When Poesy Laroche was sold to the highest bidder, she found herself desperate to change her fate and disappears into the woods no one dares to speak of. The screams that come at night become only whispers of stories about the mysterious Lady Venom, whose manor is filled with snakes and horrors. And when Poesy gets lost within her maze, Lady Venom claims her as her own mistress, with no hope of escape. Fans of dark sapphic romances will devour Lady Venom Takes a Mistress by Kat Blackthorne, a spicy gothic twist on Medusa and Beauty and the Beast.
To be bid on was to be bought as a wife. To the winning bidder his prize, a maid, a servant, a child-bearer. That would be Poesy Laroche’s life, she realized, as she walked down the aisle to her future husband. He’d promised to break her into submission, and she knew his words were true.
In an act of desperation, she takes the reins of her fate and dives into the woods we don’t speak of. The screams that come at night become only whispers of stories about the mysterious Lady Venom. Her manor is filled with snakes and horrors. And when Poesy gets lost within her maze, Lady Venom claims her as her own mistress, with no hope of escape.
Poesy is locked into a haunted estate where the flowers watch, the ghosts whisper while the snakes slither, and everyone knows the deadliest of them all is their Lady that rules them.
But there are secrets to uncover both within the eerie walls and in the riddles atop Lady’s Venom’s forked tongue as she incites more danger and pleasure than Poesy ever thought possible.
But will it be enough to keep Poesy from her fate? Or will the hidden truths prove more fateful than a serpent’s bite?
Lady Venom is a haunted, spooky, lesbian romance with lethal women and gothic magic. It’s a twist on both Medusa and Beauty and the Beast and features femme dom and captive tropes with off the charts spice. This story is set in The Halloween Boys universe with crossover of lore, but you do not need to read The Halloween Boys before enjoying Lady Venom Takes a Mistress.
Excerpt
Copyright 2023 @Kat Blackthorne
After she took a seat across from me, I downed my greens and potatoes before forking the meat. “Is this… is this bodies of the men you’ve killed?”
Venom raised her dark brows before placing a delicate hand to her chest and letting out a melodic laugh that sprang a smile to my own face. To see her laugh, to be the cause of that laughter…
“Men would taste disgusting.” She took a sip of her wine, still chuckling. “Could you imagine? No, bellflower. That is duck. However, I wouldn’t mind a taste of you.”
Almost choking on my buttery bite, I washed it down with the fruit forward red beverage. Was this all a ploy to fatten me up and… eat me? And why did that idea send jolts of lightning to the spot between my thighs?
But before I could entertain a response better than the one I’d offered earlier, I yelped, almost spilling my drink. A striped red and yellow snake was slithering down the table runner. “Why so many snakes?” I whined, inching back in my seat. “They’re so terrifying. Truly, I hate them.” My breathing quickened as I spotted more that I hadn’t noticed as one slid down the piano keys, bringing about a brash and eerie sound.
Lady Venom stroked a gentle finger over the striped serpent as it made its way down the table’s leg. “Yes. Such a shame you didn’t wander into Lady Bunny’s den. Alas, here we are. The snakes are extensions of me, in a sense. They feed off my mood. So they won’t harm you. Unless you make me mad, that is.”
“Oh, devils. I’m sure I’ll eventually make you mad. Will you tell them not to bite me at least?” I begged. Though, despite my fear, my smile hadn’t faded.
“Mm, but what about me? What if I want to bite you? It’s me or the snakes.” She swirled her wine seductively and pushed her chair out but didn’t stand. “Come here, Poesy.”
My body froze and ignited at the sound of her command. “You said you don’t bite,” I murmured weakly. Praying I could still remember how to stand, how to walk, I did as I was told. When I was within reach, she took my hands again and stood me in front of her as she sat like a queen on the throne. She gave my body a slow appraisal, her gaze sweeping to my feet and then ascending, pausing around my middle, my breasts, and resting on my eyes. My heart pounded in my chest as I awaited her every word and graceful movement.
“Do you know what it means to be a mistress?” she asked, her voice huskier than before.
I swallowed, suddenly feeling warm and tingly all over, fighting the urge to lean into her. “No,” I admitted.
She stood then but pulled my palms toward her so my breasts collided with hers and our noses touched. Her breath was sweet as she spoke to the torrent of want raging inside me. “It means you will do, and be, anything I require. It means that I own you, your body. Your every desire and pleasure are mine.”
“Yes,” I whispered breathlessly.
“Good girl,” she answered before lightly skimming my lips with hers. “Take this off,” she ordered, spinning me around and unzipping the back of my dress.
About Kat Blackthorne
Kat Blackthorne is a bestselling author of haunting romance. She writes passion, characters, and worlds that linger past the last page. Her tales embrace cozy darkness with magical and spooky twists. Catnip for her is banter, begging, challenging norms, and beings who worship their women.
Kat lives somewhere deep in the mountains in a witch’s cottage with her talking feline. She has a collection of quotes and character names a mile long, her favorite holiday is Halloween, and her favorite book is whatever she read last.
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Website: www.katblackthorne.com
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