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A smile underlined his voice as her Master replied,I will be with you shortly. Thank you for being understanding, pet. It is beyond what I expect and deserve.

As Zari slowly made her way to the courtyard, she found herself mulling over Alexandru’s last words. Was he saying her good behavior was more than what he expected and deserved? If so, why? She hadn’t been living here for more than a few days when she started to hear peopleconstantlytalking about him.

To both pets and vampires at LSL, Alexandru was a celebrity of sorts, a vampire whose skills in the battlefield were unmatched. His charm was just as legendary, and Zari had lost count of the number of times she heard the other girls gushing about him.

When she considered all the great things she heard about him, Alexandru’s words made less and less sense. If anything, he deserved a human pet who was a lotbetterthan she was.

Zari absently seated herself on one of the stone benches lining the pathway. Her position allowed her to enjoy a sumptuous view of the school’s picturesque courtyard, with its marble fountain and ivory statues, but the beauty surrounding Zari was lost on her.

Would Alexandru always be a mystery to her?

Would she always feel undeserving of him?

And last but not the least, would he really keep her waiting much longer? The question crossed Zari’s mind when nearly two hours had passed and there was still no sign of Alexandru. Had he forgotten her? Had he left her? Had he—-

Don’t think that way, Zari,she scolded herself. Her Master may be a lot of things, but one thing he was not was rude. A man who insisted that she avoid cursing, carry anything heavier than a kilo, and open doors without assistance would never be discourteous enough not to let her know she could go ahead without him.

Right?

But Zari forgot her troubles soon enough when she heard a commotion at the edge of the courtyard, which was near one of the school’s main gates. There were lots of shouting, and the sense of urgency surrounding the men who came running into the courtyard was unmistakable.

They were carrying a stretcher with a bloodied and injured man on top of it, and one of them kept shouting “Ajuta” over and over.

She understood enough of the language now to recognize the word ‘help’ and Zari didn’t hesitate, hurrying towards the men.She kept one hand behind her, making sure that her skirt didn’t inch up and expose her cotton undies as she ran. The preppy uniform LSL insisted on was ridiculous, the way its buttoned-up top was so tight and its skirt so short.

When she reached the men, she asked, “May I be of assistance?”

“You’re human, aren’t you?” The one who appeared to be the leader asked, a desperate look on his face as he gestured for his men to lower the stretcher on the ground. “Are you Unclaimed? Lord Erou has lost a massive amount of blood, and he needs to feed right away. It’s the only way he can fight off the poison that’s entered his body.”

She was not Unclaimed, but—-

Zari looked down at the man on the stretcher.He was extremely good-looking, she noted absently, but what made her swallow was how pale he looked. Vampires were extremely strong, and even that was putting it mildly. She could only imagine what this man had gone through in order to be near death.

“Miss? Could you tell me if—-”

Zari wordlessly offered her wrist.

“Thank you,” the man said feelingly.

She expected him to use a knife or any other sharp object to slice her flesh, but instead he pulled her forward, and she found herself falling on top of the man on the stretcher.

A second later, she felt warm breath warming the side of her neck before fangs pierced her flesh.

In her mind, she heard Alexandru hiss in displeasure.Who dares taste my pet?

Chapter Three

“Before I read to you the next line, I want you to promise me that you won’t freak out.”

Her Master gave her an arrogant look. “I am not the type to freak out.”

His pet looked unconvinced. “Well, if you say so...” She glanced down at her proposal. “In the interest of equality, a Pet must also have the right to terminate a Claim and choose another Master—-”

He roared, “No!”

She winced. “See? I told you not to freak out—-”

“The fuck I won’t freak out! You are asking me if I will ever give you the chance to choose someone else over me—-”