Claiming Her: A Reverse Harem Romance

by A. J. Snyder

  Hesitantly, I pick up just my fork and begin to eat, noticing that his gaze is still trained on me. After a while, he finally picks up his own fork, and we eat the delicious meal in uncomfortable silence.

  My mind feels like it's racing a million miles a minute, and it's driving me crazy not to blurt out a question or two.

  "Adeline," Lucien says, disrupting the deafening silence.

  My eyes snap up to his, and I watch as he opens his mouth just to close it again. Suddenly, unable to suffer through this any longer, I blurt out, "Why am I here?"

  With a look of concern on his face, Lucien slowly shakes his head. "I bought you."

  I nod in understanding; because as implausible as that disturbing piece of information may seem, he already told me that the first night I was brought here. "But what do you want from me?" I press even though I'm fearful of his response.

  He takes a moment before answering. And when he finally does, his response floors me. "Your virginity."

  My entire world seems to tilt on its axis, and all I can hear is a rush of blood in my ears as my heart threatens to beat out of my chest.

  Tears immediately fill my eyes, but I blink them back, not allowing any to fall. My worst fear is coming to fruition. He kidnapped and brought me here so that he could rape me.

  And the thing that hits me the hardest is that my first time won't be with my future husband. It's going to be with my captor, the man who kidnapped me, who's going to steal my innocence…and probably kill me.

  I twist the linen napkin in my hands, having suddenly lost my appetite. A bitter taste forms in the back of my throat, and I'm afraid that the delicious dinner might be making another appearance.

  I swallow hard to keep it down and then squeak out the question, "How much?" When he doesn't answer, I finally meet his eyes. He's staring at me, those two dark pools studying my every move and making me feel uneasy. "You said you bought me. How much did you pay?" I don't know why, but I need to know.

  He doesn't even blink as he replies with, "One million dollars."

  One million dollars?! My mind swims in confusion. He paid a million dollars to have me kidnapped. This feels like some kind of dream. No. This feels like a freaking nightmare.

  Gritting my teeth to hold back the tears threatening to overflow, I reach for the knife and grasp it in my right hand. I remember what happened last time I had the knife in my hand. Lucien looked almost…frightened. And I realize that I want him to feel that way again. In fact, I want him to feel just one-tenth of the fear I have right in this moment.

  Tears, which I tried so hard to keep from falling, now stream down my face as I slowly stand up from the table. I can feel Lucien still beside me, and then he slowly sets his fork down and places his hands on the edge of the table in a vice-like grip, turning his knuckles white.

  "Adeline," he warns, and I can hear the unease in his tone.

  Earlier I was thinking that there was no escape from here, but I haven't actually tried. Maybe I'm giving in too quickly, too soon. I at least have to try…especially now that I know what he's planning to do to me.

  Lucien suddenly stands, knocking his chair over in the process. It clangs to the floor, the noise echoing against the walls.

  I grip the handle tight in my palm and point the blade towards him. "Don't come near me," I hiss at him.

  Lucien swallows hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his thick throat. He's nervous. For some reason, knives make him nervous.

  Good, I think to myself. I'm going to use this to my advantage in every way possible.

  Regardless of the fear he might be feeling at this moment, he still steps towards me. I jerk the knife towards him, the blade swishing in the air and only missing him by a centimeter. His eyes meet mine, and the look on his face is murderous.

  Not wanting to waste another minute in this godforsaken place, I run towards the door where I've seen the servers coming in and out of all evening. I push through the swinging door and wind up in a huge kitchen, which is bigger than most people's apartments.

  The staff is all hard at work, not even noticing that I entered. My feet move swiftly as I move past the cooks and servers. Towards the back of the room, I notice Maria at the same time she spots me.

  She calls out something in Spanish, and I can hear the surprise in her voice.

  As a result of her shouting, a tall, dark-haired man, who is sitting at the side of the room eating at a table, looks up. Our eyes lock in an unwavering gaze. He looks American with piercing, gray eyes. He's not as tall as Lucien, but similar in looks --- dark hair and devastatingly handsome.

  The man's brows furrow when he sees the knife in my hand, and he stands. "What are you doing in here?" he asks me.

  His steel-gray eyes catch me off-guard with a sense of familiarity. A memory of my capture comes rushing back to me.

  Gentle hands, gray eyes…a deep voice whispering, "Just a little pinch. This will only hurt for a second."

  This is the man who drugged me and brought me here. I'm sure of it.

  He takes a few steps towards me with an apprehensive expression on his face. Quickly, I hold my knife out, warding him off.

  "Easy," he says, putting his hands up defensively and taking a step back.

  "I want to leave," I plead with him. "Just let me go."

  He seems amused by my request. "Sure. The door's right over there," he says, hooking his thumb behind him to the far wall where I see a door that could possibly lead to the outside world.

  I stare at him for a beat, wondering if this is some kind of trick, but the smirk on his face doesn't waver.

  Not wanting to waste another moment and risk being captured again, I hightail it to the door, turning the handle and throwing my weight against the heavy steel. The door opens with no problem, and I can hear the man call after me, "Hope you're not too disappointed."

