Total pages in book: 207
Estimated words: 196971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 985(@200wpm)___ 788(@250wpm)___ 657(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 196971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 985(@200wpm)___ 788(@250wpm)___ 657(@300wpm)
“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.”