Ensnared (The Prequel to Beholden): A New Adult College Vampire Romance Story

by Marian Tee

  My Master suddenly laced his fingers with mine, making me stiffen in surprise.

  Before I knew what he was doing, he had raised my hand to his lips, and my cheeks burned hotter when I felt his kiss on my flesh. “Master!” I hadn’t been able to call him that the first time we met, but now, the word slipped past my lips easily.

  “I vowed that no harm shall ever befall you, pet, and you must be aware by now that I always keep my word.”

  I nodded, slowly. It was the truth. He always kept his word, no matter how hard, no matter how gruesome.

  “This place shall be your sanctuary. It will give you time to heal and find out what you want in life.”

  I nodded again, but this time it was only for show. While I did believe that time could heal, I didn’t think the other one was true. Rather, I didn’t think it was necessary. I already knew what I wanted in life. I was going to be his pet, a damn good one. So much so he wouldn’t ever think of replacing me.

  My Master frowned at my lack of response. “Zari—”

  The sound of the gates slowly opening interrupted him, saving me from replying. Someone in a black hooded dress came out. Her face was unlined, and I would have thought her ordinary until her smile revealed her fangs.

  “Alexandru, welcome.” She greeted him with a curtsy, surprising me.

  Alexandru bowed in response, and when he looked at me meaningfully, I dropped in an awkward curtsy.

  The woman smiled in approval. “You are Zari, I believe?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” I thought about it and added lamely, “Milady.”

  She reached out to squeeze my hand reassuringly. “My name is Lavinia, and I am one of the teachers in this school. You may call me Madame Lavinia, as the other students do.”

  Her expectant smile made me mumble, “Good evening, Madame Lavinia.” When she continued looking at me, I found myself curtsying one more time.

  She clapped her hands. “Perfect.” She started walking again, leading us inside the school. The gates swung silently shut behind us without anyone touching them. Automatic controls or magic? With this crowd, you just never knew.

  “You are quite the fast learner,” she remarked in a pleased tone. “I now see why Alexandru has chosen you.”

  My Master’s sly smile reappeared at the words. “Believe me, Madame Lavinia, it is not the only reason I have chosen her. You see, I have also seen her—”

  A thought crossed my mind, of Alexandru’s first sight of me, when I was tied to the bed, naked. Panicking, I stepped on his foot, hard. Master or no Master, I didn’t want anyone learning about that.

  Madame Lavinia glanced at us over her shoulder. “You saw what, dear?”

  “I saw her potential right away,” he finished without missing a beat. “She will make me the perfect human pet.” His gaze slid to mine, his eyes just as sly. “Correct, pet?”

  “Yes, Master.” I had to choke the words out even though I was itching to yell at him for being so darn mean.

  Our hands remained entwined as we followed behind Madame Lavinia. The contact between us kept me from panicking, but I would rather hang myself than admit it.

  An expansive cobbled road led straight to the school, reminding me of my Master’s earlier explanation about the “training” that I would receive if I were admitted.

  Next to the thick, tall walls securing the property was a gatehouse, and when we went inside, I realized that it served as an admission center of sorts for the school. My heart became heavy with insecurities. Could I really make it here?

  “Please make yourself comfortable while I get the paperwork ready,” Madame Lavinia said, gesturing to the receiving area before leaving us.

  Looking around, I had expected the whole place to look like a kinky fantasy come to life, but so far, everything was just vast and tastefully decorated. This room, for instance, strongly resembled a hotel lobby, with its creamy stenciled wallpaper, carpeted floor, and elegant furniture.

  My Master sat on one of the leather couches. When I started for the armchair next to him, he shook his head.

  “Where do you want me to sit?”

  He patted his lap.

  My eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious?”

  “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  I couldn’t help it. I demanded again, “Are you really serious?”

  “Oh dear.” The words had me whirling around and I saw Madame Lavinia on the doorway, a look of dismay on her kind face. “You should never question your Master, young Zari. That is one of the most sacred rules for human pets.”

  “Umm…” I could feel my Master’s smile stretching to a smirk behind me.

  “If your Master wants you to sit on his lap, you should be grateful for such a sign of affection. It only means he cherishes your company.”

  “Err…”

  Her hands made a flapping wave towards Alexandru’s direction, as if silently urging me to do as he asked.

  Slowly, I turned around to face my Master.

  As expected, he was smiling ever so beautifully…and ever so slyly.

  Heat burst in my cheeks, but knowing that resistance was pointless, I slowly made my way to him. When I was just an inch away, I waited, hoping he’d just tug me to his lap so I wouldn’t have to do it myself.

  But of course, my hatefully contrary Master wasn’t the type to make things easy for me. Instead, he stayed still, a mockingly patient expression on his face.

  “Zari?” Madame Lavinia asked, her tone bewildered.

  Cringing in mortification, I slowly lowered myself on his lap, back ramrod straight. I stared straight ahead, knowing that if I caught sight of my Master’s sly smile, it would only get me blushing harder. That or strangle him. It could be either.

  Madame Lavinia sighed in relief. “There, there. I’m so glad you’re not as stubborn as the other First-Mades.” Taking the couch opposite us, she sat down and handed each of us a folder. “Please take your time answering this.”

