Chapter One
Juliet Langdon was desperate to escape.
It was more than a mere desire. At this point, it was a matter of survival.
After living in hell for a little over a year, she couldn’t wait to break free of the chains that bonded her to a man she absolutely loathed. And when she claimed to hate him, she really did…with every fucking fiber of her being.
Her captor, James Borov, had literally destroyed her life when he had claimed her as his chosen. It hadn’t mattered that she hadn’t agreed. Hell, she hadn’t even really spoken to him more than a handful of times before he kidnapped her and marked her as his.
And the worst part of it was he had the right to do so.
Most high-ranking elites wanted to claim females who had a scroll mark, signifying they were fertile, but they were rare. The majority of human women wore the star mark they got after they went through testing. While some thought the star tattoos were offensive since they indicated infertility, others saw it as a mark of protection.
However, it didn’t always work…especially for someone like Juliet.
While she had been damn glad she had been marked with a star during testing since it meant she didn’t have to attend the Alliance Academy, her own path hadn’t been easy. Growing up an orphan, she’d never had a family.
She always told herself her parents had chosen to give her a chance for a better life by leaving her on the doorstep of a group home, but she knew reality was a lot more disappointing.
The kids in the group home had been a mix of races and a diverse group of different personalities. While there were many individuals she did her best to steer clear of, she had also made several good friends who had been supportive and caring. She had been particularly close to a few older Krytos who had watched out for her and made sure that no one else picked on her.
Things changed once most of her friends had aged out of the home, so Juliet knew she had to find her own escape. When she realized she had a talent for ballet, she focused on using that as a means to build a future for herself. Through hard work and dedication, she earned a coveted spot in a dance academy that had trained her body and mind.
When she’d moved out of the group home and into the academy dorms, things didn’t get much easier. In fact, in some ways, it was even more dangerous. Dancers were competitive, and it wasn’t easy to make friends when everyone saw each other as rivals. They had required all the students to take an enhancement shot similar to what all elites received, making them stronger, faster, and more agile, and the academy had a full staff of dance instructors as well as teachers for basic studies.
Those years had been difficult, but she’d gotten through it by focusing on her goals. From there, her dreams had come true when she received an offer from a well-respected company to dance professionally.
But being a ballerina wasn’t all glitz and glamour.
It took perseverance and countless hours of practice and preparation.
More than that, it also required a good amount of genetic luck. Even if someone had the drive to be a dancer, that didn’t mean they had the grace and skill to do ballet. Some dancers swore it took special feet in order to dance well, while others claimed it was all about agility, flexibility, and training.
Juliet was lucky to have a lean body with strong muscles, good feet, and the natural grace of a dancer. It was common for performers to enhance their features with surgery, but she had been blessed with an attractive face, light gray eyes, and blonde hair that almost looked silver on stage. Instead of making her seem washed out, her pale features made her look ethereal. She was also slightly taller than most of her peers, which made her stand out even more.
All the hard work was worth it since she absolutely adored ballet. Enjoyed the discipline and challenge of it. Being able to breathe new life into old stories was a privilege, and entertaining crowds with new shows was thrilling. Even when every muscle and bone in her body ached, she was still genuinely excited about the next performance.
But now, she felt sick just thinking about putting on her pointe shoes.
And that was all because of one man’s obsession.
The Borov family was wealthy, well-connected, and famous in the entertainment world. They had owned the ballet company for generations, using their money and expertise to entertain audiences. They had been instrumental in making the classical form of dance popular again, and surprisingly enough, the other races had also gained a new appreciation for ballet.
James Borov joined his family’s business after he graduated from the Academy instead of continuing on as a soldier like his older brother and one of his fathers. His mother and his other father were still technically in charge of the company, but they had passed along most of the daily responsibilities to their children.
Not a dancer himself, James took care of managing the finances and fundraising, while his older sister was a managing director of the company. She was technically the main boss, but she still answered to their parents.
As the youngest, James was the treasured baby of the family. His charming personality drew people to him, but it was his ability to focus on someone and make them feel like they were the most important person in the room that made people trust him. With light brown hair, green eyes, and a killer smile, he had vid star good looks, but his princely appearance simply hid the monster within.
Juliet met James shortly after she joined the company, though she had done her best to avoid him since she considered him one of the big bosses. He was also known as being quite a player, and anyone with that type of reputation wasn’t someone she was interested in getting involved with. For her, her goal of becoming a prima ballerina was more important than dealing with any relationship drama.
