Read Bound, An Arelia LaRue Novel #1 YA Paranormal Romance for Free Online

names?”
    “ Well, aren’t you a pretty,
little thing,” observed the man. His beady eyes scanned over me as
he extended his sweaty palm. “I always tell the Mrs. that if she
put in an effort, she wouldn’t be half as bad. We’re the
Dumptys.”
    “ It’s a pleasure to meet
you.” I faked interest.
    “ It sure smells good. I
wonder what kind of Southern food they’re going to surprise us
with,” squealed Mrs. Dumpty with excitement in her beady, blue
eyes.
    “ I’m sure whatever it is
will be delicious,” I predicted. “And what is your name?” I asked
the chubby, blond boy who appeared to be no older than
ten.
    “ I’m Ben. I’m here to see
the alligators and ghosts,” he responded in a matter of fact
tone.
    “ Sure son, but you have to
let us get a few Hurricanes in us, before we take you to see any
swamps,” Mr. Dumpty reminded him.
    “ Please, make yourselves at
home, and head inside, a staff member will take you to the
ballroom,” I advised them.
    “ Sounds excellent!” Mr.
Dumpty boldly brushed by me and gave my butt a slight
squeeze.
    I clenched my fists and took a deep
breath. “Have fun in there,” I shouted after him.
    Next to arrive was an elderly couple
from Maine. They were well-dressed and introduced themselves as the
Scotts. They were in New Orleans visiting their son who was a
doctor and thought that it might be fun to spend some time at
Darkwood plantation. After them, the Gopals arrived. They were a
young couple from California and were in New Orleans for their
honeymoon.
    “ Am I late?” Sabrina rushed
to the porch surrounded by a cloud of Chanel 5.
    “ Finally! Where have you
been? All of the guests are already inside.”
    “ Thanks for covering for me.
I got so sweaty in this dress that I decided to take a quick bath
which took way longer than expected. I mean the bathroom is to die
for. Of course, then I had to re-do my makeup.” She went on to
explain how two minutes had turned into almost three
hours.
    “ Okay, I get it. You look
beautiful, by the way,” I added.
    “ Do you think?” She asked
fishing for a compliment.
    “ Yes, you’re gorgeous, and
you’re my best friend, but if you don’t help me tonight, I swear I
will kill you,” I joked. “Some creepy guy from New York grabbed my
butt.” I vividly rehashed what Mr. Dumpty had done, as I guided her
into the house and towards the kitchen.
    “ Is he hot?” Sabrina asked
as exhilaration filled her blue eyes.
    “ Eww, no. Not even a
bit.”
    The kitchen was buzzing with waiters,
cooks and bartenders. Pots sizzled and bubbled with red beans,
creole jambalaya, seafood gumbo, and gravy. Counters were covered
with brisket, grilled shrimp, flutes of champagne and colorful
cocktail glasses. It smelled heavenly and gave me the urge to stuff
my face with every dish until my corset exploded. The amount of
food seemed endless and almost excessive considering that it was
enough for a large army rather than just a group of tourists. It
was the epitome of extravagance. If this was an informal ball, I
wondered what a formal ball at Darkwood would be like.
    “ Hurricanes are my
favorite!” Sabrina eagerly eyed her surroundings to see if the
coast was clear. Seeing that Ms. Mae and Henri were nowhere to be
seen, she grabbed a cocktail and chugged it down.
    “ Sabrina!” I furiously
hissed. “What are you doing?”
    “ Relax Arelia, we’re on
vacation.” She casually grabbed another cocktail and drank it. “You
don’t mind, do you?” She winked at a muscular, blond waiter who was
around our age.
    “ No, I sure don’t,” replied
the waiter. “My name’s Ivan in case you’re interested in meeting me
for a drink later.” He purposely loosened his tie and undid a
second button on his shirt. It was an obvious attempt to attract
Sabrina’s attention.
    “ You are very cute, but I
don’t date the help,” Sabrina snarled.
    “ I’ll make sure it’s worth
your while.” Ivan casually threw her another