Water Release: Rasengan

“Mom, Dan, I received an offer from an overseas university. I plan to take it.” Lucille Shaw’s voice was soft in the silent living room, like a single drop of water rippling across a still pond. Her mother Victoria exclaimed with joy, "Really? Congratulations! When are you planning to go?" “In Ten days.”

On our wedding night, my wife demanded that I wear a blindfold. She said her body was meant only for her true love. The words hit me like a bucket of ice water, and I snapped, "Are you my wife or his?" She shot back even louder, defiance blazing in her eyes. "I married you. Does that mean I have to show you my body? Coercion is still coercion, even in marriage. My body is only for Matt to see because you simply don't deserve it." Later, she said she wanted to truly be my wife. I found myself thinking she wasn't worthy anymore.

Patrick and Clare wake up trapped in a basement, a thin wall separating their cells. Their captor is mysteriously absent, which at first seems like a blessing. As more time passes with no food or water, they begin to realize a clock is ticking for their survival.They know their captor is still out there, and it is only a matter of time before he returns.©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

This isn't a love story, but almost a love story. Irina and Eric share a world through dreams and time travel. They have a strong mutual understanding about the feelings they have for each other, at the same time understanding that they cannot be together. Eric: I open my eyes and find myself standing alone in an empty room. The ceilings and the walls are neatly painted white. And the floor is composed of polished light brown wood. And there is a dark brown framed window at one corner where the light comes from. A bright yellow and pale red orange light tells me the sun is setting and soon it will be dark. Eric is a ghost who always appears in Irina's dream. Irina: I open the door to the bedroom. There is a dark brown framed window at one corner where the light is coming from. The yellow orange light passes through the open window. I see Eric standing right there on the spot captured by the yellow light. ‘You came back.’ I said. He stood there looking me in the eye. I almost died. Irina is a time traveler who may or may not change his fate. They alternatively tell a bitter sweet story. Love doesn't always mean together, sometimes it is deeper apart. Eric: I stand alone in the rain looking at the dark sky where all I can see is water, for it is both the rain and my tears flowing to my face. Irina: And suddenly it is no longer my reflection I see inside the mirror. What I see now is a figure of a man. I draw closer to see him clearly. But the closer I walk towards him, the farther I become from him. I couldn't get close.

All it takes for me to be locked inside a sauna for eight hours is an accidental splash of hot water on Wayne Miller's secretary's hand. Right before I lose consciousness, he finally orders someone to let me out. He hisses, "Consider this a warning. If I ever see you lay a hand on Naomi again, I won't let you off so easily." I lie on a stretcher and answer with quiet composure, "Understood."

Saratan: I lost everything when my celebrity boyfriend decided to dump me for a more…popular actress. I lost my dignity, my safety, my apartment, my savings… you name it. I was at rock bottom and then sunshine came flooding my way. Do I call it sunshine though? Being recruited against my will as a blood vessel and then indebted to a recluse vampire who ‘saved’ my life, is that sunshine? Dregen: My kind decided to make our existence known to humans and offered a ‘hand of friendship’ which they more or less grumblingly accepted but I do know for sure that the Vampire Royalties wants a little more than to just co-exist with what we call, “Preys.” Power…Power is their Ultimate target but I don’t care. My hands are too full investigating the disappearance of vampires. Then she came barreling into my life. Saratan Credi. I don’t want her but I’m stuck with her. My vampire hates her but my wolf craves her presence like a man starved of water in a desert. She thinks I’m a good man…tsk… but what she doesn’t know is I don’t have a heart. It shriveled up and died right after I ran away from home, renounced my pack, my wolf, and embraced my vampire, my darkness.

Zarek has always understood his role, an Omega constrained by the unforgiving regulations of the Red Claw pack, merely a pawn in the manipulative games of ruthless Alphas who view him as nothing more than a means to an end. When he is handed over to Alpha Ryker, he is thrust into a tormenting nightmare of domination and suffering, compelled to accept a future he never desired. Everything shifts when Zarek’s true mate steps out from the darkness. Kaidon, a formidable Alpha from the Blood Moon pack, bursts into Zarek’s world, displacing Ryker and claiming him as his own. Zarek’s wolf detects a hint of hope, but the wounds of his past run too deep to easily overlook. Armed with Alpha Kaidon’s steadfast promise of safety, Zarek confronts a decision: to accept the bond that might liberate him, or to escape in order to safeguard the fragments of his broken heart. Still, shadows from both his history and the present refuse to release their grip, with threats lurking in every direction. In a realm where loyalty is scarce and power dictates fate, Zarek must discover his inner strength and learn what it genuinely means to be free. Will he allow Kaidon to be his redemption, or gamble everything to shatter the chains by himself?

“What do you want, Piccola?” He asked, giving my pussy a small lick. I shuddered, my eyes rolling back, my core begging to be attended to. “Darius, please.” I muffled a moan, shamelessly lifting to get contact. I was desperate and dying for a release, but Darius was hell-bent on torturing me. “What do you want? Use words,” he asks, his thumb caressing my core. •••     Billionaire heiress Rachel Beaumont's life was shattered when her husband Andrew and best friend Victoria betrayed her, leading to a painful divorce and the loss of her unborn child. Seeking revenge, Rachel's father assigns her to infiltrate Andrew's company, partnering her with skilled operative Darius Reid, Andrew's uncle.   As Rachel and Darius work together, forbidden feelings ignite, complicating their mission, and things get worse as her ex-billionaire husband wants her back.     Will she go back running into the arms of her ex-husband, or will she embrace the comfort that came with being with Darius Reid?

My fiancé was the CEO of a powerful financial conglomerate, and to the outside world, he adored me beyond measure. A week before our wedding, I found out I was pregnant with triplets. I had planned to tell him the joyful news in person. But instead, I witnessed him in bed with other women. Not with just one. It felt like a knife had carved into my soul, cutting so deep I lost all hope, all trust. My tears begged for release, but I held my head high, forcing myself to stay strong. For him, I had given up everything—my pride, my family, my career. Yet he chose to share our love with others. All those vows to love me and only me for a lifetime had been lies. Our so-called future, our wedding—it was all a cruel joke. He was no longer the man I once loved. He had become tainted. I would not endure his betrayal. He no longer deserved to be the father of my children. So I made my decision—to disappear, to fake my death and start over, to give myself and my babies a chance at a free, unburdened life. But I never imagined he'd become obsessed and start searching the world for women who resembled me, all while declaring I was the only one he ever loved. Too little, too late. His affection now is worth nothing. This time, I'm not looking back.

After a 12-year absence, Austin returns to the horse farm in Wyoming she has always considered her true home. But things have changed, and the farm she inherited comes with some enemies - one of them being the Carter family. Cortland Carter now handles his family's affairs and is determined to get the water rights back from his neighbor, who won them from his grandfather in a poker game. Fate has a funny way of bringing people together, and when Austin saves Cortland's niece, the two finally meet. Despite the feud between their families, they both feel a mutual attraction that cannot be denied. But with their families at odds, is there any hope for a future together? "Coming Home" is a heartwarming tale of love and betrayal.