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

by Dani René

  “Killed?”

  I nod once more.

  “Take me there.”

  “Okay,” I agree. “Get some more sleep, then pack your shit. We’ll leave this evening. I have things to do first. We’ll come back for you in a few hours.” I turn and leave her in the bedroom. Finding River in the living room, I offer him a smile. “She’s agreed.”

  His eyes widen as if he’s shocked, but I know he isn’t. He knew she would go with us. And deep down, I think he wants her too. We’ll fix this. One way or another.

  13

  Caia

  The car ride is silent. There’s nothing left to say because Drake has already warned me about what’s coming. I’ll be working alongside him to take down the assholes that have been clients of his father.

  Lights shine through our car from River and Dante in the car behind us. They are illuminating Drake in the driver’s seat as we make our way to the Savage Mansion. With the light shining on him, I take note of his white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel but say nothing.

  I focus on the road. Even though it’s dark, I notice the trees as we drive through the town, heading toward the mansion I left four years ago. When we pull up to the estate an hour later, I glance up at the place that will be my new home for the next few weeks, months. Who knows how long it will take for me to finally get the revenge I’ve been craving all this time. To finally drain my father of every drop of blood, to watch him breathe his last breath.

  I follow Drake silently. The bag I packed with the clothes he bought me hangs from my left shoulder. River and Dante are flanking me, and I wonder if they’re worried I’m going to run away. Would I? No, I don’t think I could ever run from them, not when they saved me. But then again, Drake has hurt me before.

  The memory of him choking me in the kitchen swirls together with the feeling of him taking me that night. I begged him for it, and his confidence is clear. He thinks I still want him. Sadly, it’s true. I can’t not want him.

  “Follow me,” Drake orders me, then sets his blue gaze on his brother. “Call the team. I want them ready.” Dante nods and disappears down the hallway into the darkness of what I’m guessing is a living room.

  “I’ll see you in the office once you’ve gotten our lovely guest settled.” River offers me a nod and makes his way into the bowels of the home in the opposite direction than Dante went.

  “Come.” He doesn’t wait for me as he heads up the staircase that sweeps in a wide arc, taking us to the second level of the house. “Your sister is probably asleep, or in her room.” He talks to me but doesn’t glance my way. The thick, plush carpets make our footfalls silent in the enormous space.

  He stops suddenly, causing me to crash into his back. The muscles tense when my palm lands on his shoulder. Stepping backward, I allow the space between us to calm my erratic heartbeat. The door we’re standing in front of is dark wood, and I’m certain my sister is on the other side.

  Tears burn my eyes, attempting to spill onto my cheeks. My heart is in my throat, threatening to choke me, just like Drake did hours ago.

  “She’s inside. Tomorrow, you’ll be attending a gala event with me. One of the men my father worked for is hosting. I’ll have my shopper get a dress for you to wear,” he smirks, raking his gaze over me. “And I suppose I’ll have to get you something sexy to wear underneath as well. Be ready at six,” he says finally, leaving me at the entrance to my future. To see the girl, I’ve watched being hurt. Tortured. I’m finally going to look into her eyes again. And I’ve never been more afraid in my whole life.

  Pushing the door open, I step inside the room. There’s a large four-poster bed to the right with dark sheets and my sister curled up under them. She’s all grown up, an adult, and my chest tightens with sadness realizing I wasn’t there for her when she needed me most.

  Even though I was stolen, severed from the family I grew up with, I feel the guilt sitting heavily in my gut. I set the bag down gently. Toeing off my shoes, I pad closer to the bed, not taking any notice of the room itself, but the girl who’s sleeping soundly.

  I want to talk to her, to wake her and hold her in my arms, but fear holds me back. The anxiety that she’ll hate me for leaving her in that house with the monster we called Dad. Sighing, I lean forward, pressing a hand to Harper’s shoulder, which wakes her immediately. She scurries away from me, fear written all over her face. But when our eyes meet, she stills, staring at me as if I’m an apparition.

