by Mara Leigh
Rubbing my eyes, I step forward as his body thrashes and turns, and the sound of breaking bones fills the air.
The beast collapses in a heap on the cave floor.
Is he dead?
“Are you okay?” I slowly step forward.
His back and shoulders rise and fall, rise and fall. He’s breathing. He’s alive.
“Do you need anything?” I know this beast has kindness inside him. He had an instinct to warm me when I was cold. I need to appeal to that side of his nature to keep him from eating me, and to protect me from the vampires out there.
Still shadowed, he rises, his back toward me.
Unsure what I’m seeing, unwilling to believe my eyes, I stop in shock.
Because my eyes claim to be seeing the back of…not a bear but a man. A very large man, his shoulders wider than any I’ve seen, and his butt cheeks like two perfectly round boulders of muscle.
In fact, now that my eyes are adjusting to the light, this man is entirely composed of muscle. Zero fat. It’s like looking at a photo of a body builder in full pose, but less grotesque, more like an oversized sculpture of the ideal male anatomy carved out of marble.
My mouth is dry. Drier now than even before Zuben fed me. And I still don’t trust my eyes.
The man, or whatever he is, turns toward me and walks forward—slowly. The front of his body is just as impressive as the back, including what’s hanging between his legs, even as I fight to keep my eyes off it.
He takes a step from the shadows, and his body is bathed in torchlight that seems to want to lick every inch of him, to accentuate every dip and divot, every plane and mound of him.
Or maybe it’s me who wants to do the licking.
His extremely broad chest is enhanced by a very manly dusting of dark hair, reminding me that moments ago he was a bear, and he runs his hand through a thick, matching mane on his head, pulling it back to reveal striking gold eyes and a ruggedly handsome face with a closely trimmed beard.
“Go!” he says, in a voice so hoarse and so deep that it consumes the space between us, rumbling through me with the force of an earthquake.
But I’m too shocked, too curious to run. “Who are you?” I ask. “More to the point—what are you?”
“Get out of here!” he yells. “Leave me alone or I’ll have you for dinner!”
Want to read more?
Continue reading THE VAMPIRES’ ILLUMINANT series with Book 2, TRAPPED FOR HER BLOOD. Coming December 16, 2021.
Book description coming soon!
Did you know???
THE VAMPIRES’ ILLUMINANT series is set in the same world as my BOUND BY HER BLOOD series.
If you crave more vampires and haven’t read that series yet, you should check it out too!
Read Now => Bound by Her Blood.
I’ve included a sneak peek of Bound by Her Blood at the back of this book. Just be warned that this series starts out a bit dark… The heroine in Bound by Her Blood goes through a lot at the start of the book. Trigger warnings for abuse.
Sneak Peek => Bound by Her Blood Chapter One
Also By Mara Leigh
PARANORMAL, WHY CHOOSE ROMANCE
The Vampires’ Illuminant Series
Auctioned for Her Blood
Trapped for Her Blood (coming December 2021)
Desired for Her Blood (coming January 2022)
Devoted to Her Heart (coming February 2022)
Bound by her Blood Series
Bound by Her Blood
Bound by Her Passion
Bound by Her Destiny
Bound by Her Love
Bound by Her Power
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Bad Stepbrother
Downey Brothers Series
Bad Boy Next Door
Bad Habit
Bad Princess (coming soon)
Best Kind of Bad (coming soon)
SHORT EROTIC READS
Fantasies Unleashed Series
Dirty Business
Surrender
Bedded by Strangers
Humbling the Boss
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Mara Leigh escaped from the corporate world and now hangs out in coffee shops, letting her imagination run wild. After living in various cities including Edinburgh, San Francisco and Philadelphia, Mara and her exorbitant shoe collection have settled in Toronto where she writes sexy, smart, satisfying contemporary and paranormal romance.
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Sneak Peek
BOUND BY HER BLOOD
Chapter One
Selina
Today, I am going to die.
It’s not the first time I’ve thought King Xavier would kill me. Not to mention the countless days and nights before my capture when I thought my end was near, but no matter how many times I’ve been close to death, it doesn’t get easier—or more welcome.
And King Xavier’s lost patience.
Each time I fail to complete the ceremony, the powerful vampire king grows more angry, his punishments more brutal—and on the last new moon he swore my next attempt would be my last.
No way will I survive another wedding.
“Come, Selina. Today’s your big day.” Jordina, one of Xavier’s mates, gestures for me to step into the warm bath where she and Alexander are waist deep, their bodies’ glistening like sculptures of a Greek god and goddess, and nothing short of magnificent.
Held captive at King Xavier’s court for over a year, I’m still not used to the nudity and sexual openness here. My hand trembles as I unbelt my red silk robe.
