Prisoner (Book #1 in Princes of Vengeance Series)

Lillian’s POV

Age 10

I giggle as my grandpa runs around the front yard with me on his back, making horse noises.

My grandpa is my favourite person in the whole world, followed closely by my grandma. She makes the absolute best chocolate chip cookies. My brother Joshua and I have been living with them for a month now. Grandma says Mum isn’t fit enough to take care of us right now. I don’t know my dad at all—he left when I was just a baby, and Joshua has always hated me for it, insisting it was my fault because Dad didn’t love me.

The front door swings open, and Grandma steps out onto the porch.

“Dinners ready,” she calls out.

I cling tightly to Grandpa’s shoulders as he gallops straight past Grandma and into the house. He plops me down into a dining chair and takes the seat right beside me.

“Where’s Josh?” Grandpa asks.

“He hasn’t gotten home yet,” Grandma answers, setting a warm plate down in front of me. I grab my cutlery and instantly dig in.

“Marsha that kid ought to show us some respect,” Grandpa says, shaking his head. “He’s been nothing but trouble since he got here.”

“He’s in pain,” Grandma argues gently. “He’s hurting because of his mum leaving.”

“There’s only so much he can use that excuse for,” Grandpa grumbles. My heart warms as he reaches over and softly ruffles my hair. “How’s your dinner sweetie?”

“Good,” I mumble around a mouthful of food.

After dinner, I help Grandma clear the table and scrub the dishes before she ushers me into the bathroom to shower and change for bed. She tucks the blankets snugly around my shoulders, presses a warm kiss to my forehead, and switches off the lamp, leaving me wrapped in the quiet dark.

I’m right on the edge of sleep when my bedroom door creaks open. I squint through the shadows and spot Joshua stumbling toward my bed.

“Josh?” I question sleepily.

“I hate you,” he slurs.

Cold fear spikes through me as he violently tears the blankets off my body.

“I wish you were dead.”

I whimper, pulling back. “Josh, you’re scaring me.”

“You were the reason Dad left,” he says, his voice thick and menacing. “He couldn’t handle two of us, and now you made mum the same way.”

“I didn’t do anything,” I croak.

Before I can scream, Joshua lunges. He pins me to the mattress, his hands locking tight around my throat and cutting off my breath. I claw frantically at his wrists, gasping and thrashing for air until, at the very last second, his grip snaps open.

He stands above me, glaring down into my tear-streaked face.

“You tell anybody, I’ll kill you,” he threatens.

I burst into sobbing tears as he turns on his heel and storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

My first mistake is believing him.

Age 16

“You bitch!” Joshua yells and backhands me.

The impact sends me tumbling to the floor, and a sharp cry of pain escapes my throat.

“I told you I wanted an A, not a B.”

“I’m sorry, I tried,” I sob, clutching my burning cheek.

“I could lose my scholarship,” he snaps, his voice dripping with venom. “Then I won’t be able to afford to keep us here!”

Before I can move, his foot drives straight into my stomach. The air explodes out of my lungs. I instantly curl into a tight ball as his remaining restraint completely snaps. Pain radiates through my entire body with every vicious kick and brutal strike of his boot.

Desperate to escape, I try to force my mind into a happy memory—back to when my grandparents were still alive, back when my life wasn’t an endless cycle of terror and pain. But they’re gone. They died a year ago in a horrific car crash, leaving me trapped in Joshua’s legal custody.

“Get up,” I barely hear Joshua growl over the rushing sound in my ears.

I force myself upward, trembling violently while my ribs scream in agony. The moment I reach my feet, he shoves me hard into the edge of the kitchen counter. Pain flares up my spine as his hands roughly grab the waistband of my jeans and yank.

“No,” I cry out, panic seizing my throat. “Josh please.”

“You want to keep living under my roof, you’ll do what I want,” he says. I scream out in pain as he pushes his cock inside me. I struggled against him, but my petite frame, couldn’t compete with his athletic body. “You’re so fucking tight,” he growls. “Don’t worry, by the time I’m done with you, you won’t be.”

I hide my face in my elbow as my sobs take over my body as he uses me.

I finally hear him groan and pull out of me. “Take care of that,” he snaps. “You’re bleeding everywhere.”

He storms away and I suck in a breath.

When will this torture be over?

Age 18

I stay late at the library, finishing up a math assignment. I do this almost every night, desperate to delay the inevitable nightmare waiting for me at home. I walk back in the dark because Joshua refuses to take me for my driver’s test. He knows if I get a license, I’ll run away—and he’s smart, because he’s right. That’s exactly what I would do.

When I finally reach my street, several unfamiliar cars line the curb outside our house. Joshua has friends over.

I unlock the front door, slip inside, and try to ghost my way up the stairs toward my bedroom.

“Lillian!” Joshua barks from the living room. “Get us some drinks.”

I don’t argue. I head straight to the kitchen, pull a case of beer from the fridge, and carry it out, dropping it onto the coffee table.

I turn to leave, but Joshua’s hand shoots out, clamping around my wrist and violently yanking me to the floor. Hard laughter erupts from all three of his friends as Joshua stands over me and pours the cold remnants of his drink directly onto my head and shoulders.

“You got a letter in the mail this morning,” Joshua says, stepping closer. “From Berkeley?”

No. No, no, no, no—

“I didn’t know you wanted to go to college,” he taunts, his voice dripping with cruel satisfaction. “But bad news, that’s not happening.”

“Did they not accept me?” I whisper, my voice cracking.

Joshua smirks down at me. “You declined their offer.”

My bottom lip trembles, hot tears stinging my eyes as his friends watch on, smirking at my humiliation.

“You will always be my slut, Lillian,” Joshua says, leaning down and roughly grabbing my face in his grip. I flinch violently as his fingers dig into my jaw. “You will never be able to leave me.”