  She directed a questioning glance to my Master. “Would you like a moment of privacy while you fill this out?”

  “If it wouldn’t be so much trouble, please.”

  “Nothing is too much trouble for you, my dear,” the older woman said warmly.

  When she left, my Master’s fingers drifted against the small of my back, which I now knew was his way of telling me he wanted my complete attention. “Read the forms, pet. I’m sure you’ll have questions.”

  I glanced down at the form. The first line told me that he was right. I would have questions – a lot of them.

  Legacy or First Made?

  “She mentioned this a while ago,” I murmured. “What does this mean?”

  “Legacy refers to all those who come from families who have served as human pets for generations. First-Mades are like you – humans who have been acquired by other means.”

  “You mean sold in auctions?”

  My Master’s face became grim. “I’m sorry, pet, but your circumstances are rare…and unfortunate. Most other First Mades are a result of a simple legal agreement between humans and otherworlders.”

  The surprises just kept coming, I thought. “You mean, someone would really choose to be a human pet?”

  He raised a brow. “Why not? Your main responsibility is to feed us when we need sustenance. In return, you will be able to live in the lap of luxury forever.”

  “But it also means a lifetime of not being free to do whatever you want,” I argued. “You told me before that I can’t even have a relationship without your approval.”

  “Naturally. It is for our race’s safety. We must make sure that people who know of our existence are all trustworthy.”

  “But—”

  “I understand and respect your opinion, pet.” His tone was gentle but firm, and I knew it was his way of subtly reminding me of what we were. Master and pet, and whatever way you want to look at it, it would always be one commanding the other and never the other way around.

  My gaze moved back to
the form, scanning the rest of the questions until I saw one that I couldn’t understand.

  Claimed or Unclaimed? If Claimed, please state your Master’s name.

  “I don’t understand this.” I pointed to the words that caught my attention. “I’m guessing I’m Claimed, but what about the Unclaimed ones?”

  “They’re humans who come from the most illustrious Legacy families. They’re highly sought after, which means they can afford to refuse offers of claiming. To put it simply, they prefer to be claimed by only the most powerful Masters.”

  “I see.” The bonds between Master and pet were turning out to be a lot more complex than I thought.

  Are you willing to share your pet?

  My Master caught sight of my stunned expression and when he saw what I was staring at, he chuckled, the sound tickling my back. “Occasionally, otherworlders come here in need for immediate sustenance, and some Masters are quite generous with their pets.” He cupped my jaw, making me look at him. “You have nothing to worry on that count, though.”

  “I’m not worried.”

  His lips curved, and his sly smile was as sinfully sexy as ever. I wondered if there’d ever come a time that I would be immune to its sight, wondered if there’d ever come a time that my heart would stop skipping a beat when he smiled at me like that.

  “You and your lies.” He clucked his tongue. “Do you really think you can fool me?”

  “I’m really not worried—” The rest of my words disappeared into his kiss, turning me into a statue on his lap. But still his kiss continued, its fiery heat making my body melt. When his fingers sunk into my hair, using it to angle my head so he could deepen the kiss, my resistance weakened even more.

  “Are you really not worried,” he whispered against my lips. “Because if you’re not, I’m going to leave you this very moment—”

  “No!” The word burst out of my lips, my hands clutching his shoulders in desperate and instinctive protest.

  Laughing, he kissed me again, fiercely, seductively. “I was just teasing you, pet. I will never leave you. I promised you, didn’t I?” Slowly, he pulled away. “You do understand why I need you to stay here, Zari?”

  I didn’t answer.

  “Zari?”

  I shrugged.

  He sighed. “Answer me, Zari.”

  The commanding tone left me no choice but to answer, and I muttered, “Just because I understand doesn’t mean I agree. Master.”

  “You know the kind of life I lead. I want you to have a long life by my side, but that won’t ever happen without proper training.”

  “You could train me.” I hated how petulant I sounded, but I couldn’t help it.

  “True, but I have much more important uses for my time.”

  I winced. As blunt as ever, my Master.

  “Are we agreed on this then? You will stay here if you are accepted?”

  It wasn’t like I had a choice.

  You’re thinking too loudly, pet. Of course you have a choice. I will never be the kind of Master who’d take that kind of freedom from you.

  I bit back a sigh. He didn’t understand. How he was a Master wasn’t the problem here. It was me – what I wanted – that was leaving me without a choice. With each passing day I spent in his company, the urge, the drive, the need to please him grew and grew until I had to keep my hands behind my back – the only way to prevent myself from embracing him and never letting go.

  “Zari?”

  I bowed my head. “Whatever you want, Master.” And God help me, but I meant that.

  ****

  I was accepted, of course. I had a feeling I would be, seeing how Madame Lavinia treated my Master like royalty. After all forms had been signed, we had been immediately escorted to the dormitory. My room was at the corner of the third floor. It was spacious and elegantly furnished, with velvet drapes, a four-poster bed, and an en-suite bathroom.

  My Master waited for the older woman to bid us good night and retreat before asking, “What do you think?”

