Page 1 of Captured

PROLOGUE

Once upon a time a fair maiden who was considered a piano virtuoso believed in fairytales, the kind with big, brave, and dominating knights capable of riding their strong steeds toward the damsels in desperate need of their protection. Of course, there was one girl in particular I was most interested in, the one living in a gilded cage with a brutal father in control of every aspect of her life.

That girl was like Rapunzel, captured in a beautiful castle high on a hill, waiting for her prince with a hopeful heart. She longed for him to steal her away from the prison she’d been locked in since childhood, taking her to a dream resort where the sun always seemed to shine, the sand was soft between her toes, and the turquoise water was soothing to her broken body.

She knew if she found the man of her dreams, they would fall madly in love and live happily ever after.

But as with all hopes and dreams, the sinful thoughts of being wrapped in heated moments of passion were replaced with darker ones.

Ones depicting acts of kink so sadistic that without her strong will, she would be broken.

When she believed herself to be waking from a horrible dream and nothing more, she quickly learned there was no such thing as a sweet, honorable knight or a land where no harm would come to her.

There was only the reality of a life she’d been born into.

She quickly learned there were worse prisons than the gilded cage she’d been placed in. After that, the fair maiden lost her innocence.

And in turn her mind as well.

To the darkness.

His darkness…

CHAPTER 1

Emily

“Shush, little sparrow. Be a very good girl for your master.”

I could almost swear I heard the seductive words, yet I was only imagining them. But it sounded like something he’d say. Him, the man who’d captured more than just my body in his web, the monster who’d also taken what was left of my innocence.

Fear.

Excitement.

Need.

The three were inexplicably woven together like the fine mesh of a spider web. But the creature inside the spun silk was even more deadly.

That was him, the man stalking me.

The predator determined to claim me.

The monster I was certain would imprison me.

The dark sky was illuminated by the flash of neon blue lightning splitting the sky into two separate pieces. One forged in the fire of earth’s creation. The other captivating the imagination of terror and evil. Maybe I was being a little dramatic as I stood in front of the window, staring out at the malevolent storm that had taken hold almost two hours before.

The windows rattled from the powerful thunder, the rumbling something I felt in my feet and calves. I used to love thunderstorms, the wonderment of Mother Nature spectacular. Not any longer. That’s when he came, waiting to claim his prize.

As another flash of lightning crisscrossed the sky, the luminous light was enough to allow me to see an object at the edge of the forest surrounding my father’s house. Neither the darkness of night nor the dense forest could hide what I’d seen on three different occasions.

A man.

He was watching me, staring up at my window, never moving. I pressed my palm against the cool glass, trying to control my rattled breathing. As the next rumble of thunder boomed, a jolt of current hit something in the distance, and the moment of sizzling fireworks presented an eerie blue glow splashing across the sky. For a brief second, I was certain I’d captured a quick look at his face.

Then it was gone.

So was the man.

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