Severed: A Dark Romance (The Taken Series Book 1)
Severed: A Dark Romance
The Taken Series
Dani René
Copyright © 2018 by Dani René
Published by Dani René
Edited by Candice Royer
Proofreader - Illuminate Author Services
Cover Designer - Jay Aheer (Simply Defined Art)
Photographer - LJ Photography
Cover Model - Misses Brooklynn
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.
Contents
Stalk Links
Foreword
Stolen - The Prequel
Playlist
Prologue
1. Drake
2. Drake
3. Drake
4. Drake
5. Caia
6. Drake
7. Drake
8. Caia
9. Caia
10. Drake
11. Caia
12. Drake
13. Caia
14. Drake
15. Caia
16. Caia
17. Drake
18. Caia
19. Drake
20. Caia
21. Drake
22. River
23. River
24. Caia
25. Drake
26. Dante
27. Drake
28. Caia
29. Drake
30. Caia
31. Drake
32. Caia
33. Drake
34. Caia
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by Dani René
About the Author
Stalk Links
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Blurb
*This is NOT a standalone. You need to read Stolen - The Prequel to fully understand this storyline.
My world was hell on earth, son of a man who was evil incarnate.
Hate was all I knew.
When she was stolen, I swore I’d find her.
When I meet her eyes again, I remember what I’m fighting for.
The girl will be mine.
***
I’ve seen true evil, held captive by the devil himself.
And now revenge is all I know.
Everything was stolen from me. Until him.
When my eyes meet his, I’m caught in his web.
Each moment that passes only confirms what I already know—I’m his.
*This is a dark romance. Due to scenes of an adult nature, this book is for 18+ ONLY. That’s the only warning you’ll get.
Foreword
Please note this is NOT a standalone. You have to read Stolen prior to delving into this book.
Thank you
Stolen - The Prequel
TBR - http://bit.ly/StolenNovella
US: http://biujt.ly/StolenUS
UK: http://bit.ly/StolenUK
AU: http://bit.ly/AUStolen
CA: http://bit.ly/CAStolen
Blurb
I never believed in evil.
I never thought the devil was real.
Until I was stolen.
***
I knew Satan existed.
I was convinced I’d be like him one day.
Until my heart was stolen.
Would she be the one to set me free?
Or will I be the one to steal her life?
*This is an extremely dark story with numerous triggers, please be warned. Due to scenes of an adult nature, this book is for 18+ ONLY.
Playlist
Beautiful Girl - Broken Iris
Love Triangle - RaeLynn
The Blackest Day - Lana Del Rey
Lovesick - Banks
When It’s All Over - Raign
Don’t Let Me Go - Raign
Ungodly Hour - The Fray
Heal - Tom Odell
You’re the One That I Want - Lo-Fang
Zombie - Bad Wolves
Sacrifice - Lucas King
Ghost - Bad Flower
Click here for the full list
Dedication
Thank you to my ladies who loved Drake so much and asked for more. I hope you love him and all his darkness as much as I do.
Prologue
The sins of the father fall to the son.
Violence has been in my blood since I was born.
Love has never been something I wanted, needed, or thought of. I smile when I think about the one girl who almost managed to weasel her way into my heart, but she was stolen from me. Our link was severed, and I became the monster my father wanted me to be.
I buried my feelings for her along with the memory of her body bleeding out on top of me. The images haunted me each night. They replayed in my mind, but after my search for her came to a dead end, I locked away that damned muscle called my heart. Securing it in a cage, I ensured I’d never allow anyone to ever free it again.
I’m a Savage.
I’m the heir to a throne that was never my choice. It was forced upon me, and even though I shouldn’t want it, I have no choice. The moment my father took his last breath, I knew I was never going to be free.
Dante, my brother, wants me to stop the Savage Organization. He’s begged and pleaded, but what he doesn’t understand is there’s always more to a story than meets the eye.
I’m doing this for him. For me. For our family. If only he can give me time, I’ll show him that the secrets that lie locked within the walls of the mansion hold so much more.
River, my best friend and part-time lover, is the only one who knows why I stay, why I continued the legacy left by my father, Malcolm Savage. And he’s the only one who help me.
