Lingering Shadow Novels & Stories

I've gotten into an accident. When my childhood friend, Jason Patel, drops by to visit me, I feel like pulling a prank on him all of a sudden. So, I ask, "Who are you? I've lost my memory." He's left feeling stunned for a moment before he reveals the fake smile that he often wears whenever he pulls pranks on others. "I'm your boyfriend, Jason Patel." My heart begins pounding wildly in my chest. I decide to go along with this little prank. That summer of us playing pretend has to be the happiest time of my life. But when Giselle Ford returns to our lives, Jason immediately clears the air between us. It turns out that he and Giselle have had a crush on each other during their high school days. Unfortunately, they missed the chance to date each other. What am I to them, then? So, I can only grant their wish of wanting to stay together. That's why I laugh and call Jason out for being an idiot because he can't even tell that I faked my memory loss. Unexpectedly, I get into another accident some time later. When I wake up, I ask Jason who he is again. Impatience flickers across his expression. "Don't you feel lame for using the same trick twice?" What he doesn't know is that I've truly lost my memory this time.

My younger sister, Mindy Sampson, has a rare blood condition. She needs regular blood transfusions and a bone marrow transplant. My husband, Ian Huffman, and I are matches. My mother says we should draw lots. Whoever draws the short stick will become Mindy's blood donor. In the next five years, I am always the one who draws the short stick. Because of constant blood draws and bone marrow extractions, my body breaks down. Before I die, I stumble upon Ian holding Mindy and saying, "Cindy is so stupid. There are only short sticks in the container. Every time, we let her draw first. How could she ever get a long one? "She is going to die without ever knowing you are not sick at all. Once she dies and we get the insurance money, we can travel the world." When I open my eyes again, I am back in the fifth year after Mindy is diagnosed. I look at the container of sticks on the table and smile. Then, I look at Ian and say, "This time, you draw first."

Three days before the SAT, a car slammed into me. My right leg was ruined. Govind stood beside my hospital bed and said, "I set it up." He pointed at the cast on my leg and smiled. "You upset Yvette. It's just a broken leg. Better that than watching her cry." I stared at him, stunned, then dug my nails into his arm hard enough to draw blood. He shoved me off without a care. Then he patted my head like he always used to. "Now I get why your parents dumped you at that children's home. With an attitude like yours, you were never gonna be as lovable as Yvette." Yvette was my older sister. Fifteen years ago, I got hurt saving Yvette from a speeding car. She cried to our parents and claimed I'd pushed her. That same night, bruised and bleeding, I was dumped at a children's home. When I'd already given up on everything, Govind showed up and promised he'd protect me for the rest of my life. And now, for her, he was destroying me with his own hands.

Being forged from the trauma that clings to your soul like an additional layer of sin has an elegance to it. When my father and I buried my sister, falling in love with her first love wasn't on the agenda. Don Alessandro Valentino has something I want. Something he refuses to depart with and no matter how much pain he inflicts upon me, I will never give up. I vowed to never let him win. I thought I had escaped his grasp, but his torment had only just begun. Despite everything, he still held the power to manipulate my heart and make me crave to be possessed by him. As secrets come to light and the truth is exposed, can I surrender the battle and surrender what I've been fighting for all along, without hesitation? --- He tore his lips away from mine, peering down at me, brushing the pad of his thumb along his lower lip—smearing my touch as far as it would travel. “You taste like mine.” He said in a cold and condescending tone. Then he left. He walked out of the wine cellar without a second glance over his shoulder as Riccardo locked the door behind them.

For 200 years, a generational cursed family has fed on its own female blood… but Isabella’s mother refused to be part of it, fleeing with her daughter to start a new life. Years later, tragedy strikes again, leaving Isabella to grow up under a cruel stepfather and a stepmother who treats her worse than a servant. When her stepfather’s business teeters on the edge of ruin, an arranged marriage to ruthless Mafia billionaire Tavian Crowne is offered as salvation. Tavian is cold, unfeeling, and notorious for his disdain toward women after his mother and first love’s betrayal—but he expects a spoiled heiress, and he has no idea who Isabella really is. But, danger waits in every shadow: enemies from outside, the lingering secrets of her mother’s past, and a brother who believes Isabella must die.

What if your brother's best friend became your worst distraction? Klaus, with his chiseled charm, piercing gaze, and reckless smile, was that distraction for Morticia. •••••••••• Morticia Addams had always noticed Klaus, her brother's best friend, since they were young. He was the ultimate forbidden fantasy. The man who could have anyone, and usually did. But she? She was an off-limits--an innocent nerd who lives in the shadow of her protective brother. Or at least, that’s what she told herself. She had always thought she stood no chance with Klaus because he's a notorious womanizer who chased everything in a skirt. For years, she watched as Klaus broke hearts and left women craving more of his reckless love and lust. But when she got into the same college as him, everything changed... Then, she discovered a different side of him - fierce, primal, and unapologetic. ~~~~~~~~~~ "Wha—is that a banana in your pocket?" Her gaze dropped on the bulge between his legs. He moved closer, trapping her against the wall. "Yeah. Would you like to eat it up?" His eyes drifted to her chest, lingering on her hardened nipples. "I wouldn't mind."

After we finished making love, I lay against the edge of the bed, catching my breath as the lingering warmth slowly faded. In the past, my husband would always smile and ask me the same question: "Satisfied now?" But tonight was different.

Erin is a strange woman, working under a vampire Lord unaware of his identity. However, a mystery is lingering around her. A past or it must be a secret that must never be revealed. And on one dreadful night, she was caught by her Lord. She was captured by him since the taste of sweetness needed to be kept.

Ellie’s holiday escape to France was supposed to be quiet. Solo. Drama-free. Then a snowstorm ruins her plans, her hotel cancels, and she’s left with exactly one option: crashing with the hot single dad she met on the plane and his adorable, matchmaking son. What starts as one night only turns into shared mornings, lingering looks, and the kind of chemistry that makes boundaries blur fast. Trapped together by winter weather and bad decisions, Ellie finds herself falling for a man who’s guarded, irresistible, and absolutely not part of her plan. But holiday magic doesn’t last forever… and neither do easy choices. Ellie thought she was escaping the holidays, not walking straight into temptation. Unbeknownst to her, being snowed in with a devastatingly attractive single dad and his far-too-cute son would turn a ruined vacation into something unforgettable. One lingering glance, a shared night, and an impossible choice.

“Midnight Strokes” captures the secretive, rhythmic, deeply physical acts that happen in darkness, driven by raw desire, power play, and mutual hunger. It’s sensual, slightly dangerous, and beautifully ambiguous, suggesting both literal sexual motion and the lingering “strokes” left on memory and skin long after the night ends.