by Marian Tee
Definitely not.
But somehow, I couldn’t make myself delete the photo in my phone.
A bad man, my Master, but he definitely knew how to not make his pet feel lonely.
A knock sounded on the door. “Lady Zari? I’ve been asked to remind you that classes are to start at seven in the morning. Do you need me to help you with anything?”
The words had me reaching for my robe. Today, a brand new chapter in my life would start. Alexandru and even my parents had risked many things to keep me alive, and it was a gift I was determined not to waste.
I glanced at the mirror mounted on the wall next to the bed and practiced smiling. I didn’t want anyone to think that I was so childish and unprofessional, pining away for my Master, even if it was true.
“Lady Zari?”
Tightening the robe’s sash around my waist, I called out, “Coming!”
A voice slipped inside my head, familiar and sly. Coming? Are you really coming, pet? Does that mean you’re touching yourself?
I tripped on my way to the door.
The End
Watch out for Book 1: Beholden!
Sneak Peek:
Zari forgot her troubles soon enough when she heard a commotion at the edge of the courtyard, which was near one of the school’s main gates. There were lots of shouting, and the sense of urgency surrounding the men who came running into the courtyard was unmistakable.
They were carrying a stretcher with a bloodied and injured man on top of it, and one of them kept shouting “Ajuta” over and over.
She understood enough of the language now to recognize the word ‘help’ and Zari didn’t hesitate, hurrying towards the men. She kept one hand behind her, making sure that her skirt didn’t inch up and expose her cotton undies as she ran. The preppy uniform LSL insisted on was ridiculous, the way its buttoned-up top was so tight and its skirt so short.
When she reached the men, she asked, “May I be of assistance?”
“You’re human, aren’t you?” The one who appeared the leader asked, a desperate look on his face as he gestured for his men to lower the stretcher on the ground. “Are you Unclaimed? Lord Erou has lost a massive amount of blood, and he needs to feed right away. It’s the only way he can fight off the poison’s that entered his body.”
She was not Unclaimed, but—
Zari looked down at the man on the stretcher. He was extremely good-looking, she noted absently, but what made her swallow was how pale he looked. Vampires were extremely strong, and even that was putting it mildly. She could only imagine what this man had gone through in order to be near death.
“Miss? Could you tell me if—”
Zari wordlessly offered her wrist.
“Thank you,” the man said feelingly.
She expected him to use a knife or any other sharp object to slice her flesh, but instead he pulled her forward, and she found herself falling on top of the man on the stretcher.
A second later, she felt warm breath warming the side of her neck before fangs pierced her flesh.
In her mind, she heard Alexandru hiss in displeasure. Who dares taste my pet?
Beholden is now available!
~~~
Thank you for reading Ensnared. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, I’d love it if you could leave a review for the book. Please let me know if you did by emailing me or dropping me a line on my website, Facebook page, or Twitter. I’d love to thank you personally for it!
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I’d also like to take this time to invite you to download HEART RACER for FREE if you haven’t read it yet. It’s the first Heart Racer book and it’s a two-part story.
Leandro Christopoulos, a Greek-American ex-bike racer, is in need of a fake girlfriend. When he sees curvy, snarky and Young Philanthropist of the Year awardee Roberta Bobby Granger naked, he knows he’s found his perfect match – and he doesn’t care if he has to lie and tell Bobby he’s in love with her as long as he gets what he wants.
ENJOY AN EXCERPT FROM HEART RACER
“Excuse me.” The guy on her table taking her seat was tall – enough for him to be almost the same height as she was even while seated. Maybe the fact would have been intimidating to others, but not her.
When he still didn’t turn around, she cleared her throat and said more loudly, “Excuse me!”
He turned slowly, his move screaming of reluctance, and it made Bobby grit her teeth. The glass of soya milk on her tray slid a little to the left. Drat. “That’s my seat, mister,” Bobby said as she adjusted her hold on the tray. “So if you could please—” Bobby looked up and forgot the rest of what she had to say.
Bobby blinked.
Twice.
Thrice.
Beautiful was her first thought.
Was it truly possible for anyone to be this beautiful? It didn’t seem fair. Midnight black hair and olive skin that spoke of a Mediterranean heritage as well as stormy blue eyes fringed with long dark lashes that she would personally kill for. He wore a simple white shirt and a rugged-looking pair of jeans, and he had what looked like a griffin tattoo wrapped around his arm.
When she didn’t say anything, he turned his back on her.
Beautiful…and rude!
Bobby’s temper snapped. “Excuse me,” she said again, this time between clenched teeth. Her arms were beginning to ache at the weight of the tray as well, making her even more annoyed.
What the hell was her problem? The sound of the pissed-off voice had Leandro Christopoulos closing his eyes. This girl seemed to be more insistent than most. Or maybe it was because he was in America and people weren’t yet familiar with his moods. Back home, girls had known by his reputation that Leandro didn’t care to have his privacy interrupted unless he had given the signal for them to approach him. Otherwise, he was left alone – like he should be now.
