by Marian Tee
ENSNARED (The Prequel to Beholden)
By Marian Tee
Eighteen-year-old Zari Baltimore’s life has been turned upside-down. Her parents are missing, she’s a captive of trolls, and she’s about to be sold to the highest bidder as a human pet.
Naked and chained, Zari is close to losing all hope when she finds a powerful, gorgeous vampire in her room. His name is Alexandru, and he says he is there to rescue her. But first, he needs her to do one thing.
He wants Zari to make sounds like she’s enjoying sex with him.
Did she really hear him right?
This is the prequel to New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marian Tee’s latest New Adult paranormal romance series Beholden.
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ENSNARED (The Prequel to Beholden)
By Marian Tee
Copyright 2014 by Streak Digital Publishing
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Chapter One
A human pet is not supposed to say “No” to his or her Master.
But there are no rules that say you can’t bargain, blackmail, nag, lie, cheat, manipulate, (insert all the other sneaky verbs you can think of here).
Zari’s Rules for the Modernization of Relationships between Human Pets and Masters
Alexandru was careful to keep his distaste from showing as he was led down the mining shaft, which had been boarded shut for over a hundred years. Once the site of a grisly massacre, the place now served as the venue for the illegal auction of pets.
Around him, “candidates” were either chained to the wall or tied to the posts, all of them naked and suffering from every kind of degradation that potential Masters could think of. Some of the pets’ eyes were dull with despair while others had not yet quite lost hope. Those were the ones he had a difficult time ignoring. Everything in him clamored to release his fury on their tormentors, but Alexandru managed to keep his violent urges under control.
Soon, he promised himself. Once he found what he was looking for, he would tear this place apart.
After several turns that took them deeper into the torch-lit tunnels, the imp he had bribed finally stopped at the end of a heavily guarded entranceway. The gate was made of reinforced steel, and a huge, scowling troll stood on each side.
Even as the bloodthirsty creatures gazed at him suspiciously, Alexandru had no trouble keeping his face impassive. He knew they were trying to determine his identity and figure out how strong or weak he was. But he also knew, no matter how hard they tried, they would not be able to read him.
Centuries spent hunting down the kingdom’s outlaws had made him well-versed in deception. His skills ensured that people would only see what he wanted them to see, and right now, with his dirty but expensive cloak, hunched shoulders, and blood-stained teeth, all the others saw was a lustful vampire with an uncontrolled appetite for human virgins.
Fishing out the bags of gold coins in his pockets, he handed one to each troll. “There is more of that for you if you allow me an hour’s pleasure with this candidate.” Licking his lips in seeming eagerness, Alexandru rasped in a lewd voice, “The imp promised me she’s a virgin. Is it true?”
The trolls were having a hard time taking their gazes off the bags of gold coins. They were like leprechauns in that sense, but they weren’t as fussy. All that mattered to trolls was wealth, and they didn’t mind what form it came to them.
At the word ‘virgin’, though, one of the troll’s head jerked up, a wary expression flickering in his soulless eyes. “The bosses told us that she must remain a virgin. A high roller’s going to arrive tonight. He’s done and paid a fortune to have her untouched.”
“But I want to taste her, just a small taste. I promise I won’t take her pussy,” Alexandru whined. “Her ass would do. It won’t make a difference if I take her ass, right?”
The wariness disappeared from the troll’s eyes. “Yeah, yeah, that’s gonna do.” He unlocked the door. “Just don’t ya take your money back if she ain’t made you happy.”
****
The makeshift room housing the star of tonight’s auction was curled in a ball on a dusty pallet. Her left wrist was manacled, its thick chain bolted to the wall. Her body was almost boyishly slender, and if not for her long, ash-blonde hair, Alexandru might not have recognized her as a girl.
The scent of her blood didn’t hit him until he had been inside her room for half a minute. It was so faint, so delicate, that a younger vampire would surely have missed it completely. And maybe, if he had not been forewarned about her existence, he himself might have failed in singling it out as well.
Inhaling deeply, Alexandru took in her scent, committing it to memory. A vampire’s sense of smell was not as good as a shapeshifter’s, but he preferred being thorough. He wanted to be sure that after this mission, he would be able to spot a soul seer even miles away, whether by sight, smell, or feel.
