Severed: A Dark Romance (The Taken Series Book 1)

by Dani René

  “Just come back to me, Drake,” he finally mutters.

  Those five words are what he’s always uttered to me. Each meeting I’ve been on, he’d always tell me to come back, and I’ve always returned. Nothing can ever take me away from him. Our past is riddled with excruciating pain, vile acts, and images that would haunt even the darkest souls, but it’s ours. Something we share, and nobody can take that away.

  I lean in, giving him some of the affection I know he craves. Our lips touch, his mold to mine, and I grip his hair, holding him steady as I dip my tongue into his mouth. He groans when I suck his tongue hard, biting down on the flesh, which causes another soft grunt to rumble through his chest.

  The kiss heats when his hand finds my thigh. His touch isn’t gentle, not like a woman’s. It’s rough, needy, and it matches my own desire. Our tongues duel for control, the taste of him overwhelming me, and I know I need to stop it. I need to put an end to this, or I’ll never leave. And we’ll end up on the floor with my cock inside his ass.

  Pulling away, I stare at him for a moment. “This . . . We need to stop this, River,” I tell him breathlessly. He nods. He knows I’m lying. Every day, without fail, I tell him the same thing. I don’t want him waiting for me if I don’t come back. It doesn’t matter who was sitting in the seat beside me, I could never ask someone to pray for my return, not when I didn’t want to return anyway.

  “See you later,” he concedes, knowing there’s no way I will admit my feelings.

  I head out the door with my phone and keys. Ensuring my smokes are in the inner pocket of my jacket, along with the holster holding my Glock. My sweet baby I never leave home without.

  It’s an hour’s drive to the estate on the outskirts of town. A place where men do as they please. And I know one of those men used to be my father. All the truths that spilled from the pages of his dossiers sickened me. Granted, I’m an asshole, but the things I did were by force. I never had a choice. Except for the moment I first sunk my dick into Caia’s mouth. The moment I felt heaven for the first time.

  There’s a limit to the damage you incite on someone, and I know the only people I would ever find pleasure in killing are the ones on my list.

  My father didn’t stop at nameless girls. He tortured his own sons. He did it to River, the boy who became more like family. I recall the moment he entered our home with his mother. The woman who left him there.

  “Hey,” the boy with the green eyes says to me. There’s confidence radiating off him, but there’s also something I’ve come to learn is happiness. I don’t often allow kids in my space, but he doesn’t ask permission when he leaps onto my bed. He shuffles himself against the headboard, then watches me.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m new here. My mom says I’m going to stay with you while she goes to work,” his innocent voice offers as he smiles at me, and I find myself staring in shock and awe at him. He’s pretty. Can you call a boy pretty? Maybe not, but he is.

  “I don’t want you in my room.” I sound so angry. I hate being like this, but I can’t help it. Not even Dante, my brother, comes in here. He knows my rules. Nobody is allowed in my space. But this boy . . . “What’s your name?”

  “River.” He smiles.

  “What kind of fucking name is that?”

  His eyes widen at my curse word. We’re only ten, but that doesn’t matter. I can say anything I want. My dad doesn’t care what happens to me as long as I do what he says when he sends me to the dungeon.

  “It’s the best fucking name. What’s yours?” He lifts his chin, folding his hands behind his head as if he’s never been more comfortable, and it bothers me. I don’t want him here, but I can’t tell him to leave.

  “Drake,” I tell him, shrugging off his chuckle.

  “I like it,” he tells me with a grin so wide I can’t stop the one that curls my lips. This boy is bad news. “My mom said your dad is helping her with work.”

  My body stills. An icy chill makes me shiver at his words, and I realize that this isn’t "work." This is something else. I don’t know what his mother told him, but I have a feeling River will be spending a lot more time here than he thinks.

  “You’re going to need a room,” I tell him.

  “Thanks, mate.”

  And as he follows me down the hallway, I shove open the door beside mine. If he’s going to be stuck in this place, he might as well be next door to me.

