Treacherous Light Of The Depths

The tree I fell from was rotten. It's leaves were rotten, it's bark was rotten, and it's roots were rotten. Unfortunately, I am an apple that didn't fall far from that rotten tree. I was groomed in the shadow of that rotten tree and sprayed with poison to ensure I would be nothing but it's germinated seed. My earliest memories are dark and painful. My most vibrant memories are coated in crimson red and shame. The small pieces of my soul that I kept hidden and protected are the only parts of myself I can tolerate. The rest of who I am... The despicable trash that haunts my dreams... I hate. Death is the only answer to my life. Not love. I don't deserve love. A tainted apple is never put amongst the ripe juices apples. It is thrown away, discarded... As I should be.

Shantali Mae Cross, a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Ancient Arts, encounters an impossible phenomenon during her night shift—smoke from the heating vents coalesces into the form of a cobra near ancient Egyptian canopic jars, showing her visions of possible futures. She sees herself accepting a promotion, arguing with a dark-haired man in a hospital, wearing a wedding dress, and standing at a graveside in autumn. Shaken by the experience, Shantali becomes obsessed with understanding what she witnessed, diving into research about serpent smoke divination practices. Her investigation reveals that others throughout history have experienced similar visions at crucial crossroads in their lives, but those who became consumed with interpreting and controlling their prophetic glimpses inevitably destroyed the very relationships and opportunities the visions had shown them. As Shantali spirals deeper into her research, she begins shutting out her boyfriend David, a fellow security guard who loves her deeply. When David witnesses the cobra phenomenon himself, he helps ground her in reality rather than obsession. Through her studies, particularly the warnings left by Dr. Amelia Thorne—a researcher who died alone after chasing similar mysteries—Shantali realizes the cobra's true message: choose love over fear, presence over obsession. The visions weren't warnings of tragedy but glimpses of a life fully lived with all its ordinary struggles and profound connections. When David proposes, Shantali chooses their real relationship over her pursuit of supernatural answers. She completes her research by writing a fictional novel about her experience, transforming obsession into art while helping future cobra witnesses understand that some mysteries are meant to guide rather than be solved. The story explores themes of choice versus destiny, the danger of sacrificing present love for future certainty, and the wisdom of embracing life's uncertainties alongside those who love us.

A suspenseful, thought-provoking and erotic full-charged thriller, based on the psychological effects of being raised by a sociopath pimp and passive aggressive prostitute. From the perspective of the eldest of two daughters; successful musical A&R Edily Graham is faced with her past addictions and mental anguish after the shooting death of her abusive father. Along with a career on the rise, a new home in the beautiful Lake Shore neighborhood of Chicago, and an awkward yet sudden break-up from her “Mr. Right, Maleek, Edily finds herself slipping over the edge with countless nights of sex, drugs & hallucinations from her past.

Cassana has only wanted two things: to be a wizard and to get away from her small village. However, certain circumstances have been holding her back. Now it seems like she's going to be stuck in her hometown forever, but she is not quite ready to give up on her dreams yet. Minos is not a difficult man to like, charming, eloquent and brash, he has all the makings of a swashbuckling adventurer. So when the mysterious Prince of Zephyrus called for an expedition to find the missing Sword of the Godslayer, the only weapon known to have killed a god, Minos was the first one to step up to the task. Cassana and Minos met under stressful conditions, and it's made evidently clear that they don't like each other. But if they both want to achieve their goals, then they have no other choice but to put aside their differences and learn how to work together.

When Amorivia fell head over heels in love with the story of The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (Peter Pan), she became eager to meet him. Thinking Peter Pan would save her like how he saves Wendy, she jumps off from her window. Death should have engulfed her but instead she awoke somewhere familiar.

When 30-year-old multimillionaire Kieran Belmonte meets the lovely, mysterious Imogen Madrigal in a high society party, he knows that there's more to the young lady than meets the eye. There's an instant connection between them that left him wanting for more. When they meet again on a blind date set up by their parents, he thinks that Fate is playing with them. But romance blooms between the two amidst reappearing exes, mysterious dreams and the pitfalls of modern dating. Unknown to them, their first meeting is only the catalyst for a future of chaos and catastrophe. Long, long ago, Imogen's ancestor summoned a devil from the depths of the woods to become her familiar. But everyone has forgotten about the devil at the slow passing of time and the heiress of the 13th generation is finally born... Now, the devil has come to take his payment and Imogen will pay the ultimate price.

For thousands of years now, queens have been ruling our kingdom. When a Queen's reign has come to an end, a successor must be chosen by what we now know as The Rule of Cardinal. Miss Katherina Daventin, a young naive and innocent girl, has been chosen by the Cardinal to rule over the people of Nydisia. In a world where supernatural beings have not been kept a secret, she struggles to prove herself as a human chosen to rule a multitude of diverse creatures. Lucian Williams, one of the strongest beings to walk the earth, and the son of Queen Orizelle, fights alongside Katherine to help her stake her claim to the throne as it is his duty as the General of Nydisia, and slowly love surpasses duty. *This is a slow burn book, it is not going to be rushed as you will see a lot of character development and growth in the plot at a steady pace.* Disclaimer: This cover does not belong to the author.

I got pregnant after a relationship lasting eight years, only for my fiance to call off the wedding the night before. When I arrived, I found him changing it to a celebration of his son's first month. I heard his parents speak ill of me, "That Rachel Stone really embarrassed us, getting pregnant even before you got married. I refuse to have such an immoral daughter-in-law like her." Several days later, Sean Wickham let his son's mother put on the most exquisite wedding dress to get their marriage registered. "I have a son anyway," he chuckled. "Whatever happens to the thing in your belly ain't any of my business." The illusion of happiness utterly shattered, I left without hesitation, heartbroken. I didn't want this marriage or the child anymore. I’d go back to my real home in the distant north.

"But my quest is not over. For in the name of all that is evil, I promise Athena, I will be back!" The story of Medusa continues, for when she was slain, her life didn't end, for it was yet to begin. As I walked into the great room, there stood Hades, black jeans and a tee, with a hue of blue......sexy hair. This couldn't get any worse... The goddess Medusa is back and vengeance is coming upon Olympus. Athena is in for the battle of her life as Medusa has the entire nation of the underworld at her command. Medusa would reign terror down on the gods and in return for his help, Hades wants Zeus' throne...... "You wouldn't kill your own role model Medusa darling?" Athena asked, the fear evident in her voice. "You started this war, I'm just doing you a favor by ending you in it."

When Edie Marshall meets a mysterious - and drop-dead gorgeous - man in the woods just outside her small town, she has no idea who he is or where he’s come from.She has no idea why she has such an instant, intense connection with this dangerous-looking man, with his arms full of tattoos and his deep, velvety voice.She has no idea why she trusts him enough to tell him things she’s never told anyone else.And she definitely has no idea that their brief, passionate encounter will lead to her getting pregnant.It’s only then that she learns her “mystery man” from the woods is actually Rafe Fontaine - celebrity, Hollywood royalty, and notorious womanizer.Can she trust her heart - and her baby - to Hollywood’s wildest bad boy?Due to explicit scenes, this steamy romance is rated 18+.The Mystery of You is created by Ember Casey, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.