The Criterion

They didn’t come for her blood. They came for her truth. In Valtheris, magic only works if it’s sworn, witnessed, and recorded. Break an oath, and reality fractures. Aris Vale is a licensed Resonance Auditor—one of the few people alive who can hear falsehoods buried inside sacred contracts. When she uncovers a hidden addendum forged into a Concord Tribunal accord—one capable of enslaving entire bloodlines—she does what the law demands. She reports it. The Tribunal answers with a Sanctified Writ of Divine Custody. Seized in public and branded a legal asset, Aris becomes proof of something far more dangerous than rebellion: corruption at the heart of holy law. Anyone who interferes is declared a traitor. Anyone who helps her risks erasure. Four powerful men—each a leader of rival oath-factions—intervene, not as saviors, but because the Tribunal’s move threatens the entire legal foundation of the realm. Forced into alliance, they take Aris beyond Concord roads and into a moving Waystation Caravan where neutrality is sacred and betrayal is fatal. Now hunted by sanctioned enforcers and tracked by divine ink still clinging to her skin, Aris must decide whether to run… or turn herself into the weapon the law never anticipated. Because in a world ruled by contracts, the most dangerous thing isn’t broken vows. It’s the woman who can prove they were never true.

In an East London lock up, two film makers, Jimmy and Sam, are duct taped to chairs and forced to watch a snuff film by Ashkan, a loan shark to whom they owe a lot of money. If they don’t pay up, they’ll be starring in the next one. Before the film reaches its end, Ashkan and all his men are slaughtered by unknown assailants. Only Jimmy and Sam survive the massacre, leaving them with the sole copy of the snuff film. The film makers decide to build their next movie around the brutal film. While auditioning actors, they stumble upon Melissa, an enigmatic actress who seems perfect for the leading role, not least because she’s the spitting image of the snuff film’s main victim. Neither the film, nor Melissa, are entirely what they seem however. Jimmy and Sam find themselves pulled into a paranormal mystery that leads them through the shadowy streets of the city beneath the city and sees them re-enacting an ancient Mesopotamian myth cycle. As they play out the roles of long forgotten gods and goddesses, they’re drawn into the subtle web of a deadly heresy that stretches from the beginnings of civilization to the end of the world as we know it. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Snow was determined to break the mould. She was going to be the first woman in her long family line not to join The Academy and become a Vampire Hunter. She was set on this ever since she could speak. But when her mother is killed by a Vampire when Snow is only 12 years old, everything changes. Snow is renowned in the Hunting world,. She's only 28 years old and her kill count is one of the highest they have ever seen. Little do they know the only kill count they have access to is the contracted kill counts that are recorded. She's almost double that number of un-contracted kills. Revenge is the only thing she ever thinks about, and who can blame her? Her next kill is Damien… Mr. Edge Enterprises. He's a high priority kill with a 3 million dollar payout. Something is different about him though, something Snow can't quite place. Killing him would prove to be a lot more difficult than she expected. There is much she doesn't know when it comes to Damien… And even more that he isn't telling her. To make things worse, she finds out that The Academy is harboring a multitude of secrets… Snow has to make an inherently difficult choice. Will she choose the man she barely knows, and is supposed to have already killed? Or will she choose The Academy? The place who took her in after her moms death, and taught her everything she's ever known? Follow us as we traverse the mind of a woman scorned. Who's hellbent on revenge while she tries to justify the feelings she shouldn't have, for the man who she should have already killed. Rating 18+ for language, violence, and graphic sexual content.

My grandfather, Tanner Kane, valued loyalty above all else. When his adopted daughter, Alanna Meyer, was sentenced to death for murder, he sent my mother, Florence Kane, to her death. All to preserve the bloodline of his late childhood friend. Alanna took my mother's name, married, and lived a privileged life free from hardship. Meanwhile, my mother died carrying a crime she never committed. My father, Graham Hart, and I changed our names and wandered from place to place. For years, I was mocked as a motherless child. Forty years later, after enduring humiliation and dedicating myself to my studies, I became a judge in Arbor Falls. Today, I am presiding over a controversial campus murder case in which the victim fell to her death from a building. There were no surveillance cameras. Only two girls were present, and each insists the other is the killer. One of them, Nova, comes from a poor family. Her parents are divorced, and she associates with local delinquents. She is known throughout the school as a feared bully. The other one, Scarlett, comes from a wealthy family. Her parents have a loving marriage, and she excels academically. Her grandmother is a beautiful and kind-hearted artist. Her great-grandfather spent his entire life doing charity work and was recognized as a nationally renowned philanthropist. Everyone believes she is a good girl who would never lie, so Nova the bully must be the killer. However, when I looked at the name listed under Scarlett's grandmother, I saw my mother's name: Florence Kane. Without a second thought, I turned to the person beside me and said, "Reject her request for acquittal."

Cyrus wondered if there was anything in this glittering and hectic world that could truly make his heart feel at ease. He put on the mask of a gifted individual who was admired by others. But buried underneath that veneer lies a yearning for genuine love. Cyrus realized that all he had sought for a long time was simply encased in a lovely youngster when Claude appeared in his monochromatic universe. Claude Hemsworth was the name of that young man. They experienced misunderstandings, quarrels, and even times when they couldn't be together. Will Claude and Cyrus be able to endure the challenges of fate, hold hands, and walk toward their desired destination in the end?

“You stare like you’re trying to memorize me,” she murmured quietly, without looking up. He stepped closer, voice rough. “I already have. Every inch. Every sigh. But I still feel like I’m starving for you.” He walked up behind her. His fingers trail over her collarbone, slow, reverent. She shivers. “You shouldn’t touch me like that,” she whispered. “Say stop, and I will. But don’t lie.” He leaned down, brushing his lips against the side of her neck. Her breath hitched. “This… this is dangerous.” He murmured, “You’re the most dangerous thing in my life. I’ve killed men with steadier hands than I have when I’m near you.” She turned to face him, their eyes locked. One look—everything trembled between them. “Let me ruin every thought you have of gentleness, Inayat. Let me be the fire you crave but don’t dare name.” He lifted her, gently, set her on the table beside the couch. His hands lingered on her thighs, the tension coiling like smoke in the air. He whispered, “You asked me once why I watch you like I might break. It’s because loving you has become my most violent instinct.” *** When King Agnil is betrayed and slain by his own commander, Samarth, his kingdom falls into chaos—and his daughter, Inayat, becomes the obsession of the man who murdered her father. Years later, the exiled prince, Ayman, returns to reclaim the throne. His plan? Use Samarth’s sister as a weapon of revenge. But as vengeance tangles with emotion, Ayman finds himself torn between justice and the forbidden pull of love. Can he destroy the man who stole everything—without losing the girl who might save him?