  “Caia?” I nod at her query, knowing that seeing me after all this time must be strange. “It’s really you?” She moves closer, slowly, but she comes toward me, taking in the sister she most certainly won’t recognize. I have ink on most of my visible skin, my hair is a deep red, and I’m certain my eyes are no longer shiny and glistening with happiness.

  “It’s me, Harper,” I tell her, hoping she’ll see through the façade of who he made me into and find the sister beneath the mask.

  “Oh God,” she cries, flinging herself on me, causing us both to topple onto the thick carpet. Her arms are wrapped around my neck, holding onto me as if I’m her lifeline. “I’ve been searching all over for you.” Her words still me, ice racing through my veins.

  “What do you mean?”

  We’re sitting on the floor, my sister curled in my lap, our arms wrapped around each other. Harper lifts her gaze to meet mine and confesses, “I ran away from home. As soon as I could, I packed a small rucksack and ran. Malcolm found me at a club and got me a job at a nightclub that was owned by his associate, Thanos.” There’s so much sadness in her eyes; those beautiful pools hold the agony of what she’s been through.

  “And he hasn’t looked for you?” I question, causing her to still, her body rigid with anxiety. It’s thick and heavy in the air between us. “I’m sorry. I’m so goddamn sorry.” This time, I blink, and the tears I can no longer hold back spill down my cheeks.

  “It’s not your fault. When I found out you didn’t leave by choice I knew I needed to find you,” Harper whispers. Her voice cracks, and soon, we’re both crying. She shakes, trembling in my hold, and I can’t stop my own frame from shivering. “I missed you,” she tells me. “All I wanted was to see you again, to know you were safe from whatever . . . from whoever . . .”

  Her body wracks with sobs, and I hold onto my little sister so tight I’m sure I’m cutting off her air supply, but in this moment, all I want is to feel her in my arms. She’s safe, alive. She’s no longer being hurt. I know she should talk about what happened, but right now is not the time. Right now, we need to let the pain flow by crying out the agony from the past few years that I know will soon be haunting us once we fall asleep.

  14

  Drake

  “So, you’re going to have her working with us?” River questions as I light a cigarette, pulling the smoke into my lungs, praying it calms me. But nothing can calm me now. The girl is in my house, only a floor up, but it’s as if she’s right beside me. Four years is not long enough to forget how she made me feel. It’s also not long enough to make me forget how tight her virgin cunt felt gripping my dick as I slammed into her. Most of all, it’s not been long enough for me to stop the way my heart aches to be hers.

  “Once we’re done, she’ll leave,” I lie to River.

  He pins me with a glare so fierce I wait for the desk I’m sitting behind to catch fire. My best friend rises, rounding the one thing that separates us, and crouches between my spread thighs. His hands on either one, the heat of his touch makes me groan in response. The memory of how Caia tasted still taints my lips when River leans in close. Our mouths are inches apart. My cock thickens, ready to feel him, feel her, either one of them. I’ll gladly take them.

  “Bend over the desk,” I tell him.

  River rises, watching me as he unbuttons his shirt, tugging it from his frame, gifting me a view of his toned chest. The muscles are corded in his arms, tense, yet the bulge in his slacks tell me he’s as ready as I am. Following his lead, I stand, tugging m
y T-shirt up and over my head.

  My best friend is soon naked, offering me his body to use as I need. I want to get lost in him. I need to forget Caia because there’s no way she would be with a monster like me. Opening the drawer, I grab the lube. Trickling a generous amount between River’s cheeks, I drop my boxers and slowly massage him, from his shoulders down to the place I’m about to fuck. The tight ring of muscle around my one finger pulses, the sound of his groan evidence of his need for me.

  I pull the foil packet from my desk drawer and rip it open with my teeth. Once I’ve sheathed my cock, I fist myself, positioning the tip at his entrance. Inch by inch, I slide into River, fucking myself deep in his ass.

