A loud crash woke Elizabeth from a sound sleep, and she jackknifed in bed. The bedroom door was kicked open, and two men came in. She screamed as she was pulled from the bed.

She struggled between them. “What are you doing? Who are you?”

Neither of them talked. They dragged her outside of her apartment building and pushed her into a van. One of the men got in with her, and she pushed herself into a corner of the seat with her arms around her legs, trying to hide as much of her body as she could.

Even though it was sweltering out, she was shaking so hard her teeth chattered.

“Please tell me what’s going on,” she said.

The man looked at her and then away without saying anything.

She had no idea how much time had passed before they pulled into an underground parking ramp. The side door opened, and she was yanked out. Another man she hadn’t seen grabbed her upper arm.

“If you stay quiet and don’t make a fuss, you’ll be okay.”

“What are you talking about?” she cried.

They walked through some hallways, and then a man in front of them opened a door and stood back to let them through.

She kept trying to pull away from him as he hauled her into the room and froze when she saw all the other guys in the room. She hadn’t thought her terror could rise, but it did, making her lightheaded and nauseous. They all looked dangerous, but her gaze kept going to the one sitting down because, for some reason, she just knew he was the most dangerous one in the room. When he stood, she tried to fight again, but the man just tightened his grip on her as he talked to the man.

The shock of a gunshot soon followed with horror that the man next to her had been killed and dropped to the ground at her feet. She screamed.

The man in the suit reached for her, and she jerked away. God, the last thing she wanted was for him to touch her. He started talking about her life changing and being a princess, and she had no idea what he meant. There was no one thought that she could grasp at the moment, except the man was certifiably nuts, and she was probably going to die.

The man held out his hand and made her choose between him or having two of the other men carry her. God, the thought of their hands on her made her want to vomit, so she took the man’s hand even though he’d just killed someone before her eyes. She thought it was the better choice, the lesser of two evils. She could either have one man touch her hand or two men touch her whole body.

They walked out a metal door, and a long dark car immediately pulled up. Another man opened the back door, and the boss man lifted her in before following her. When the door closed behind them, the darkness and the silence were almost peaceful if she hadn’t been able to hear her heartbeat race in her chest.

“Here, take my jacket,” Alastair said.

She shook her head and pushed herself into the corner.

“You’re shaking. I know most is probably shock, but it’s also cold in this car.”

She tensed when he moved slowly toward her, but all he did was pull the jacket around her and then sit back. She gripped the front of it and pulled it tightly around her.

It was a mistake. His scent permeated her senses, and the heat from his body warmed hers. Her eyes closed as she concentrated on something besides the man.

“My name is Alastair. What is yours?” he asked.

“E … Elizabeth.”

“Everything’s going to be all right, Elizabeth,” Alastair said.

“How is that even possible? You’ll never trust me to leave because you’ll be afraid I’ll go to the authorities.”

“No, you won’t be able to go anywhere right away. But eventually, I hope to be able to trust you quite a bit, and you’ll get to the point where you don’t want to leave.”

“Make me understand.”

“You were taken by mistake. The man who fucked up paid for it. But now, because of the circumstances, you’re mine.”

“Yours? For what?” she asked.

“I’m not sure how deep this will go for us, but you’ll be my mistress in the beginning.”

Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened. “Y…you’re going to rape me?”

“Hell no. I won’t have to. Pretty soon, you’re going to spread your legs for me voluntarily.”

She flinched. The thought of being able to do that with a man who just murdered someone right before her eyes made her want to laugh in hysteria. There was no way she’d ever want to let him touch her.

“What if I can’t or won’t?”

“You will.”

She gritted her teeth at his arrogance but was too terrified to do or say anything. She tried to put aside the fact that blood had dried on her face and neck and had started to itch. If she thought too much about it, she might start screaming, and she didn’t think she’d ever be able to stop.

“We’re home.”

Elizabeth looked out her window to see huge iron gates slide open. They drove up a long drive and stopped in front of a set of stone steps and a huge double wooden door. Several men stood around outside, and they all held big guns.

He got out and reached his hand in. She reluctantly took it and let him pull her out to stand in front of him. It was then that she realized how much bigger he was than her. There was no way she’d be able to fight this man off if she had to.

“Now, listen to me, princess,” Alastair said. “There is no one here who will help you. They are all loyal to me and know if they go against me, I’ll kill them. So if I were you, I wouldn’t even try to ask, or you’ll be responsible for their death.”

She looked away from him and nodded. The thought horrified her, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t try later if she became desperate enough.

“Come along.”

She hurried to keep up with his steps as he pulled her along. An older man opened the door for them but didn’t even look at her.

There seemed to be people everywhere, but no one seemed concerned about a terrified woman in a nightgown with blood all over her. For God’s sake, what kind of world did he live in?

He led her up some curved stairs to the second floor and down a long wide hallway. Then he opened one of the doors and pulled her in. “This is our bedroom.”

“Wait? What?” she asked and tried to yank her hand away from him. No, she couldn’t handle the thought of sleeping with him. But she also knew deep inside that she’d do anything she had to survive and escape.