Reclaim Me: Taken Series, #3

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Copyright of Whitney Cannavina

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

Warning

This book depicts scenes of a sexual nature and other adult content and is recommended for those who are 18+.

Rape scenes and abuse are mentioned so please read with caution

Author’s Note

Thank you for reading Reclaim Me (The Taken Series book 3). If you would like to ask questions about the story or find out more information on future books, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or by email. Thank you again for taking the time to read about these diverse characters.

*This is not a standalone and in order to understand the events that happen, I strongly suggest reading Save Me and Break Me first.

Twitter: @ashtonsmom2012

Facebook: Whitney Cannavina or my author page Author Whitney Cannavina

Instagram: wlcannavina

Email: Wlcannavina@yahoo.com

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Prologue

Are you willing to die for the ones you love?

It’s a simple enough question for most. But as death looks me square in the eyes with such malicious enjoyment over my pain, I realize the answer to this question isn’t a simple yes.

Death is the easy part. It’s the dying that people don’t comprehend when answering this question. Would you be willing to endure hours of torture? Would you be willing to endure beatings to the face, chest and abdomen with not only fists and boots, but also whips, bats, chrome bars? Or feeling the cold steel blade of a jagged knife as it punctures your skin, sliding deep and excruciatingly slow so you feel every sharp edge of it before finally hitting the hilt and twisting? What about if you had your bones smashed to dust one by one? Would you still die for the ones you love? Would you be able to handle all of this knowing the one you love will not have to endure this torture as long as you took their place?

I sure as fuck would do it in a heartbeat. Death is easy. Death will take away everything you just endured to get there. It will be sweet relief and once the world goes dark, your conscious goes quiet in the blackness, you can finally breathe again.

I can feel every drop of my blood as it oozes out of my wounds, trickles down my taught stomach and drops into a puddle on the floor. I can hear as it goes drip, drip and it’s soothing to me. My life is slowly fading away, and I can’t help but smile. I’m sure I look crazy with two swollen eyes, a shattered nose, and a few missing teeth with a grin on my face but I could care less. I sacrificed my soul; my future so the one I love could keep theirs.

My only regret in this life is that I never got to tell her how I feel one last time. How I love the smile she graces me with the moment I walk into the room. The way she wraps her arms around me, bringing me comfort whether I needed it or not, or her laugh that was rare and so beautiful, it’s like music to my ears. I wish I could tell Sierra how she seeped into my soul, changing me for the better even if she never knew it.

My heart skips a beat just remembering everything I am going to miss when I am gone.

What the fuck are you smiling about? You’re about to die you little shit! If I were you, I’d be begging for my life right about now.

I chuckle before answering. I’m smiling because I am going to die. My captor furrows his brow in confusion. But I’m not dying alone. I’m going to kill you. I just thought I’d let you have a little fun before you die. How does it feel to know your life is about to end?

My captor laughs a full out belly laugh with tears streaming down their face. You’re a comedian. But it looks to me like you’re a little tied up at the moment, so I think it’s safe to say I’m going to be alright.

I spit the blood that’s quickly filling my mouth on to the floor in front of me. Well now that you’ve had your fun with torturing me, I think it’s time we get this party started.

What are you babbling about now?

I pause for affect...It’s my turn.

I lunge at my captor as we both land in a heap on the cold, concrete floor with a thud before all hell breaks loose. Even though I am weak from blood loss and death is knocking at my heels, I’m not going down without a fight. And I sure as fuck am not going down alone.

As I take my last breath moments later, I know it was all worth it.

You’re dead.

Chapter 1

Sierra

There is a time in one's life where you try to figure out just where it is you fit in. Being abducted for just those few months was torture. But coming back to real life after adapting to the horrors I had seen and lived through was a lot more difficult then I had imagined. I thought it would be simpler. Instead, I feel like a fish out of water. Nothing is the same. Everyone's life had moved forward while mine stayed at a stand still. Sure, I had gone through some horrible experiences while in the clutches of my abductor, but for some reason I thought when I came back, everyone would somehow have stayed frozen in time. I would come home to a house full of my friends and family as they all prepared for my birthday party. We would have cake, soda, games, and laughter. It's not a realistic possibility for that to have happened but I had secretly hoped everything I had been through was just a horrible dream and I am just waking up only to realize that it is still the day of my eighteenth birthday party.

I have tried to live my life as normal as possible since coming home. It has only been a few weeks since Forrest and my brother rescued me from my abductor. I know that life cannot just start over as if the past few months never happened. But it doesn't stop me from trying.

I've called up all of my old friends to hang out and chat about what they have all been up to since my abduction. They skirt around asking about my time away trying to avoid causing me to break down and I am grateful. Instead, they distract me with questions about Forrest and my relationship. Before I was taken, Forrest and I had only been best friends with a secret crush for one another. I had always been in love with him and everyone knew it. Only once he rescued me, the first time did we finally both acknowledge our feelings for one another. One night of truths, fears, and inexplicable passion brought us from best friends to lovers. I never told my friends the details of that night because it was too amazing and devastating all at once. Having felt him to my very core only to have him ripped from me moments later, made my feelings for that night very confusing.