Sometimes, we must do things we don’t want to.
We do things that will ensure our morals are challenged.
And, at other times, we do things to keep those we love safe.
1
Drake
Games.
Sick, twisted games.
I spent my childhood learning how to play them.
He taught me. Turned me into a monster. He played them with me. I witnessed horrors that will forever be stai
ned in my mind. Those vile images I’ve tried so hard to tamper, they rage within me, like a fire taking out a forest. Each night, I close my eyes, and those eyes haunt me. As much as I’ve tried, I can never stop them.
Guilt sits within my gut. It burns its way through my blood. I can never be free from the nightmares, and perhaps I don’t want to be. It’s those memories that allow me to do what I do. To finally attempt to rid my hands of the blood my father spilled.
The dark web my father had built for his organization still runs today. With new clients messaging me daily, I know time is running out. Before long they’ll realize I’m leading them on. I don’t have much longer to keep them at bay. The monsters are beating down the door, and soon, I’m going to have to let them in.
Bit by bit, as the days passed and the older I got, the more I lost myself. I knew if I didn’t get away soon, there’d be nothing left of the boy I used to be. For years, my father got away with what he did. My only escape was my bedroom, where I would lose myself in River, in his touch, his body. And if he wasn’t around, I’d sit silently in the shadows and watch Dante like a fucking stalker. He would have one of his latest conquests around, and I’d dive into the darkness with them. A voyeur to pleasure. It was the only way I could feel again.
I’m broken. I’m a fucked-up monster. And there’s no longer anything that can change me. Four years ago, I thought there was a chance. I believed I could be someone different, because of her. A girl with the most beautiful soul I’d ever seen. She weakened me, and I almost let myself go. I wanted to steal her away, keep her for myself. But in the end, it was she who was stolen from me.
Her blood still stains my hands. The metallic taste of her life essence still coats my tongue. She bled out, her slight frame draped over me. One moment she was there. The next, she was gone.
The video I’ve been watching is on a loop. The body of the girl onscreen is bruised as one of the guards gets her ready for tonight’s show. I’m lost in the darkness as my hand finds my hardened cock. I blame my father for this. He broke my mind, leaving only shattered fragments of my innocence.
I am no longer my own person. He owned me in ways I forced to the back of my mind. With each vile act I endured, he made sure that my only escape was to die. But I couldn’t give up my life. I had to be there for Dante and River.
Instead of running, I planned. Each day and night that passed, I made sure I had everything I needed to take him down. His friends, partners, all of them would suffer. I would make sure of it.
Everything he did to me, all those things he made me witness, I’ll perhaps never forget, but I can clear my conscience by killing the assholes who supported him. My father died from the wounds I inflicted only six months ago. We’ve kept the news from everyone because my plan can finally start.
Revenge.
Such a beautiful word.
Blood will be spilled. I will bathe in it. Drench myself in the metallic liquid because that’s what they deserve. I played hide and seek from a young age. I hid as best I could from the men and women who frequented our estate. And now that my father has met his maker, I’ll ensure those filthy pieces of trash answer to me.
And only me.
I’ll run a rampage through his organization so violent, so bloody that no one can save them. And when I walk away with their blood staining my hands, I’ll have my vengeance.
It took years to learn, to observe their movements. Each small nuance is ingrained in my mind. It makes me more dangerous than they can ever be. It makes me the killer they never saw coming.
“Are you listening to me?”
The voice drags me from the horrors replaying in my mind on a loop. I glance at the blue eyes that match mine and nod. My brother, Dante Savage, is all grown up now. I haven’t been listening to a word he said. But I nod in any case.
“Drake, we can do this together,” he tells me, placing a hand on my shoulder. Dante wants something I can never have. He’s told me before how he wants to find a girl and settle down. Strangely, I can see him doing that, but the problem is, those dark desires that seem to ignite when he’s fucking someone have always scared them away. I want to laugh when I think about my volatile brother, but then I realize, in all my years trying to protect him, I didn’t do a very good job because he’s just as fucked up as I am.
