They hung up a few minutes later and Vamar grasped Lia’s hair, shoving his cock deeper into her throat as he thought about what had happened. He needed to induce a dream and get in touch with Sabrina again. Maybe their connection had just weakened with him being across the country for so long. But he had to keep her out of sight until he was ready for her. Having her so close to so many Elders would guarantee his discovery. He wouldn’t risk his work crumbling around him. Only a little while longer and he would be ready.
Eighteen Months Ago
Chapter Nineteen
Sabrina screeched as Khyan pressed himself deep inside her body. She knew he didn’t have to be as big as he was, but she also knew he enjoyed making his cock larger than average because it hurt her. She arched her back as she tried to steady herself on her hands and knees, Khyan’s preferred position, hoping to ease some of the pain, but it didn’t help. He liked making her suffer. If she admitted it to herself, she liked it, too. Well, not the pain, but the orgasms were so much more intense when combined with pain.
It had been six months since she’d found herself confused in ballet class. She’d remained conscious ever since, wishing she could go back to her peaceful oblivion. If it wasn’t the pain she wanted to escape, it was the emotional torture of knowing the horrible things going on around her in the compound and the fact that her body liked it. She had to separate her mind and body. Her body did things that her mind found terrible. Like the other night when she saw that girl...
No! She wouldn’t think about that. She didn’t like the feelings it evoked, even as it made her sick to her stomach.
Khyan yanked her up by her hair and kissed her neck. He pinched her nipples hard, making her yelp. “You’re distracted today,” he murmured into her ear, now caressing her breast gently.
He slid his hand down her stomach to her clit and Sabrina’s eyes rolled back, sparks of pleasure dancing throughout her body as he flicked it gently. He thrust hard, making her yelp in pain, then circled her clit slowly until the fireworks exploded behind her eyes as she came hard. He dropped her down to the bed and pounded deep inside her, the pain making her scream, but also making her come even harder.
As the fire subsided, she closed her eyes, feeling dizzy, and began to dream...
Of whips and men...
Of sex and torture...
Of pain and pleasure...
Then...
Of a man... A special man. A man who made her heart flutter.
He was in pain... So much pain after so much bravery...
She saw him lying in the rubble, eyes closed, blood trickling down the side of his head.
She walked through the dirt to him, knelt down, and closed her eyes to heal him.
Chapter Twenty
“Go! Go! Go!”
The explosion made Chase’s ears ring and his head pound as he ran. Rubble rained down on him. Gunfire echoed. He couldn’t see through the heavy dust in the air. He could hardly breathe. Shouts from familiar voices sounded around him and through his earpiece. Unearthly screams of men, cut down as they ran from enemy gunfire.
Another massive explosion rocked the street and something hit Chase on the head. Not for the first time today, he was thankful for his helmet. Something shoved him from behind and he fell to the ground. A moment later, fire erupted in his leg. He turned to his side and looked down to see the lower half of his body covered in the brown bricks common in the Syrian province he’d been stationed in for the last six months.
His head spun, but he fought the blackness. A man in a uniform identical to his ran toward him. Behind the man, an enemy held up a rifle. Without hesitation, Chase raised his own rifle and fired off a dozen rounds, throwing the enemy backward, dead before he hit the ground. Ethan looked behind him with wide eyes, then back at Chase.
“Thanks.” Ethan fell to his knees. For a split second, Chase worried some other insurgent had gotten him. Then Ethan started digging into the rubble to free him.
As his friend dug, Chase shot two more insurgents before he managed to free him.
“Damn fuckers,” Ethan growled as he pulled Chase free from the remaining pile.
The area immediately around them fell silent, save for intermittent gunfire. Chase prayed it wasn’t his guys getting killed.
When Ethan helped him to his feet, the world spun and his legs collapsed under him.
“C’mon, Cap. You just got your new bars. Can’t die on me now.”
Chase fell forward, placing his hand on the ground. It felt like mud, but he didn’t want to think about what might have mixed with the hard-packed earth to liquefy it. His chest heaved, and his head and lower leg hurt like hell.
“Fuck,” he mumbled before falling to his side.
Blackness threatened to take him, but then a bright light and a warmth surrounded him. Am I dying? Fuck, I’m not ready yet. I have to find Sabrina.
He opened his eyes to see a bright, blurry figure approaching. Slowly, his vision cleared and the figure turned into a young woman wearing a flowing white dress.
“Sabrina?” he rasped, then coughed. More like hacked up a lung.
She knelt down next to him, worry on her face. She studied his face, tears in her eyes.
“You...,” he whispered. “Where did you go? What happened to you?”
