Covet (Forbidden Series Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Epilogue

  Dedication

  Warning

  Introduction

  The Dark & The Light

  Paige

  Kael

  I’ll Always Covet You

  To Burn In Your Blaze

  My Warmth, Your Fuel

  Emptiness & Love

  To Covet You

  Owned by You

  Bonus Scene

  The Wolfe & His Phoenix

  Playlist

  The Forbidden Series

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Stalk Me

  Also by Dani René

  Covet

  Forbidden Series Book #2

  Dani René

  Edited by

  Vanessa Bridges

  Copyright © 2017 by Dani René

  Published by Dani René

  ISBN: 978-0-620-76029-4

  Cover Design: Raven Designs

  Photographer: Dave Kelley, Model: Angie Love

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language, and sexual situations. It is intended for adult readers.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in the work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.

  ISBN: 978-0-620-76029-4

  Contents

  Dedication

  Warning

  Introduction

  The Dark & The Light

  Prologue

  1. Paige

  2. Kael

  3. Paige

  4. Kael

  5. Paige

  I’ll Always Covet You

  6. Paige

  7. Kael

  To Burn In Your Blaze

  8. Paige

  9. Kael

  My Warmth, Your Fuel

  10. Paige

  11. Kael

  Emptiness & Love

  12. Paige

  To Covet You

  13. Kael

  14. Paige

  15. Kael

  16. Paige

  17. Kael

  Owned by You

  18. Paige

  19. Kael

  20. Paige

  21. Kael

  22. Paige

  Epilogue

  Bonus Scene

  The Wolfe & His Phoenix

  Playlist

  The Forbidden Series

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Stalk Me

  Also by Dani René

  dedication

  When everything seems dark, when you can’t find your way, don’t give up. There is always light and love at the end of the tunnel.

  Life isn’t an easy road, it’s bumpy, it’s riddled with potholes and cracks. Filled with ups and downs, but no matter how low the dips, remember, there’s always ups. Within every bad situation, there will always be good to outweigh the fuckedupness of life.

  Walk tall. Stand proud.

  Be unique, but ALWAYS be YOU!

  Hold your head up high, Kitten,

  you don’t want that crown to slip.

  warning

  *This is a dark romance, suitable for mature audiences, 18+ ONLY. This is NOT a stand-alone. Book 0.5 of the Forbidden Series - From the Ashes - MUST BE read first in order to understand the storyline. Strong sexual themes and violence, which could trigger emotional distress, are found in this story. Certain scenes are graphic and could be upsetting to some. This story is NOT for everyone. Proceed with caution. Discretion is advised.

  Covet

  Verb [used with object]

  To wish for, especially eagerly

  The Dark & The Light

  In all darkness, there must be light.

  In all life, there must be death.

  In my heart, there must be you.

  In your heart, there must be me.

  Dani René

  Prologue

  July 2015

  It’s been over a month since I was given to him. Almost six weeks of my life has been spent in the dark. With the only light being him.

  “This is what you were born to do,” he murmurs with conviction, with emotion, with everything he thinks I need. Those are the same things I now covet. When I’m alone in my room. When he’s out somewhere, doing God knows what, it’s him I think about. It’s our time here in this darkened room that reminds me my life isn’t what I’d planned it to be. In this chilly space, where it’s me and him, I’m reminded that I was stolen. We’re not a couple. Only Master and slave.

  There are things he does to me that make me feel. I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole and now I wish his actions meant more. He hides it so well. The emotion and affection. It’s there beneath a cool exterior.

  The mask he wears reminds me of a predator.

  A wolf.

  The color of a raven’s feathers—black as night, with a splash of crimson which could be the blood he draws from the lashes on my body. There’s a deep-rooted anger in his dark eyes, but it’s not aimed at me. Even though he enjoys taking it out on me, he never hurts me like I’ve heard the other trainers do to the girls.

  Every time I meet his dark gaze, something human flickers behind it.

  An outsider may think I’m crazy, and yes, I might be, but there’s something caring about him. There have been many times in my training when he could have hurt me more than he has. But he’s been…gentle. I suppose to most what I’ve been through is far from gentle. Does it make me a masochist to enjoy my caning? Does it make me crazy to enjoy when he makes me come after he’s bound me and tortured my nipples and clit with clamps? Perhaps, but for my Wolfe, I’ll do anything.

