Chapter 1 – Tied Awakening

My eyes open slowly, heavily, as if the whole world were submerged in dark molasses. The first thing I feel is the gentle rocking—not of a car, nor of an ordinary bed. It’s the constant, deep motion of something large slicing through the sea. The scent of salt, varnished wood, and expensive luxury fills my nostrils.

Then comes the pain in my wrists.

Black silk ropes, soft but merciless, bind my arms above my head, tied to the headboard of an absurdly luxurious king-size bed. My legs are free, but the weight of a satin sheet barely covers my nudity. Someone stripped me. Someone brought me here.

My heart races when reality hits me like a punch to the stomach.

I’m on a cruise ship. In the open sea. And not by my own choice.

“Good evening, Princess," Zion’s voice cuts through the air, low, husky, and laced with dark satisfaction.

He’s sitting in the armchair beside the bed, legs spread, elbows resting on his knees, watching me like a wolf that has finally caught the prey it’s been hunting for years. The scar above his left eyebrow stands out under the golden light of the lamp. His black eyes look like two voids that swallow all the light in the room.

At the foot of the bed, Luka leans against the dresser, arms crossed. His dirty-blond hair falls messily over his forehead. His crystal-blue eye and warm brown one gleam with a dangerous mix of desire and determination. He swirls a glass of whiskey between his fingers, the amber liquid catching the light.

“You slept for almost ten hours,” he says, his voice calm, almost clinical. “I gave you something light to help. I didn’t want you causing a scene on the pier.”

Elias stands leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed over his broad chest. His deep black skin contrasts with the immaculate white shirt. His dark brown eyes never leave my face. He doesn’t need to speak. His presence is a sentence.

I instinctively tug on the ropes. The silk bites into my skin, sending a treacherous shiver through my body.

“What the fuck is this?” My voice comes out hoarse, raspy. “Let me go. Now.”

Zion tilts his head, a slow, predatory smile curving his lips.

“No.”

He rises slowly, approaching the bed as if he had all the time in the world. The ship sways gently, reminding me that we’re far from any land. Far from any help.

“You spent the last five years running, Maeve. Running from us. Running from yourself.” He stops beside the bed and runs a finger along my exposed leg, sliding slowly up to my thigh. “Enough. We’re done asking.”

Luka steps forward, setting his glass on the table.

“You’ve known us long enough to realize we weren’t going to keep accepting crumbs. Declan agreed. The organization doesn’t like instability. And you, love… you’re the biggest instability in our lives.”

Mafia. The word hangs in the air without being spoken. Luka and Zion, along with Declan Callahan—Evie’s husband—were buried neck-deep in the Irish underworld. Dirty money. Blood. Power. And I, the woman they love and hate in equal measure, am the weak link that could destroy everything.

Elias finally moves. He sits on the edge of the bed, his large, calloused hand settling possessively over my bare stomach.

“You’re ours,” he says, simple and direct, without embellishment. “You always have been. Since that night on the beach. Since the day Matthew was conceived.”

My heart skips a beat at my son’s name.

“Matthew… where is he?” I demand, tugging on the ropes again.

“With Evie and Claire,” Zion answers, sitting on the other side of the bed. His hand slides up my ribcage, his thumb brushing the underside of my breast. “Safe. Protected. Just like you will be from now on.”

Luka approaches from the headboard, leaning down until his face is inches from mine. I catch his scent—expensive cologne, whiskey, and something darker, more dangerous.

“We’re going to have some time on this ship where you won’t be able to run from us again.” His lips brush my ear. “We’re going to break down every wall you built. We’re going to fuck every fear out of you. And when we dock, you’ll walk into that house we bought… or we’ll keep you tied up until you understand.”

A violent shiver runs through my body. Anger. Fear. And, God forgive me, arousal.

I hate how my body reacts to them. Even tied up. Even kidnapped. Even knowing Zion and Luka have blood on their hands and Elias is willing to use force to keep me.

“You’ve all lost your minds,” I whisper, but my voice falters when Zion lowers his head and slowly drags his tongue across my nipple. It hardens instantly.

“Maybe,” he murmurs against my skin. “But we lost our minds for you. And we’re tired of pretending we can live without this.”

Elias squeezes my thigh, slowly spreading my legs. His eyes rake down my exposed body, hungry.

“You carry too many secrets, Maeve.” His voice drops. “We’re going to take everything from you. Down to the last drop.”

Luka grips my chin, forcing me to look at him.

“Starting now.”

The ship cuts through the dark waters of the Caribbean. I can hear the distant sound of waves crashing against the hull and the low hum of the engines. We’re truly in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by three men who love me in a sick, obsessive, and total way.

Zion lightly bites the side of my breast, drawing a treacherous moan from me.

“Good girl,” he whispers. “You’re already wet, aren’t you?”

I clench my teeth, fighting back tears and the heat spreading between my legs.

“I hate you,” I growl.

Luka chuckles, low and dark.

“Good. Hate us all you want. As long as you come on our cocks, you can hate us as much as you like.”

Elias slides his hand lower, fingers brushing my already slick entrance. He doesn’t penetrate. He just teases, circling, tormenting.

“This is your golden cage, Maeve,” he murmurs. “And you’re going to learn to love every chain.”

I pull on the ropes again, my body arching involuntarily against their hands. My heart is beating so hard I swear they can hear it.

Eleven years of love, trauma, secrets, and passion culminating in this: me, tied up in the presidential suite of a luxury cruise ship, surrounded by the three men I love and fear most in the world.

They’re not letting me go.

Not until I surrender completely.

Or until I break.

Zion captures my mouth in a brutal, possessive kiss. The ship sails onward, taking me farther and farther from any chance of escape.

I am, more than ever…

Captive to them.