She’s Mine: A Captive Romance Read online

  She’s Mine

  A Captive Romance

  Ellie Masters

  JEM Publishing

  Click here to visit Ellie’s Website (www.elliemasters.com) where you can view excerpts, teasers, and links to her other books.

  Copyright © 2018 Ellie Masters

  She’s MINE: a Captive Romance

  All rights reserved.

  This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this ebook ONLY. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, scanned, transmitted, or distributed in any printed, mechanical, or electronic form without prior written permission from Ellie Masters or JEM Publishing except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Image/art disclaimer: Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

  Editor: Erin Toland

  Published in the United States of America

  JEM Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, businesses, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  AISN: B07N1GS9NX

  Created with Vellum

  Warning

  * * *

  This story contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and might be considered offensive to some readers. The story is sexy and twisty and not for the faint of heart. Heed this warning, and enter the world of

  MINE: a Captive Romance

  This book is for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country where you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely and where they cannot be accessed by underage readers.

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my one and only—my amazing and wonderful husband. Without your care and support, my writing would not have made it this far. You make me whole every day. I love you “that much.” For the rest of you, that means from the beginning to the end and every point in between. Thank you, my dearest love, my heart and soul, for putting up with me, for believing in me, and for loving me.

  My husband deserves a special gold star for listening to me obsess over this book and for never once complaining while I brought these characters from my mind to the page.

  You pushed me when I needed to be pushed. You supported me when I felt discouraged. You believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. If it weren’t for you, this book never would have come to life.

  Also by Ellie Masters

  Sign up to Ellie’s Newsletter and get a free gift. https://elliemasters.com/FreeBook

  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

  She’s Mine: a Captive Romance

  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)

  To My Readers

  This book is a work of fiction. It does not exist in the real world and should not be construed as reality. As in most romantic fiction, I’ve taken liberties. I’ve compressed the romance into a sliver of time. I’ve allowed these characters to develop strong bonds of trust over a matter of days. This does not happen in real life where you, my amazing readers, live. Take more time in your romance and learn who you’re giving a piece of your heart to. I urge you to move with caution. Always protect yourself.

  When you find your partner, talk to him or her. Be open and honest about your needs, your expectations, and your limits, especially if you have any triggers. Never allow your partner to violate the tender trust you have put into their hands. Always remember, your lover can’t read your mind. It is your responsibility to talk to them, no matter how frightening that might be. In return, you must listen to what your partner has to say and understand their limits, as you do your own. Share your hopes, desires, and deepest, darkest secrets. Most of all, don’t be afraid to seek out who you are, become what you want, and share your journey with your partner.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Also by Ellie Masters

  About the Author

  Connect with Ellie Masters

  Final Thoughts

  THE END

  Chapter One

  I bounced with excitement as I neared the thick doors of the palatial monstrosity which had been my prison for the past twenty-one years. Z was out on a business trip. I’d be in and out, then gone, and would never again have to face the darkness in my father’s eyes.

  As long as Z and I kept our distance, me in boarding school and him with his business, life allowed me to deny the truth. I was the rich socialite daughter of the illustrious Zane Carson, multi-millionaire who collected properties and corporations for sport. I dated who I wanted. As long as I didn’t sleep with married men or had my name splashed in the tabloids, Z and I maintained a peaceful coexistence.

  But that no longer mattered, because I vowed to be free of his overbearing ways. I had plans to pub crawl from Scotland to Germany in one long summer of debauchery with my girlfriends before hitting the books and beginning my new life. All I had to do was stuff my backpack with a couple pairs of jeans, T-shirts, and one naughty black dress.

  At twenty-one, I had a B.S. in Computer Science from MIT which set me free. No longer would I be a slave to Z’s money or his insufferable rule
s.

  I put my weight behind the heavy, ornate door and pushed. This would be the last time I entered this house. I stepped across the threshold and lurched to a stop.

  Z stood in the middle of the sweeping foyer. His coal dark eyes bore down on me beneath thick bushy brows. Heavy shadows gathered in his stormy gaze and a scowl framed his face. Two men stood with him; two large, intimidating men.

  Years of rejection and emotional manipulation left no love lost between me and Z. In my head, he wasn’t father, or daddy. He was simply Z. I had long since whittled my father’s name down to a single letter. I hated him, only because I craved the love he denied me with the irrational need of a child. In front of others, I maintained a civil facade, however, and called him Papa. I did that now.

  “Papa? I didn’t think you would be home.” My sandals slapped against Italian marble as I pulled up short.

  “Raven.” His harsh, clipped tones made my heart lurch. There was no tenderness for me in his greeting. Disapproval tugged at the corners of his mouth and his displeasure radiated in the flare of his nostrils and the pinch of his eyes as he surveyed my state of dress.

  His women wore their hair in tightly wound buns or French twists. I kept mine loose because it irritated him and it hung down to my waist. But his eyes skipped over my hair, made no mention of my lack of makeup, and moved to my summer tank top and cut off shorts. That’s when his eyes widened, showing white around inky blackness.

  “Papa…” My throat constricted and I subconsciously wrapped an arm across my chest, covering my unsupported breasts.

  Z demanded perfection in his female companions. Seeing his daughter in cut-off jeans, and a spaghetti tank top without a bra garnered more reaction in three seconds than I’d gotten out of him in twenty-one years.

  “You’re dressed like a whore.” His teeth ground out a horrible sound as his jaw clenched.

  My gaze flew to the men. Surprise fluttered in my belly that he would speak so crudely in front of company.

  “Papa?” The word hung between us as he came at me.

  His fingers latched around my wrist, biting into the tender flesh. My free hand pulled at him, trying to loosen his grip, but my efforts were useless against the steel band of his fingers. He yanked me toward the men.

  “As promised.” He thrust me at the largest man. “Debt paid.”

  An impossibly huge man pulled me from Z's grip.

  “Papa!” I turned wild eyes to Z.

  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 farther 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.

  Chapter Two

  I woke to dry, recycled air, and the sickening smell of Scotch and over-nuked dinners. Coarse male voices were all around me. A thrum vibrated through the cushion of my seat. My body was sore from what I assumed was sitting in one position for too long, but I didn’t dare move. I didn’t want my captors to know I was awake.

  My lids scratched against dry eyes as I tried peeking out through tiny slits. Darkness greeted me, but sound flew around me. I was pretty certain I was inside a jet. I’d flown inside enough of them to know the distinct feel of a private plane. By the hum of the engines, and the noises around me, I discerned the size of the cabin. This was no puddle jumper.

  Whose hands had I fallen into that could afford such luxury?


  My breaths crested and crashed as terror gripped and twisted at my core. If I was in a jet, flying who knew where, and for God only knew how long, then my chances of escape had narrowed down to the smallest of slivers. Fabric pressed against my mouth as my panting deepened to hysteria.

  “She’s awake.” The voice belonged to the man who had restrained me when Z threw me away.

  I heaved forward, hands locked together with zip ties, only to come up short by a seatbelt secured around my waist.

  A hand pressed against my shoulder. “Easy, kitten.”

  I recognized that voice. It belonged to the man with the steel-blue eyes. The one I kicked in the chin, who I hoped now sported a bruise for my efforts.

  I struggled to remember details. They would be important, later. His name was Chad. He’d been sent off to get a car. Somewhere along the way, they’d transported me to a jet. I struggled to work out how long I may have been unconscious. I bucked against his restraint, breaths sawing in and out of my chest.