  “It’s beautiful,” I answered simply.

  “You think you will be happy here?”

  “Of course.”

  He sighed. “Honesty, pet. Is it too much to ask?”

  “Acceptance, Master. You need to accept that I’ll always be like this. Is it too much to ask?”

  He strode towards me and made me gasp when he flicked my forehead. “Stubborn pet.” I gasped once more when he lifted me in his arms. “Brave pet.” He carried me to the bed and as he laid me down, he said softly, “Cute pet.”

  “Cute?” I pretended to be offended, but my voice just came out shaky and breathless.

  “Yes, cute.” He flicked the first button of my blouse open. “In an arousing way.”

  I clutched his hands in shock when I felt his fingers working on the second and third buttons. “What are you doing?” My voice came out strangled.

  “What do you think?” By the time he finished speaking, my blouse was completely undone.

  “But—”

  Again, my words disappeared into his mouth.

  The kiss shocked me. He hadn’t kissed me like this since the night he found me.

  The kiss slayed me. I couldn’t say it, would probably never be able to say it, but I was addicted to his kisses. I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of it.

  Dimly, I felt him discarding my blouse, and soon the rest of my clothes followed until I was entirely naked. When he pulled back to study me from head to toe, I writhed under his gaze in embarrassment.

  “You’re turning pink all over,” my Master purred in obvious pleasure.

  “Shut up,” I muttered, even more embarrassed by his words.

  My Master only laughed. His fingers cupping my breasts, he murmured, “I missed this. You do not know how much I missed this.” His head bent down, and I felt him nuzzling the valley between my breasts.

  I half-struggled, half-writhed under his powerful form. “Master.” The word came out as a plea, but I had no idea what I was begging him for.

  “You smell so unbelievably sweet.” His words were a tantalizing whisper, a delicious caress against my skin as his lips trailed down my neck. “It makes me mad with jealousy, wondering if someone other than me would notice your scent.”

  His lips moved further down, and another gasp escaped me when his mouth closed over one nipple. My body arched under him as he started to suck. He had never kissed me this way – never!

  My hands found its way to his body, moving against his back restlessly as he sucked and sucked. When he moved to my other breast, worshipping it the same way, my hands moved up in its own volition, clutching his shoulders as my body curved in helpless desire against him.

  “Please.” I still didn’t know what I wanted. All I knew was that what I needed, only my Master could provide. When he bit my nipple, I cried out. “Please!”

  His head lifted, and a sinful kind of promise glittered in his eyes. “Soon,” he rasped.

  I felt his hands moving over my body, shaping my curves slowly and thoroughly, as if he wanted to memorize every inch of my skin. Down, down, down his hands went until I felt him prying my thighs open.

  Trembling, I allowed my legs to fall apart, and then his hand was there. Right where I was most sensitive. It was the hottest part of me, the part that throbbed and ached so much the sensations filled my every thought.

  “Master!” My head tossed from side to side as his hand traced my wet folds. I was so wet it was embarrassing, and I would probably have blushed again if I wasn’t so caught up in the sensual magic of his touch.

  “Look at me. I want to see your face as I please you.” His gaze held me captive as our eyes met. “Does this make you feel good, pet?” Slowly, he slid one finger inside me.

  I cried out, my body shaking harder even as my flesh contracted and expanded, my inner muscles tightening around the part of him that marked his first possession of my body.

  “Answer me.”

  “Yes.” I sobbed
the word out as he started to move his finger, sliding it in and out at a slow, steady pace.

  “Do you want more?”

  “Please.” I squeezed my eyes shut, my body tightening with every thrust of his finger.

  I felt him moving down, his hands pushing my legs up to form a wide W. I looked down just in time to see his head disappear between my legs. And then there it was, his warm hot tongue flicking against the sensitive bud.

  I screamed.

  His tongue started to play with my clit, and I screamed once more. Again and again until I saw stars and it was so hard to breathe. When he started to suck on my clit, the same time his finger moved in and out of my pussy, my body began to shake. Something inside me was unfurling, something so strong and powerful, wracking my body—

  My Master slid a second finger inside me, thrusting hard and deep just as he caught my clit between his teeth.

  That unfurling force inside me burst, releasing a wave of pleasure so intense I was drowning in it. My body jerked with every gush of wetness flowing out of me. I clutched at him helplessly as I came, never imagining that an orgasm could feel this strong. This consuming. This beautiful.

  As I drifted into a deep, heavy slumber, I thought I heard my Master whisper in my ears, “This is what I want you to remember when you feel alone, sweet pet. I will come back to you, I promise.”

  Such tender words, too tender for a man as private as my Master to speak of.

  When I woke up, my Master was gone.

  When I woke up, I knew that the words weren’t a dream. My Master was worried about me. My Master cared. The thought had me swallowing. Even though he was as contrary as ever, I knew it was just a front, a way to keep himself apart.

  He was a good man, my Master.

  But then I saw what he had saved on my phone – a photo of him, naked and holding a piece of paper. A message was written on it—

  My pet told me that if I gave her a hundred photos like this, she would be the happiest pet in the world.

  I gritted my teeth. I take it back. He was not a good man, my Master.