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eBook Category: Erotica/Dark Fantasy
eBook Description: Rickelle Vale has been taken from her home and everything she knows. Forced to live among strangers, she must suffer the torment of Ivan, an Alpha male with a reputation for fierceness and a hostile temper ... and he's decided to claim Ricky for his own. Refusing to surrender to his dominance is dangerous, but for a man surrounded by secrets, submission could be deadly.... Rating: contains violence, graphic sexual content, and adult language

eBook Publisher: New Concepts Publishing, Published: 2005
Fictionwise Release Date: January 2006

314 Reader Ratings: Great Good OK Poor

Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [1.3 MB], eReader (PDB) [281 KB], Palm Doc (PDB) [284 KB], Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [247 KB], Microsoft Reader (LIT) [212 KB] - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [273 KB], hiebook (KML) [647 KB], Sony Reader (LRF) [303 KB], iSilo (PDB) [232 KB], Mobipocket (PRC) [289 KB], Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [318 KB], OEBFF Format (IMP) [360 KB]
Words: 92683
Reading time: 264-370 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format:  Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud DISABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED
ISBN: 1-58608-764-9

Ricky stepped out into the cool night air, shivering as she pulled the cuffs of her sweatshirt over her hands. She had heard a pained whimpering in the darkness coming from beneath the trees that towered just outside of her living room window. The moon was full and its silver light cast down upon the frosty ground, illuminating everything but the hidden gloom of the trees. She sighed and left the light and security of her front porch when she failed to see into the shadows. Her feet tensed as her soles struck the cold earth. She whistled gently against the soft autumn breeze, hoping to coax the whining dog from the shadows. He sounded hurt, most likely hit by a car before he had wandered lost and in pain into her yard. She approached the black underbelly of the trees.

She inhaled sharply as glossy dark eyes suddenly flew open in her direction. She heard a low growling as the beast stood to its feet. It was huge, as large as a Great Dane, but none of her neighbors had a dog that size. It stepped into the moonlight and Ricky nearly screamed. Her heart thumped in her chest and she fought to swallow the lump of dread down her throat.

"Jesus Christ.... "she gasped to herself as she stumbled backward in fear.

The dog was as black as the shadows where it had been laying. Its lips were drawn back to reveal rows of sharp ivory teeth and it was snarling fiercely. Its dark eyes glowered with animosity, and if it was wounded it certainly didn't look it now.

Ricky stepped backward, forcing her legs to move against paralyzing fear that threatened to hold them still. She collected her breath and readied herself to bolt for the door. She whirled around and stopped short, catching the icy air in her lungs as she froze in place. Another dog stood on the steps of the porch where she had just been. Its head was hung down over gaunt shoulders and it watched her with the clearest and coldest blue eyes that she had ever seen. Ricky tried to scream but found only a guttural cry. These were not dogs at all. They were both enormous and dark, with long muzzles and sharp tipped ears--they had to be wolves. But then, she had never seen wolves like this before either, they were much too big even for wolves, and they had no tails.

Their bodies were even shaped differently. Their backs arched severely and were outlined by vertebrae that were visible right through their taught fur; they had long muscular legs that tapered down to feet that were more like long clawed fingers than paws. And their teeth, she didn't think she had ever seen such large sharp teeth on any animal before, they were rows of steak knives made for slaughter. She watched in horror as the creature on the porch stood on two hind legs and a blur of twisted fur and flesh seemed to mingle together until a naked man stood before her.

She reeled in shock; she recognized the man from somewhere, but her senses were too overrun with fear to recall anything. She was still reeling, trying to figure out what was going on. The dog had just vanished into thin air, and now there was a naked man on her front steps. She trembled nervously as spasms of sheer terror tore through her. She felt vulnerable here in the open in the middle of the night, and she was dizzy with fright. She opened her mouth to scream but a large hand covered her mouth, silencing her with a grip that was on the brink of crushing her jaw.

Ricky shook herself from her state of terror, trying desperately to get a hold of her senses. She grabbed the hand that held her mouth and yanked it away, but before she could run she was captured around the waist and forced to face her attacker. She fought his hold on her, writhing and struggling with everything she had. She tried to scream again but found her voice muffled when another hand covered her lips. She swallowed through panting breaths and stopped fighting for a moment, pausing to look helplessly up at one of her captors.

