about her than she'd ever imagined. "Give me a chance, sweetheart," Luca demanded, his voice silky smooth. "Let me take care of you and your princess." Sofia was lost in the intensity of his gaze, but she knew better than to fall for a man like him. She'd been burned before and had no intention of repeating the same mistake.

There are a lot more truths in the books we read, than we’d like to admit. What if a book delves into the lives of the very town you live in? Reveals to you some personal stories of people you know? Or thought you knew. Bookstore owner Kevin Ellison faces this truth when a mysterious book shows up in Through a Mirror, Darkly by Kevin Lucia. Through a Mirror, Darkly is a Supernatural Thriller collection masked as a novel. With elements of mystery, suspense, and otherworldly horror, Through a Mirror, Darkly successfully delves into the worlds of Lovecraft, Grant, and the mysterious Carcosa. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing Arcane Delights. Clifton Heights' premier rare and used bookstore. In it, new owner Kevin Ellison has inherited far more than a family legacy, for inside are tales that will amaze, astound, thrill...and terrify: An ancient evil thirsty for lost souls. A very different kind of taxi service with destinations not on any known map. Three coins that grant the bearer's fondest wish, and a father whose crippling grief gives birth to something dark and hungry.

“A Luna is meant to be graceful and elegant not…” His mother sniffed, her nose up in the air, “not this.” Disdain and disgust dripped from her words. Every word felt like a blow to my heart, I kept still, waiting for Roland to come to my defense like a good mate. I sent a pleading gaze to him but all I got was an icy stare in return, but I still held faith in my heart. He sighed and his gaze softened with something that looked like self-loathing, “I'm sorry Selena, you're not just Luna material,” His gaze shifted to the person beside me, “And I'm in love with another.” There was a ringing in my ears as time slowed and my world came to a standstill, “W-what?” I choked out, dazed. Selena was the fat unwanted twin, the one her mate rejected for her prettier, slimmer sister. Once rejected, betrayed and left for dead, she almost gave up on life itself. When she stumbles into the arms of two alpha werewolves the world fears, she doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Four years later, she returns, stronger and fiercer, a queen in her own right. The weak fat wolf is dead and in her place is someone they would never see coming. A weapon. Vengeance.

The Velvet Pact In the golden shadow of forbidden salons, Eva, poor and invisible, unwittingly attracts the gaze of two predators. Sasha and Niko Volkov, twins of breathtaking beauty and heirs to a ruthless empire, see in her the perfect prey for a perverse game. Their offer is not a mere transaction, but a corrupted pact sealed in velvet and money: an obscene fortune in exchange for her innocence. But the price is darker than it seems. She must give herself to one of the brothers, body and soul, under the possessive and burning gaze of the other. What begins as a sale becomes a dizzying fall into the depths of desire and jealousy. Trapped in this forbidden triangle, Eva discovers that her body can be a weapon and that submission can hide an unsuspected power. In this labyrinth of pleasure and domination, the true trial will not be to choose her master, but to survive the consuming obsession she ignites in them… and in herself.

Naelis Haldrith is many things, daughter to the South's most strategic Alpha, an Omega with Alpha genes, and an unapologetic misfit. During summer break, she decides to journey to Frostpine and spend her heat cycle with her boyfriend, the golden pea of the Thalric pod. But during a collared moment, a secret of his is revealed, and Naelis realizes that their relationship was more complex than it seemed. Choosing to return to her pack, she steps outside under a storm, and it is at that moment she crosses paths with a man she had never seen before. Zoran Vyer Thalric. Uncle to her ex. Member of the Elder's Council. The otherworldly primordial with red-ringed eyes and a wolf barely chained beneath his skin. Desire sparks instantly, and her sights are immediately set on him, but... he is a devotee of the Citadel, celibate, untouched, and unwilling to be the calm to her fury. She is fire, wild and untamed. He is steel, honed and contained. And for the first time, Naelis is the hunter after her prey, and the line of resistance slowly blurs as he finds his years of enforced self-control and suppression unraveling at the tint of her touches. And with a maniac on their radar, this summer break will demand blood, sacrifice, and passion that howls to the moon.