  His hands grip the edge of my desk, holding on, as my own fingers dig into his hips. A soft click steals my attention from him, and when I lift my eyes, I find Caia at the door. She’s standing there, dressed in a small pair of shorts and a tight tank top. Her nipples are hard. Even in the dim light, I can see the peaks of her tits, needy for my mouth. Lifting one hand, I crook my finger, calling her to us.

  Her bare feet pad shyly as she makes her way into the room, the door shutting behind her. I fist River’s hair, tugging his head up so he can see her watch us fuck.

  “Looks like we have a voyeur in our midst,” I smirk, balls-deep inside River’s ass.

  “Come closer, princess,” he calls to her. I can hear the smile in his voice. She does. Slowly but surely, she nears us, and I watch as her eyes are glued to the scene before her. “Take your top off.”

  “I . . . I . . . can’t.” Her voice is barely a whisper.

  I pull out slowly, slamming back in deep. River’s pleasured groans echo around us as Caia’s lips part in a gasp. Her chest rises and falls faster and faster as I move my hips, thrusting against River’s body.

  “Touch yourself, little raven. I want to watch you fly,” I tell her, staring at her slight frame. She hesitates for a moment, as if she’s unsure of her next movement. It’s like I can see the wheels turning in her head, then she smiles shyly, settling herself on the chair opposite my desk, and slowly teases her nipples through the material of her top.

  “Good girl,” River hisses in pleasure as I pull out, thrusting harder and faster against him. Fucking into him with animalistic desire. The two people who hold my heart before me, their pleasured moans turning me wild.

  Caia takes the lead, her hand dropping between her thighs as she gently touches her core. I’m sure the material is wet, drenched with her sweet, slick juices. Her head drops back, her whimpers louder as I continue driving into River’s ass.

  My best friend begs for more, for me. “Fuck, do it, Drake.” His voice is raspy as I pull out, then thrust in deep. My body shudders with need, with desire burning through me, and I find pleasure and euphoria as River moans, Caia cries out, and I fill the condom with jets of hot release.

  I pull out, slipping the rubber from my softening dick. Disposing of the condom, I pull on my boxer briefs and meet Caia’s wide eyes.

  “Come here, little bird.” I smile. She slides from the chair, rising silently. As she nears me, the scent of her sweetness invades my nostrils. Her head tips back so she can look up at me. Without shoes, she’s even shorter, and I love how small she is compared to me.

  “Did you like the show?” River questions, his cock hard, jutting from between his thighs. Thick, hard, and pierced, the silver ring at the tip shines in the light from the desk lamp.

  “I’ve never . . . I mean . . .”

  “Shh,” I whisper, running my knuckles over her cheek. Lowering myself to my knees, I pull her with me. Nodding up at my best friend, he leans against the desk. “Are we going to do this together?” I question her, my hand gripping River’s hard erection. Slowly, I stroke it, jerking him against my lips as I lean in, taking him into my mouth, my eyes locked on Caia’s as she watches me.

  I never told her about my past. She doesn’t know the things I’ve done, how I’ve been conditioned to find pleasure, to find the release most people can without the sick needs in their heads. I need it. I’ve been broken. My mind severed from the normal desires of the human mind.

  I don’t think she’ll do anything. She sits quietly for a long while as I suck River deeper into my throat. But then she shocks the shit out of me when she leans in closer as soon as I pull his cock from my mouth, and she takes him into hers.

  “Sweet fucking Christ,” River hisses low and gravelly, and I know my girl, our girl, will be just fine working with us to take down the assholes who hurt her, who hurt me, and most importantly, who hurt her sister.

  We continue pleasuring my best friend, taking turns sucking and licking him until he grunts his release, painting her tongue alongside mine with his sticky release.

  We move fluidly, my lips molding to Caia’s as we share River’s seed, tasting and reveling in the juices, and she swallows what’s left after I break the kiss.

  “You’re ready,” I tell her, confident that she doesn’t need to be trained. She has been trained all her life. It’s time for her to shine. To take back the life that was stolen from her.

  “For what?”

  “To be ours.”