She didn’t respond as she put her hand on his cheek, then his chest. Warmth flowed into his body and he gasped as his lungs cleared. He stared up at her in awe. She looked like an angel. Who else would be in the middle of this hell they called the Middle East? Maybe she really was dead and came back to earth to help him. Or he was hallucinating. But he could feel her hand on him. He put his hand on hers and she gazed into his eyes. They looked troubled and full of pain. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but shouts from behind made her look over her shoulder.
She looked back at him, eyes soft. “You’re safe now,” she said in that sweet voice he remembered.
Then she disappeared from sight.
He looked up at Ethan, whose eyes were wide and staring at the place the girl had just been. “What the fuck was that, Cap?” he asked, kneeling down next to Chase.
“Sabrina,” he rasped, reaching out to where she’d just been.
A moment later, the medics appeared at his side.
Present Day
Chapter Twenty-One
“What do you mean she escaped?” Vamar felt his rage explode like a violent volcano erupting high into the sky.
For the first time in a very, very long time, Khyan cowered in front of his Master. “I returned to the compound last night. Ramon and the others were dead. The compound was abandoned. Sabrina was gone.”
Vamar’s eyes flashed with rage. “How is that possible? You were responsible for her! You are accountable for this!”
“Yes, my lord. I will-”
“No!” Vamar shouted, then growled. “You have failed me one too many times. You’ve gone soft on her. Did you help her escape?”
Khyan’s eyes narrowed. “Of course not!”
“Why should I believe you?” A flaming sword appeared in Vamar’s hand. “You are banished from my presence.”
A slight scream escaped from Khyan’s mouth before the sword sliced through his torso and he disappeared in a ball of flames.
The silence that followed was long and pensive. Vamar stared at the burn mark on the wall for a long time before turning and striding down the hall to his study. He slowly sat in his chair behind the desk and closed his eyes. A moment later, a flash of light made him open his eyes again.
“Terric,” he said, acknowledging the new arrival.
Terric bowed low. “My lord.”
Vamar smiled. “Khyan is gone. You will take his place.”
The Immortal’s golden eyes widened slightly. “My lord?”
“He failed me. Sabrina escaped.”
Terric’s jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered. Khyan was known to be a faithful and thorough follower. “Do you want me to find her, my lord?”
“You need to ask?” Vamar asked dryly.
Terric’s face turned stoic. “I will find her and bring her to you.”
A thought made Vamar pause. He stood and walked to the window, looking out onto the residential street outside his home. “Wait. Don’t bring her to me. Just locate her and tell me where she is. We must tread carefully now that she is out in the world. If she goes to a large city, she may have already attracted the attention of the Nauragar. I am not ready to draw attention to myself just yet.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I have every confidence you will not fail me, Terric,” Vamar said. “Plans may need to be adjusted, but nothing is lost.” He turned back to the Immortal, eyes dark with warning. “Unless you fail me as Khyan did.”
“I will not fail you, my lord.”
After another deep bow, the Immortal disappeared in a flash of golden light. Vamar turned back to the window. He knew Sabrina would be located and his plans would progress. Perhaps this was meant to be. He could still connect to her in her dreams. That would be enough for now.
###
Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, won’t you please take a moment to leave me a review at your favorite retailer?
Coming Soon: Master of My Heart: Finding Sabrina, Part Two. (Want a sneak peek? Keep reading!)
Can’t wait for Part Two? Learn more about the Elders in The Life of Anna, available everywhere ebooks are sold.
Acknowledgments
I’m terrible at writing acknowledgments, even though I know I’d never get anywhere without the countless people supporting me through the writing and publishing process. I’m always afraid that I’ll forget someone, I’m so absentminded sometimes. But, I want to try this time, so here goes...
First and foremost, my husband, Robbie, for supporting my writing addiction and understanding that I can’t keep a house clean to save my life, especially when I’m in the writing zone.
There are three people that I will never publish a book without: Kristi Cramer, Kim Young and Laura Hidalgo.
Kristi, my proofer. You’ve been with me since the beginning and I couldn’t and wouldn’t publish a book without you fixing it first. You understand my writing voice like no one else and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting up with me and the nightmares that my books induce.
Kim, my editor. I’m so glad Kristi introduced us. I appreciate your understanding of creative license and for putting back in all the ellipses that I’d taken out because I thought you’d remove them anyways. You’re an AMAZING editor and I’d be lost without you.
Laura, my cover design artist. OMG, Laura, you’re an amazing friend and you make the most beautiful covers in the world. My books wouldn’t be the same without you. Your eye to detail and your creativity just set my heart at ease. I know you’ll always come up with something perfect for my crazy stories.
