The world had gone to hell long ago, taken over by the vampire race. In order to keep some sort of peace in our land, the Vampire Lords made a consecutive agreement. The rich and powerful humans could survive just as they had been, untouched by the vampires save for the occasional blood collections, or so they thought In reality, we were all under their control. Castles spread out throughout our land, one landing in each city. Each castle varied in the number of vampires residing there, but all of them carried a Lord. The Lords were the ones in charge in every city, whether we liked it or not. The vampires often roam through the city, making sure that everyone was in order and no one stepped out of line. If you stepped out of line, you died, end of story. Even if the rich were still under their control, their lives were still better than the poor. The poorest lives held a much worse fate. The men were to be put to work as slaves, whether that meant serving a specific vampire, or just building their castles, they were slaves. The women were to be pets. Pets were the lowest rank you could have. They were forced into cages that were too small to stand in with collars around their necks. They spent their lives in pet shops, just waiting for the dreadful day that they'll be bought. They were treated like animals, trained into what their master wanted, and punished if they misbehaved. Those who were lucky enough to live through that, we're to be slaughtered for their blood at age twenty-five in an act to make sure that our population would stay steady. I was born into this world. Born into this world full of blood-sucking monsters. Except, I was one of the lucky ones. Was. It all ended for me when I was 12, when I was taken away from the last bit of hope and family that I had left. Ever since then, I've lived in a cage, just rotting away, waiting, dreading for the day that some monster would make me his. This is my life. I am a pet. ~~~ Cover by: @mshacake

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 & 𝐒𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭. "Do you have any idea what I'd do if you left me, Elara?" he murmured, his voice deceptively soft. I didn't answer. I knew better. He let out a dark chuckle, tilting my chin up until our eyes met. His gaze was wild-obsessed. Unhinged. "I'd hunt you. Drag you back. Chain you to my bed if I had to." His lips ghosted over mine, almost gentle. "And the worst part? You'd still be mine. Willingly or not." My heart pounded, but I refused to let him see fear. I am not weak or stupid. I won't run like the others. I will wait. Play the game. And when the time came-I will make him bleed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Elara Carter was never one to be afraid. Strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and independent, she had always fought her battles alone. But when she returned to her old school after years, she never expected to step right back into the grasp of the one person she should have stayed far away from. Luca Moretti. Once, he was the boy who made her smile-the boy with warmth in his eyes and mischief in his heart. Now, he is a man carved from ice and cruelty, a man whose name alone sends chills down spines. The heir to the most feared criminal empire. Cold, ruthless, and dangerously obsessive. And for some reason, he has set his sights on her. Trapped in a world of madness and power, Elara must decide-fight for her freedom or surrender to the monster who wants nothing more than to own her completely. Because in Luca's world, love isn't soft. It's dangerous, consuming, and utterly inescapable.