The girl twitched ever so slightly, and Alexandru’s lips curved. He had known from the start she was pretending to be asleep, and he had allowed her to pretend, curious as to what she planned to do. The spark of interest inside him was a surprise, but one he also welcomed. It made him realize how completely detached from life he had become in the years he had spent roaming the world, killing without ever living.
The girl on the bed was taking deep breaths now, as if bolstering her courage.
Ah, little soul seer. What are you planning?
****
Zari Baltimore’s greatest sin was her curiosity. She knew it, and she had always done her best to curb it. Her curiosity tended to get her in all sorts of scrapes, and she would have been the first one to laugh if someone had told her that curiosity would end up saving her life.
But it had, several times in fact.
Curiosity had kept her sane in the past few days even though the things she had learned were beyond f
rightening. When she had woken up alone in the dark, her fingers encountering the steel around her wrist that kept her chained to the wall, curiosity had kept her from losing her mind. Curiosity had given her the courage not to cry and focus on one word.
Why?
Why was she here? Why was she chained? And most importantly, why were her parents not here with her?
The last thing she remembered was being on the rubber boat with her parents, the three of them trying furiously to paddle their way back to safety and away from the roaring falls.
And then nothing. No matter what she did, she just couldn’t remember.
Another thing Zari learned by listening to the creatures talking outside the door was that captives like her were called “candidates”, and that they were being auctioned off, one by one, to become pets.
While most candidates were sold in a day or two, Zari was being held in isolation because she was special. Even now, she couldn’t quite decide whether being special was a good thing or not. She was afraid that it would mean her future Master would be just as special, but in a terribly bad way.
Every night, she was unable to sleep, fearing that the moment she closed her eyes, her faceless Master would come and do his worst. Sometimes, she found herself hoping that he would finally come. She wanted it over with—
Zari stiffened on the bed when she realized that someone was opening the door.
Would it be Troll A and B? Or maybe it would be one of the “organizers” of the auction? Those were even more terrifying than the trolls, with their eyes like toxic pools and their overpowering stench.
A shadow fell over her, and a jolt shot through Zari’s body when she realized that she was no longer alone.
Don’t show your fear, she told herself as she kept her body immobile, hoping it was enough to make it seem like she was sleeping. No matter what, don’t ever show you’re afraid. If she had to die right now, she would not die groveling in fear.
The silence lengthened, tension thickening in the air. Frustration and fear butted heads inside her, making Zari’s body twitch involuntarily.
Shit! Any moment now, she would be flipped on her back, devoured, and—
Nothing.
She swallowed, inhaled, and exhaled, repeatedly, and as silently as she could. Deep in her heart, she knew that this was the end. Everything would change right this moment, and her only choice was whether to face it quivering in fear or head on with courage.
Never. Show. Fear.
She repeated the words to herself like a mantra, counted one to three, and flipped to her back, her heart and mind prepared for—
Her jaw dropped.
What the heck was a GQ model doing in her prison?
Despite his horrendous-looking cloak and mud-caked clothes, none of it was successful in making him less than perfectly gorgeous. His hair was the shade of ebony, his eyes brilliantly green, his skin a smooth, dark bronze, and his body sculpted and toned like a statue.
He was possibly the most handsome man she had ever seen, and that was saying something since she had once met the actor playing Captain America in real life.
When she started to speak, he placed one finger on his lips, indicating that she had to be quiet.
Against her better judgment, she did.
A moment later, she came to regret her decision because apparently, keeping quiet meant permission for him to maul her. He was on top of her in an instant, her body trapped under his muscular form. Something sharp pierced her flesh, and when she looked down, she saw the man’s mouth sucking on the skin right above her heart.
Oh my God, he was a vampire and he was going to suck her dry!
She screamed, and a moment later, the trolls burst through the door.
“Help!”
But her screams died when all they did was laugh at her. The way they were gazing at her made Zari’s skin crawl, and she realized she had foolishly forgotten something just as important.
She. Was. Naked.
“Got thirsty right away, did ya?” Troll A cackled. She recognized him by the gash on his forehead.
“Just don’t ya kill her,” Troll B reminded.
The man on top of her shifted, his body shielding hers from the trolls. She was almost grateful for it, but then he lifted his head. That was when she saw the faint traces of blood lining his lower lip, just before he licked it dry. The way he did it so calmly left her dazed, enough for Zari to start doubting herself. Was she really going to survive this without succumbing to fear and madness?
“Come on, give us some privacy.”
