to bleed a crystal bloom

The woman Aelfric was to marry had agreed to undergo this ritual with him. It was the only way for them, as two of the area's few healers, to become strong enough to stop the devastating Swamp Fever from claiming the lives of hundreds of children each year. As healers, they had exceptional training, the problem was power. Aelfric's research had revealed exactly where healing power came from and why, until now, it was so limited. After this ritual, he and his beloved would change the tides of disease and death in these lands, perhaps the entire world forever. Aelfric knew Silver-Dew abhorred the idea of immortality. What they were about to do would rid their bodies of their very souls, freeing the concentrated power of the life-spark to be used for their magic. He'd painstakingly crafted each of them a vessel to safeguard their soul. Sil wore hers around her neck: a beautiful, lovingly crafted pendant with a blood red stone in the center. The stone was rendered from the carefully heated blood of the beast that had captured her, the very beast Aelfric had slain.

Layla Dean—Twenty-Two, Smart, Witty, Sarcastic, Billionaire. Just one obstacle in the path of obtaining what she wants—Aiden Smith. By her definition, He is Satan’s reincarnate. A justifiable verdict after he crushed her best friend’s heart. Layla loathes him. Staying in the same room is nerve-racking. Now, A Million dollars is on the line if they can not work together. Within 60 days, they uncover company secrets. They clash. They struggle. They end up in each’s arms. And they finish their task. If only the tale ended there. It didn’t. How much longer will the resentment continue if they can’t keep their hands off each other? There’s Passion. Sex. Lies. Deception. Tears. All they have left is each other. But of what use is flame if everyone around them puts the fire out?

Picking up where Dark Escape leaves off, Tara travels back in time to find she has a doppelganger lying in a magical coma in a cave and a very confused lover. Going back in time exposes Tara to a world that no longer exists in her future life. It's a world where wizards and enchantresses do battle for supremacy and witch doctors lay in wait for a delicious taste of human while shape shifters abound. Danger, heart ache, discovery and love await as they continue to search for the Crystal Key to Shadow Land. If you enjoy fantasy stories with peril, magic, time travel, and love, you won't want to put down book two of the Dark Escape Duo, "The Search for the Crystal Key".

Kembalinya Amanda ke tanah air disambut oleh berita duka. Dia kehilangan sang adik yang begitu disayangi. Tanah kuburan masih basah, tetapi sang papa malah mendesaknya untuk segera menikah. Bukan dengan pria yang ia cintai. Namun, dengan seorang duda yang tak lain adalah suami mendiang adiknya sendiri. Maksud hati ingin meminta restu untuk menikah dengan sang kekasih, tetapi situasi malah membuat semua menjadi rumit. Sungguh Amanda tidak pernah menyangka jika disuguhkan permintaan yang mengejutkan tersebut. Menikahi mantan adik ipar dan menjadi ibu sambung untuk bayi perempuan usia sebulan? Sangat menggelikan sekaligus miris karena mengingat umur mereka yang terpaut cukup jauh. Namun, bagaimana caranya dia menolak? “Di mana-mana yang ada sugar baby atau sugar daddy, sedangkan aku? Masa’ iya jadi sugar mommy. Radit terlalu muda untuk jadi suamiku. Ini gila!!”

Raka terpaksa menikahi Sarah setelah sebuah kecelakaan yang menyebabkan kematian ayah Sarah dan membuat gadis itu harus hidup dengan tongkat. Meskipun bersikap dingin dan acuh tak acuh, Raka menjalani hari-harinya dengan Sarah yang diam-diam menanggung beban kesedihan dalam kesunyian. Ketika Nadia yang merupakan cinta lama Raka kembali hadir, hubungan mereka yang sudah rapuh semakin terancam. Raka mulai dihadapkan pada dilema antara cinta masa lalunya dan tanggung jawab pada Sarah. Namun, Sarah mulai lelah bertahan. Cintanya pada Raka diuji oleh pengabaian, penghinaan, dan rasa sakit yang tak pernah berhenti. Sarah harus memilih, tetap bertahan dalam pernikahan tanpa cinta, atau melepaskan diri dari penderitaan yang terus mencekik. Di sisi lain, Raka mulai merasakan penyesalan yang mendalam ketika semuanya tampak sudah terlambat. Namun, penyesalan tak selalu datang dengan kesempatan kedua. Apakah Raka akan mampu memperbaiki semuanya sebelum Sarah benar-benar pergi? Atau penyesalan yang terlambat hanya akan menyisakan luka tak tersembuhkan?