She looked up and saw a dark-eyed man standing before her, smiling with a taunting grin that she knew she had seen before. She didn't have time to question where he had come from in the shadows. She watched in horror as he produced a long hypodermic needle from his hand. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with panic and thrashed wildly as he drew the syringe nearer. A sharp pain seized her neck and she realized that it was the grip that the blue-eyed man had on her, he was twisting her neck sharply to the side as if he meant to snap it off. She cried as the needle entered the thin skin in her throat. It wasn't the pain that caused her tears, but the fear and uncertainty of what they would do to her that hurt the most. Her body went limp and she stopped fighting the force that held her. She no longer had control of her body; she had become merely a passenger within it.

Ricky blinked away the foggy haze that had settled in her eyes. She felt an aching pain in her throat, and in her arms and legs. Trying to move she found that every part of her felt like lead weight, so heavy it was that she couldn't move. She moaned and rocked her head back. She drifted in and out of consciousness, vaguely making out hazy figures as they came in and out of the room where she was. She would hear voices, intermingling with one another as her mind drifted, and the hours clicked by slowly. Somewhere in the distance she thought she heard a clock ticking. It rested in her temple, sending an ache pulsing through her with every second. It seemed like it was taking forever for her to recover her senses, but the free time gave her the opportunity to recall what had happened. Slowly her thoughts recoiled and she remembered everything that had taken place.

She remembered seeing the two men days ago while she was out walking, and seeing them again at a diner in town. It hit her now. That was why she recognized them; they had been watching her the whole time. They weren't obvious about it, but she could feel that she was being watched, and they were hard men to forget once you saw them. They had eerie eyes that sank into her soul, and the dark eyed one always wore a sinister smirk. More minutes ticked by, and the ache in her head never eased.

She tried to open her eyelids, but they were too heavy to lift. What about her son, Austin, she wondered. He was with her parents for the weekend, but what would happen when they came to bring him home and they found only an empty house? What would happen to him if she were gone? Who would take care of him? The thumping in her temples amplified. This couldn't be happening to her. Why was she kidnapped? What had they done to her? What were they going to do with her now that they had her?

Her eyes opened, catching a brief view of a fuzzy white wall before they closed again. The two men had injected her with something. What had they given her? She had passed out just seconds after they had given it to her, whatever it was. Her eyes opened briefly again. What did they want with her? More time elapsed, and she was frantically trying to wake up. She couldn't stay here--she had to get home. Her son needed her. She silently pleaded with her brain to focus as she slipped into dreams, unable to fight the drug that still surged through her veins.

Ricky's eyes fluttered as she looked upward. The haze had finally cleared. She didn't know how long she had been out, but she was determined to keep her senses this time. A ceiling fan slowly and methodically rotated above her, gently swaying the lights that were attached to it. She closed her eyes. They burned as the fan sent a soft current of air down into them. She gave her eyes a moment's rest and when the pain had eased she again looked out at the new place where she found herself. Everything seemed to be above her. The room was fairly large and at the far end a row of chairs lined the wall. A big rectangular table of dark mahogany color sat in the center of the room.

Her eyes were burning again and Ricky closed them tightly, finding that even shut off from her surroundings they still pained her. She could feel a cold wall pressed against her back and she shifted stiffly. A soft masculine voice filled the seemingly empty room.

"You're awake. Unfortunately, that means we're going to have to give you another little shot soon. Don't want you getting too wild on us, you know."

Ricky moaned and flicked her eyelids open; she tensed her neck to see where the voice had come from. In the open entryway she could make out a figure leaning against the doorframe. He shifted his posture and dropped his gaze to meet her eyes. Her heart sank as the icy blue in his irises chilled her to the bone, causing a shudder to run down her back.

Swallowing, she found words that came out meek and strained, "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"Oh dear, you can speak now, too. Well, that definitely means you need a little injection. But first, as long as I have your undivided attention, I might as well answer your questions."

Ricky watched as another man walked into the room and she immediately recognized his watery coal black eyes. He had a needle in his hand and was gently flicking his thick fingers against the tip.