  “Do you understand me?” he growls in my ear, but I don’t respond. Like an animal, a real living and breathing feral dog. He’s in my cage, and given half the chance, I know he’ll devour me.

  Before I was brought here, I never understood how women could want men to claim them. I didn’t think there was anything sexy about it, but being claimed and owned by him makes me realize I want it. Suddenly, my leash is tugged, and I’m pulled to my feet.

  “Look at me.” The order renders me speechless. I know I must obey, so I do.

  Our eyes lock in a searing gaze. There’s nothing I can do but stare into dark orbs that remind me of cocoa. Such a conflicting range of feelings and emotions sweeps across the air between us like a tangible force—living and breathing between us.

  “Do you know what you are?” he hisses, even though I feel no anger in the words. Just confusion, pain, and a deep-rooted agony that’s stifling.

  “Yes, Sir, I’m a slave.” The words are ingrained inside me, deep in the core of my very being.

  He leans in and my heart ski
tters. “Good girl,” he murmurs, allowing his hot breath to fan over my ear. There’s an innate need in his voice. Yes, men talk to me with desire and lust in their tone, but this…there’s something different about him. The maelstrom of emotion that drips from his words hangs heavily in the air.

  The first time he stalked into my room and laid his eyes on me, there was an innate connection between us. I noticed it, he did too, and our sessions took on a new set of rules.

  As we spent our days together, I learned more about this predator. I’ve looked into his dark, anguish filled eyes and recognized the pain and guilt, but what stands out more than anything is the passion.

  There was one poignant moment in our journey. When I knew he wanted more than we’d ever be allowed to have—the moment I bled, and he broke. Now I find myself at his mercy once more, waiting for the pain.

  He rounds me, and the heat of his chest on my back has me melting into his body.

  I can’t see his face, but I can feel him. As if he’s rooted within me. Even though what we have may be detrimental, lethal, there’s no denying it. He is my tormentor, my savior, my lover. And I’m his forbidden fruit. I belong to Wolfe when no one is around. I am owned.

  He tugs the leash and walks into the room where we have our training. A room that has seen so many tears, heard so many words thrown in anger and hatred. He pulls me onto a bench I’ve never seen before, dragging me from the memories.

  He binds me to the black leather bench in silence. My feet are cuffed to either side and my hands are bound in front of me. Face down on the scented leather, I wait.

  The silence always comes before the pain.

  The calm before the storm.

  That’s what he’s taught me.

  “Close your eyes, little one.” This is our routine. He tells me not to look when he’s about to do something difficult. Harsh even. When I know blood will be spilled, he tells me to shut my “pretty green eyes.” And I do. My God, I do. The agony I know will follow is going to leave me lacerated.

  A gentle feathering against my skin startles me, then the thin, sheer material I was wearing is gone. Another feather light touch and then it starts. A whip cuts into me harshly. I’ve been spanked, paddled, and flogged, but this sends me into another dimension. The sound that catapults from me is inhuman.

  Another bite into my skin and another.

  Whack! Whack!

  Liquid oozes down my back. I can feel it trickling down like syrup drizzled over sweet treats. Nothing could ever prepare a person for something like this.

  The agony. The pain. The torment.

  But I don’t beg for reprieve, I take it like he taught me. All I feel are the silent, salty emotions racing down my cheeks. Every time he does this—that we do this—it’s different. The mood shifts, the emotions choke me. I want this, but only because it’s him. I need this, because he’s the one delivering the blows. And as my tears fall, they drip like a poison. But they won’t kill me, as much as I wish they would, I’m still here. I’m still falling for a man who hurts me. And with every lash, with every sting, he soothes me where I need it most. He appeases my soul.

  “Good girl. I’m proud of you,” he murmurs, soft lips on mine. Those words. They seep into the wounds now scorching my back. He unlatches me, and I’m freed from my confines. Every move I make feels as if my skin is on fire. This isn’t pain, this is so much more, so much worse. And as I meet my tormentor’s stare, I realize this has hurt him as much as it did me. He doesn’t realize how much his eyes tell me. How much they convey all the emotion he stores behind the mask. It’s clear as day. Love.

  I want to tell him to steal me away. I want to say so much in that moment, but I don’t. We just stare each other down for a long while.