Although James had asked her out a few times, she turned down his requests. She’d figured he probably issued the same invitation to all of the pretty dancers in the company. While most of them probably took him up on his offer, she wasn’t interested. That didn’t stop him from continuing to pursue her, though.
After she became a principal dancer, he sent her flowers after every performance. Since he hadn’t been her only admirer to do so, she hadn’t taken that for the red flag it was until it was too late.
Every time she had rejected him, it had only made him more determined to have her. However, it was more than just a challenge to him. It was something much darker and more disturbing. He’d created an entire fictional relationship between them in his head, but that hadn’t been enough for him.
He had been determined to make his twisted fantasy a reality.
She hadn’t been aware that he had been stalking her for months. Hadn’t realized that he knew every move she made, who she spoke to, and everything in between. He had even broken into her apartment and installed cameras in every room so he could watch her and study her routine.
Life as she knew it had ended the night James had kidnapped her after the company’s annual charity gala. She’d found out later that he had told everyone they had been planning on bonding for a while. He’d made up a story about their elopement and told his family they had waited until after she became a principal dancer so she could establish herself and avoid accusations of favoritism.
The first few months had been pure hell.
While everyone had thought they had been off enjoying a romantic honeymoon, he’d kept her prisoner in an isolated house he’d bought by the sea. He’d had a stage built on the lower level, and he made her dance for him until her feet were bloody and bruised. When she collapsed from exhaustion and pain, he would heal her wounds and allow her to rest just enough for her to do it all over again.
She felt like a puppet on strings, or one of those tiny figurines trapped inside a music box. The physical and sexual abuse she suffered was horrible, but sometimes she thought the psychological torture he put her through was even worse. He dictated every aspect of her life. What she ate, when she slept, what she wore. He tried to strip her of every autonomous thought she had in order to make her completely dependent on him.
If she didn’t comply with his demands, she was severely punished. She was a quick study and learned to comply and do what he wanted. She’d understood that gaining his trust would be the fastest way to free herself, so that was exactly what she’d done.
It was useless to fight anyway.
James rarely left her alone. Besides him, there was also a guard and an assistant on site who were there to make sure she didn’t escape. The guard, Willard Stillman, was a taciturn former soldier with cold eyes. He made Juliet extremely uncomfortable whenever he looked at her, and she knew he had no qualms about hurting her. He was the type who liked to leave bruises on her wrists and arms, and she had no doubt he would have taken it further if given the chance.
The assistant, Beatrice Price, was a former dancer and medical who was in charge of treating Juliet’s injuries. She hated Beatrice almost as much as James since the bitch always did the bare minimum when healing her. She also loved doing petty shit, like cooking meals she knew Juliet disliked or embellishing tiny infractions just to get her in trouble. It made sense once she discovered Beatrice had once been James’ lover. They had only been together briefly, but it was obvious that time had meant more to her than to him.
Once James thought Juliet was adequately under his control, he brought her back to Zion. While she was given a little more freedom at home, she was still a prisoner. She had to adhere to the grueling training schedule at the company to make up for her absence, while still being closely monitored by Beatrice, who watched her every move. Willard had taken on the role of her driver and bodyguard, ensuring she went home directly after she left the company every day.
To the outside world, Juliet and James were a fairytale couple. Their bonding might have seemed enviable, but she hated every second of it. Being with him also made her a lot of enemies since the other dancers were jealous of her new status. The company had always encouraged rivalries rather than friendships between dancers since they claimed it made everyone train harder. Because of that, she’d never had a lot of friends to begin with, but after she returned, she was basically shunned.
She was also highly scrutinized by James’ family members. They didn’t think she was good enough for him since she didn’t come from a prominent family and made sure she heard it at every opportunity. At least his sister appreciated her talent and how hard she worked in the studio.
Whenever she wasn’t dancing or training, she was confined in their home. James continued to monitor her through the security system. She couldn’t see the hidden cameras, but it was confirmed whenever he mentioned something that happened while he wasn’t there. The only good thing about that was Beatrice had gotten caught lying about several things, and that had saved Juliet from getting punished.
Although James thought he’d successfully molded her into his ideal woman, he had never broken her. She only allowed him to think he had. She hid her hate well and had never given up hope of being free. She was simply waiting for the right time to safely escape.
That wasn’t easy when she was constantly under surveillance. There was also the necklace James had gifted her that was actually a powerful shock collar. She’d learned early on during her captivity that the collar could knock her out in an instant. Since James, Beatrice, and Willard were able to trigger the shock collar, it made running essentially impossible.
That didn’t lessen her desire to escape. In fact, it only made her more determined.