“EXCUSE ME.”
The words and how the girl was practically hissing at him had Leandro incredulous. He turned around again and demanded curtly, “What do you want?” He just wanted this over with.
He looked at her more closely this time. Auburn hair that had him almost snorting. Typical. Flashing green eyes and an oval face that was flushed with anger. His gaze traveled down. Oversized buttoned-up blouse – boyfriend shirt was how his younger sister described it, if he remembered correctly – paired with regular jeans and flats.
She told him frostily, “You’re in my seat.”
He made a show of looking around and even checking the back of his chair. “I don’t see anything here that has your name on it.”
Bobby gasped, unable to believe someone so beautiful could be such an ass! But she should have expected it, she thought, teeth gnashing. Beautiful people were always like this. She really should have known better.
Juggling her tray because her arms were killing her already, “I left my book on the table so that people would know I reserved it.”
Following her gaze, Leandro saw that she had indeed left a book on the table – something he had failed to notice because he had been too distracted with his thoughts. Leandro rarely found himself in the wrong, and the fact that he was now didn’t sit well with him at all.
He said brusquely, “You may sit down on the other chair then.” He waved towards the vacant chair opposite him like a king bestowing a favor on a slave.
May? She may sit down? Who the hell did he think he was? Fed up completely now, Bobby slammed the tray down on the table. “Are you dense? I was here first so I have the right to kick you out of the chair.”
Leandro answered by slowly looking at the girl up and down. She was – what? Two inches over five feet? He was more than a foot taller than she was and probably double her weight. He said dismissively, “You can try.”
Why, the—
Without hesitation, Bobby kicked him in the shin. Hard.
The sudden pain on his shin almost had Leandro cursing. His gaz
e snapped back to the girl, incredulity and rage lining his voice as he growled, “What was that for?”
“You have to ask?” she snapped back. He suddenly shot to his feet and Bobby almost took a step back. He really was tall. And lethal. There was an air of danger about him that she was only beginning to realize and the words I take it back hovered on her lips.
If this guy went berserk and Hulk-smashed everything in his sight, she was pretty sure she would be his first victim.
So say sorry, her conscience urged. You know you were rude first.
Bobby stubbornly pushed the thought away. Rude or not, she just couldn’t make herself say sorry. She was too proud to do it.
When the girl didn’t even say sorry and simply glared up at him mutinously, Leandro found himself experiencing a strong urge to pull her across his lap and put a stinging slap to her backside. Girls in his homeland were not like this. They knew their place, and it was to respect and serve the men in their life.
His gaze swiftly scanned their surroundings and saw that everyone inside the cafeteria was looking at them. He knew he had to leave the table. It galled him to admit that she had indeed “claimed” the table first, but Leandro knew it was true.
However, he did not intend to let her have the last word.
He gestured to the table. “It’s all yours.”
“It really is—”
Leandro stepped forward, held her by the nape, and closed his lips over hers.
She froze, shock rendering her immobile. When her lips instinctively parted in surprise, Leandro did not hesitate to deepen the kiss, his tongue moving in to brand her with his taste, making sure that she would never forget him and his kiss.
Leandro meant to seduce her, but what he didn’t count on was being seduced in return. Her mouth was a unique blend of sweet and spice, their sexual chemistry combustible in its explosive heat. This close, he was suddenly and explicitly aware of her softness, her womanly scent, and when his cock rose, balls aching with need, Leandro tore himself away abruptly.
Even as his body protested the sudden absence of contact, Leandro managed to look into the red-headed virago’s eyes with a cold glare. “I’m on to you, mégaira. All that noise was for me to notice you, wasn’t it?”
As the words sank in, she let out a loud gasp, and Leandro added silkily, “Next time, you only need to ask.”
Download Heart Racer today for free!
Want Some More Hot Alpha Billionaire and Biker Romances from Marian Tee?
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The Greek Billionaire and I – Curvy schoolteacher Velvet says ‘yes’ to a marriage of convenience but is too proud to let her Greek billionaire husband know she’s doing it for love and not for money.
Greek Billionaire Romance Serials - A young schoolteacher innocently dreams of falling for a Greek billionaire, but the one she meets only wants her as a mistress.
The Art of Catching a Greek Billionaire (FREE!)
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The Art of Loving a Greek Billionaire
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Heart Racer: BIKER Romance Series
Leandro & Bobby’s Story (2 parts) – A young billionaire biker chooses a snarky do-gooder to be his pretend girlfriend.
Heart Racer (Free!)
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About the Author
Marian Tee is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of steamy romantic comedies. She is Filipino-Chinese, has lived all her life in the Philippines, and is a frustrated mangaka. She is addicted to horror flicks, misses hip hop dancing, and loves all things Japanese.
Table of Contents
Ensnared (The Prequel to Beholden)
Copyright
Chapter One
Excerpt from Heart Racer
Other Books by Marian Tee
About the Author