Plague

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

Caitlin and Caleb find themselves, once again, back in time—this time, in the London of 1599.

London in 1599 is a wild place, filled with paradoxes: while on the one hand it is an incredibly enlightened, sophisticated time, breeding playwrights like Shakespeare, on the other, it is also barbaric and cruel, with daily public executions, torture, and heads of prisoners impaled on spikes. It is also a time of superstition and grave public danger, with a lack of sanitation, and the Bubonic Plague spreading in the streets, carried by rats.

In this environment Caitlin and Caleb land, on the search for her father, for the third key, for the mythical shield that can save humankind. Their mission takes them through a whirlwind of London’s most amazing medieval architecture, through the British countryside’s most breathtaking castles. It takes them back into the heart of London, where they just might meet Shakespeare himself, and see one of his plays live. It brings them to a little girl, Scarlet, who just might become their daughter. And all the while, Caitlin’s love for Caleb deepens, as finally they are together—and as Caleb might just finally find the perfect time, and place, to propose to her.

Sam and Polly have traveled back, too, and as they find themselves stuck together on their own journey, their relationship deepens, as they each, despite themselves, can’t help feeling more deeply for each other.

But all is not well. Kyle has come back, too, as has his evil sidekick, Sergei, and they are both intent on destroying everything good in Caitlin’s life. It will be a race to the finish, as Caitlin is forced to make some of the hardest decisions of her life if she is to save everyone who is dear to her, save her relationship with Caleb—and try to make it out alive.

"I know your family, Anna Kylin!" He spat out my surname like it was hot potatoes. "And you have a lot of guts coming here." He turned away and spoke to two men whom I had not noticed. "Take her to the dungeons. I will extract whatever information I can from her and dump her back in the river where she will be sent to her family. It should be a lesson to them never to send a spy to my pack." ~~~~~~~~~~ Anna Kylin was shocked when she found out she was pregnant. But from previous tests, Her chosen mate and husband, Alpha Rick, was known to be impotent. After accusing her of being a cheating whore, he finds his fated mate and proceeds to toss Anna aside. Despaired and broken, Anna breaks all bonds and leaves the pack. She stumbles into the territory of her family's archrival and into the hands of the bloodthirsty ruthless lycan king. Mitch Chester, ruthless Lycan King, is often rumored to be 100% beast and 0% human. He bears a generational grudge against anyone from the inland packs, especially the pack that was led by the Kylins. So he was pleasured when the first daughter of his enemy fell into his pack, but there is something about Anna that makes his beast purr like a housecat. What will happen in this entwining loop of fate and love? What will happen when Mitch finds out that Anna was his fated mate all along but she carries the child of another man? When a dreadful plague sweeps through the packs, killing people, but there is only one person with the brains to cure the illness, and when Anna's ex-husband needs her help but instead meets two children that are his striking resemblance, how would he react?

Elara Nightingale has a secret—she can see everyone's emotions as colorful auras. Everyone except Cain Blackwood, the mysterious man who returns to their small coastal town after ten years away. When Cain's mother starts making threats about an upcoming event called "the Convergence," Elara discovers her quiet life running the family bookstore has been built on lies. Her parents weren't just booksellers—they were magical guardians protecting the town from a darkness that emerges every 93 years when the barrier between worlds thins. Now that darkness is returning, stronger than ever. And according to town librarian Mrs. Holloway, only Elara and Cain can stop it. As magical attacks force them into hiding, Elara and Cain must learn to control their complementary powers—her ability to see beyond normal perception and his power to create protective shields. Their families have been performing a ritual for generations that temporarily contains the darkness, but it comes with a terrible price: binding their life forces together permanently. Elara's parents died trying to find another way. Now she and Cain must finish what they started—a purification ritual using a mysterious crystal called the Lens. While training together in a remote cabin, their initial distrust turns to friendship, then to something deeper. But Cain's power-hungry mother is determined to perform the traditional ritual, even if it means killing Elara. As the Convergence approaches and strange phenomena plague the town, Elara and Cain must race to decipher hidden clues, navigate secret tunnels beneath the town, and prepare for a magical showdown in the chamber beneath the lighthouse. When the stars finally align, they'll face a choice: follow tradition and be bound forever by duty, or risk everything on a new path—one where they choose each other freely, transforming darkness into light through the most powerful magic of all.

“You’re disgusting. Get out of my room,” I demand as I press up to my feet. He doesn’t protest and stands up, slicking his bright pink hair back. “Whatever ya say, Bunny. Get some sleep. You have an early day tomorrow,” he winks at me and makes his way out the door. - - - - Sapphire Stone is the third daughter of the late Alpha Bronson Stone. Despite losing both her parents to the Fated Plague when she was just a child, and being separated from her sisters, Saph maintained an optimistic attitude. She was always the sister who could look on the bright side. That is until she lost her chosen mate when he sacrificed his life for another. Once bright-eyed and caring Saph is now using any means to numb herself from the pain of her broken heart. Her reckless behavior has ultimately landed her in serious trouble with Alpha Asher of Red Mountain Pack. Coping with her loss and grief is hard enough. Now, Saph must face the man who cost her chosen mate his life, along with helping find a cure for what could be another plague. Alpha Asher is the light-hearted, and alternative, leader of the Red Mountain Pack. After uprooting his pack from Australia, Asher has vowed to always keep his pack members safe and free from worry. The full moon run reveals a bond that Asher cannot fight, but also cannot act on. With secrets from his past resurfacing, Asher will do anything to protect his new-found mate, even if it’s from herself. A former betrayal looms in the shadows, threatening to decimate what’s left of Asher’s pack. It will require him to trust his mate, and new allies, to help him save what matters most to him.

"Chris." The said man looked up at his mate and beta. One look,he understood what had happened. Without further ado,the man behind her walked out of the door closing it behind him. He stood up and stalked towards her. Grabbing her chin he said, "Darling, do you badly want to go outside and get taken by those men? They would sell you to a pimp house?! Why don't you just understand that I'm just trying to keep you safe?! Why can't you just stay here quietly?" Isabelle looked up into his eyes. He was taken aback by her boldness. No one ever dared to look into this eyes but it was to be expected after all, she was his mate. His equal. "What good is this place? At least out there, I won't be confined like a fucking prisoner! I so much hate this place. I can't breathe normally. It's all so suffocating! There's no one to keep me company, no phone no nothing. You as well, oh yeah, you treat me like I'm some disease that you'll contract if you get close to me. Like a plague! But don't you worry, cause I'm very happy with that behaviour. But at least just let me live my normal life. Why can't I just do that?!" She yelled tears trickling down her face. Chris who couldn't bear to see her cry moved his hands from her chin pulling her into his embrace. She fought against him for a while before she later calmed down and just sobbed into his cloth. "I'll let you go out. I'll give you my phone to use for the meantime. Just please stop crying." He whispered his voice breaking. He leaned to his table and took his phone sliding it into her pocket.