During her captivity, she’d had plenty of time to reflect on her situation. James had figured since she had grown up in a group home she had no family he had to worry about coming to look for her. Since she didn’t have any close friends at the company, he’d thought she was isolated and alone. That she was someone he could use and abuse without facing any ramifications.
Juliet might look delicate, but she had a spine made of steel and the willpower to survive anything. She was no stranger to pain or suffering, so his punishments didn’t have the effect he wanted on her. She convinced herself she could endure whatever he did to her as long as she held onto the hope that her torment would end and she would get her revenge.
But escaping wasn’t a simple undertaking.
Her chance to break free wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment event, and nothing about it had been easy. While it was true she didn’t have any family, she wasn’t completely without resources. There were a handful of individuals she’d met back in the group home who she knew she could count on. They weren’t able to speak often, but she was confident they would drop everything and come to her aid if they knew what was happening to her. Actually, she was pretty damn sure they would have cheerfully ripped James to pieces if given the chance.
That thought helped spur her into action. Because she had no access to the outside world, it was impossible for her to reach them to ask for help. James had destroyed her personal wrist unit when he’d claimed her, and she couldn’t risk trying to borrow one from someone else at the company. She’d considered stealing one, but there were too many security cameras inside the building for her to take that chance.
It had taken her a while to figure out who else she could ask for help. Ironically, it had been James himself who had finally handed her the answer she’d been searching for. As a reward for behaving well, he had allowed her to visit The Donut Stop to enjoy a single donut to satisfy her sweet tooth.
Back when she first started with the company, she’d noticed the small bakery when she passed by it on her way home. She loved sweets and started stopping there as a special treat whenever she had a good week of training. She especially liked stopping there after a late night in the studio when no one else was around.
During those visits, she’d gotten to know Emma Rage, one of the bakers, pretty well. Emma always opened the bakery early in the morning to get a head start on preparing for the morning rush. While they couldn’t be considered intimate friends, she thought Emma might be willing to help her.
She figured if she could somehow pass her a note asking her to contact her friends, she would finally get the help she needed to escape. Unfortunately, Juliet hadn’t seen any familiar faces during her visit to The Donut Shop. However, her disappointment had turned to veiled excitement when she’d discovered Emma had mated with a Helios who worked at Exodus, the sanctuary located several blocks away.
While it wasn’t common knowledge, it was obvious to Juliet that The Donut Shop was now under new management. The fact there were Tarin females working in the shop was a dead giveaway that it was somehow connected to the sanctuary, but she couldn’t be sure that would be enough to keep her safe.
Luckily, Beatrice and Willard didn’t seem to notice. Or if they did, it hadn’t alarmed them. It had taken several visits to the bakery before she had gotten the opportunity to secretly pass a note to one of the servers. Not only did she have to make sure her guards were distracted, but she’d also had to figure out who she could trust to make sure the note got to Emma.
Once the cure for infertility had been announced, she knew she was running out of time. Seeing how excited James had been when he’d heard the news had chilled her to the bone with fear. There was no freaking way she wanted to have a child with him, so it became even more urgent for her to escape.
The rumors about a cure had been spreading throughout the city for months, though they’d been having difficulties perfecting the formula. Many claimed that it would take years before a working cure would be available to the public. All of that had changed when a few Xenon had traveled to Earth to help with the project.
When they announced that the cure for the virus that caused infertility had successfully been created, excitement had swept across the planet. The cure was being offered to elites, citizens, and rebels. There was some grumbling about that, but since the pharmaceutical company had refused to hand the cure over to the Alliance, it was their decision to make.
Juliet had taken a risk by acting like she didn’t want the cure. At least, not until she had a few more years of being a principal dancer at the company. The reverse psychology had worked on James. He enjoyed forcing her to do things she didn’t want to do, so he took pleasure in making her an appointment to get the cure. The beating she had received after she tried to explain why she wanted to wait had been well worth it.
Now, the day she could escape from the hell she’d been living in had finally arrived, but she couldn’t rush it. Timing was essential. If she tried to get away too soon, she could fuck up her one chance at being free. But it was so damn hard to stay calm now that it was really happening.
She could practically taste freedom.
Sense it like an imaginary finish line that was only inches away, yet still out of reach.
Juliet hadn’t been able to visit the bakery again since she’d slipped the Tarin female the note to give to Emma. Since she’d had to write it in the bathroom out of view of any cameras, the note had been brief. All it said was she needed help and that she wanted sanctuary. Then, she’d listed the date and time she would be getting the cure, and that she was wearing a shock collar that was controlled by others.