  His mother left that day and never came back. She was one of Malcolm’s most esteemed clients, but I would never tell River that. He thinks she’s dead. Murdered by some stranger in the night. I’m still not sure where she is; we haven’t found her yet. Perhaps my father pulled the trigger while he was balls-deep inside her whore cunt.

  Tonight, I take out the man who stole our innocence, along with the man who seeded my mother’s womb. Thanos wrenched the purity from River and me, and there was nothing we could do about it. Helpless is something I’ll never be again, not when it comes to the monsters who haunted my childhood nightmares.

  A while ago, River asked me what I’d do once the list was complete. I couldn’t answer him because as much as I wanted to tell him I’d move to London and be with him, I knew my heart wasn’t there. Not at the time.

  After I’ve completed my mission, maybe I’ll find purpose again. But right now, there’s no way I’ll walk away from what I know I need to do. Keeping Dante, Caia, and River safe is my number-one priority. Second is exacting my revenge and finding my mother. I believed she died long ago, but when Malcolm knew when he took his last breath that I’d find the one last damning secret he’d been keeping all this time — she’s alive somewhere.

  Once I find her, perhaps then I’ll be able to let go of the anger I hold close to my chest. Maybe then my life will feel like it matters, because right now, it’s a maelstrom of darkness and destruction.

  Memories of my past invade my mind. The father I thought was meant to care for Dante and me only used us as pawns in his game. He created me. His most loyal follower. The son he tormented for years before turning me into a toy for his own sick pleasure.

  His love for power, desire for money, and hunger for respect made him a monster. I never thought I’d hate anyone, but as time passed, Malcolm became more engrossed in the darkness. He ensured I would be what he needed.

  I think the moment he lost our mother he no longer cared. She was his light, and when the light diminished and went out forever, evil enveloped him.

  Sadness grips me for a moment, but I push it down. I hide it from view because the last thing I need is for this asshole to see my weakness. If there’s one good thing I did learn from dear old Dad, it's that you should never let your enemy see your weakness.

  It’s the one thing that can get you killed.

  7

  Drake

  The city lights speed by as I put my foot down on the gas pedal. My onyx Audi R8 zips through the near-enough empty streets as I make my way farther out of the city and closer toward the final stage of my plan. Dante has no idea what I lived through, and he doesn’t know why I’m so adamant to complete this list of names. I can’t tell him. Nobody, besides River, can ever know.

  I couldn’t tell my brother. The truth would only hurt him. As much as I fought my brother through our years of growing up, I love him and would do anything to ensure his safety. And now, the safety of Caia.

  I still think about the one girl who meant something to me for the time she was locked in a cell in the dungeon. She was the first girl I’d thought of keeping for myself, who I wanted to love. But she was broken, so much so that I knew deep down there was no turning back. Sometimes, when you want someone as much as I wanted her, it’s best to walk away. She shattered before me. Her small body bleeding out as I attempted to pray to a god that doesn’t exist. For years I thought she had died. But now, there’s hope. Something I didn’t think I would ever feel again. She isn’t dead; she was just bought like an object.

  I don’t know
what her state of mind will be when I finally lay my eyes on her again. After being here for so long, I’m certain she’s so broken she doesn’t even remember me. Or she could be working for Thanos and has finally given up on freeing herself, and she’s planning to kill us all for what she’s been through — giving in to the anger and vengeance that most probably fills her heart.

  That night will forever stay with me. Haunt me. The nightmares I still have where she inhales broken breaths while blood spurts from her chest visit me every damn night. But the moment they wrenched her from my arms, the flicker of hope I had for the short time she was in my life went out, never to be lit again. It was something I had to come to terms with.

  A memory assaults me as the road darkens, turning black before my very eyes.

  “Dr-Drake,” she sputters in blood from her lips. It makes her look deathly beautiful. I lean in, planting a kiss on her mouth, tasting the metallic liquid. I know he’s watching. He knew I’d fallen for her. And this is his lesson. I’m not allowed to feel.

  All she is now is a pretty, broken toy. There’s nothing left, her body draining itself in front of me.