Zari jerked in shock under the vampire, his strange tone leaving her even more bewildered. Her attacker had been the picture of formidable strength a moment ago, but now his mewling voice made him seem pathetic. Maybe she really was going crazy.
The vampire was still whining. “I can’t get my cock up when I have an audience.”
Troll A snickered. “Doesn’t matter if it stands or not. It’s still gonna look like a piece of shit next to our dicks.”
Troll B laughed. “That ain’t no way to speak to our rich friend here…even if it sure is true.” They began shoving at each other in jest as they trudged out of the room, the door closing behind them.
She opened her mouth to speak, but instead she ended up swallowing several drops of blood. Her eyes darted up, and that was when she saw the vampire had his wrist above her lips, his flesh ripped open and blood trickling out of the wound.
Zari choked, but it was too late. The metallic taste of the vampire’s blood was flowing down her throat.
Easy, pet. There is nothing to be afraid of. I had to do this so we can share a blood bond.
Her eyes flew wide open at the voice inside her mind.
I’m sorry I had to do that suddenly. It was the only way to communicate with you without the others knowing.
Zari stared at the man still half-lying on top of her. His face remained impassive, but a gentle, quiet sense of strength shone from his bright green eyes. We may be watched, so do not say anything out loud, he continued inside her head. It is best to be careful.
Was this really happening, Zari wondered dizzily. But then – after everything that had happened, surely this one shouldn’t seem so unbelievable?
Can…you…hear…me? She asked the question haltingly, unsure if this strange form of communication was two-way.
Yes…I…can. He deliberately mimicked her halting tone and, after a short stunned pause, Alexandru was rewarded with a murderous glare. Her fiery response pleased him since it meant her captors had not succeeded in breaking her spirit.
I’m going to get you out of here, but I need your help.
How? Zari asked the question warily while determinedly squashing the spurt of hope trying to blossom inside her. She wanted so much to be free that false hope would kill her at this point. She didn’t think she’d be able to handle the disappointment if that happened.
Here comes the fun part, Alexandru thought. You need to pretend that I’m having sex with you while we’re talking. Otherwise, they’ll think that we’re too quiet inside here.
The way her cheeks puffed and her lips formed a perfect O in surprise like a cartoon character nearly made Alexandru slip. Dammit, that had almost made him grin. Did this girl know how ridiculously expressive she was? It was extremely cute, and usually, Alexandru hated anything that was “cute”.
Did you just say—
—that you should fake sounds that would make them think we’re having sex? Absolutely. They expect me to do it to you and if they don’t hear any sound coming out from you anytime now—
Almost on cue, they heard the noise from outside the door suddenly dropping, as if the trolls had thought of listening to the door and making sure they were still inside. Realizing that the trolls were once again suspicious, Alexandru reached out to the soul seer and pinched her cheeks. Hard.
She yelped.
He winced. That didn’t sound like good sex, but in situations like this, that
was probably a good thing, his reputation in the bedroom be damned.
That hurts!
Really? Then I should do it again, I guess. He pinched her cheeks again, applying greater pressure.
This time, though, instead of shrieking in pain, she growled. A loud, angry growl that rumbled from the deepest part of her stomach, making her sound like someone suffering from a demonic possession.
It was a frighteningly realistic sound. It was a cute sound, and damn if it didn’t make his cock twitch inside his pants. His body’s reaction to the soul seer’s cuteness made Alexandru pause and stare down at his body in amazement. It had been a long time since he had found himself this sexually affected by a woman, and it was just his luck that his body had chosen to be attracted to a woman he was honor-bound to keep from harm.
That definitely made having sex with her out of bounds since he was notorious for being the bed ‘em and leave ‘em type.
Zari stiffened when she realized that the vampire on top of her was looking at her like he wanted to devour her. Which should have been a good thing – if he didn’t live on human blood. She did her best to cross her arms over her chest even though it was silly.
Ah, pet. Why are you covering yourself? I was just enjoying the sight of your naked body.
She gaped at him, irked, frustrated, and just plain confused at the same time. How can you joke at a time like this? Don’t you realize that this is a dangerous—
I do, of course, which is why I told you that I needed your help. I need you to distract them a while and buy me some time. He stroked her cheek. Now, how about doing better this time? Scream for me please.
Her lips took a mulish slant for a second, as if everything about her hated having to follow him. As all the women he knew had been eager to do his bidding, may they be human or not, he found her determination to resist him refreshing.