Kim Barkman, I’m so glad you contacted me that night and told me about your friend, Chase. As you were telling me his story, he seeped into my heart and said “I am your hero, tell my story.” Okay, that sounds kinda creepy, but it’s not far off base. I knew, deep down inside that he was what was missing in Sabrina’s story. If you hadn’t reached out to me, I’d probably still be staring at the computer, begging my hero to talk to me. Thank you.
Beantown Bitches Tracey, Elizabeth and Lisa. Thank you for taking me home with you from New York that rainy evening two years ago. Tracey, you were so amazing to let me stay with you and show me around Boston and Harvard. It was an amazing trip that’s stayed with me ever since.
Breanne Hood. You’ve become an amazing friend and I’m so glad we bonded over our love of cats and books. Thank you for your support and friendship over the last few months.
So many others have been by my side since I first published two years ago...The Garcia Sisters, Stacy and Alyssa; Di Covey and her Twisted Book Club; Stephanie Carder and her amazing video reviews; Kathi Goodwyn and her fabulous groups; Ellen Whyte: Heather Briney; Jo Mantel; Hillary Coniglio; Lilith and Erotica After Dark; Shelley-Ann for meeting me and Tracey for dinner at the Barking Crab. I know I’m forgetting people, but please forgive me. There are so many who have walked with me over the last couple of years. Please know you’re in my heart.
Most of all, I want to thank my readers. Thank you for the hours you spend with my characters, falling in love with them (or hating them) as much as I do. An author is nothing without a reader and I never want to take you for granted.
Also By Marissa Honeycutt
The Life of Anna
When tragedy shatters Anna’s life at a young age, she finds hope in two men who take her under their wings. Life is perfect until her sixteenth birthday when her world is turned upside down. Her beloved Jack and Devin have turned into monsters that haunt only the darkest of nightmares; nightmares that soon become her reality.
The Life of Anna follows the naive and innocent Anna as she enters a dark world of greed, politics, and an evil puppet master who pulls the strings to her world. And beyond.
Readers be warned, for this journey is not for the faint of heart. You are about to venture into a world of dark plots, sinister villains, and deeply erotic taboo encounters. Are you brave enough to enter the Life of Anna?
Life of Anna: The Complete Story (Only on Amazon)
http://amzn.to/1LPvPQH
Don’t have Amazon? Try Part One, Enslaved, for free everywhere ebooks are sold.
books2read.com/Enslaved
Abandoned Grace
As an author, I know that characters often take on lives of their own. But what would you do if you received a phone call from someone you thought only existed in the pages of your book?
That is exactly what happened to me, Marissa Honeycutt, author of The Life of Anna.
Imagine my complete shock when I was called upon to perform an extraordinary and revolting task: travel to Russia to speak to one hailed by many as their all-time favorite villain. No one begins life as an evil son of a...well, you know, including Devin. Believe it or not, there was a time when our villain was a young man in love.
So what happened? Join me as I delve deep into the mind of Devin Andersen, to find out how the man became the monster.
***Please note this is not a stand-alone story. If you don’t like spoilers, don’t read this until you read The Life of Anna.***
books2read.com/AbandonedGrace
Distorted Hope
See Marissa’s “softer” side...
When her newfound happiness is suddenly ripped away, twenty-two-year-old Kyra is thrust into the cruel world of hardened arms dealer, Nathan Pierce. Her calculating kidnapper is a master in a game of leverage and abduction, whose power appears to have no limit.
Confounded by an unexpected magnetism, Kyra’s resolve unravels as she becomes engulfed in Nathan’s dangerous world, even when she is terrorized by his inner demons.
Is Kyra holding on to the distorted hope of an impossible future or can she find light beyond the darkness?
books2read.com/DistortedHope
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Sneak Peak of Master of My Heart
Cold fear sweeps through my body as I huddle on the floor in my room staring at the darkness beneath the dresser. I can’t stop shaking. I’m not cold, but I shiver as though I am freezing. Shooting pain erupts from my hip every time a deep shiver runs through my body. My joints ache, my skin stings.
Sleep. I need to sleep and heal. But I can’t stop shaking. I can’t think straight and I can’t stop thinking.
Something glints in the dying sunlight just under the edge of the dresser and I give a shaky inhale. I need it. I need that shiny thing. It will calm me.
My body won’t move.
Why?
I need that shiny thing...the ring. It will calm me.
I take a deep breath and, with all my strength, lunge forward and grasp a large ring between my first and second fingers. The metal is surprisingly warm, though now that I think about it, it always is when I need it. I pull it toward me and grasp it tightly in my shaking fist. Warmth slowly spreads from my hand into the rest of my body and I’m able to relax.
Master of My Body Page 8