I gave the girls a condensed PG13 version instead. They wanted to know if we continued where we left off since returning home. Of course, I couldn't deny them or myself the joy of knowing I am his and he is mine. I left out most details just skimming over the basics of him being attentive, loving and amazing. Anything else would be too personal. There is no way I could tell them about how every kiss burns my lips like molten lava creating a warmth of comfort and fierce desire to spread through me. Every glide of his fingers over my skin leaves me trembling while my body craves for more. When our bodies finally collide, the contact has my body aflame with pleasure so intense, I feel like I am no longer connected to my body, just floating in pure bliss.

Does it scare me? Hell yeah it does. I know there will never be another who could make me feel everything so intensely as Forrest does. What scares me most is not that I won't have that soul crushing desire with anyone else, but what will be left of me as a person if we, or shall I say, when we crash and burn. I will become a shell of the person I am today. There will be no coming back from that. How do you put into words that kind of love? I've never told my friends any of this only giving them the surface details because they couldn't understand and honestly, I want to keep this to myself. It just seems like something that is too private to divulge.

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I am still coming to terms with everything I've been feeling since returning home. I don't feel like myself and it is driving me insane. There are only three feelings that are a constant companion for me.

Anger. For everything my family had to endure in the time of my absence. The constant fear they had that I was dead, or worse being tortured. Anger at everything I wished I could have done to prevent them from ever feeling this way and for putting them through this horrific time. I should have seen the signs. I should have called my brother or Forrest to come pick me up instead of accepting a ride from Jeremy.

Confusion. How is it that after all Jeremy did to me, I could still hold a spot in my heart for him? How is it that I feel anything for this monster that hurt me in more ways than anyone could ever imagine? From the rapes, beatings, and emotional abuse he put me through, I should hate him with my whole being. He hurt me. Raping me repeatedly and letting his goons take their turns on me is not love like he claimed. Tying me up, using a bat to make me lose our baby, and beating me with his fists so badly that I couldn’t barely move or even breath are reasons to hate this man yet, even though I know all of this, experienced it, I still can’t help but care for him. Or do I dare say, love him? It’s confusing because I know it’s not right. I know I should hate him, fear him, and wish to never see him again, but day by day as I look at all the people milling around outside the shops, on the sidewalks, and even driving, I catch glimpses of him there in the crowd. I want to reach out to him, see if he is ok. Ask him why he let me go so easily, and if he misses me. It’s crazy right?

Instead I choose to feel numb. It’s easier. The anger and confusion are too much to handle that being numb gives me a reprieve. I don’t feel anything and I can finally breathe again. I don’t feel the sadness when thinking about my brother Damon, and how I will no longer be able to see his handsome, smiling face again. I don’t have to feel the regret of watching all those girls and boys as they were raped repeatedly then auctioned off to the highest bidder while I just stood there and watched. I don’t have to feel the confusion, sadness, anger, and pain that I see reflected in Forrest’s eyes when he looks at me and doesn’t know how to help.

I feel nothing.

Numb.

I guess it’s better than taking drugs to forget or drinking myself into oblivion. My therapist has numerously suggested I take anxiety pills, and sleeping pills to help me cope. She can see how fucked up I am and I think she pities me. I can see it as she gives me the sad and understanding eyes. But she doesn’t understand any of it. Nobody does. They might think they do. They might try to understand how I feel, what I think, and what I went through but nobody will ever know my inner struggles.

Demons.

Demons have taken over my insides and I can feel them crawling under my skin, trying to rip free and take over my life. They want me to suffer and drown in my pain but I am stronger than them. I have to be. Because if they win, I don’t know what will come over me. But one thing I do know... I will become a monster. The very thing I escaped from and I cannot; will not go back there.

I’m sure you have no idea what I am saying. I’m sure you are confused and find that I am talking in circles. But as I tell my story... the final chapter of my life... you will understand what I mean.

The monster is in us all. It’s just a matter of time before it shows itself. How far are you willing go to keep it locked up?

The monster inside me is strong, and soon, he will break free, and I fear for all who are in its path. Someone will die, and I fear it won’t be me...

Chapter 2

Sierra

The air is cool and crisp, puffy white clouds filling up the night sky, hiding the twinkling of the stars from everyone giving this night an ominous feeling. I can feel the cold seeping into my bones, giving my body a chill that’s bone deep even though I wear layers of thick, warm clothing.

As I stand on the balcony, staring off into the yard that is eerily quiet and void of any life, I wonder where the eyes are that I can feel caressing my skin with their heated stare. I can’t see him but I know he is there, lurking in the darkness behind the trees waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

He’s evil, I can feel it somehow and I am like a deer in the headlights. I can’t move. It’s as if he has paralyzed me. Then I see him. In the distance, his large form moves slowly at first, as if testing me. It’s like he is waiting for me to take off in the opposite direction but I cant. I am unable to move, stuck in a trance just waiting for the devil to strike and I crave it as much as I fear it.

It feels as if I have been standing here for ages, waiting for him to finally reach me. Once he is in front of me, with no space between us, the world fades away. We are no longer on the balcony but standing in front of my bed, in my childhood home. He is faceless, just a blur, but I know him. I’d know him anywhere.

When his hands slowly glide over my arms, I moan in appreciation loving the