“You need to stay here, make sure they don’t come looking for Malcolm,” I inform him once more as I watch the screen. I know Dante can see my hard-on. There’s nothing hidden between us. We’ve both witnessed each other in our worst states. We’ve shared women. We’ve shared River. Our sexuality is nothing like anyone else’s. Our minds don’t work right. And after the childhood we’ve had, nobody can blame us.
“Do you still look for her?”
I know he’s talking about Caia. The girl I wanted. The one who attempted to make me feel. Perhaps I did. But then she was stolen, severed from my life before I had a chance to really know her. Even though we’ve searched for her high and low, I now believe she’s never coming back.
Our lives are filled with darkness. Hers was only light. If only I wasn’t late in stopping my father that night, I would never have lost her. I could’ve fucking saved her. And every time I think about it, I hate myself more. She didn’t deserve what happened.
“No. She’s dead.” My cold words cause him to flinch; only slightly, but I see it. As much as Dante plays the hard-ass, I know deep down he’s not like me. Nowhere near.
“And what if one day you walk into a house and find her there? Are you going to finish the job father failed to do?” he questions me. “Or will you admit you fell for her?”
“I fucking told you time and again,” I bite out, turning to pin him with an angry glare. “She’s dead.”
“If you say so,” he utters. “I don’t believe she is, because father would’ve had a file on her burial spot, like he does with everyone else he’s killed.” Could she be alive? I almost believe him. Only for a moment I allow my mind to wonder how it would feel to find her, to feel her touch, her lips. I let myself feel happiness, normality. But in the same second it appears, it’s gone.
Since the moment I walked into the cell and laid my eyes on Caia, I felt my world tilt off its axis. Not one other girl who had been brought here made me want to protect and hurt her in equal measure. She fed the hunger my father ingrained in me. He’s turned me into this. A sick monster who yearns to see the vile acts being portrayed before me.
Dante keeps me sated in his own way. He allows me to watch, to be a voyeur, and through him and River, I find release when I need it.
I still want to hurt though. There’s nothing like seeing shimmering tears on pretty porcelain flesh. To see pouty lips wrapped tightly around my cock until tears drench rosy cheeks. I still get hard when I think of depraved acts. There is no help for me anymore. Nothing can remove what’s embedded in my mind.
If anyone else witnessed what I have, they could never be sane.
“Let’s get this meeting underway. I have somewhere to be tonight,” I tell my brother. I need to feed this desire, and there’s only one way to do it. To visit the cells. I need it like a shot of heroin to the vein.
And as we walk out the door, I feel almost normal once more.
Almost.
But I know I’ll never be again.
2
Drake
I’m still frustrated from our meeting only an hour ago with one of the biggest clients my father had. The man that’s next on my list. I’ve planned how I want him to die, and watching him play "happy family" with his wife tonight makes me want to rip his perfect life apart. Knowing tomorrow night, when River and I head out there again with my team I’ll get to watch his blood drip from the wounds I inflict, makes me hard.
The room I enter is bathed in darkness. I can barely see the small form of the pretty toy huddled in the corner. As soon as Malcolm died, I changed how things run in this house.
“Get up,” I bite out, my voice booming through the dark
space. The girl’s small body shoots up from the mattress. She’s dressed in a thin, white cotton nightdress, and I know she’s not wearing anything underneath.
“Please, don’t hurt me, he . . . he’s already . . .” I know what she wants to tell me, but I’m not here to fuck her. I’m here to watch. I can’t do shit to any of them, and it pisses me off. As much as I want to be the monster, I can’t even do that right.
“I said get the fuck up.” My words are a low growl vibrating through my chest as I stalk toward her. Those dark eyes widen, and for a moment I’m taken back in time. To her. To Caia.
She attempts to crawl away, but I’m far too quick for her, and my fingers wrap around her thin arm. Tugging her to the edge of the bed, I lean in and flick the switch against the wall.
The yellow light illuminates her face, and I stare at her for far too long. Her eyes fill with tears when she sees me. Her lips are full, pouty, and as much as I want to feed her my dick, I know it’s not going to bring me the satisfaction I want.