MasukWhen broke med student Zaria Monroe signs up for a lucrative "wellness trial" run by a secretive elite biotech firm, she never expects to be selected by billionaire vampire heir Lucien Draeger as his life-bonded donor. Bound by a dark contract, Zaria must submit to Lucien’s needs—physical, emotional and otherwise—while he fends off rogue immortals and prepares to lead an ancient vampire syndicate on the brink of civil war. But as their fates intertwine, Zaria realizes her blood may be the key to a power long thought extinct and that the price of survival may be her soul.
Lihat lebih banyakA sleek black car pulled up outside their dormitory a few minutes before 7 a.m. It looked like the kind of vehicle Zaria only saw in movies. Zaria froze at the doorway, her tote bag over one shoulder as the driver stepped out in a tailored black uniform and wordlessly opened the passenger door. She turned to Sienna. “Wait. How did they know we live together?”But Sienna was already halfway out the door. “They’re a scientific institute. I’m sure they realized. And I provided our contact details when I applied. Come on, now’s not the time to be paranoid.”Nodding, she followed her friend to the car, greeting and thanking the driver before getting in. Inside, everything smelled faintly of leather and spice. The seats were soft and there were beverages nestled in the inset compartment between them. The windows stayed dark from the inside too. Zaria could barely make out Boston’s outline as they moved. It was like the car was driving through shadows. “This feels over the top for a rese
The Syndicate chamber was cold tonight. The ancient stone walls held centuries of secrets, etched with runes that pulsed faintly under the glowing flame torches. The table was nearly full with Dorian Vale, the Chancellor, seated at the head. Around him, the rest of the council members murmured. Lucien Draeger arrived with a measured stride, deftly unbuttoning his suit jacket before taking his seat at the left side of Dorian. It was common for him to arrive last, something they had all come to expect. But to Lucien, it was more of a deliberate choice. “You’re late”, Father Anselm muttered under his breath. The pious purist still preferred to wear his 14th century priest garments during meetings. Beside him was Raoul Mercer, a man built like a fortress. Once Lucien’s best friend, there wasn’t a day that now went by that Raoul wouldn’t sneer wickedly at him, his jaws clenching so tightly in eternal distrust. Next to Raoul was Lady Isolde Lennox, an English noblewoman with fine alabast
The sharp hiss of the blinds parting woke Zaria up the next morning. “Rise and shine, chosen one!” Sienna’s voice rang through their tiny dorm room. The shrillness of her voice was ten times worse than Zaria’s phone’s alarm. She groaned and pulled the comforter over her head. “No, please. Just a few more hours till class. I want to sleep for a bit.”“Not anymore. Check your email.”“I’ll check when I wake up…in three hours.”“Nope!” The comforter was yanked clean off and the morning chill overwashed Zaria’s body almost immediately. “Z, seriously. Wake up. We’ve been picked.”Zaria opened her eyes and squinted at her best friend. “What are you talking about?”“The trial! Draeger! We got in!”Suddenly, she sat upright. “Wait. Already?”Sienna nodded. “It just came in. I already did but check your inbox.”Still in disbelief and a bit disoriented to question how her best friend had accessed her inbox, Zaria reached for her phone and opened the email app. It had the usual unread messages
Zaria stepped out into the cool rainy night but the silence after the chaos unsettled her. Everything seemed too different; the streetlights were suddenly too bright. Even worse, within her, she could feel the buzzing getting louder and louder. It was nearly midnight but the city wasn’t fully asleep. Cars passed occasionally, flashing like camera bulbs. She could hear a siren wailing in the distance. Even after such a major disaster, life went on. Desperate to drown out the sounds, she decided to focus on her steps. But her mind kept replaying her encounter with the gravely injured man and the depth of emotions she had never felt before in her life. “Maybe I am exhausted”, she said to herself. You’re almost done, Z. One semester left. One more push. Then boards. Then residency. Then maybe you’ll have a life.This time though, the thought didn’t comfort her the way it used to. Not when her bank account had barely three digits. She stopped at a crosswalk, the red hand blinking acros












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