Shadows Of Tomorrow

"do you know how to dance?" he asked. Napailing akong napapayuko na mahigpit nakahawak sa laylayan ng damit ko. Napahinga ito ng malalim. Napaiktad ako nang tumayo ito mula sa pagkakaupo sa sofa at lumapit na napapisil sa baba kong itiningala ako dito. Hindi ako makatitig sa kanyang mga matang matiim akong tinitigan. Para akong matutunaw. Hindi ko siya kayang titigan sa mata. Pakiramdam ko'y malulusaw ako. Nakakalunod makipagtitigan sa kulay asul niyang mga mata. Mga matang napakasungit kung tumingin. "so tell me, how can you pay me hmm?" sensual niyang tanong na napapakagat ng ibabang labi. Napalunok akong napasunod ng tingin sa kanyang mga labi. Unti-unti siyang napangisi na mas inilapit ang mukha! Napakapit ako sa kanyang polo nang akmang sasayad na ang kanyang mga labi sa akin! Sobrang bilis ng tibok ng puso ko. Hindi makatingin sa kanya. Mahina itong natawang ikinaangat ko ng tingin dito. "tell me young lady, how can you pay your father's dept hmm?" he huskily asked. Napatitig ako sa kanya. Mariin akong napapikit akong malalim na napahinga. "I can be your slave sir" mahina itong natawang napalapat ng labi na mapatitig ako ditong salubong ang mga kilay. "Slave? Are you sure? 1million pesos. Do you think you can pay me using your body hmm?" anito na tila nang-uuyam ang tono. Napasuri ito ng tingin mula ulo hanggang paa ko na ikinalunok ko. "Hmm...how about, be my wife. And I'll make sure, I'll let go your father" "W-wife" utal kong ulit. Napataas ang kilay nitong may naglalarong pilyong ngiti sa mga labi. Napalunok ako. Napaawang ang labi pero walang salita ang lumalabas! "Uhmm!" napakapit ako sa kanyang balikat na siniil ako nito bigla ng isang mapang-angking halik sa labi!! "It's settled. Get ready yourself young lady, tomorrow morning, you're gonna be....my wife"

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Adrian Wells just wants to be left alone. Quiet nights, warm tea, and his sketchpad are all he needs to survive in a world that has taken too much from him already. Scarred by the fire that claimed his family and plagued by anxiety that keeps him from truly living, Adrian has grown used to solitude. But someone else has been watching—and waiting. When a black box appears at his doorstep, filled with unsettlingly personal gifts, Adrian brushes it off as a prank. But the messages grow bolder. The intrusions into his life become impossible to ignore. Someone knows him. Someone sees him. And that someone is Evan Thorn. Evan isn’t just a stalker—he’s a protector in his own twisted way. Rich, intelligent, and obsessive, he believes Adrian is his to love, to shield, to possess. From anonymous letters to watching from the shadows, Evan orchestrates a careful descent into Adrian’s world, eliminating anyone who gets too close. But he isn’t the only one watching. When a more violent rival stalker emerges, Adrian finds himself caught between two versions of danger: the chaos of the unknown and the devil he’s slowly come to understand. As the walls close in, Adrian is forced to rely on Evan—the very man who shattered his sense of safety. What begins as fear turns into something darker: a toxic intimacy that blurs the line between captor and comfort. As Adrian starts to feel seen for the first time in his life, he questions whether love can grow in the shadows—or if it’s just another kind of cage. In a story about obsession, trauma, what, If someone breaks you just to put you back together, is that still love? And when you finally escape them, do they ever really leave?

"Why do you always look at me like that?" she whispered. "Because you're unlike anyone I've ever known," Damien replied, his voice low and husky, sending shivers down her spine. "Your presence is like a thorn in my side." Eira scoffed. “You're nothing but trouble, Damien. A brooding vampire with an ego the size of a castle. But you need me. Without me, you’ll be dead.” “I hate that," he admitted. She smirked. "Hate that you need me? So, what is it, Damien? A weakness you'd rather keep in the shadows?" Damien leaned in, his face dangerously close to hers, his gaze dropping to her lips. Eira's breath caught, her shock palpable. "I might need you, Eira, but I don’t want you," he said, his eyes betraying a desire he refused to acknowledge. "Remember that." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, her thoughts in turmoil and her lips tingling with the ghost of an almost-kiss. *** The Silverstone Pack is out for blood, determined to avenge their alpha's brutal murder. All eyes are on Damien, the prime suspect, who now lives in the shadows, focused on survival. His only goal is to stay one step ahead and keep himself well-fed. But everything changes when he encounters a girl who is mysteriously immune to his powers. In her, he finds a glimmer of hope he thought long lost. Eira, heartbroken from a recent breakup, unexpectedly crosses paths with Damien. Her confrontation with him quickly turns into a nightmare when she is taken captive. Damien, desperate and cornered, offers her a chilling deal: help him save himself, or face unimaginable suffering. With little choice, Eira agrees, setting off a chain of events that will forever change the course of her life.

