The Diner Game

“Do not let her touch you ever again.” “Why not? She’s my…girlfriend. You’re just my sneaky link cellie.” The rage in Jordan’s eyes is volcanic and terrifying. He takes a step closer, voice dropping to a threat disguised as a promise. “Try me, Preppy… and I swear I’ll kiss you in front of every guard, every inmate, every pair of judging eyes in this hellhole. Then we'll see who you truly belong to.” Quincy Laurent—alias, richie rich—had the kind of life people envy. He's got a future paved in gold. One mistake shattered it all. Now he’s Blackbridge’s prettiest, trapped in the same cell with Blackbridge's most chaotic, Jordan Vex. Jordan is everything Quincy is not. inked, dangerous, magnetic, a walking storm with eyes that see right through the armor Quincy didn’t know he still had. They clash instantly. Quincy hates the chaos Jordan embodies… and hates even more how drawn he is to it. While the prison changes him, Jordan ruins him. And the desire he believes is a fantasy is tested when he finally learns who Jordan is.

Sign the divorce papers, Desmond. I had been holding back because of my child but your mistress made me lose him. Now I'd make you both regret ever messing with me! Leila had always suffered one sided love from her husband Desmond but she keeps holding onto hope that he'd change but he doesn't desist breaking her heart. He cheated on her with his childhood bestfriend and yet rubs it in her face. Yet, Leila thinks of a second chance but after losing her pregnancy to the chaos of her loveless marriage, Leila takes up a shrewd frame, refusing to continue being the dejected wife she used to be. What happens when someone more powerful offers a deal? What happens when Desmond comes begging back? Will Leila be able to fight her insecurities or lose one more time?

“Get away from me,” I hissed, gripping the knife tighter. His gaze flicked down to the blade, then back to me, a slow, amused smile curving his lips. “A knife?” he said softly, tilting his head. “Are you perhaps flirting with me?” I gritted my teeth. The asshole was enjoying this — every fucking second of it. ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ When Leah got home early from work, she was hoping for one thing — to fix what was left of her relationship with Daniel. Instead, she walked in on him in the arms of another woman. Heartbroken and humiliated, she stormed out, blind with tears… and straight into the path of an oncoming car. But death wasn’t the end for Leah. No! Death was actually the beginning.

For twins Ethel and Elise, the line between dream and nightmare was always thin—and on Paron Island, it has been completely erased. Their idyllic gap year, a sun-soaked mosaic of beach bonfires and reckless abandon, is shattered in an instant. A "project," as the panicked news reports cryptically call it, has gone horrifically wrong, releasing a pathogen that reanimates the dead with a singular, gruesome purpose: to feed. The sisters' bond, once defined by shared secrets and sibling rivalry, is now their only anchor in a world drowning in blood. Driven by a raw, primal instinct to protect each other, they join forces with a few other fortunate—or unfortunate—souls who survived the initial onslaught. Together, this makeshift family must navigate the ruins of their former paradise, where every shadow hides a potential threat and every human sound could be a lure. Ethel, the more cautious sister, finds a hidden strength in strategy, while Elise's impulsive nature becomes both a weapon and a liability. But their fight against the decaying hordes is only the surface of the terror. Whispers of a coordinated presence, of supplies that go missing too conveniently, and of strangers who seem to know too much, point to a more insidious truth: the island's collapse was not a random tragedy. They are being hunted by something that thinks, that plans, that wears a human face. As their hope for rescue dwindles, Ethel and Elise are forced to confront the ultimate horror—that in the midst of an apocalypse, the most monstrous creatures of all are still human.