  I don't even have time to register what he means; because the moment fresh air hits my face, I just want to cry at the sensation. It feels like forever rather than just a few days since I've been outside.

  I take off running, trying to put as much distance between me and them as possible. Not even glancing back, I tear off in the grassy lawn, running through field after field of vegetables and fruit trees, my legs pumping as hard as they will go. It's dark, but there are motion-detector lights throughout the property that come on periodically, lighting my way.

  I come to several large greenhouses and keep moving. It looks like the thick grass ends several yards ahead, but I can't see what's beyond that. With the moon hidden behind stormy clouds, it just looks like a black pool of darkness.

  My bare feet skid to a halt right at the end of the grass, but I end up falling forward and down over the edge. I roll on what feels like sand and rocks, scraping my arms and legs in the process until I finally come to a stop and losing the knife.

  When I gain my composure, I manage to stand. And that's when my heart sinks.

  Water. I'm surrounded by…water.

  I run towards the waves lapping at the sandy beach, and stare out over the dark liquid. All I see is a sea of obscurity. No lights, no houses, no land. Nothing. I turn, staring down one side of the beach and then the other.

  There's nothing. No escape.

  "No," I whisper, my voice wavering. Balling my hands into fists, I scream against the wind whipping against my face, "No!"

  And then that's when I hear his voice behind me. "The only way on and off of this island is by a small plane. I take it you don't know how to fly, do you, Adeline?" he asks with a snarl.

  I spin around to glare at Lucien. "Where am I? " I demand.

  "On a private island far off the Mediterranean coast." A smug smirk appears on his face.

  In that very moment, I wish I still had the knife within my grasp. I don't know if I honestly could ever hurt someone…or even kill someone, but I want to hurt Lucien. I want him to know how much he's hurting me.

  Just then, two dark figures appear behind my captor. He snap
s his fingers, and they move towards me. "No! Don't touch me!" I scream as they grab me, holding me tightly in their grasps. As they carry me past Lucien, I scream at him, "I hate you! I hate you!", the words tearing from my throat.

  He stares out at the water, seemingly unfazed by my screams, and it only infuriates me more.

  I don't stop fighting and screaming until the two guards unceremoniously throw me into the bedroom I've been locked in for days. They slam the door shut, and the keypad beeps, signaling that I'm locked in here once again.

  I pound my fists against the door, yanking on the door knob and screaming until my voice is hoarse.

  But no one comes for me.

  No one will ever come for me, I tell myself.

  Tears fill my eyes, and I can't stop them from falling down my cheeks. My escape from the mansion was easy…far too easy. I should have figured that they wouldn't just let me go.

  That man, the one who helped kidnap me, knew I wouldn't be able to go anywhere. I'm a strong swimmer, but I would never be able to make it to the mainland alive. Who knows how many miles I would have to swim in order to achieve that goal…and that's if I don't get eaten in the process.

  No. The only way off of this island is either by boat or plane, and I don't have the means to get to either one of those, let alone know how to operate them.

  I'm stuck here.

  Feeling defeated, I walk over to the bed and collapse, sinking into the soft mattress and crying myself to sleep.

  CHAPTER 12

  LUCIEN

  "I HATE YOU! I hate you!"

  I cringe as Adeline's words on the beach repeat over and over again in my head like a torturous, broken record.

  It's not like I haven't heard those words before. My mother used to tell me that at least once a day when I was a child. I thought I was numb to that kind of thing, but Adeline makes me…feel. There's something about her that brings out this myriad of emotions and feelings that I can't make heads or tails of.

  She hates me. She has every reason to hate me...but I realize I don't want her to. And when she screamed those words, it was as if she really had taken that knife and gutted me right there on the ground.

  Chasing her onto the beach…my bare feet in the sand and rocks…I still can't believe I did that. I rarely step foot outside of this house, let alone go to the beach barefooted where anything can wash ashore and little creatures could crawl on me at any moment.

  Running after her didn't even make me hesitate, because she was the only thing I could think about and focus on. She made me forget everything else, all of my obsessive fears and intrusive thoughts.

  And that is something that has never happened before.

  After I made sure Adeline was safe and secured in her room, I took a long shower, scrubbing my body under scalding water for hours until my skin was raw and bleeding. Even after I was done, I still didn't feel clean.

  Now, I sit at my monitor, staring at her on the camera feed. She's finally calmed down after a fit of rage when my men first threw her in there.

  A nagging feeling in the back of my mind is telling me this is more than just her second-guessing her decision to come here. It's as if she has no recollection at all…or maybe she never knew.

  And if she doesn't know…then that means I'm possibly keeping an innocent girl here against her will and that she will never give me what I paid for.

  There's a soft knock at my office door before Jackson inputs the code to my office. A scowl is on my face when he walks in.

  I don't need a fucking lecture right now.

  "What in the hell happened tonight?" he hisses the question after closing the door.

  "I don't know," I tell him honestly.

  "You've had girls who have changed their minds before, but they've never gone to the extremes of wanting to leave…or gut the staff…including you."

  I rest my elbows on my desk, put my head in my hands and sigh. "I have no fucking idea what's wrong with her. At first I thought maybe she hit her head too hard ---."

