Bonus Content
Did you like this book? Then you’ll LOVE Cruel Promise, the first book in a four book series!
I was given a choice: either die or be sold to a monster.
I chose the monster.
Nikolai Petrov, feared Bratva ruler, is now my husband.
After my father sold me to him, my life became changed.
I am now the property of a scary Bratva man.
But Nikolai has secrets of his own.
Secrets that could make me hate him…
Or make me love him.
He terrifies me.
But he also awakens something inside of me.
Desire. Lust. Love.
My husband is a cold man.
Yet, there’s something within him that I see.
The question becomes:
Can I truly love the beast if he can’t even love at all?
Start reading Cruel Promise NOW!
Sneak Peek - Chapter One
Ava
I wake up inside a cage.
The cold metal presses into my skin, making the temperature of the already cold room even more biting. There’s barely any room to stretch my legs out or sit up straight.
I gasp and look around, but it’s dark, making it impossible for me to see anything. Shapes appear in the darkness, creating monsters that aren’t there.
I grip the metal bars for only a second before letting go. They’re too cold. My hands come back raw and burned.
Why am I in here? What happened?
My heart begins to pound even faster inside my chest to the point that it hurts. It hurts so much I think I might die. I press my palms to my chest to quiet my heart, but it’s no use. I’m scared out of my mind, and nothing will change that.
“Hello?” I whisper into the darkness.
I’m distinctly aware of my dress over my legs, the way the fabric touches my upper thighs. I was at school before—college. Taking classes. Keeping my head down. I always had to keep my head down to keep him from finding me.
But he found me anyway.
It’s then I start to remember what happened before waking up in this cage. But I don’t want to go there because it pains me too much. It’s a betrayal so deep it cuts me to the core.
“Hello?” I try again. “Can someone help me?”
A light flicks on. For a moment, I’m blinded until I can make out who entered the room.
It’s a man I don’t know. His hair is slicked back, and he’s wearing a suit that’s a little too big for him. Sleazy. He reminds me of a car dealer.
“You’re awake,” he says. “Good. Time to start the auction.”
The auction?
“Why am I here?” I ask. My voice is barely above a whisper.
“You don’t remember?”
I do, but I need to hear him say it. I need to know for a fact.
“Your father brought you in. He needs the money.”
And there it is—my father kidnapped me.
It all hits me at once, and the power of it makes me slump back against the too-cold cage, and I don’t even care that it’s burning into my skin.
My father kidnapped me so he could sell me for money.
Twenty hours earlier
“The classic story of Beauty and the Beast says a lot about love, selflessness, and compassion,” Professor Williams says into the microphone on the podium. The PowerPoint presentation behind her shows the scary imagery of an ugly beast stalking a beautiful maiden.
I jot down notes as I listen to the lecture.
My favorite part of college is the freedom to take whatever classes you want.
I chose fairytale literature because it’s always been one of my and my mom’s favorite things to do.
She would read fairytales to me before bed every night.
I think she still would if I wasn’t too old for it now.
I tug the end of my dress down. The simple white summer dress with small yellow flowers on it is one of my favorites, but it shrunk a little bit in the wash. It still fits; it’s just a little too short for comfort.
The lecture ends, and I collect my books and notepad. Most of the other students use laptops, but I love a good old-fashioned notebook to write in. It makes me feel closer to the material.
Because of my father, I wasn’t allowed to learn much as a child.
So, now that I’m free of him, I love to take the opportunity to learn as much as possible.
“Hi, Ava,” a male voice says behind me.
I turn around and give Jason a smile. “Hi.” Jason is cute, with blond hair and nice bone structure.
His hair color is similar to mine, which makes a lot of people around campus mistake us for siblings.
We’re just friends, though. He introduced himself to me at the beginning of the year, and I felt immediately safe around him.
I haven’t felt safe around that many men before.
“Can I carry your books?”
“Oh, sure.” I hand them over. Jason always offers, and I always take him up on the offer. It’s sweet.
We walk through campus. It’s starting to get colder with the leaves turning red and yellow. It’s still fairly warm out, which is why I wanted to wear my dress one last time before it got too cold. Winters in New Haven can be brutal.
“Do you want to grab a cup of coffee?” he asks.
“I have to get to my next class. But maybe later.”
“You always have to get to your next class,” he says in a tone that surprises me. It’s strangely … bitter.
