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

I wasn’t usually a violent person. I may have attacked the previous mafia boss, Victor, and I may have had dreams about what I’d do to the person who killed my parents. But Douglas brought out a side of me that I didn’t even see coming. That slap was so over-the-top and impulsive, and I still didn’t feel it was enough. I wished I could punch him again and again until I was done. Whenever Douglas opened his mouth to speak to or address me, he insulted me and shamed me. If it wasn’t the unnecessary slut-shaming, it was this toxic boyfriend-from-hell personality he adorned. Who did he think he was, asking me if I’d slept with someone? I couldn’t think of a time when he talked to me and treated me like a human being. The more I tried to calm down, the more I wanted to scream bloody murder. 


Chapter 32: Cruel