Running Count Blackjack Novels & Stories

On my twentieth birthday, my father asked me to draw from a box of straws. It was to pick a husband between William Smith and Austin Smith to inherit North Town. The short straw represented Austin, while the long straw represented William. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the long straw. However, I was certain that I did not want to marry Austin. I drew straws for three years, but it was to no avail. I had no choice but to tamper with the straws to marry William as I wished. However, ten years into our marriage, he was no longer gentle and kind. He had turned into a really cold person. He neither returned home nor touched me. Even when I threatened him with a knife, he refused to talk to me. Despite feeling hurt, I was unwilling to let him go. That was until I watched him kick away the only medicine I had for my asthma while I was writhing on the floor. “I was the one who switched out the straws. There was no long straw, yet you forced me to marry you. Mandy died from a broken heart, so you should pay with your life.” When I opened my eyes again, I was holding a short straw. I calmly said, “Since it’s the short one, I choose Austin.”

The wolves are causing chaos, and a war is on the verge of starting, but Lucifer had to step in and stop it from going. To show the wolves his sincerity, he offered them something they can't refuse, a Neko, but not any Neko, he was offering them his favourite baby kitten. Would the pack know how to deal with her? Or would they be too busy running after her and forgetting all about the war? This story contains fluff, cuteness and no sex. It can count as ddlg, cgl, and age regression. Apologies for any misspelling and grammar mistakes.

It’s end of October 1985 and the crumbling river town of Dubois, Iowa is shocked by the gruesome murder of one of the pillars of the community. Detective David Carlson has no motive, no evidence, and only one lead: the macabre local legend of “Boris Orlof,” a late night horror movie host who burned to death during a stage performance at the drive-in on Halloween night twenty years ago and the teenage loner obsessed with keeping his memory alive. The body count is rising and the darkness that hangs over the town grows by the hour. Time is running out as Carlson desperately chases shadows into a nightmare world of living horrors. On Halloween the drive-in re-opens at midnight for a show no one will ever forget. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

She never stayed long enough to belong. Living as a lone wolf with her father, she spent her life drifting from town to town, school to school - never fitting in, always stirring up trouble. Expelled more times than she could count, each new start felt more like an escape than a fresh beginning. But everything changes the moment she meets her mate... in the middle of a high school hallway. She had always prayed for a rogue mate - someone wild and free like herself. Instead, fate ties her to someone she despises most: a wolf with a high-ranking title and the chains of duty she’s spent her whole life running from. In the end, you can only mess with others for so long before you end up wrecking your own life - and hers is about to get gloriously, heartbreakingly complicated.

My parents’ adoptive daughter took three kids hiking with her, and they ended up dead. They wanted me to take the blame for her. My father forced me to kneel before the families of the victims and crushed my calf with his hiking pole. “These were the legs she used to take your kids hiking. I’ll make sure she never gets to hike again.” My mother legally disowned me. “Jenny will be breaking hiking records one day. I won’t let anyone bring up her shameful sister when that happens! She’s sacrificed so much for you all these years, and it’s time you paid her back.” My boyfriend promised me, “Jenny has nothing. She would not survive if she had to endure all this, but at least you have me. I’ll be here for you no matter what happens. They’re just angry, but they won’t send you to jail. You can come home once everything settles down.” To defend the reputation of my adoptive sister, he and my parents worked together to falsify evidence and send me to jail. “It’s to protect you,” they promised, “so the families don’t take revenge on you.” They did not know I had already given up on them.

A young lady awakens to find herself in a luxurious mansion, but is at the mercy of its insane master. Can she discover the truth of what happened and escape? Or will she be another body count?

Justin Ramos is a simple boy with a simple dream: to read, write, and count numbers easily. Due to his inborn disorder called dyslexia and dyscalculia, he can never fulfill that. He always wanted to be normal for other people, but he is an outcast. Justin always blames his biological mother and his father, whom he never saw since the day he turned into a 3-year-old boy, for living his hard life. When he met Marian Aguinaldo, an elementary teacher, his whole world changed. He builds the desire to learn, not about his lifelong dream for the alphabet, but he wants to know how to love. How can Justin learn the alphabet and count numbers when he is totally in love with Marian? Will Marian teach him how to love?

Belle Daphne wanted love from everyone but whenever she tried something, she always failed. Being a sweet young girl, she wanted love from her mate, her pack members always said that finding their mate was the best thing that ever happened to them. However, that was not the case. She was rejected by her mate, who happened to be her best friends. The Moon Goddess was cruel to her, she was left with a broken heart. She felt useless, angry and heartbroken. She wanted to stop the pain which pinned her heart and wanted everything to end. She decided to end it by running away from her pack. Sneak peek: “Can you two do me a favour?" I look at his eyes while addressing those words. “What do you want?” He asks, raising his eyebrow. “I want to make him regret the things he did to me. So, I want you to help me fake my own death," I propose my idea to him. He smirks, "Sure, but I will need a plan to make it look real.” I discuss the plan with the two people that I can count on, and they nod their head in response. “This is going to be fun!" She exclaimed. “Sweet revenge is always the best feeling ever," I proclaimed with a growing delight.

At one of the exclusive private casino parties, my eyes landed on a diamond tiara. The catch? It was the prize for a high-stakes blackjack game. Luckily, poker happens to be one of my many sins. A girl named Elara—whom I once pitied enough to introduce to Throne, hoping she’d land a job—has now declared she wants the tiara too. Naïve. Probably thought beginner’s luck was a real thing. I figured, fine. Let the cards decide. If I win, I walk away with the tiara. If I lose, I’ll find another way to soothe my pride. Easy enough. Thorne, my ever-watchful husband, leaned in and murmured, “Go easy on her.” I didn’t. I won. Beat the dealer faster than her and won the tiara. That girl cried at the table. Thorne didn’t look impressed for once. He rather seemed... irritated. I thought it was for Elara’s sake. Turns out, it was for mine. A year later, same party, different stakes. The grand prize? My own sex video. While holding Elara in his arms, my husband said to me, voice almost amusing, “Don’t you like winning prizes? Then go on. Win our sex tape back.”

What is scarier than someone living in your walls? How about finding out the boy in the walls has seen a monster in there? What will the Count's daughter and her two unusual friends do to protect her home? Rated 12+ for light violence, kissing, sexual reference