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Prologue

Tossing his empty coffee cup into the garbage bin, he dug his right hand into the front pocket of his black Under Armour hoodie. Wrestling his phone from its confines, he anxiously scanned his dark gaze across the cracked glass screen. Noting the time, he curled his lips into a cocky smirk.

6:42 am. Right on schedule.

Standing from the wooden bench, he quickly secured his phone and began to casually run-in place; his shallow breaths causing a white fog to cloud the cold December air around him. It wouldn't be long before his beautiful prey rounded the corner of the winding trail. He could already hear her sneakers padding rhythmically against the gravel trail. She was running faster than normal, no doubt trying to work off her frustration from the night before. His plan must’ve worked.Good,he thought.

She was finally his to claim.

Knowing his obsession was only paces away, he began to lightly jog down the pathway. Not wanting to spook her as she ran past, he kept his excited eyes dead ahead. The last thing he wanted was for her to panic. He had seen her fight before and knew what a hellion she could be when her adrenaline began to flow.

No,he reminded himself. He didn't want to cause any undue physical or emotional pain on the woman that consumed his every waking thought. This needed to go as smoothly as possible. She deserved for things to be easy on her for once in her life.

Feeling the breeze shift as her svelte body sprinted to his right, he slowed his steps and gave his love the opportunity to take the lead. Allowing himself a moment to admire the way her chestnut ponytail bounced with each quick paced stride, he reached his hand back into the worn pocket of his hoodie. Years of planning had culminated into this very moment; it was almost surreal. From now on, she would forever be his.

Counting to ten in his mind, he rapidly closed the gap between their moving bodies. Before she had a chance to realize what was going on, he pulled a thin medical syringe from his pocket and pounced on her petite form.

He knew it would be hard for her to accept her new life but eventually, she would learn to trust him. To want him. To need him.

To love him.

Chapter ONE

Lexi whimpered aloud, the sound mimicking a wounded animal caught in a jagged trap. At first the drugged brunette felt nothing, her limp and useless body refused to budge no matter how hard she tried. As the hollow minutes passed by her cloudy mind began to clear, allowing her to make sense of what had happened.

Keeping her eyes tightly shut, she recalled her last few moments of consciousness. She remembered the way the frigid air bit her flushed cheeks as she ran down the dark trail, the way her sneakers slid over the icy gravel path. How she had quickened her pace to keep from falling flat on her ass. It had felt good to run off her frustrations from the night before.

Halfway through her mile however, she had noticed another runner. A tall man with dark, shaggy hair moving much slower than he was clearly capable of. Although he was physically larger, she wasn’t nervous or scared as she ran past. No, there wasn’t any fear. That didn’t come until she felt his hulking body tackle her to the ground. It was the same moment that she felt something sharp pierce the exposed skin of her neck. She had just enough time to let out a shocked yelp before an inky blackness swallowed her whole.

She had been attacked, drugged, and abducted. Her body was in no condition to fight. If she wanted to be in control of the situation, she needed to keep her wits about her. It was important that she be the one with the power, not the stranger who had taken her against her will.

Taking stock of the situation, she slowed her breathing and blindly focused on her surroundings. She was lying on an uncomfortably firm surface with a soft pillow cradling her head. A warm blanket covered her body, its plush faux fur lovingly tucked in around her. The soft hum of white noise played in the background, while the comforting smell of lavender wafted through the cool air.

If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve sworn she was back home in her tiny apartment. Only she knew in the pit of her stomach that she wasn't, and she also knew that she wasn't alone.

“Comfortable?” a deep male voice asked, snapping her from her racing thoughts.

Licking her cracked lips, she slowly opened her green eyes, wincing ever so slightly as the room’s overhead light heightened the throbbing sensation squeezing around her skull.

“Mmm. Where am I?” she breathed, trying unsuccessfully to move her numb arms.

“Somewhere safe. That's all you need to know,” the voice answered. “The paralysis you're experiencing is a minor side effect of the drug I injected into you this morning. Now, don’t panic.Shhh...don’t panic, it won’t last long.”

Clenching her jaw in frustration, Lexi focused her semi-blurry vision on the attractive stranger leaning over her. He looked so incredibly proud of himself. It made her sick to her stomach.

“What fucking drug?” she hissed angrily.

“It’s not important,” he replied, warming his masculine features. “Please know that I didn’t want to hurt you, Sweetheart. I did it for your own good.”

Glowering at her captor, she fought back the urge to spit in his handsome face. He had pumped her full of something that had knocked her out and paralyzed her for her own good?Sure. Right.

“Bullshit,” she spat.

Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, the man moved to sit his large frame on the edge of the cot beside her. There was a sudden fire flashing behind her emerald eyes, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up on end with excitement. She was a fighter, alright. Taming her would be the most delicious triumph he would ever taste. Of that he was certain.

“I'm not lying to you. I could have bound you to the bed in chains that would’ve left your wrists and ankles bruised and broken. Yet here you are, completely free of any restraints so that I can have this talk with you and make you see that youwantto be here with me,” he purred, softly swiping the pad of his thumb along her trembling lower lip. “Wasn’t that nice of me?”

Turning her face away from her captor’s gentle touch, Lexi took in a breath to calm herself. He was being too open with her and clearly wanted her trust. Killing her didn’t seem to be his motive, not yet at least. She supposed that there was a chancehe wanted to rape her, but something in her gut told her that it was unlikely. With those two terrifying options out of the way, however, she wasn’t sure what else was left.

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