  15

  Caia

  A soft humming wakes me from a dreamless sleep. When I open my eyes, I find my sister sitting on the window seat with a book in her lap. She’s focused on the pages, her gaze locked on the words. She’s wordlessly singing a song I don’t recognize.

  I can’t move. Listening to her melody makes me sad. The pain in the song grips my heart, squeezing it until my breaths become uncomfortable.

  “Hey,” I say, pushing up against the headboard.

  Harper’s head whips my way. Her eyes crinkle at the sides as she strolls toward me. “Hey, sis.” She smiles, gifting me one of those special grins that only my sister can offer.

  “What are you doing?” Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I push off the mattress. Once I near Harper, I notice the book she’s holding. I’ve not heard of it, but then again, I’ve not been allowed to read books of my choosing, watch television, or anything else.

  “Dante had a box of books delivered for me.” She smiles sweetly. There’s a softness to the way she mentions his name, and I wonder if my sister wants Drake’s brother.

  “I see.” Settling on the seat beside her, I lean in on her folded legs, placing my cheek on her knees. Closing my eyes, I focus on the warmth of my sister. “Do you like him?” I question, unsure what my sister is feeling or going through. I don’t doubt that Dante would keep her safe, but for some reason, I want to know if my sister is falling for the brother of the man who holds my heart.

  After last night, I’m confused about my feelings. With River and Drake, everything blew up into something I’d never experienced. Having them both there, watching them, sharing pleasure with Drake and River, was so far outside my comfort zone, but the difference was I wasn’t forced to do anything. They allowed me to be me. To enjoy them without any rules, any restrictions. It was purely based on need. Drake has never told me about his past, but something inside, something deep down in my gut reminds me that his father was Malcolm Savage.

  “I do like Dante, but . . .” Harper finally responds, dragging me from the turmoil in my mind and in my heart. When I meet her gaze, I know there’s so much more to her feelings for Dante. I don’t know how long they’ve been close or how long she’s been here, but something must’ve shifted in that time.

  “Harper—”

  “He has never touched me. Nothing’s happened. I just . . . I just like him,” she tells me wistfully, and I realize my sister has a crush. She’s not a teenager anymore, but the way she’s acting it’s as if she’s still sixteen. Sadness once again lances me, slicing through my chest.

  I lift my head, looking at my sister, noticing her sweetness and innocence. Even though she’s been through so much before, she’s still a girl. A young woman who experiences life the way she should.

  “Do you like Drake?” S
he smiles, tipping her head to the side. Her gaze pierces me with curiosity as she regards me with a knowing smile.

  “This is where I was brought when I was stolen,” I finally confess. “Drake was the first man to . . . I begged him to take my virginity so the assholes who were going to buy me didn’t claim it.” I don’t know why I just told her that, but I needed to finally voice it out loud. Not once since I met Drake to the moment he saved me have I confessed what I did that night in his office. I pleaded with the blue-eyed devil to take the one thing I held dear.

  Do I regret it?

  No.

  Would I do it again?

  Yes.

  “And he did it?” Harper’s eyes are wide with shock as she regards me. I nod in response. “What was it like?” she asks, causing me to look at her with confusion. “I . . . mine was . . . I didn’t have a choice.” Her voice drips with sadness, and my heart is finally crushed into pieces I’m not sure I can ever put back together. While I was lucky to have Drake, my sister wasn’t that lucky, and I feel like it’s my fault for being stolen. It’s stupid. I shouldn’t feel guilt, but I can’t stop the emotion taking hold of me.

  A knock at the door startles us. When it opens slowly, a young woman strolls inside. She smiles, setting a garment bag on the bed. She doesn’t tell us anything, or even utter a hello, merely nods, then she’s gone.

  “I guess that’s mine,” I finally say. We’re both sitting there staring at the object as if it’s about to attack us. But I know what it is. The dress Drake told me he’d have delivered. “What’s the time?” I question, glancing at my sister.

  She smiles. “It’s after noon. You got to bed really late last night.” It’s not an accusation, merely an observation. I nod in agreement, remembering what happened when I sought out Drake and instead found him and River and joined in their erotic and sensual display.