Wicked Sanctuary
Before She Was Claimed
Captive romance. Forbidden protection. Desperate escape. Morally gray hero. Dangerous obsession. Dual POV.
Lila Vaughn was just a barista with adventure in her heart—until she caught the eye of the wrong man. When Russian mob boss Nikolai “Kolya” Mikhailov decides she belongs to him, Lila’s independence is shattered in a single night of violence that ends with her locked behind the gilded bars of his estate.
Kolya Mikhailov collects beautiful things, and his newest acquisition is his most prized. Cold, calculating, and utterly remorseless, he’s determined to break Lila’s spirit piece by piece until nothing remains of the defiant woman he captured. But even as her resistance weakens under his calculated cruelty, something within her refuses to surrender completely.
When Theo Mercer is assigned as Lila’s personal guard, he never expects to find humanity in Kolya’s world of monsters. Haunted by his own regrets and the bloody path that led him into the Russian’s employ, Theo’s carefully constructed walls begin to crumble as he witnesses Lila’s quiet strength. But showing compassion in Kolya’s domain is a death sentence, and any attempt to help her would mean sacrificing them both.
As Lila and Theo navigate a dangerous game of secrets and survival:
- Kolya’s obsession grows more possessive and violent with each passing day
- Theo’s conflicted loyalty becomes an unexpected lifeline for Lila
- Plans for Lila’s transfer to “the basement” force an impossible choice
When Theo begins studying security cameras and guard rotations, a dangerous spark of hope ignites between them. One midnight, one escape plan, one desperate chance at freedom—with everything to lose.
“This wasn’t a ransom situation,” Lila realizes as Kolya’s cruel fingers trace her cheek. “This was ownership.”
In a world where men like Kolya take what they want without consequence, Lila must find the strength to reclaim herself while Theo faces the ultimate choice between redemption and survival. But in the shadow of Kolya’s obsession, even escape may prove to be just another kind of prison.
BEFORE SHE WAS CLAIMED is the prequel novella to the Wicked Sanctuary series. This dark mafia captive romance features psychological suspense, a villain who will chill you to the bone, a reluctant hero’s redemption, and the seeds of a dangerous escape that leads directly into CLAIMED BY THE DAMNED.
Tropes:
- Captive/Captivity
- Villain Obsession
- Escape/On the Run
- Protector/Guardian
- Redemption Arc
- Stockholm Syndrome Elements
- Trauma Survival
- Unlikely Allies
Trigger Warnings:
This book contains themes that may be triggering, such as:
Contains kidnapping and abduction (on-page), physical and psychological abuse (on-page), forced captivity in luxurious settings, non-consensual touching and implied sexual assault (not explicit, primarily off-page), violence and threats toward the heroine, trauma and PTSD elements (including panic attacks and flashbacks), significant power imbalance between characters, references to human trafficking and forced prostitution (mentioned, not depicted), gaslighting and psychological manipulation, discussion of physical torture (basement “punishment room”), brief but intense scenes of physical violence, themes of ownership and possession, and depiction of a character’s journey toward psychological survival and eventual escape.