Raisha Valentine, a breathtakingly beautiful half-British, half-German woman raised in the Philippines, has endured more than most could imagine. Orphaned and adopted by a loving Filipina, she grew up battling the scars of abuse and the crushing weight of poverty. Desperate to survive, she turned to the only path she thought was left—selling her body. One fateful evening, Raisha's world shifts when a mysterious stranger offers her an unthinkable proposition: one night in exchange for 2 million pesos. It's a choice that could change her life forever, but at what cost? The moral dilemma she faced was overwhelming, threatening to consume her. Dive into Raisha's story of pain, resilience, and a dangerous deal that could redefine her future. Will this one night lead to her redemption or pull her deeper into the shadows?

She was taken, ripped from her world and thrown into his. She became a prisoner in the mansion of a man who should be her enemy. He’s ruthless, untouchable, and he makes it clear from the start: she belongs to him now. "I can make you beg," he murmurs, his fingers grazing her lips, dark amusement flickering in his eyes. She should be terrified. She should hate him. Instead, she finds herself trapped in a dangerous game of power and desire, where every touch ignites something forbidden, and every stolen moment drags her further into the fire. As betrayal lurks in the shadows and blood is spilled in the name of vengeance, she faces a choice, fight for freedom or surrender to the man who’s already claimed her in ways she never saw coming.

Born under the Blood Moon, Aria Vale carries a power whispered about in old prophecies... one that should never awaken. When she’s forced to marry the feared Alpha Kieran , she steps into a pack ruled by secrets, shadows, Deception... and an Alpha who never sleeps without a weapon. Then the Moon Shards begin to glow. Visions haunt Aria, Kieran’s temper grows darker. And whispers of an ancient oath echo through the territories... An oath broken by the first Luna, whose soul Aria unknowingly carries. When the Shadow Alpha rises and takes hold of Kieran, Aria realizes the war surrounding them didn’t begin with either of them… but it may end with her. To break the curse, she must walk into the Shard Realm alone. But the moon has never chosen a Luna without choosing her Alpha.

In the shadows of the night, love takes on a deadly form. Aria, a human, finds herself caught in a forbidden romance between two powerful beings, an Alpha werewolf and a Silver blood vampire. Both are possessive of her, both are willing to kill for her, and both will stop at nothing to make her theirs. As they fight for her love, Aria is pulled into a dangerous game of power and manipulation. Will she survive the love triangle or will it consume her? As they navigate through the dangers of their past, they each discover that their love is stronger than any obstacles they may face, and they will do anything to be together. But will their love survive the ultimate test of life and death? Find out in this gripping tale of love, fate and sacrifice. A Dark Romance between a Gruesome Werewolf, a Blood thirsty Vampire, and a human where they find each other and their love is so strong that it transcends death and curses.

Salvatore Emilio Regnante is a man you need as your ally and pray to never have as an enemy.Even the shadows know not to mess with the devil in disguise. Everyone shivers at the unholy and cold-blooded actions he is capable of.And such a man does not have the word "weakness" in his dictionary, nor does he expect to find one.However, that was all before an expansion negotiation ends with a band around his finger and a fierce young woman, now with his name, having to adjust and learn that in his world, the only rules are the ones from his sinful lips.And they must be followed at all costs.This couple's dawn was based on a contract. And now having become one, they face a lot of trials and tribulations to make their political merger a successful marriage.But the arrival of former lovers rekindles old feelings, threatening not only Salvatore's empire but his heart as well.*Completed*

She survived the fire, but her heart is about to face the ultimate Inferno. Ava's life was consumed by flames, leaving her orphaned and alone. Lucas Antonio, her father's best friend, and also a powerful CEO, became her savior, offering her refuge in his home. As she matures, the line between family blurs, and Ava falls for the man who gave her everything. But Lucas sees only a child he rescued, unaware of the woman she has become. When he sees a sister, she craves a lover. When he introduces his new girlfriend, Ava's world is shattered. When he brings another woman into their lives, Ava must confront the devastating truth: Can a love built on gratitude ever truly ignite, or will it remain forever in the shadows?