"You're atheist," I remind him. "You don't believe in god." "I believe in you," He murmurs, letting the cigarette hang from his lips. "I believe in whatever you believe." He says, letting the confession roll off his tongue as if it were that simple. As if god, the devil, heaven, hell-as if none of it really had meaning to him. "That's not how it works," I mutter as we walk down a few more alleyways-the city of Manhattan coated in a light blanket of snow. Henry Vitiello had never had anything to pray for, that is, until he met me-the only thing that had ever opened his mind up to the possibility of religion "Isn't it?" He argues, taking the cigarette by his middle and pointer finger before blowing the smoke out. "I'II dip my hands in holy water if it means I could touch you." "You'd probably burn." 𓆩♡𓆪 𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐘 𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐎, the reaper. He's a prick. An asshole. A pretentious son of a bitch. He's not perfect. He's not even decent. But he's hers. She could be a bottle labeled poison but he was an alcoholic, and he had drunk her empty. Now he was hungover. 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒, the healer. She's known to be the perfect good girl, with perfect grades and a perfect life with a perfect family. They didn't know that behind the gated doors of their billion dollar estate, she was strapped down to a chair every night and picked apart just to be put back together in time for supper. 𓆩♡𓆪 star-crossed; adjective (of a person or a plan) thwarted by bad luck. 'star-crossed lovers' and that, they were. So they fucked under those very stars that tried so desperately to break them apart. 𓆩♡𓆪 ‼️DISCLAIMER ‼️ BOOK REFERENCES TO MARA DYER, SHATTER ME, MIND FUCK, ETC ARE ALL INTENTIONAL SO DONT BE RUDE. AS FOR TRIGGER WARN

I wrote this when I was 16 give me a break. TAKEN SERIES: BOOK ONE TW: kidnapping, manipulation, toxic/abusive relationship, violence, death, grief, self-harm, suicidal thoughts/attempts, sexual assault, non-consensual sexual content, alcoholism, stockholm syndrome, switching partners, etc. Do not read this story if you get triggered easily. If you decide to continue, that's your own choice. This story will portray a BDSM relationship, NOT counting the toxicity and genuine abuse that goes on throughout it. Do not comment anything unnecessarily judgmental, especially if you don't know what you're talking about. Thank you, enjoy. - - - - - "Don't ever do something like that again, or I will kill you, understood? "Yes, sir." - - - - - After being continuously hurt, left alone, heart broken and losing the one thing that kept her going, Nia Seymour turns to a new job that will show her how to let loose, live her life and make her happy again. The last thing she expected was to be Taken Captive by someone who would turn her life into chaos, make her addicted to the pain and hold her heart in his hands, breaking it and putting it back together over and over again until she's had enough. • • • The second he lays his eyes on her, Callum Rivera's world is turned upside down and he's made his mind up. She's his. He feeds off of the tears she cries, loves the pain all over her face when he hurts her over and over again, whether it's purposefully or not. As time passes and feelings evolve, soon enough the tears falling out of her eyes no longer give him pleasure, only pain and all he wants is for her to be happy, as long as she's with him. • • • The universe is sending challenge after challenge to these two individuals who want nothing but each other. Will they get past these secrets, lies, toxicity and pain? Or will one of them give up? - - - - -