I looked to the man who had given me life and saw the truth etched in the granite lines of his features. Comfort never came through the cold-hearted man who dominated my life. He never once touched me with love. The set of his jaw confirmed the truth. I couldn’t believe what was happening, but the men lent a certain degree of reality to the situation.
The man who took me from Z, wrapped an arm around my waist as I kicked out trying to get free. It was a useless gesture. My efforts to free myself were laughable, but then I wasn’t thinking rationally. My mind reeled with my father’s words. What did he mean by debt paid?
The man pressed his lips to my ear and whispered. “You belong to another now.”
The other man came at me, bent to the ground and attached something bulky around my left ankle. I kicked at him, earning a grunt when my foot connected with his chin. Steely blue eyes promised retribution and my stomach clenched. Collecting my flailing arms, he pulled out a zip tie and with a zip my wrists were lashed together. He stepped back admiring his handiwork. I leaned back against the one holding me and screamed as I lifted my legs off the floor. The second man zip tied my ankles together while I tried to kick his face.
“Papa!” A screech escaped my lips and fell on uncaring ears.
Z backed away from the men who held me captive.
“I’m your daughter. How could you…what have you done?”
Z folded his arms across his chest. “You’re no different than any of the others and now you will be one.”
The man holding me tightened his grip around my belly as I squirmed trying to get free.
“What are you talking about?” I stared at my father, tears pricking at my eyes.
“Just like your mother.” Z’s voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. “She was so beautiful.”
My mother? In all the years I’d lived with this man, he never spoke of the woman who had given birth to me. I knew nothing of her. I had never seen a picture and never heard any of the servants speak of her. All I knew was what was reflected in Z's eyes when he looked at me; hatred, contempt, and something dark and twisted.
“She’s a fighter,” the man holding me said with a grunt. “Chad, bring the car around.”
A bruise formed on Chad’s chin as he looked at me. Steel-blue eyes held a promise for retribution in my future. “Sure you can handle her on your own?” Chad grinned at me, then loped down the hall out of sight.
The one holding me grunted as I jerked my head back and smacked his jaw with the back of my head. Not my smartest move. I saw stars and I don’t think I did anything to him other than make his grip on me tighten even more.
“Your daughter is a fighter, Mr. Carson,” the man said.
“That was part of the agreement.” Z backed further away. “Her owner specified it.”
I twisted and bucked, then stilled at my father’s words. What the hell was I doing? All the years of self-defense classes and I had been reduced to this? Scrabbling and kicking and squirming in the grip of a man?
I knew better. I’d been trained to know when I was outmatched. My window of opportunity had already closed, but I never thought I’d be attacked in my own home. I hadn’t been prepared to defend myself.
Frustration threatened tears, but I refused to let Z see my weakness. Another opportunity would come. I would wait, bide my time, and I wouldn’t waste my chance. Complacency wouldn’t lower my defenses ever again.
“Time to sleep, kitten.” Chad approached and I flinched as he raised a ball of bunched cotton to my face.
“I’m not your fucking kitten.” I kicked him in the groin, or tried to. He swiped my legs to the side without a thought.
“That’s correct, you’re not my kitten,” he said. “You belong to Master Xavier now.”
“I belong to no one,” I screamed as he came at me, twisting my head to the side to avoid the noxious chemicals embedded in the cloth.
Z came at me and held my head. He immobilized me and allowed Chad to cover my mouth and nose with the cloth.
“You will sleep, Raven,” my father murmured, “and when you wake you’ll meet your fate. You’ll serve your master as you were destined from birth, as your mother served me.” Z kissed my forehead as astringent fumes assaulted the tender mucous membranes of my nasal passageways.
I screamed, huffing in the anesthetic ether, as my world spiraled into oblivion. My mother gave me beauty and grace, but Z gave me a more valuable gift. He bestowed upon me intelligence, tenacity, and a single mindedness to accomplish my goals. As much as I hated him, I was my father’s daughter, and as blackness devoured my world, I vowed to destroy him.
Z fluttered kisses over my eyelids. “You were always destined to be a slave.”
I fought against blackness, but this was a battle I would lose.
* * *
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Hearts Divided
Also by Ellie Masters
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The Angel Fire Rock Romance Series
each book in this series can be read as a standalone and is about a different couple with an HEA.
Ashes to New (prequel)
Heart’s Insanity (book 1)
Heart’s Desire (book 2)
Heart’s Collide (book 3)
Hearts Divided (book 4)
Romantic Suspense
Reap What You Sow
Twist of Fate
The Starling
Redemption
HOT READS
Changing Roles Series:
Book 1: Command
Book 2: Control
Book 3: Collar
Off Duty
Nondisclosure
Down the Rabbit Hole
Becoming His Series
Book 1: The Ballet
Book 2: Learning to Breathe
Book 3: Becoming His
Sweet Contemporary Romance
Finding Peace
~AND~
Science Fiction
Ellie Masters writing as L.A. Warren
Vendel Rising: a Science Fiction Serialized Novel
(January 2019)
About the Author
ELLIE MASTERS is a multi-genre and best-selling author, writing the stories she loves to read. These are dark erotic tales. Or maybe, sweet contemporary stories. How about a romantic thriller to whet your appetite? Ellie writes it all. Want to read passionate poems and sensual secrets? She does that, too. Dip into the eclectic mind of Ellie Masters, spend time exploring the sensual realm where she breathes life into her characters and brings them from her mind to the page and into the heart of her readers every day.
Ellie Masters has been exploring the worlds of romance, dark erotica, science fiction, and fantasy by writing the stories she wants to read. When not writing, Ellie can be found outside, where her passion for all things outdoor reigns supreme: off-roading, riding ATVs, scuba diving, hiking, and breathing fresh air are top on her list.
She has lived all over the United States—east, west, north, south and central—but grew up under the Hawaiian sun. She’s also been privileged to have lived overseas, experiencing other cultures and making lifelong friends. Now, Ellie is proud to call herself a Southern transplant, learning to say y’all and “bless her heart” with the best of them. She lives with her beloved husband, two children who refuse to flee the nest, and four fur-babies; three cats who rule the household, and a dog who wants nothing other than for the cats to be his best friends. The cats
have a different opinion regarding this matter.
Ellie’s favorite way to spend an evening is curled up on a couch, laptop in place, watching a fire, drinking a good wine, and bringing forth all the characters from her mind to the page and hopefully into the hearts of her readers.
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Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you enjoyed reading this story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads, and please let other people know. A sentence is all it takes, but a book lives or dies based upon its reviews. Friend recommendations are the strongest catalyst for readers’ purchase decisions! And I’d love to be able to continue bringing the characters and stories from My-Mind-to-the-Page.
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Thank you so much for your support!
Love,
Ellie
THE END
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Hearts Divided Page 29