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 lured away from Stella’s intoxicating presence to come face to face with Officer Grant once again. And this time he was nowhere near as pleasant as he had been the night he pulled me over for driving with Stella.


I allowed myself a moment to indulge in the sweetness of realizing that in the space of one morning, Stella seemed to begin opening up to me like a gentle flower. I knew it was catalyzed by Alastair’s evil antics, but I could feel how open and raw her reaction to his terror and threats was. 


I had reached out to hold her on instinct, not certain if she would welcome my embrace, and as she clung to me, it felt as if she were meant to be there, right there in the moment with me, trembling with fear and anger. 


Chapter 20: An Evil Deeper than Bloodlust