The massive coliseum next to Exodus had been designated as the main distribution center for the cure, but there was no way James would allow her to be that close to the sanctuary. Instead, he’d made her an appointment at the med-center a few blocks away from the company. While the initial surge of people clamoring to get the cure had died down a bit over the past few weeks, it was still pretty crowded in the med-center.
Half of the medicals in the med-center were serving those who had signed up for appointments, while the other half were helping anyone who was willing to wait in line. The medicals and staff members were all wearing bright purple shirts to help them stand out in the crowd. There were a few treatment rooms reserved for medical emergencies, but most of them were being used to distribute the cure.
There was a large tent set up outside the side exit manned by techs ready to help anyone who wanted to remove their star mark tattoos. Juliet had noticed the tent when they had arrived, and she’d heard several people inside the waiting room mention how excited they were to get their marks removed.
She hadn’t been sure Emma had gotten the note she’d sent until Juliet saw her standing next to a broad-shouldered Helios male. They were leaning against the back wall in the large waiting room, and both of them were wearing the bright purple shirts that indicated they were members of the staff. She figured the Helios must have been Emma’s mate, Trip, by the way he scowled every time anyone got close to them.
Juliet wanted to break down and cry the moment Emma’s gaze met hers. Even from several feet away, she could see the sympathy and determination shining in her friend’s blue eyes. She finally had help and knowing that was a gift beyond measure. She ruthlessly fought back the tears that stung her eyes.
It wasn’t time to show weakness.
Not when she wasn’t free yet.
She watched as Emma murmured something to Trip, then he nodded and scanned the crowd as if looking for someone. He tapped the earpiece he was wearing and held a hand over his mouth to hide whatever he was saying to whoever was on the other side of his communicator.
A hard jab to her side distracted Juliet, and her gaze immediately swung back over to Beatrice. “Yes?”
“What’s wrong with you? What are you looking at?”
“Nothing, really. I’m just nervous,” Juliet declared. Since it was partially true, she didn’t have to worry about sounding sincere. “You know I don’t like needles.”
Beatrice snorted out a mocking laugh as she shook her head. “It will only take like two seconds. Deal with it.”
Over the past several months, she had given Juliet plenty of jabs with pressure syringes to know just how much she hated shots. There were even a few times when she deliberately used old-fashioned needles just to torment Juliet more.
While most of the shots had been for healing purposes, she had been given other drugs to help force her compliance and make sure she behaved whenever there was a social event she’d had to attend. James liked to show her off, but he couldn’t risk her causing a scene around a crowd of people.
However, today was different.
Because the medicals would find traces of any drugs in her system when they screened her before administering the infertility cure, James hadn’t wanted to risk it. He’d made it clear that Beatrice and Willard would be close by watching her every move. As if confirming that for herself, she glanced toward the main entrance and saw Willard standing near the sliding glass doors. He might have looked bored and disinterested, but she knew he had the controller to her shock collar clutched in his hand and was ready to shock her stupid if she did anything he didn’t like.
Even if she had to make a run for it, at least Emma knew she was wearing a shock collar. If they dropped her, they couldn’t explain it away as a medical condition or say she had simply passed out from exhaustion like they had in the past.
Glancing back over at Emma, Juliet wondered if she should make her move. As if she could read her mind, Emma held up a hand signaling to wait. Juliet wasn’t sure what for, but she did what she was told, even though every muscle in her body practically trembled with the need to move.
“He’s going to get tired of you,” Beatrice murmured softly.
“Excuse me?”
“I said he’s going to get tired of you. As soon as he gets you pregnant and you stop dancing for him, he won’t want you anymore.”
Juliet wanted to laugh. She could only be so lucky.
“That’s what happened to me as soon as I injured my ankle.”
It was petty as fuck of her, but Juliet couldn’t stop herself from blinking innocently and saying, “But he didn’t bond with you.”
Beatrice’s smile turned into a look of pure hatred. “So, what? As soon as you give him the kid he’s always wanted, he won’t need you anymore,” she hissed. “Then, he’ll find a new ballerina to replace you. A younger, prettier dancer who he can enjoy training. He loves that part the most.”
That thought made Juliet’s blood run cold.
She’d always figured she was his first sick obsession, but Beatrice had dropped several hints to make her start believing otherwise. If James had done it to others, Juliet knew something really bad had happened to them.
“You just wait and see,” Beatrice said haughtily, then she huffed out an impatient breath and glanced down at her wrist unit. “I don’t know why this is taking so damn long. What’s the point of making an appointment if they don’t stick to the schedule?”