"First off, you want to know who I am.... "Staring down at her, the blue-eyed man mused to himself. "Let's just say I'm a salesman. Now, you asked what I want with you. Well, that's simple enough. I want you to make me money."

His dark-eyed companion smirked slyly.

The blue-eyed man approached her and knelt down; a smile had crept across his stern face and he chuckled lightly. "Don't worry; it's not what you're thinking. I can tell by the look on your face." He stared into her eyes, still smiling. "We aren't going to prostitute you, or sell you to a brothel."

She watched as he stood erect again before stepping back into the doorway and nodding to his friend. The other man was beside her suddenly. He took her jaw in his large hand and tilted her chin to the side. She didn't even try to fight it when he brought the needle to her sore pulsing throat. He stopped and Ricky glanced at the doorway.

The man was holding his hand up, extending a finger as he tapped thoughtfully against his own chin. "Before we give her more knock-out juice maybe we should see if she needs to use the restroom."

Ricky watched a thin blonde woman enter the room. She held her eyes to the ground, making contact with neither man. The woman approached her and helped her to her feet. Up close she looked to be merely a teenager.

Ricky followed her to the bathroom and just before closing the door the woman said, "If you're not out in five minutes they'll come get you."

Ricky frowned. There was no window, no laundry chute ... no means of escape whatsoever. She relieved herself and exited the room. The girl was gone. She wandered weakly into the next room, met by the black-eyed man who hovered over her for a second before raising the filled syringe into the air.

"Please," she begged, "I have a young son...."

The big man smiled balefully, "Proven reproduction only increases your value."

She didn't have time to analyze his statement. The tip of the needle slid into her tender skin and within moments she felt her body go weak, and she collapsed into his arms, drowning in a sea of darkness once again.

Ricky blinked, barely opening her eyes to her surroundings. She felt like she'd been asleep for days. She shivered, there were voices nearby. She scanned her surroundings to see where they were coming from. She found herself in the familiar confines and at the large square table three men were now sitting. She felt sick to her stomach; she was back in the corner of the room, still on the floor as she was before. A sentence brought her attention to the table.

"She's awake." The dark eyed man observed.

"Good, we have company." His companion said as he looked over his shoulder at Ricky.

"Just how much have you drugged her?" The third man asked, his voice was cold and hard-edged, and he didn't bother to look up from the mahogany table.

"Don't worry, not enough to harm her, just enough to make her a very manageable hostage." Again it was the blue-eyed man who spoke.

The third man shelved the comment and still without looking up he proceeded, "So, how much do you want for her?"

Without a word a piece of paper was pushed towards him by the larger of the two companions.

The stranger read it and smiled, then shook his head. "Is this a joke?" His voice was thick with derision.

"You have our terms. You know why the price is what it is ... Marcus, bring her here." The blue-eyed man nodded toward his silent friend, who stood and walked to Ricky.

She gasped as he grabbed her roughly by the arm, dragging her to her feet and pulling her to the table before forcing her into a chair between the stranger and his comrade.

"You don't trust me?" The blue-eyed man questioned in disbelief.

The stranger finally took his eyes from the table to stare into the cool blue irises of the man sitting to the side of him. "You kidnapped a single mother with a young son, you lured her outside where you could capture her and you have the gall to question my trust in you?" He cast a disarming glance at Ricky, "You've kept her in a drug induced coma for nearly two whole days ... only a fool would trust you, Nico."

The man with the hardened black eyes sighed, "Look for yourself; we took blood tests as well to ensure her compatibility."

The stranger pushed his chair out and stood to his feet, "A blood test might show compatibility, but it's still no guarantee that she will survive a bite."

Ricky didn't move when his fingers caressed the back of her neck. She felt him wrap her hair around his hand and shift it until it cascaded over her left shoulder, exposing her pale skin to his touch. He lightly traced the base of her hairline with the tip of his finger, then stepped back and sat down in the chair. She swung her eyes to meet his.

