Starlight And Shadows

I’m done with men! Not because I hate them, but because everyone I meet, and is just fine enough to pique my interest, I compare to him. And it ends right there and then. The ridiculous thing is that my love interest isn’t real. He is a figure that hunts my nights and brings pleasure into the few seconds that I’m captured by my sleep paralysis. I know that, and I am totally okay with it. Just as I start a new job, and my life seems to take a better turn, determined to forget the man from the shadows, I find my forbidden pleasure standing right in front of me. Suddenly my dream man wears a tailored suit and frowns at me. He is my boss. And he is very real.

"His body was sin and I was a sinner.To keep myself safe I hide in the world and let life move around me.My new partner, Nathan, isn’t safe. Far from it.The darkness coils around him, hidden by a shield created by a blinding smile. But those who live in shadows see past the façade we create.Even in darkness, there is light. A spark that ignites, then explodes.Every filthy word from his mouth, every possessive touch—I crave them, need them. Violent and passionate and everything I need to fill the void inside me, but one thing is missing.He can never love me.More than my heart is on the line, and I don’t know if I’ll survive our breach."

"Be my wife for 365 days, and your father's debt will vanish, a burden lifted from your family. Be Mrs. Urquio for one year, and your brother will be free." The words hung heavy in the air, a proposition both cruel and strangely alluring. Manuela Iriz Ibañez, her heart already given to another, found herself drawn into the dangerous orbit of Uno Juaquin Urquio, a powerful and enigmatic mafia boss. Could a marriage forged in necessity blossom into something unexpected, a tender flame ignited in the heart of darkness? Their year-long contract, a fragile truce between duty and desire, would be tested by relentless trials. Yet, amidst the shadows and uncertainty, a fragile hope flickered – the possibility of a love story defying all odds, a love born not of choice but of a desperate, breathtaking gamble.

BLURB: Where loyalty is a luxury, love is a deadly sin Emma Carter's world is turned upside down when her sister's treacherous actions destroy all she cherishes. She is compelled to wed Luca Moretti, a merciless mafia leader, and finds herself ensnared in a complex web of lies and longing, altering her destiny forever in a world where loyalty can be deadly. As Rexxie's malice escalates, Emma's heart is torn between vengeance and vulnerability. Luca's secrets whisper darkness, yet his touch ignites a forbidden passion. Will Emma succumb to the shadows of her past or risk everything for a future with a man who may destroy her? Dive into a world of twisted loyalty, heart-wrenching betrayal, and intoxicating love."

Synopsis: The Billionaire’s Vengeful Queen Aurora Voss-Ryder has spent ten years perfecting the role of perfect wife to billionaire Damien Ryder. On their anniversary, she gifts him a rescued AI startup worth $400 million and proof she’s the reason Ryder Corp still breathes. In return, he hands her divorce papers, a forged scandal, and a threat to leak photos of her begging. Pregnant and betrayed, Aurora walks out with nothing but a positive test and a text from a ghost: “The Voss bloodline isn’t broken. Come home.” In her mother’s abandoned Brooklyn studio, Aurora unlocks a safe containing a $12 billion secret—VossTech, an AI empire built in shadows, 51% hers if she marries within a year of her mother’s death. With joint accounts frozen and paparazzi circling, she allies with Victor Kane, her mother’s dying partner and the only man who can give her controlling interest. A paper marriage, a black diamond ring, and a syringe of custom prenatal serum later, Aurora storms the VossTech boardroom in a killer pantsuit and claims interim CEO. But Damien isn’t finished. He forges abortion records, demands custody of the unborn child, and prepares a hostile takeover. Aurora counters with offshore leaks, a turncoat mistress, and two ex-Mossad shadows in the vents. At midnight in Ryder Tower, gun drawn and city watching, she tears up his custody agreement and watches federal agents drag him away. Victory tastes like ash when Victor’s heart fails hours later. His final words warn of a “blood moon” birth and enemies still hunting the Voss gene. With her due date looming and a new message signed –E., Aurora realizes the war for her empire, her child, and her life has only begun.

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.

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?

She was an omega without a wolf. A lantern considered weak, deserving to be trampled on, and unworthy of love. When her own mate wanted to make her a prostitute, not a wife, Alexis Clark did the impossible. She rejected an Alpha. Her decision changed everything. Alexis became the most hunted rogue omega in the country, living in the shadows, killing to survive, and hiding among humans. But fate played a cruel joke on her. Her case fell into the hands of Sebastian Sinclair, the most dangerous Alpha in the world, a man who hated omegas and scum after being betrayed by his own mate. What Sebastian doesn't know… The omega he decided to execute is the mysterious girl now living and studying at the same campus as him. When hatred collides with attraction, will they kill each other, or fall in love amidst the destruction?