The Nightmare Before Christmas Shock Lock And Barrel Novels & Stories

Vol. 2. Echoes from Immortality's Veil Laura Gaunt, obsessed of becoming a vampire, is haunted by a recurring nightmare of her death. Desperate for answers, she embarks on a perilous journey to Times Square, drawn by rumors of Zheira Martin—a notorious vampire who fled the night after draining her own father's blood. In a twist of fate, Laura encounters Zheira's mother who gazes upon her with haunting familiarity. The police gets involved, and Laura becomes a fugitive, running from a crime she didn't commit. Her escape leads her down a rabbit hole of darkness, into an underground portal that transports her to a den of vampires. Seduced by the prospect of fulfilling her darkest desires, Laura believes she is one step closer to her dream. But her newfound refuge quickly transforms into a nightmare as she becomes the hunted, her blood sought after by those who would do anything to taste it. Amidst the chaos, she meets the man of her dreams, unaware that their union will awaken a long-forgotten curse, with Laura as its sacrificial offering. In this treacherous world of desire and deceit, Laura must defy the darkness, uncover the truth, and survive before the curse claims her life.

When the murderer tortures me to death, my criminal investigator dad and chief forensic pathologist mom are cheering at my brother's match. The criminal saws off my tongue. He answers my Dad's call with my finger. Just before the call ends, Dad's cold voice cuts through. "Playing dead, huh? We should never have brought him back." The murderer chuckles mockingly. "Looks like I grabbed the wrong kid. I thought they'd care more about their real son." When Mom and Dad arrive at the crime scene later, they stare at the mutilated body in shock and rage at the murderer's cruelty. But they never realize that the broken, bloodied body is their biological son.

It was a national holiday and we decided to drive back to my husband's hometown to spend the holidays. One day before we left, my husband's childhood crush came crying to him that she had not managed to buy train tickets home. My husband immediately decided to let her have my seat in the car and insisted that I take the train instead. I looked at him in disbelief. There was shock in my eyes. Even my son insisted I take the train. "Mommy, Aunt Rosie is so pretty. How could you make her take the train?" I did not argue. I booked my train ticket right in front of them. However, it was to my own hometown. I no longer wanted a biased husband and a disloyal son.

Tobin Leith was never supposed to survive the first week. When his older brother's gambling debts spiral out of control, the Saal mafia syndicate comes to collect. They want collateral to keep on a leash until the debt is settled. Tobin volunteers before his brother can speak. Emeric Saal, a dominant underworld boss, is cold, calculating, and bored by almost everything. He accepts the arrangement without emotion. Tobin is just a pawn housed in his guest wing under constant surveillance. Except Tobin refuses to act like a hostage. He stays defiant. On the fourth night, Emeric catches him picking the lock on his office door with a fashioned tension wrench. Emeric simply sits down across from him, lights a cigarette, and says the words that change everything: "I was wondering when you would try." Emeric already knows the truth. Tobin is operating under a hidden identity, actively hunting for revenge. What begins as a volatile cat-and-mouse game quickly twists into a steamy, intense MM romance. Emeric, for the first time in years, is deeply interested in seeing what happens next.

Hailey Parker, a naive young woman of twenty-one, gets more than she bargained for when she gets into a deal in an attempt to protect her fiancé. Leaving the only place she had known all her life, she soon realizes that she had gotten way more than she'd bargained for and lots of buried secrets spill out in the open leaving her broken and defenseless. With everything in her, she wishes to go back to the girl she was before, but if wishes were horses bitches could ride. Her horrible nightmare had just begun. Will she rise above the rushing tides or will she let it sweep her under?

Mia is going to her hometown for Christmas after a big fight with her boyfriend Adrian. There she is welcomed by her loving parents and her irresistible neighbor Matt, who confesses to Mia he was in love with her since high school. Adrian is feeling sorry, realizing his mistake, and is coming for New Year to apologize, but to whom Mia's heart belongs?

The summer that Allison Hart graduates from high school, she has one thing on her mind- to lose her virginity before she goes away to college in the fall. The only problem is she doesn’t want a random one night stand with a stranger. So when her stepbrother James Carter comes home for the summer, it seems like her problem finally has a solution. At first James is apprehensive about the entire thing, but then gives in to Allison’s request. They both swear that it will be just a weekend of sex and fun, but then the weekend turns into an entire summer of sneaky sex. As the summer comes to a close and both prepare to go off to college, both realize that they have fallen in love with each other. Neither of them are brave enough to tell the other, so they go off to college, both confused about their situation. When they finally reunite for Christmas, James confesses his feelings for Ali and asks her to run away and travel the world with him. She accepts and once school ends for the summer, they run off to start their adventure.

During Black Friday, the intelligent system I develop helps the company run highly targeted ads and brings in 30 million dollars in revenue. But when I apply for the project bonus, the director rejects it. "The system is just an auxiliary tool. The performance belongs to the sales department." I hold back my frustration and pull up the system logs. "88% of the orders come from the system's targeted pushes. According to company policy, I should receive a 0.5% commission." The director glances at me, twirling his pen. "If the sales commission doesn't go to the sales department, should it go to you? And your lousy system exceeds the API limit and racks up extra fees. You still owe us a hundred thousand dollars. We'll deduct that from your salary." Three days before Christmas sales are set to begin, the system completely shuts down because of API restrictions. Late at night, the director calls me. I stare at my computer screen. "Since the system is just an auxiliary tool, why don't you start with manual targeting?"

Warning: This is a no-sweet love story, but a must-read for those with a dirty mind. The novel is not for the faint of heart. Within these pages lie secrets that are whispered in darkness and moaned in ecstasy, stories that explore the raw, unfiltered depths of human desire. Each chapter builds to a crescendo of passion, leaving you breathless and aching for more. It is a journey through the diverse landscapes of eroticism, where power struggles dance with surrender, and mind games blur the lines between pleasure and pain. If explicit scenes that push boundaries offend you, turn back now. This collection is crafted for dark-minded adults who embrace their primal fantasies without apology. “For those seeking scorching hot, unapologetically dirty tales of wild passion, look no further. But be warned: these stories will make your legs quiver and your imagination burn.” Strictly 18+. If you're underage, do not dare proceed. Even adults should lock their doors before diving in. You've been warned. “Now step inside if you think you can handle the heat.”

Her heart is broken at the altar by her lover, amidst the whispers and before the eyes of all. Cecily can't believe this is happening. Waves of shock move through her spine as she hears her lover echo those cold words of rejection. Bruno: " I can't marry you, Cecily. My heart belongs to someone else..." Then came the murmurs, louder this time, and a heartbroken bride struggling to digest this awkward reality, or better still, disappear completely... How could this be? We were just fine a few hours ago, promising each other forever over the phone and countless times in private. Has her lover been swapped or had a total transformation into a stranger she could barely recognize?