When a hand landed on Juliet’s shoulder, she flinched. She automatically knew who was touching her without looking. The touch was familiar, as was the scent of his cologne. She glanced over at him anyway because that’s what he expected. He demanded her attention on him at all times. It didn’t matter if they were alone or out in public.
He was supposed to be the center of her world.
James smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes. It rarely ever did. “There you are. I thought you would be done by now.” His smile dimmed as he glanced around the crowded room. “It’s really crowded in here.”
“They’re running behind,” Beatrice announced unhelpfully. “But what do you expect when they have a bunch of Krytos and Helios helping run things?”
Juliet tried to hide her wince when his hand tightened on her shoulder to the point of pain. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting that and didn’t like it one bit.
“This is taking too long,” he murmured. “Perhaps we should just make another appointment when it isn’t so crowded.”
Even though he was talking to himself more than to them, Beatrice chimed in. “We should be called soon. Since we are both scheduled to get the cure today, we might as well stay. Juliet was just complaining about getting the injection again, so if we have to reschedule, she might put up a fuss.”
“Is that so?” James’ hand squeezed her shoulder in a punishing grip, and she fought the urge to recoil.
“I simply said I was nervous,” she murmured placatingly. He knew she didn’t like getting shots, so she shouldn’t have to explain that part of things. Still, she wasn’t about to let Beatrice get away with lying. “You know I don’t like needles.”
“That’s true. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I should have considered that before I made the appointment.” His hand slid down her arm and grabbed hold of hers. “Let’s go. We can do this another day.”
A flood of panic swept through her as he dragged her out of line. Her heart began to pound frantically in her chest, making it difficult to breathe. She couldn’t go back with him. It felt like she would die if he got her out of the building.
Hope surged through her when she saw Emma and her mate were now standing close by, their expressions hard and determined. She barely choked back a sob when she noticed the Dragon Warrior standing next to them. Jade Vyper was definitely hard to miss. She was a gorgeous female with flowing purple hair and glowing green eyes, and the power emanating from her was enough to make everyone aware that there was an apex predator in their midst.
Taking her chance, Juliet jerked her hand away from James and shoved Beatrice hard enough to topple the startled woman over.
“I need sanctuary!” she screamed as loud as she could.
She braced herself for the pain of the shock collar deploying, but it didn’t happen. Reaching up to her throat, a sob of relief escaped when she felt nothing around her neck.
“What the fuck are you doing?” James hissed.
A moment later, he let out a cry of pain as his body dropped to the floor. Somehow, the shock collar Juliet had been wearing had gotten transferred to his own neck. Beatrice started to sob as she crawled toward James, but she was halted when Jade stalked forward and stepped between them.
The entire waiting room had gone completely quiet. Everyone might not understand exactly what was happening, but no one in their right mind wanted to challenge a pissed-off Dragon Warrior. And it was pretty damn clear Jade was angry by the way she bared her fangs in a fierce snarl.
“You tried to shock her,” she growled in accusation. “You pitiful excuse for a human.”
Beatrice glanced down at the small controller still clasped in her hand. She stared at it as if she had never seen it before, but it was too late to deny it. She let out a shriek of pain when Jade stepped on her hand with a booted foot, breaking bones and the controller with a satisfying crunch. The Dragon Warrior sighed and waved a hand, knocking the screaming woman unconscious.
“Pathetic.”
“As is this one,” Rogan Adaro announced as he and his brother suddenly appeared next to their mate.
Lucian Adaro tossed the crumpled form of Willard onto the ground next to James and Beatrice, then he turned his attention toward Juliet. “Are there more guards following you?”
Unable to speak, she simply shook her head. It felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. She could see and hear everything, but it felt as though she were disconnected from her own body. Like everything was happening to someone else, and she was in jeopardy of just floating away.
But everything came rushing back in startling clarity when Jade spoke again.
“Juliet Langdon, you have been granted sanctuary. Do not worry. They will never hurt you again. You are safe.”
Safe.
Hearing that from one of the most powerful beings in the universe broke the dam that had been holding back all of her emotions. Juliet started to cry, then she started to laugh. Everything she was feeling poured out of her until she was a sobbing, hysterical mess. When the strength left her legs, she started to collapse. But before she fell to the floor, Emma was there, wrapping her arms around her, holding her up.
“I’ve got you. We’ve got you now,” Emma whispered, tears clouding her own voice. “You are finally free.”
Free.
With the promise of that freedom still ringing in her head, Juliet closed her eyes and gave into the blissful darkness ready to claim her.