“I worked hard to get into Yale. I’m not going to do anything to mess that up.”
“I understand.” He gently touches my arm. “We can grab that coffee later.”
I nod at my books in his hands. “Can I have those back?”
For just a heartbeat, he hesitates then hands them over.
“See you later, Jason.” I walk away before he answers.
I drive thirty minutes every day to get to my mother’s apartment. It’s a lot smaller than the house I grew up in, but this smaller, cramped apartment makes me a lot happier than the large house I remember.
The main reason is because my father is no longer around.
“Hi,” I say as I enter the apartment and set my books down on the kitchen table. One of the legs wobbles, but I’ve gotten used to it and barely notice anymore.
Mom is bent over a pot on the stove, stirring something. “How was school?”
“It was good as usual. I have a ton of reading to do.”
“Well, you were the one who wanted to go to Yale.”
I make a face at her as I approach. She smiles back and wraps her arm around me.
“Did I ever tell you how proud I am that you accomplished that?”
“Every day,” I remind her.
“Then I’ll say it again. I’m so proud of you, honey.” She kisses the top of my head before turning back to her food.
“What are you making?”
“Carrot stew.”
We both stare at each other for a moment before laughing.
“It’s horrible,” she says. “But I’m trying.” Mom is not a natural cook because we had a chef growing up. It was paid for by my father.
When we left him, we had nothing. Both my mom and I had to learn a lot of things without him around.
“I’ll be judge of that.” I grab a spoon, dip it into the stew, and take a small bite.
And almost spit it back out. “Nope. You’re right. It’s horrible.”
She laughs and turns the burner off. “We can order takeout.”
“Can we afford that?” I received some scholarship money to go to Yale, but I’m also using student loans and can’t afford much else.
She pauses, the smile on her face dimming. “Well, maybe we can buy a frozen dinner.”
“Ok. That sounds good.” I grab her hand before she can walk away. “Mom, you’re doing your best.”
“I’ve been trying for the past couple of years, and I never seem to get better. I always seem to forget we don’t live that same lifestyle anymore.”
“Just because we don’t have money doesn’t mean our lifestyle is bad. I think it’s a lot better now.”
Now that my father isn’t constantly abusing her. Now that he’s not screaming at me.
He had money, but it wasn’t worth it to live in that house. There are more important things in life than money when your constant state of mind is at risk.
Mom squeezes my hand and lets go. “You’re sweet.”
“You raised me right.”
“Come on. Let’s head to the grocery store and grab some frozen dinners.”
Standing in the checkout line, I get a text from Jason asking if we can meet up. I text him, asking him what for, and he replies that he just wants to see me.
“I don’t understand,” I murmur.
Mom takes one look at the text and laughs. “Honey, he has a crush on you. I’ve been telling you that for a while.”
“No he doesn’t. Jason and I are friends.”
She tucks a piece of my hair behind my hair. “You can be so innocent sometimes. Never change.”
“Mom, Jason and I are friends.”
“Then why does he always ask you out for coffee?”
“Because we’re friends!” I grab a chocolate bar from the stand by the cashier and notice it’s five dollars. I put it back. Every cent counts right now.
“You know, you never date. I get why you didn’t when we lived with your father. He wouldn’t let you. But you’re an adult now, Ava. We’re free of him. You can date. Have some fun.”
“I don’t want to date Jason because we’re friends. I don’t see him that way.”
She nudges my arm. “So, is there someone you see that way?”
I shake my head. The truth is my father scared me out of dating. He would scream at me, tell me I was a whore, for even looking at a man on the television. It made the concept of being with a man terrifying.
And even now that I’m free of him, I still can’t forget his words. I once read this article that said we tend to date people like our parents, and that instantly made me not want to be with any man. Not if there was a chance he was anything like my father.
For right now, I want to focus on school and just being free with my mom.
“I just don’t want you to be alone forever,” Mom says.
“I’m nineteen, Mom. I have time.”
“You’re right, you’re right. I shouldn’t push. I just …”
“What?” We inch closer. I set our frozen dinners onto the conveyor belt. Chicken parmesan that the cover makes look delicious while I know, in reality, it will be soggy and un-flavorful.
“I just want to make sure you’re taken care of. In case something were to ever happen to me.”
My heart constricts for a second. “What would happen to you?”
She flashes me a bright smile. “Nothing. I just like to think ahead; that’s all.”