“Don’t look so frightened.” Alexander smiles warmly, his deep brown eyes transmitting comfort. “You’ll complete the ceremony this time. I’m sure of it, and then you’ll be part of our family.”
Although the king prefers females, Alexander is also one of Xavier’s mates, and if I complete today’s wedding ceremony, I’ll be mate number nineteen. I’d rather die.
I drop my robe to the tiled floor, and the red silk spreads like fresh blood across the gleaming marble tiles, leaving my body exposed to everyone in the baths.
A loud exhale comes from a dark corner of the room.
I lift my gaze.
Pike.
My hands fly up to cover my body, and my belly tightens with fear. Pike’s the most vicious of Xavier’s King’s Guard, and his immense size is a fraction of what makes this particular vampire so utterly menacing.
His huge body shifts, and his thick arms barely reach across his bare chest that’s marred by a jagged scar that slashes red from one shoulder to slip under the waistband of the worn leather pants, hanging from his hips.
Pike’s eyes, amber and piercing, penetrate the darkness. Shivers trace through me as if his gaze is visceral, scraping over my body, peering into my soul and adding salt to my many wounds.
Eager for cover, I accept Alexander’s hand and descend into the warm, rose-scented water.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Alexander says to Jordina as if I’m not there. “Such a perfect age when she turned.” Lifting my hand over my head, Alexander twirls me around like we’re on a dance floor, not in a small pool.
“Gorgeous,” Jordina whispers near my ear.
Using soapy fleece mittens, she strokes up and down my arms, over my back and shoulders, and then slips the mitts under the water and over my butt.
Relax, I tell myself. Allow yourself to enjoy the pleasant moments of this day, but it’s not easy, given I know what’s coming.
Once Jordina finishes with my back, Alexander guides me onto the partially submerged lounging bed in the center of the bathing pool.
“Head back.” Jordina holds up my lavender hair as I relax my neck into the cradle that seems designed exactly for me, even though I’m sure all of King Xavier’s mates use this bath.
The female vampire pours warm water over my head, and I inhale the citrus scent of the shampoo as she washes my hair, giving my scalp an intoxicating massage. Weak from months of starvation and torture, my body yields to the warm water and the vampires’ gentle touches.
As Jordina washes my hair, Alexander dons the soaped mitts and washes my throat, my belly, my breasts. His caress is firm but tender and sensual, and if I keep my eyes closed, I can imagine his are the hands of a lover, even though imaginary lovers are the only kind I’ve ever had. Not that I haven’t been fucked.
Since I’ve been captive at court, I’ve been abused too many times to count, and although I’ve been blindfolded during most of those assaults, I feel sure the worst of them have come from Pike.
I shudder, knowing he’s here in the room, his eyes on my naked body. My insides squeeze as if those muscles could protect me from his punishing member.
“What’s wrong?” Alexander pauses, his hands on my breasts, and I open my eyes to find genuine concern in his.
“You know what’s wrong,” I say flatly.
“Selina.” He strokes his hand down the middle of my torso to stop low on my belly, circling there. “Resisting will only bring you more pain. Give our king, give us, a chance. Is Xavier a demanding lover? Yes, he is. But I love him, and if you let yourself, you will love him, too.” He smiles at Jordina and she nods, a blush rising on her cheeks.
“And you’ll love being our mate,” she whispers in my ear, then kisses the lobe.
Alexander backs through the water toward my legs, and his erection juts through the water, bouncing near his abs. Is his arousal for me, or because he’s been talking about his mate?
It doesn’t matter. And he’s wrong. Even if I get through the ceremony—doubtful—I will never, ever, love King Xavier.
As Jordina massages my temples, Alexander lifts one of my legs and washes the length of it, spending extra time on my upper thigh. Then his mitten slides over my sex, stroking the plush fabric back and forth, way beyond what seems necessary to bathe me.
“Oh, Selina.” His voice is throaty and deep. “I know our king will have the privilege of taking you first, but I cannot wait to be inside you.”
Alexander acts like he doesn’t know what’s been happening to me in the dungeons. Perhaps he doesn’t. If he knew, how could he love King Xavier? How could any of his mates love the king if they knew what happens in his dungeon? Did any of them refuse the king like me?
As Alexander strokes the mitt over my sex, a wave of pleasure courses through me, in spite of the situation. In the less than two years since I transitioned into a vampire, my sex drive has multiplied exponentially.
When I was human, I totally avoided sex—any contact with men—but since I became a vampire I’ve found myself unable to control my body’s reactions to stimulation—even when it’s not welcome.
My supercharged libido is my least favorite thing about being a vampire and that includes drinking blood and missing sunshine.
But I can’t lie to myself, being bathed like this by these two kind and beautiful vampires is arousing, even if my arousal makes me angry with myself. How can I be turned on after all that has happened, given what’s about to happen?