Serena tak menyangka bahwa hotel tempatnya bekerja merupakan salah satu milik keluarga sang mantan, Adibara. Kepulangan Adibara dari London malah menjadi takdir pertemuan mereka kembali. Maksud hati ingin menjauh, Serena malah semakin terjebak dalam situasi yang pelik hingga memaksanya untuk hidup tak jauh dari Adibara. Hingga kehadiran kakak lelaki Adibara membuat hubungan mereka semakin keruh. Dendam di hati Adibara pun memuncak hingga bertekad untuk menunaikannya tanpa pikir panjang lagi. Apa yang terjadi pada kehidupan Serena selanjutnya? Akankah sang mantan yang masih mencintainya menerima kekurangan gadis itu? Atau adakah sosok lain yang memang ditakdirkan Tuhan untuk menjadi jodohnya?

"I'm willing to be a papa to your son, but don't ever expect me to treat you like a wife." To realize her son's dream of having a daddy, Lily is willing to enter into a contract marriage with Keenan, who also happens to be desperate to find a wife to inherit his family's company. An agreement was made where the relationship between the two would appear harmonious only in front of the child. However, they cannot resist the fate that has fostered unusual feelings. Unfortunately, the appearance of a past figure is also inevitable. Making it hard for both of them to go further. Will Lily and Keenan stay together? Or will each of them choose to give up when there is no more reason to survive?

The fake daughter married my boyfriend. My mouth was taped and I was being chopped into pieces by her admirer. The entire family took turns to call me. My mother said, "How ungrateful you are. I should not have brought you home back then." Father added, "Don't bother coming back if you do not attend Samantha's wedding." Brother said, "Let me tell you, you shall root in hell if you choose not to attend the wedding." At that moment, I didn't even have the energy to shout for help due to excessive blood loss. Everyone lost their patience, "Speak up! Are you dead or what?" I could only see the calls being disconnected. One thing they did not know, I was really dead.

“Aku bersedia menjadi papa untuk anakmu, tetapi jangan pernah berharap agar aku menganggapmu layaknya seorang istri.” Demi mewujudkan mimpi putranya yang sangat ingin memiliki seorang papa, Lily bersedia melakukan pernikahan kontrak dengan Keenan yang juga kebetulan terdesak untuk mencari seorang istri demi mewarisi perusahaan keluarganya. Perjanjian pun dilakukan di mana hubungan keduanya akan terlihat harmonis hanya di depan sang anak saja. Namun, mereka tak bisa menolak takdir yang telah menumbuhkan perasaan tak biasa. Sayangnya kemunculan sosok masa lalu juga tidak bisa dielakkan. Membuat keduanya berat untuk melangkah lebih jauh lagi. Akankah Lily dan Keenan akan tetap bersama? Ataukah masing-masing memilih menyerah saat tak ada lagi alasan untuk bertahan?

Amanda's return to the country was greeted by sad news. She lost her beloved sister. The grave was still wet, but her papa urged her to get married. Not with the man she loved. However, with a widower who was none other than her late sister's husband. She wanted to ask for his blessing to marry her lover, but the situation made things complicated. Amanda never expected to be presented with such a surprising request. Marry a former brother-in-law and become a birth mother to a month-old baby girl? It was both ridiculous and sad considering their ages. But how could she refuse? "Everywhere there is a sugar baby or sugar daddy, while I'm a sugar mommy. Radit is too young to be my husband. This is crazy!"