When Sullivan witnesses her parents being brutally murdered by Justin Lowell, her father's best friend and colleague, her entire world is shattered.
She swears to make Justin pay price for what he did and applies for law school to become a lawyer. It is not easy because she doesn’t want any money from Justin, who is also her legal guardian.
As she navigates the challenges of college life, Katerina keeps a secret: her part-time job at Penthouse Club as an exotic dancer to pay her way through school. But one fateful night, her double life is threatened to be revealed when Justin Lowell walks into the club with Victor Skrovonski, a notorious mafia boss.
Katerina's reality spins out of control as she becomes entangled in the dark crime underworld. A terrible mistake leaves her in dire need of help, and it's only Justin who steps forward to offer support. But their relationship is complicated; he can be cold and distant one moment, then unexpectedly kind the next, leaving Katerina questioning everything about him.
As they grow closer despite the danger surrounding them, a forbidden attraction blooms. Katerina begins to wonder: Does Justin have two personalities or is what she’s believed for the past six years a lie?

Claimed by My Dark Guardian by Lyra TaleSmith, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Claimed by My Dark Guardian

Justin walked back to kiss me then. His warm lips on mine felt like velvet cake, the softest press after press as he attempted to kiss me like he meant it. And he did. I know he did. 


He gently touched me, my face, my neck, feeling my pulse under his thumb as he met my lips every time we parted. It was the sweetest feeling I’d felt in a long, long time. It felt like finding Christmas gifts under the tree. It felt like sitting with cocoa during a snowstorm. I felt his touch, barely there, trying not to press into me, trying not to hurt me. I didn’t know this Justin, I realized, the one who didn’t want to wound me. The Justin I knew always wanted his way. He wanted to hurt me. 


But this time… this Justin? It was like he was trying not to break me. His touch was so gentle, his kiss so sweet, as if I was as fragile as glass. Was I? Would I break at any moment? 


Chapter 20: Dead Ringer