"Don’t call me by that name. Camila Wilson died on the very night you tore the canvas of her life to pieces." Damian Xavier, a heartless titan of industry, committed the greatest mistake of his life: he cast away his pregnant wife for the sake of his cold ambition. Five years later, Damian has become obsessed with a ghost. He is haunted by the masterpieces of a mysterious painter known only as Sheina Blake. Sheina’s paintings are ethereal and haunting, bleeding with the raw emotions of betrayal and magnificent rebirth. Damian is willing to pour out millions just for a chance to meet the artist, hoping her soul-stirring work can fill the void rotting inside him. Little does he know, Sheina Blake is Camila Wilson—the ex-wife he once deemed worthless. The woman he discarded like trash has now become the only deity he worships. When fate finally brings them face-to-face, Damian doesn't find the fragile girl he once broke. He stands before Sheina Blake—a cold, powerful woman who has everything, including a genius son who holds au paintbrush with the same lethal authority Damian uses to rule his empire. "You wish to buy my work, Mr. Xavier? Unfortunately, you will never be able to afford the price of the pain captured in these strokes."

On the night she’s supposed to become Luna, Seraphine is murdered by her mate, not because he hates her, but because a prophecy forces him to. She dies thinking he rejected her. But the Moon Goddess gives her a rebirth into the body of a witch, the most feared species by wolves. Now she returns to the pack hidden in a new body unknown to her former mate and she’s carrying a forbidden power she never had before. She has one mission: Expose why she was truly killed… and why her mate cried while stabbing her. But every truth she uncovers leads to a darker twist.

After being rejected and banished from her pack because of the alleged sins of her parents, Denara Shawn was filled with the thoughts of revenge but she was sold to the ruthless, faceless alpha Rockan Rhino. Will she be able to survive a night with him?

Mona Benson of the South Hartvale Pack is a simple young lady living her life happily with the love of her life and Enforcer of her pack, Marcus Rollins. She has her diner; ‘Big Bite,’ to run and that keeps her busy and it was enough. Yes, her pack was being bullied by the larger, more powerful North Hatvale pack, but they had an agreement which kept things between the packs MOSTLY non-violent, then her pack alpha gets defeated and by a newcomer. The new alpha is none other than Mona’s fated mate and former love of her life, Dominic Blaise. Dom suddenly vanished from the town 8 years ago, but he’s back now and the mate connection between him and Mona is as strong as ever. Mona has to fight against her feelings for Dom, but the man doesn’t make it easy for her. When she learns the moon spirits have chosen her to be the new Luna, a bad situation becomes even worse. Now she’s a to-be-Luna mated to her alpha but fighting her feelings so she can remain with her Enforcer.

Welcome back to Clifton Heights. Sheriff Chris Baker and Father Ward meet for a Saturday morning breakfast at The Skylark Diner to once again commiserate over the weird and terrifying secrets surrounding their town. Sheriff Baker shares with Father Ward the story of a journal discovered in the ruins of what was once an elaborate koi pond and flower garden, which regales a tale of regret, buried pain, and unfulfilled debt: “Sophan” – Jake Burns has always been a bit...off. Rude, awkward, sometimes brutish, he's tolerated by Nate Slocum and his friends because he hits a mean line drive, and because they all know but don't discuss the abuse he faces at the hands of his troubled father, a Vietnam veteran consumed by his demons. But Jake is suffering something far worse than domestic abuse, and when Nate discovers what, he faces an impossible choice: help Jake and put himself in the path of evil, or abandon him, only to damn himself in the process. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Xavier Blackwood is the man every girl at my college dreams about at night, myself included, but I'd never let anyone know that. Standing at 6'8 with steel grey eyes, he's a walking dream, but he's also a world-renowned jerk. Who would have thought that one night, after dragging myself home after doing double shifts at the diner, I'd be jumped by three men...only to have Xavier come to my rescue. Oh yes, Xavier bloody Blackwood saved my life...but the thing I saw, the CREATURE that ripped those men to shreds wasn't the Xavier everyone knows. He wasn't human... He was a wolf, a demon, a creature from myths, and it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen until he attacked me too and knocked me out. Humans that learn about the existence of werewolves have to die. ...There are NO exceptions. The Werewolf Xavier saved me, but now I am condemned to death To make things worse, both Xavier and Axel claim I am their mate ...this can't be good.