Pictures Of The Scarecrow In The Wizard Of Oz

Two souls, forged in suffering, would collide in a dance of darkness and desire, testing the limits of love and redemption. Their paths meet when Asher's sister becomes the target of a predator, and Kaidën sees an opportunity for justice. As they navigate their dark worlds, they must confront the demons that haunt them. Will Asher's desire for protection and Kaidën's quest for vengeance spark a twisted romance, or will their shattered reflections destroy them? *** “You killed my mother.” Asher's voice trembled with fury. Kaidën's smile was cold, almost mirthful. “Who gave your sister to her husband who sold her to pay off his debts.” “I watched you murder her in cold blood!” Asher’s fists clenched around the gun he held pointed at the killer, memories of that night flooding back. Kaidën leaned closer, a sinister smile creeping onto his face. "I remember begging you to look away. But you didn’t. Did you enjoy it, Asher? Watching the woman who shattered your world writhe in agony? Or would you prefer to keep that little secret buried deep? Ah, but don’t answer that. Come, help me gather the pieces of your father's remains. It’s time to tidy up this little mess." Asher’s eyes widened in horror, realization crashing over him like a wave. All this time, he had been unaware that he was not only a witness to his father’s murder, but had watched it unfold until the very end, just like he had done that night when he watched his mother’s murder. Nodding, he picked up the severed hand of his father—the same hand that had beaten and broken him until his skin grew numb to pain. ‘Oh, sweet Emily, if only you could see our father now. How the mighty have fallen.’

My younger son, who is seven, is bitten by a snake. I take him to my elder son's hospital to be treated. To my surprise, my elder son's girlfriend thinks I'm his mistress. Not only does she stop the medical personnel from treating my younger son, but she even slaps me. "My boyfriend and I are a perfect match. How dare you bring your illegitimate son here to challenge me!" She pins me to the floor as she pummels and harms me. She even screeches, "A slut like you will only stop going around seducing others once you're incapable of it!" I'm bruised, battered, and bleeding as I'm wheeled into the emergency room. My elder son handles the operation. His hand trembles as he clutches his scalpel, and he looks ashen. "Who did this to you, Mom?"

Shantali Mae Cross, a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Ancient Arts, encounters an impossible phenomenon during her night shift—smoke from the heating vents coalesces into the form of a cobra near ancient Egyptian canopic jars, showing her visions of possible futures. She sees herself accepting a promotion, arguing with a dark-haired man in a hospital, wearing a wedding dress, and standing at a graveside in autumn. Shaken by the experience, Shantali becomes obsessed with understanding what she witnessed, diving into research about serpent smoke divination practices. Her investigation reveals that others throughout history have experienced similar visions at crucial crossroads in their lives, but those who became consumed with interpreting and controlling their prophetic glimpses inevitably destroyed the very relationships and opportunities the visions had shown them. As Shantali spirals deeper into her research, she begins shutting out her boyfriend David, a fellow security guard who loves her deeply. When David witnesses the cobra phenomenon himself, he helps ground her in reality rather than obsession. Through her studies, particularly the warnings left by Dr. Amelia Thorne—a researcher who died alone after chasing similar mysteries—Shantali realizes the cobra's true message: choose love over fear, presence over obsession. The visions weren't warnings of tragedy but glimpses of a life fully lived with all its ordinary struggles and profound connections. When David proposes, Shantali chooses their real relationship over her pursuit of supernatural answers. She completes her research by writing a fictional novel about her experience, transforming obsession into art while helping future cobra witnesses understand that some mysteries are meant to guide rather than be solved. The story explores themes of choice versus destiny, the danger of sacrificing present love for future certainty, and the wisdom of embracing life's uncertainties alongside those who love us.

After three years of living with my wife’s family, everyone thought they could treat me like a pushover. Me? I’m just waiting for her to hold my hand before I can give her the world.

ชีวิตของฉันเรียบร้อยจนเกินไป... จนวันหนึ่ง "พายุ" พัดเข้ามา ลินลี่ หญิงสาววัยยี่สิบสี่ ผู้ไม่เคยมีแฟน ไม่เคยรู้จักคำว่า ‘รัก’ แต่คืนเดียวกับชายแปลกหน้า กลับเปลี่ยนทุกอย่าง เขาคือ "พายุ" ผู้ชายที่ร้อนแรง อันตราย และยากจะลืม แต่เมื่อความจริงเปิดเผย เขาคือเพลย์บอยตัวพ่อ ลูกนักธุรกิจพันล้าน และที่เจ็บที่สุด—เขาจำเธอไม่ได้เลย ระหว่างความรู้สึกที่หยุดไม่ได้ กับความจริงที่เจ็บปวด เธอจะกล้า “เสี่ยง” กับรักครั้งนี้... หรือควร “ถอย” ก่อนที่หัวใจจะพัง?