He was an attractive man, tall and broad shouldered with lightly bronzed skin. He was wearing loose denim jeans and a soft black fleece coat that was unzipped, revealing a tight white T-shirt that displayed a well-muscled body beneath the fabric. He wore a dark baseball cap that shadowed a pair of warm brown eyes that stood out against his relatively average facial features. He had a thoughtful look that suggested a peaceful but powerful nature, and there was a strange comfort about his presence.

The man scratched absently at short facial hair on his chin before redirecting his gaze, "So there's a possibility that she might be rare gold ... but then she could be fools' gold as well. What makes you think I would take such a risk on her?"

The man she now understood to be Nico nodded, "Because I hear that your partner is partial to the color red, and not just that of bloodshed. And she might be the last one...."

The stranger glowered, but he didn't respond. He stared at the man across from him in silence before throwing his eyes at Ricky. Finally, after gazing at her for awhile, he retracted a small cellular phone from his pocket and exited the room.

The blue-eyed man smiled and beckoned across the table at his companion, but spoke not a word. They both looked up in unison as the stranger re-entered. Two other men followed him. One of them was tall and burly, with a round baby face and steely gray eyes. The man behind him was shorter and leaner, nearly obscured by the big man that he followed.

The stranger sat back down and stared at Ricky; his eyes were still warm but had taken on an intensity that unnerved her. She still found herself unable to move; her muscles remained tense and leaden with the chemical that flowed through her veins. The drug left her feeling strangely numb, not just in body but mentally as well. She blinked as he reached out with a gentle touch and turned her chin to the side. She glanced up to see the two men that had followed him looking down at her.

As the stranger examined her throat and the bruising where the needle had repeatedly penetrated her soft flesh he made introductions. "This is Dagon," The smaller man nodded first, "and this is Cyrus. Take her out to the car and I'll be out in a little bit."

The air was incredibly warm as they stepped outside and in that instant Ricky new that she must be far from home. She looked out at the vacant countryside. The grass was still lush and green, without even a hint of a coming winter. She followed the two men dazedly as they led her to a black SUV.

As they helped her climb into the backseat she couldn't help but notice that there were coats in the vehicle, along with warm knit caps. She slid over on the seat, expecting them to be sitting next to her, but was left alone as they both sat in the front.

As she found herself sitting alone unguarded an idea came to her, and she softly lifted the latch of the door handle. It was locked. She grabbed the manual lock and attempted to pull it. When it remained frozen she silently cursed the modern vehicles and their childproof locks that now aided in holding her prisoner. She sighed; it didn't matter anyway, out here in the middle of nowhere there was no place for her to run.

Finally the third man left the house. Ricky thought about jumping out of the vehicle when the locks were released, but seeing only empty fields in every direction she decided against it, knowing fully well that even if she were not so drugged there was no way she could outrun all three of the men. The third man climbed into the backseat beside her, and the vehicle proceeded forward as he leaned against the door and turned his whole body to face her.

Smiling, he extended his hand, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Roman."

Ricky looked at him, but did not reach out to take his hand, nor did she offer her name in return.

He nodded as if he understood her reluctance, "Everything's going to be alright. I don't know if this will help ease your reservations, but as long as you are with us I can promise that you will see your family again. I can't tell you when, but you will see them again."

Ricky opened her eyes. Had she fallen asleep? She blinked several times, not believing what she was seeing. A soft white powder covered the ground outside and just by the way that the gusting wind rocked the vehicle as it rolled down the road she could tell that it was cold out.

Looking to the side she could see that Roman had hardly moved. His body was still turned toward her and his back was against the door. His muscular arms were folded over his chest and he was looking back at her with silent deliberation. Ricky looked past him at the window to his back. A thin layer of crystal ice had smoothed over part of the glass. She could see through a circle on the window that remained untainted by the cold fog. It was snowing outside.

Her eyes snapped away from the outside back to Roman. His presence commanded her attention and she found herself returning his stare without thought. His voice shook her from the detained gaze that held her immobile.

"We're almost there." He hesitated a moment before continuing, "It's cold out, so you'll need to put a coat on."

She flinched as he tossed his fleece jacket into her lap and then sat staring at the coat, still unable to think clearly. He reached out gently, offering her a warm knit cap as well. With faltering hands she took it and rested it atop the jacket. Ricky touched the fiber gently, rubbing her hands with the material. It was soft and well made, and plenty warm.