  "She did have one nasty blow to the temple. And the bruises…" His voice trails off. "You don't think she…"

  Jax doesn't finish his thought. I know what he's thinking. It's the exact same thing that I've been thinking.

  "I paid her handler," I tell my cousin through gritted teeth. "Everything is the same as before. If she wants to back out now ---." I shake my head. "I need more time. I need more information," I tell him, turning to him.

  He has an uneasy look on his face, but he nods in understanding. "If she came here against her will, Luc, then you'd be breaking all the rules you set up in the first place."

  I nod solemnly.

  "Get some rest," he tells me, but we both know I won't sleep a wink tonight.

  I watch him leave before sighing loudly and staring up at the ceiling. Tomorrow, I will talk to Adeline and find out the truth. I want to know what she knows and what she doesn't. And then I will need to come to a decision…although it feels like a decision has already been made.

  The dark monster inside of me has already dug its claws into Adeline and claimed her as his.

  And I don't know if I will ever be able to let her go until I get what I want.

  CHAPTER 13

  ADELINE

  THE NEXT DAY I take a long bath, finding solace in the warm water. My throat still hurts from screaming myself hoarse last night, and my eyes feel swollen and sore from crying so much.

  I lean my head against the tiled wall and sigh deeply. I feel physically and emotionally exhausted, and I've been here less than a week. How much longer can I keep this up?

  The conversation we had over dinner last night replays in my mind. A nagging feeling in the back of my mind keeps telling me to just give in to him so I can leave. But how could I live with myself afterwards? I can't even imagine having sex with a total stranger, let alone my kidnapper.

  I think back to last night and the way I screamed at Lucien that I hated him. I still can't believe I said that to the man who holds my fate in his hands.

  He could kill me and not even think twice about it.

  Lucien is obviously a very powerful and influential man. He has a mansion on a private island in the middle of nowhere apparently, and his hundred or so staff is completely loyal to the man…or should I say monster.

  Feeling defeated, I step out of the tub and drain the water. I quickly dry off and wrap one towel around my hair and a second one around my body before walking into the bedroom to find something to wear. My steps falter as I realize I'm not alone.

  Sitting in one of the occasional chairs in the corner of the room is Lucien. He's wearing a black button up shirt and black trousers, and his hair is slicked back and gelled neatly again.

  I can't help but stare at his bare feet and wonder why he forbids shoes to be worn by anyone in his home. Maria had instructed me not to wear footwear last night for dinner even though there were a few pairs of high heels in the closet. She hadn't offered an explanation as to the reasoning behind that request.

  When I look up, I realize he's shamelessly perusing my towel-covered body. I cinch the towel tighter around me and glare at him when he meets my eyes finally.

  Did he come here to rape me? Is he going to take what he bought?

  I swallow hard past the lump forming in my throat, and I take a few steps back towards the bathroom.

  Lucien stands and puts his hands up defensively. "I won't touch you. I just came to talk," he says in a soft voice, as if he's afraid he'll frighten me away.

  I watch as he tucks his hands into his pockets and stands still, his dark eyes piercing mine. They are like two black, unwavering pits, giving me a glimpse of the dark, disturbed soul lying underneath.

  A tear cascades down my cheek, and he watches it, transfixed on its movement. "Are you…are you going to…" I choke on my words, holding back a sob. I can't even manage to get the nasty, unthinkable word out of my mouth. It's lodged deep in my throat. And in a way, I feel like if I don't sa
y it out loud, maybe it won't happen.

  "I don't rape women," he says coldly, clearly getting my meaning. "I didn't get a chance to explain the rules to you before you…before you ruined dinner."

  Before I ruined dinner? I think to myself. I'd like to know what he thinks any other woman in my situation would have done. Surely the women he kept here before me didn't give him what he wanted without a fight.

  "I'm not sure what your handler told you was going to happen, but this is not the way things work around here. You don't get to back out of our deal because you're having second thoughts."

  I'm stunned into silence as I try to make sense of what he's telling me. I kind of feel like I'm in a room full of people and am the only one not getting the joke.

  He hesitates for a moment before telling me, "The sooner you come to me and give me what I bought and want, the sooner you get paid and go home."

  I stare at him in disbelief. "Y-you would l-let me go?" I stammer, my entire body trembling.

  He nods once. "I let the other women before you go home as well."

  His words hit me hard. I already knew there had been others. He has had sex with multiple other girls that he's kept prisoner…probably in the same room I've been sleeping in. "How many?" I ask, suddenly needing to know the answer.

  "Six."

  That makes me number seven.

  "And you let all of them go right after you…after you were done?" I ask, not even being able to say the word.

  "Every. Single. One," he says, enunciating each word to me.

  I narrow my eyes at him, feeling skeptical. "How do I know you're telling me the truth?"

  After a brief pause, he tells me, "Why would I lie? I have no reason to."

  So he kidnaps women, brings them here to his island. And then, as soon as he sleeps with them, he lets them go. It makes no sense. Why go through all that trouble, unless… "Were all the women virgins?" I ask.

  "Of course," he says as if I should know this already.