Author: Anna Zaires
Genre: A Dark Erotic Novel
Release Date: June 9, 2015
We’re all that and more.
We thought we were past the worst of it. We thought we finally had a chance.
We thought wrong.
We’re Nora and Julian, and this is our story.
Excerpt
“What
did you dream about?” I ask softly. “Was it Beth?”
“No.”
She shakes her head, and I see that her breathing is beginning to
return to normal. Her voice, however, still holds echoes of horror as
she says hoarsely, “It was you this time. Majid was cutting out
your eyes, and I couldn’t stop him . . .”
I
try not to react, but it’s impossible. Her words hurl me back to
that cold, windowless room, to the nauseating sensations I’ve been
trying to forget for the past several days. My head begins to throb
with remembered agony, my half-healed eye socket burning with
emptiness once again. I feel blood and other fluids dripping down my
face, and my stomach heaves at the recollection. I’m no stranger to
pain, or even to torture—my father believed that his son should be
able to withstand anything—but losing my eye had been by far the
most excruciating experience of my life.
Physically,
at least.
Emotionally,
Nora’s appearance in that room probably holds that honor.
It
takes all of my willpower to wrench my thoughts back to the present,
away from the mind-numbing terror of seeing her dragged in by Majid’s
men. “You did stop him, Nora.” It kills me to admit this, but if
it weren’t for her bravery, I would probably be decomposing in some
dumpster in Tajikistan. “You came for me, and you saved me.”
I
still have trouble believing that she did that—that she voluntarily
placed herself in the hands of psychotic terrorists to save my life.
She didn’t do it out of some naive conviction that they wouldn’t
harm her. No, my pet knew exactly what they were capable of, and she
still had the courage to act.
I
owe my life to the girl I abducted, and I don’t quite know how to
deal with that.
“Why
did you do it?” I ask, stroking the edge of her lower lip with my
thumb. Deep down, I know, but I want to hear her admit it.
She
gazes at me, her eyes filled with shadows from her dream. “Because
I can’t survive without you,” she says quietly. “You know that,
Julian. You wanted me to love you, and I do. I love you so much that
I would walk through hell for you.”
I
take in her words with greedy, shameless pleasure. I can’t get
enough of her love. I can’t get enough of her. I wanted her
initially because of her resemblance to Maria, but my childhood
friend had never evoked even a fraction of emotions Nora makes me
feel. My affection for Maria had been innocent and pure, just like
Maria herself.
My
feelings for Nora are anything but.
“Listen
to me, my pet . . .” My hand leaves her face to rest
on her shoulder. “I need you to promise me that you will never do
something like that again. I’m obviously glad to be alive, but I
would sooner have died than had you in that kind of danger. You are
never
to risk your life for me again. Do you understand me?”
The
nod she gives me is faint, almost imperceptible, and I see a mutinous
gleam in her eyes. She doesn’t want to make me mad, so she’s not
disagreeing, but I have a strong suspicion she’s going to do what
she thinks is right regardless of what she says right now.
This
obviously calls for more heavy-handed measures.
“Good,”
I say silkily. “Because next time—if there is ever a next time—I
will kill anyone who helps you against my orders . . .
and I will do it slowly and painfully. Do you understand me, Nora? If
anyone so much as endangers a hair on your head, whether it’s to
save me
or for any other reason, that person will die a very unpleasant
death. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes.”
She looks pale now, her lips pressed together as if to contain a
protest. She’s angry with me now, but she’s also scared. Not for
herself—she’s beyond that fear now—but for others. My pet knows
I mean what I say.
She
knows I’m a conscienceless killer with only one weakness.
Her.
Twist Me (Twist Me, #1)
Kidnapped. Taken to a private island.
I never thought this could happen to me. I never imagined one chance meeting on the eve of my eighteenth birthday could change my life so completely.
Now I belong to him. To Julian. To a man who is as ruthless as he is beautiful – a man whose touch makes me burn. A man whose tenderness I find more devastating than his cruelty.
My captor is an enigma. I don’t know who he is or why he took me. There is a darkness inside him – a darkness that scares me even as it draws me in.
My name is Nora Leston, and this is my story.
Keep Me (Twist Me, #2)
Abducted at eighteen. Held captive for 15 months.
It reads like one of those headlines. And yes, I did it. I stole her. Nora, with her long dark hair and silky skin. She’s my weakness, my obsession.
I’m not a good man. I never pretended to be one. She can love me, but she can’t change me.
I can, however, change her.
My name is Julian Esguerra, and Nora is mine to keep.
About the Author
Anna Zaires fell in love with books at the age of five, when her grandmother taught her to read. She wrote her first story shortly thereafter. Since then, she has always lived partially in a fantasy world where the only limits were those of her imagination. Currently residing in Florida, Anna is happily married to Dima Zales (a science fiction and fantasy author) and closely collaborates with him on all their works.
After graduating from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics, Anna spent eight years on Wall Street analyzing stocks and writing research reports. In 2013, she became a full-time author, pursuing her lifelong dream of writing romance novels.
Dima Zales is the love of her life and a huge inspiration in all aspects of her writing. Every book Anna writes is a product of their unique collaborative process.
In addition to reading and writing, Anna enjoys drinking tea (coconut oolong, anyone?), watching addictive TV shows, and discussing book ideas during long walks with her amazing husband.
She loves hearing from her readers, so please don't hesitate to contact her through her website or connect with her on Facebook, where she hangs out way too often. Also, please visit her husband and collaborator, Dima Zales, at www.dimazales.com and check out their fantasy & science fiction books.
Sign up for Anna's newsletter at www.annazaires.com to be notified of all new releases.
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