  “I-I lo-loved you.” Her words are filled with emotion. The real, heart-stopping kind. I nod. I know she did, but the problem is I was too focused on revenge, and I’d forgotten that all we needed was each other to get through the dark. Not even Dante knew. She was mine. My secret.

  I wanted to steal her away, and instead, I’m stuck here without her. “You need to close your eyes now, Caia. I’ll find you. I’ll save you.” My words are low. I don’t want him to hear me, but when Malcolm drops to his knees beside her, she glances back and forth between us.

  It takes everything inside me to not attack him for doing this, but when I look at what I’ve turned into, I know it was the only choice. I would’ve killed her in my madness. With the sickness riddling my brain, there’s no telling what I could have put her through.

  “This is for the best, son.” He slaps a hand on my shoulder as if he’s just told me he’s proud of me. Perhaps he is. Maybe he’s not angry at all and he’ll forget that my plan to stop them from hurting her would’ve jeopardized everything he worked so hard for. I was supposed to be the good son, but instead, I’m going to be the one who turns into him, the monster I’ve spent my life hating.

  I watch as one of my father’s guards lifts her limp form in his arms, and jealousy rages through me. I saw him with her. In the darkness of her cell, I watched how he hurt her, and I didn’t do anything to save her. Guilt surges through me. She didn’t know I was there, watching from the shadows as he took her, again and again.

  Eighteen, and she’s dead because I couldn’t stop myself from loving her. Our game has ended, and we both lost. There’ll be no more talking, touching, me watching her.

  “I love you, Caia. Even in this darkness,” I whisper to her, my lips not moving, so only I know what I’ve uttered. Her body jerks, blood oozes from her, and I watch as the white button-up the asshole wears is drenched in it. The pretty crimson fluid that I’ve reveled in so many times now flows from the one woman I love.

  That emotion will never again take anything from me. Because I will never give my heart to another. I’ll never let anyone get close enough to see my now-blackened heart. As the life finally dissipates from her eyes, I vow that my emotions will die with Caia. My heart will be buried in her hands, with no chance of being recovered.

  Shaking my head, hoping to rid the memory from the forefront of my mind, I make the left turn leading to the large monstrosity sitting on the hill overlooking the city.

  The gates are lit by two yellow gargoyle lamps which illuminate the lions’ heads on the ebony metal. Since the house sits outside the city, there are no other lights for miles.

  Enveloped in darkness, the three-floor mansion looms over hills of greenery. A buzzer sits at the entrance to the drive, beckoning me to make contact. Inhaling a steadying breath, I push the button, and a camera appears in the black screen.

  “Yes?” a deep, gruff tone comes in greeting from the speaker.

  “Mr. Savage to see Mr. Thanos,” I tell him. A soft buzzing sounds through the speaker, and the large iron gates slide open, allowing me entrance to Hell. This is the one place that’s always left me with a sense of forbidding. I know what happens behind the high walls. I’ve seen the dinner parties and poker evenings run by Thanos and my father. Anxiety grips my chest painfully at the memories that flit through my mind as I am granted entrance.

  The driveway is long. It offers me the chance to remember the times we’d come here. As it winds, I realize this could be the last time I drive up to this place. Dante and I will shut down everything my father had built. When I finally get a glimpse of the house, all the lights shimmer like a beacon, and I wonder what exactly awaits me on the other side of those walls.

  As the car inches up the pavement and the mansion comes into view, I can’t help the excitement at finally getting my revenge on the man who helped my father all these years. And at finding the girl who stole my heart without even knowing it.

  Thanos will meet his maker tonight. He needs to pay for his sins. I look forward to driving a blade through his chest, twisting it while his blood seeps from the wound.

  It’s been a while since I’ve been around him. Most of the months since Malcolm died, I’ve avoided him. The others we took down dealt in drugs, weapons, but Thanos is special. He buys young girls and boys — and I mean young — for pleasure. He uses them, breaks them, then discards them like damaged toys. I know, because I’ve seen it.