Roman smiled and turned his head to the front of the vehicle. She followed suit to see what had his attention. They had turned off onto a narrow road that was so encroached by trees that only one vehicle could be allowed passage at a time. Fresh snow covered the earth so thickly that the road underneath could not be seen. The vehicle slid again and again perilously close to the trees, but the route was obviously one that the driver was familiar with and he expertly maneuvered the car over the hidden road.

Ricky leaned back into the seat. Was this place familiar to her? She couldn't remember and the surroundings certainly didn't ring a bell in her memory. She closed her eyes again; they still hurt. She listened without moving when the three men began to converse to each other, apparently believing that she had fallen asleep once more.

"Poor thing, I bet they gave her enough tranquilizers to knock out a bull elephant for a week."

Ricky recognized the voice as belonging to the big man, and she tried to remember his name. Was it Cyrus? Yes, she remembered that much. And the other man, he was Dagon. She didn't know why, but she caught herself resenting Cyrus' comment in referring to her as a "poor thing." She didn't need their pity, nor did she desire it. If they truly felt pity for her they would take her home! Or was she going home? This place didn't seem at all familiar to her though. Her head was beginning to pound and she felt lost. Again their speaking distracted her from her own thoughts

"What makes me nervous," Dagon spoke slowly as he concentrated on driving, "is why they gave her so much in the first place."

Cyrus responded. "Knowing those two, they just didn't want to have to actually keep an eye on her."

"Or," Dagon countered his companions reply, "maybe she was a handful. I mean, sure she's complacent now, but when the full effects of the drug wear off ... she could be really wild."

"C'mon, Dag.... "Roman chuckled lightly from behind him, "don't tell me that you're afraid of her already."

"It's not me I'm worried about." Dagon hissed in irritation and without hesitation he continued defensively. "I'm just thinking that if her temperament is anywhere near dominant, especially around Ivan, then she's as good as dead."

Roman sighed, trying to diffuse his friend's troubled reaction, "So far she seems passive, almost to a fault. And sure, it could just be lingering effects of the drugs, but whatever happens, happens." Roman's voice trailed off to a whisper, "Besides, I looked into her eyes ... I saw hope yet."

Ricky flashed her lids open. It was a reaction to Roman's fading sentence. She saw that he had turned his head and was looking out the window at the freshly falling snow.

She shifted uncomfortably and drew his attention to her. He watched her with an unwavering gaze until she looked up to meet him. His warm brown eyes still had the empowering intensity that could hold her in unseen restraint, and even when he upturned his thick pink lips into a grin she found herself unable to escape his sight. Then, as if toying with his power over her, he shifted his eyes to the side, and without her willing it her own eyes followed receptively. He grinned wider to flash a row of shiny white teeth, and finally, as if allowing her command over her own resolve, he winked to release her of his hold.

Ricky blinked in disbelief. What had just happened? Caught in his vision she had felt as if she had no control over herself, completely submissive to his will. She didn't dare to look at him again and instead looked blankly down at the coat and hat in her lap, still trying to figure out how he had such power over her. It must have been a persistent aftereffect of the substance that was in the needle. It was the only explanation that made sense to her at this point.

"You should put those on, we're almost there."

Ricky looked up at the sound of his voice but still refused to make eye contact. She slid the jacket sleeves up on her arms and felt immediately embraced by its warmth. She zipped it tightly up to her chin and nestled into the coat, feeling a mild security in the covering, as though it had become a barrier between her and the strangers that surrounded her.

Ricky paused as she reached for the hat. She stopped and rested her face into the collar of the jacket. It smelled distinctly masculine, not unpleasant in any way, but just different. She inhaled the scent. It smelled of an unusual blend of pine and a hint of smoke, not cigarette smoke, but rather that of burning wood.

Taking her face from the coat, Ricky picked up the hat. She twisted the soft material in her hands, pushing her fingers into it and stroking the fiber. It was something to do to ease the nerves that were suddenly coursing through her veins. Her stomach was doing flip-flops, and all she could think of was home and when she would see her son again.

The car slowed to a stop and Ricky looked out through the front window, gasping at what she saw.