Bella Gold

As a half-blood vampire, Stella has been fighting all her life to get out of this city, escape the torment of her pursuer and live a peaceful life on her own.

And she’ll do anything to achieve her goal, even if it means working for Cassius van Cleef, a pureblood.  

From the moment their eyes met, Stella has been unable to resist Cassius and his loving arms, but will he protect her, or is he just another dangerous predator?

—

I leaned into him, and I inhaled his masculine scent as it intermingled with mine. 

He reached up with his fingers and brought my chin up a little, just as his warm lips met mine for the first time. 

I opened my eyes when the kiss broke and saw Cassius’ lips wet from the moment we just shared. 

I felt a warm blush flowing up my cheeks and I turned away quickly.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed,” he said as he reached over and gently turned my back to him. “As I said before, you are so much more than you realize. Just be patient with me.”

Saved by the Vampire

I was surprised by Cassius’ quick retreat into the mansion once we arrived there, but I put that to the back of my mind as I watched Florence stumble out of the car and take in everything from the front lawn to the expansive mansion. 


“We get to live here?” she asked, her jaw hanging slack in disbelief. “For free?”


“Well, housing comes with the position,” I explained. 


“So we’ll be in maid’s quarters behind the walls or something?” she asked. “Like in those old movies.”


“No, Cassius set me up in a bedroom, and I’m sure one will be made available to you as well.”


She looked at me doubtfully. “You will eventually hire a full staff, he won’t want all of us taking up residence in the house. I’m perfectly fine with maid’s quarters,” she assured me. 


“Come on, I’ll take you for a tour. After that, I’ll find Cassius and ask about the room situation.”


Chapter 14: Guilty by Association