  “You did well today, little one.” His soothing tone eases the ache on my back. “Stay down, I need to see to these so they don’t scar.” He pushes me down roughly, and I obey. The cold balm he rubs into my wounds stings, but it also adds a sense of serenity. “Time to get some sleep, pet. You’ll be busy tomorrow,” he says and I can hear the pain in his words. Even though they calm me in their own way, there’s one confession I want from him which never comes.

  I want to ask more questions, but I know I’ll never get my answers because that’s not what he can offer me.

  1

  Paige

  June 2015

  Today is supposed to be fun, exciting even. It’s anything but. I’ve taken my time this evening. Preparing for something that I’ve been dreading most of my life. I’m now an adult. Ready to take on the world. Once tonight is over, I’ll be the person who my parents have taught, cared for in their own cold way, and nurtured to become the woman who’s meant to rule. To run what they believe to be an empire.

  My parents have been planning this day from the moment I was born. The day my mother went into painful labor—which she loves to remind me about—is the day my fate was sealed in a neat little package. Paige Madden, daughter and heiress to more money than I can even think about.

  Growing up in this world where I’ve had to put up with bodyguards and people following me around has become second nature. Every breath has been counted, each step has been guarded. I’m the pristine princess. And today I’m meant to be celebrating freedom. I’m eighteen, and my father has agreed to allow me to leave home. I’ve received my acceptance letter to college and I can’t wait to drive out of those tall, raven-colored gates with the gold trim and not look back.

  “Paige, why aren’t you dressed?” I turn to find my mother dressed in a long, flowing scarlet dress. The sleeves hug her slim arms, and when she walks, it’s as if a million little stars twinkle in the material. But there’s nothing ethereal about her. When families have money like we do, there are always secrets. And the Madden household runs rife with them. Those that lurk in the murky corners. That can break apart a family, and bring down the name they hold so dear.

  I glance down, taking in the mask she’s holding, which matches the red of her dress. Her long auburn hair is twisted into a tight bun on the back of her head. Severe. That’s how I’d describe her if anyone ever asked. Only, they’re too scared to ask, because if they did, they’d be shunned by the elite society we live amongst.

  It’s obvious from looking at me that I’m my mother’s daughter—she’s an elegant, poised red-head and so am I—but that’s where the similarities end. “I’m just finishing up my make-up. I’ll be ready in a few minutes.” She huffs, tugging at the material of her dress that hugs her slim frame. My mother’s always been a waif. Since I can remember, she’s been one of those women who’d hide on a day when her hair wasn’t pinned in place. Never leaving the house if she didn’t have make-up on.

  She’s hovering. There must be something on her mind because my mother doesn’t normally hover. Her cold demeanor is something I’ve become accustomed to. “What is it mother?” I question as I turn to regard her in the reflection of the mirror.

  “Your father’s partner and his son will be coming tonight. Daddy would like to make a good impression. I’d like you to keep his eldest son entertained.” With an imploring gaze, her eyes meet mine, the same jade hue as my own.

  I’ve always been expected to portray an air of elegance and maturity far beyond my eighteen years. In everyday life, and by attending parties that were better fit for adults rather than a child. Stuffy suits and expensive gowns. Sometimes I think I’ve had to grow up too fast. My childhood was filled with talk about mergers and acquisitions. About political climates and corporate contracts.

  This however, will be the first time I’ll see the man my father has told me about. He decided to partner with Harlan by investing millions in a business that I’ve overheard him whispering about in his office. Something deep in my gut tells me that it’s not legal in the least bit.

  Since I turned sixteen, Daddy has educated me, making sure I understood contracts and legal jargon that to me, meant nothing. It’s not where my passion lies. I’ve never wanted to b
e in the corporate world that is filled with rules and regulations.

  Tonight, they’ve invited this man, along with his infamous eldest son to my birthday party. My mother hasn’t stopped rambling about how handsome his son is and how she’d like to see me with him. I, however, would like to make my own decisions when it comes to who is going to one day take the one precious thing I have held on to, my virginity.

  “Yes, Mother. I will be as gracious as I can,” I retort with a bite in my tone, which has her nodding tersely. We normally get along, but when she forces me to do something, we tend to butt heads.

  “I just want to make sure we leave a good impression on Mr. Wolfe. He’s a well-regarded man. It would be good for your father’s reelection for senator which is coming up and Harlan can help with the focus on your Dad.” My father is running for senator a third time in a row. So far, he’s served twelve years in office. I’m not sure why they’re so concerned though. Since he’s been partners with Harlan, there has only been one opposing delegate for my father.