I want my first real love-making experience, my first time that’s my choice, to be with someone I love, but at this moment, I have to admit that the idea of sex with Alexander—or Jordina—is appealing, and being part of the king’s harem would at least free me from being tortured by his Guard.
Can I go through with this? Marry the vampire king?
Luxuriating under Alexander and Jordina’s skilled hands, I can almost imagine my life as Xavier’s mate, but then I remember the vampire king himself.
My entire body tightens.
“Poor Selina.” Alexander kisses the multitude of round scars on my inner thighs, gifts from my stepfather.
Cigar burns were how my stepfather showed his displeasure when I showed mine at how he forced his penis inside me. He started when I was eight, less than a year after my mom married the monster.
I quickly learned how to check my mind out of my body whenever he’d visit me at night, but my compliance didn’t please him either, and the monster found new ways to torture me besides penetration.
When I finally escaped the house at fourteen, I believed I was free, that I’d already suffered the worst things that could ever happen to me—to anyone.
Then I met King Xavier.
Selina
After my bath, Alexander and Jordina apply my makeup and style my hair while I hope for escape. I won’t get through the ceremony, which leaves me two choices: escape or death.
“Do you like your hair this way, Selina?” Alexander asks, and I open my eyes for a moment. He’s curled my hair into dozens of tiny ringlets that he’s looping and pinning at varying lengths using tiny diamond-encrusted clasps that sparkle against my pale purple hair.
I nod, noting the heavy black eyeliner Jordina applied, the metallic silver eye shadow, and, of course, the blood red lipstick. Objectively I know I look good, but I hate it.
Beauty’s a symbol of my captivity. My desirability’s the trait that led to this misery.
If only I’d disfigured myself before I transitioned, but at twenty-two I’d been hopeful, no idea my physical self would be forever frozen in place.
And my lavender hair color, now permanent, came the very day I was turned. I was so happy when I splurged on that hair dye—a treat to myself for landing my dream job in graphic design.
After years of living on the streets and then in roach- and predator-infested rooming houses, I was on my way. Starting a job I knew I’d love and soon able to afford a real apartment. One where I didn’t need to share the halls with roaches or registered sex offenders.
But the very night I dyed my hair, I was attacked by a vampire who nearly drained me and left me for dead in an alley. Somehow I’d turned all on my own—which is supposedly impossible.
Clearly it’s not.
So many things I thought I knew about vampires aren’t true. But one thing that’s true—they thrive best in groups.
Surviving on the streets, a lone female vampire without a syndicate or kingdom for protection, wasn’t easy. Still, I managed it for three months until the fateful night I met Santos and was tricked by his kindness.
Santos brought me here to Xavier’s court, and presented me to the king like a cat dumping a dead mouse on the kitchen floor for its human.
Seconds later, Xavier plunged his fangs into my neck. He fed from me until I was so weak I could barely stand, then the king declared I was his. Since that night, my life’s been so full of torment and agony it makes my abusive childhood, my teenaged years on the street, seem idyllic.
One way or another, today is going to end all that. I only wish it didn’t have to end in death.
Makeup and hair done, I stand still, and Jordina adjusts my wedding gown, this one even more elaborate than the previous twelve. In several hues of red, narro
w panels of silk and crushed velvet intertwine as they drape my body, highlighting my shape and leaving my breasts mostly exposed, as well as my throat.
The embroidery thread is twenty-four-carat gold, as are the beads and tiny sequins hand-sewn along the neckline and slits, which reach from the floor all the way to my waist—front and back.
Jordina slips me into a thong. A triangle of red silk encrusted with tiny diamonds advertises my sex below the apex of the gown’s slit. The string reaching back from there is fashioned from a series of large black pearls.
Jordina’s fingers part my labia to position them, then she tugs up on the garment from behind, adjusting the length of the string until the orbs press hard into my sex, creating stimulation each time I move—or breathe.
I vow to minimize both at all costs.
Alexander takes a gold hoop from a tray and opens it. Without warning, he pierces my right nipple. I gasp, and my involuntary movement digs the pearls into my sex.
Alexander fastens the ring and slides it back and forth through the hole, then, using his finger, he wipes blood from my breast and pulls it between his lips, his eyes closing in ecstasy.
“Selina tastes delicious,” he says to Jordina. “I can see why Xavier wants her so badly.”
Alexander pinches my other nipple, making it hard, and then pierces that one, too, but this time I’m better prepared for the pain.
Jordina doesn’t bother with her finger and takes my nipple, hoop and all, between her lips. She sucks, circling my nipple with her tongue several times.
“Oh, my,” she says as she licks a few stray drops of blood from my breast. “You are going to be a very popular member of our family.”
She crouches and her hand slides under the gown to circle my ass, then she tugs up on the beads from behind. I open my eyes to find her smiling, her expression swimming with desire.