  When I exit the car, I stroll toward the door I hope doesn’t open, but I know it will. He wants my money. He promised to sell me the doll he’s currently playing with in order for me to extract the information he needs from her. Only, he doesn’t realize he’s made a deal with the fucking devil.

  Upon reaching the door, I don’t have to knock because it slides open, and on the other side is a woman who must be in her early twenties. She looks as lost as I feel. Her blonde hair is pinned behind her head in a low ponytail. Dressed in a matching, form-fitting top and skirt, I notice how skinny she is, but her tits are spilling from the top of the material. Her big brown eyes are dull, lifeless, as if her soul is dead. She’s a walking shell, and I know exactly why.

  “Good evening, sir. May I take—?”

  “Show me to the dining room,” I tell her without so much as a greeting. I’m not here for pleasantries. I’m here to extract the girl, kill the asshole, and have River clean up the mess.

  The skeletal hostess leads me through the large home and into a room decked out in silver and the finest china. This isn’t who I am, and this asshole knows it. But he’s trying to impress me because he’s under the impression I’ve taken over the organization from my father. Since we’ve kept Malcolm’s death from his associates, telling them that he’s stepped down offered me the opportunity to let them think I’m in charge. He’s attempting to ensure my allegiance to his business. But there’s nothing that could make me want to give this asshole anything.

  “Drake Savage.” His gruff tone comes from behind me, and I turn to find Thanos strolling in with a smirk of satisfaction on his face. He’s old, even though his hair is still dark, there’s gray on either side of his face, and I know he’s in his early fifties now.

  “William Thanos,” I greet, shaking his hand.

  His expression is pleasant, but his eyes conceal hidden truths far too terrifying for anyone to fathom. Something must have happened prior to my arrival. There’s something about him I can’t pinpoint, but I notice the sick satisfaction emanating from him.

  “The little toy is getting cleaned up. She was misbehaving, and I had to teach her a lesson,” he informs me, settling himself in the chair at the head of the table.

  Bile rises into my throat, burning its way into my mouth, and I have to fight to swallow it down. A waiter with the same lifeless eyes as the hostess enters with a bottle of red wine. I can’t see the label, but
he fills my glass, then Thanos’s. With a swift bow, he leaves us.

  “And what exactly do you feel is proper training for toys?” I question, lifting the wine to my lips, taking a long gulp. My gaze never leaves the monster that sits on his throne.

  “I went easy on her tonight. She threw up on my dick. She has to learn never to do that again. When you take her this evening, I trust she’ll behave.” He chuckles, and it takes all my restraint not to shove the glass in his face and cut him a new fucking hole to spurt shit from.

  “I see. And you haven’t thought about giving her a lashing?” I question, playing his game, and I know he’ll fall into my trap. My gaze doesn’t leave his over the rim of the crystal wine glass.

  “Oh, she’s had plenty of those. Tonight, though, I wanted to ensure her porcelain skin is unmarked. You are welcome to inspect her. I’m intrigued to see your methods.”

  Of course, you are.

  “I look forward to meeting this beauty you’ve been telling me about,” I say. The doors slide open, causing me to shut my mouth. Two staff members walk in — both dressed in black slacks and white shirts — a boy and girl, who can’t be older than sixteen.

  They set our plates down. Steaming food, which normally would have me salivating, now only makes me nauseated. A steak, rare from the blood dripping from it, along with a large green salad, sits on the expensive crockery.

  I’m about to thank him when the air changes and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Lifting my gaze, I turn to find a girl standing in the doorway. Her body is boyish in the clothes they’ve dressed her in, showing off her tits which are a handful, if that, along with slim hips and bare feet.

  But when I lift my gaze to her face, that’s when my heart stops. Her big, hazel eyes are glaring at me. Her full, darkened, pink lips are plump, causing my dick to stir in response. They’re perfection, and I know they’ll look incredible sliding up and down my shaft. The memory of the night she took me in her mouth — well, the night I fed her my dick — runs wildly in my mind. I stifle a groan at the image and take her in.