Once in a millennium, the Phoenix will rise. The earth, the shifters, even the planet will call to her, pleading for her help. When they do, she always answers their call. Each time, she will choose a young woman who is deserving of carrying her fire, someone who is loving and caring, but with an inner strength that is difficult to break. Emmi Johnson is a human orphan who was kidnapped by The Mean Ones, grotesque shifters who wanted to create an army to destroy the elemental dragons and other hybrids. The dragons saved her and the others who were being held hostage, but the damage was already done. The Mean Ones were injecting her with their Komodo dragon DNA to make her into a shifter. The pain was excruciating, but the headaches that began soon afterward were worse. Ajax is a human runaway that was captured and experimented on by The Chief and Oliver. They injected him with earth dragon and elf DNA, turning him into a dragon hybrid. When Emmi senses chaos around her, something inside of her begins tearing at her insides. The screeching in her head makes her head throb. Ajax is the only one who can calm the fury inside her. Emmi is terrified that something’s wrong with her. Doc Everett can’t figure out what she is. That is until one day when the danger becomes so great that the Phoenix rises, melding itself to Emmi in a dangerous display of fire that is stronger than any fire dragon’s. Can Ajax help Emmi to find herself? Can she accept that she is no longer human, having been chosen by the ancient Phoenix? And can she become one with her shifter spirit before the danger that threatens them all comes for them?

"We are enemies." "That doesn't stop me from possessing you." He breathed and every word he whispered later on sent chills down my spine, "You are mine, Amara. From the pale blonde strands of your hair to your faded nail-polished toes. Every breath you take is mine. Not excluding the freckles dusting your cheeks to the pimples on your face. Your misery is mine, which I shall bring upon you myself. From your giggles to your random nonsensical chatter, I own them! Your darn strawberry moments are mine. Every drop of blood that flows through your veins belongs to me and so does your last breath when I snuff life out of you, watching as your pretty green eyes lose their shine and your heartbeat goes dull beneath my palm." His hand traveled to my neck, fingers lacing around it, and he squeezed a bit, "Who do you belong to?" He asked capturing my ear lobe between his lips and I shivered. "Myself and you can't have me!" I swung my head back and crashed it against his, sending him reeling backward. **************** You have got to let your loved ones know what's happening with you' Amara snow Dardanos learns this the hard way when her perfect world is crushed by a secret she kept away from her family. Orian Wolfe Akanther, one of the leaders of the underworld is given the task of taking the werewolf princess as vengeance for the injustice and treachery done to his kind. The plan was simple, to take her, watch her family and kind crumble beneath his finger tips and then kill her but that plan seems to foil when his nonexistent heart leans towards her and he is at the risk of breaking a blood oath.

Disclaimer: Rise of the Phoenix is the spin off/sequel of Dragon's mate. It can be read as a stand alone book Sarah Johnson is a girl whose life is anything but ordinary. At a young age she was adopted by an extraordinary couple of dragon shifters. Living with them and learning about the supernatural world gave her perfect insight into how a relationship between two people should look like, and she knew she won't ever be able to settle for anything less than true love. That's why she secretly dreamed of finding her own prince from a fairytale… the one that will love her just as much as she would love him. But what will happen when Sarah's sweet and bubbly nature clashes with always frowned and gloomy prince that was anything but what she had imagined? What will happen when the one that was meant for her refuses to accept her? With an unknown danger looming over Sarah's head, worries and troubles from the past, will they be able to set their differences aside and be what they are supposed to be… soulmates… or will they drift apart so that nothing can hold them together?

All Collette ever wanted was to feel true happiness, to know what it felt like to be loved, and appreciated. But when rogues murder her entire pack, that all becomes a distant dream. She was orphaned and taken in by a neighbouring pack, forced to live a life of service for their generosity. She is now known as the Silvermoon pack's biggest secret. Colette has become a pawn in this never-ending game called life. To be used in place of the Alpha's daughter when she is to marry the most feared and cold-hearted Alpha in southern Canada. Once again forced into a life she never wanted. One filled with bigger secrets and colder enemies. But what no one else knows is that Colette has a big secret of her own. Will that secret be the cause of her demise, or will it be the thing that leads her to her salvation?

“Elena,” he says. My name has never sounded more filthy. He slams the door shut behind him with a kick of his foot and I flinch. My hand remains behind my back, it is a good thing he does not notice that my hands are now free. He inches forward and I take as many steps back as I can until I hit the wall. He comes even closer until his ugly face is mere inches away from my own. I can smell the stench of his wolf as he roughly grabs me by the chin. I quake uncontrollably, it is as if a wave of parasitic worms has taken hold of me, his touch is repulsive as it is nauseating. This man, who is old enough to be my father leans in and smiles. My eye starts to water and a sob escapes my lips. ****** Elena is a wolf-less girl who hails from a long line of omegas. One day, the enemy pack comes demanding for tributes, virgin girls to work as their slaves and to save her family, Elena volunteers to become one. She ends up a slave to the alpha of the enemy pack where she is horribly tortured. All hope seems lost and all she wants to do is to die, but then her savior comes in the form of Hunter, the alpha of the Storm Riders pack. Hunter takes one look at her and realizes she is his one true mate. But the only problem is, she has already been claimed by the alpha of the enemy pack. Will Elena be set free and allowed to choose her own path and happiness? Or will she be forever doomed to live in the shadows of her scars and past?