"A champion gladiator doesn't feel love. How could he? His only passion is to win the next fight. Then the one after. And again." Cassian I'm trained to kill for the amusement of others. Slave. Fighter. Beast. Emotions are a weakness so I have none, except anger and hate. Anything else is a distraction that could get me killed. Still, I can't refuse the order when my owner's wife secretly summons me to her chambers, time and time again. She's poison, feeding off my rage for her own sick pleasures. I hate her, so how does she keep finding the cracks and opening them up, working her way into my heart? There's only one way this relationship can go, and that's down. When we are apart we're broken, but together? We will crash and burn. Livia I'm Domina of the Atticus ludus where we train gladiators to compete for victory. Wealthy. Attractive. Powerful husband. It appears I have it all. I wish I could make myself feel that way but I'm numb, too damaged to care for anything. The only time I feel alive is when I'm with my husband's champion gladiator. He might be my slave, but there's no taming the savage lust inside him. And I love nothing more than poking that darkness until he unleashes it upon me. My whole life I've been taught one thing - break them down. So how is it possible that a gladiator could be the one to break the ice around my heart? It's disgusting for a woman of my rank to sleep with a man like him. His touch should feel repulsive, his gaze upon me should make my skin crawl. But he's mine. And I want more. Author's Note: DARK romance - insert all the content warnings here!! This little read contains blood and action, and steamy scenes between characters battling with dominance issues. Expect a lot of heat and darkness, because romance isn't always sweet. 2nd Edition June 19 - previously published as Breaking the Gladiator. The Captive Collection A collection of dark and steamy reads spanning different genres. Each is a complete standalone, but they do have one thing in common - they're centered around a dark and angsty enemies-to-lovers / forbidden romance captive situation, and, most importantly, they all contain an alpha bad boy or anti-hero who always gets his woman.