Lethal - A Dark College Bratva Romance
The Ares Academy Book One
Arianna Fraser
STA, LLC
Copyright © 2023 STA, LLC
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 9781234567890
ISBN-10: 1477123456
Cover design by: Art Painter
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America
To my clever, handsome and deeply troubled husband, who comes up with the very best plot twists.
To my dear Christy, who might find herself in a certain Dean, particularly her love of power tools.
And to you...
A sincere and whole-hearted thank you for reading Lethal. Proceeds from this book benefit the two crisis nurseries in my city. The crisis nurseries here are non-profits that are here for families who are overwhelmed and in desperate need of help. Their little people can be lovingly and safely cared for while their parents are hooked up with services for anything from housing, employment, mental health, and more. Thanks to your kindness, I've had the chance to purchase much-needed items, like cases of diapers, industrial-sized boxes of goldfish crackers, books, formula, toys, and more.
And socks. Those kiddos can never hold on to a pair of socks.
Free Books!
Join my email list and I'll shamelessly bribe you with a free book. You can download your free copy of The Reluctant Spy - A Dark Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance here. dl.bookfunnel.com/6xud62rmg0
I'm too lazy to spam you, so you'll only see an email monthly when there's giveaways or a new release - like Book Two in The Ares Academy series - which will be released in December 2023.
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST FOR LETHAL
Do you get into a story more when there's a music playlist to inspire you? Find the Spotify playlist for Lethal - A Dark College Bratva Romance here.
Preface
Lethal - A Dark College Bratva Romance is set in the brutal world of organized crime. These twenty-somethings are not messing around.
As such, there is violence, explicit sex between consenting partners, arranged marriages, kidnapping and oh, so much profanity. Additionally, there is a scene of attempted sexual assault and one of torture. Neither scene is explicit, particularly detailed, and they are brief. But it is extremely important to me that you are aware of and comfortable with the subject matter.
If these things are not to your taste, please find something that you might enjoy more, but I thank you for stopping by. Reading is meant to be a pleasure!
Still here? Excellent! Grab a glass of wine or a bag of Cheetos and let's get started. As always, thank you for reading and supporting my stories.
~Arianna
Prologue
In which Lucca struggles with his invisible family status.
Lucca…
“What are you doing?”
Konstantin, my roommate, kicked open our door, the way he always does, already pulling his sweaty shirt over his head.
I put my phone down. “Nothing.”
He throws his shirt at the hamper that housekeeping begs us to use for dirty clothes. He misses. How can such a lazy bastard be so gifted in ice hockey and soccer yet never hit the laundry basket? “Aleksandr and I are heading over to the lighthouse later, are you coming?”
The lighthouse.
The moldering stone edifice where our classmates go to get high and if they’re lucky, get laid. It’s always amused me because we can drink on campus, hell - they have a full bar in the dining room - and our suites are vastly more comfortable for fucking. Somehow, the allure of slabs of stone that can land on your head at any moment is too much to resist.
Still. “Maybe.”
“Yeah, hedge your bets,” he says dryly, pulling off his sweats and heading into the bathroom.
Picking up my highly illegal phone again, I read the bullshit in the society column from the Boston Globe.
Dario and Cora Toscano celebrated their marriage with a huge gathering at the home of her parents, Senator Carlton, and Claire Thorne. The lavish party’s guest list included Massachusetts Governor James Conrad, Boston Mayor Meghan Flannery, and several celebrities, including…
There’s column after column of this ass-kissing. Enlarging a picture of my brother and his new bride, I study them together. She’s beautiful, too gorgeous for an asshole like Dario, but they look happy together. Throwing my phone on the bed, I pace, wondering if Cora and Dario got my gift. How did my dear brother explain his “invisible brother?”
Or did he just pretend I don’t exist, the way the rest of my family does?
Fuck them all.
Chapter One
In which Tatiana discovers that nothing good happens at 3:36am.
Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party
Tatiana…
“Get up!”
The hand shaking my shoulder nearly knocks me off the bed.
“Miss Tatiana, we must leave now! Get up.”
Opening my eyes and slapping at the arms hauling me from my covers, I wheeze, “What the hell? Stop it!” It’s Lev, his mouth tight and he’s pale. Glancing at my phone, I see that it’s 3:36 a.m.
I’ve seen my bodyguard angry, amused, infuriated, and more over the last ten years, but never afraid. Now, he’s afraid.
“Lev, what is happening? What are you-”
“Listen to me,” he says sharply, precisely. “You are in danger. We need to leave now.”
Rolling gracelessly out of bed, I shove my hair out of my face. “Let me get dressed. What kind of danger?”
Lev shakes his head. “No time.” Grabbing my arm and yanking me from my room ends that line of questioning and I stumble down the stairs after him. The usual presence of household staff and my father’s soldiers are noticeably absent. It’s only Lev and me.
“Where is everyone? Where are my parents? They should have been home by now- Lev!” Digging in my heels, I force him to spin and look at me. He’s gritting his teeth, eyes narrowed. “Where are they!”
“Your father trusted me to keep you safe,” he hissed, “now walk out this door or I will carry you out.”