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 had to take a moment to sit in the living room before venturing downstairs to the servants’ quarters. I’d been squatting down cleaning, and I didn’t trust my wobbly legs to hold me upright–and a tumble down the stairs was not the way I wanted to start my day. 


I let myself take a moment to indulge in the memory of Cassius’ touch. The unexpected contact affected me in a way that was new and exciting as well as mysterious and scary. I’d never had that kind of reaction before, but I had a feeling that it meant I was starting to grow feelings for the vampire. 


I took a deep breath. The plan was to leave New Rome and get as far away as I could from the city plagued by half vampires. I had to watch myself or I would become attached to Cassius or maybe even fall in love with him–and then what? 


Chapter 16: The Servants’ Quarters