Claiming You in Eden: The Brotherhood, #1

By Amelia Danver

Cathryn is a bookish 19-years-old girl who has just begun to embark on her university life, when she, along with a couple of friends, is abducted during a sorority party by a group of armed men who work for the Brotherhood, an international crime syndicate, involved in human trafficking, drug dealing, and other criminal activities. She is taken under the wings of Alec, one of the henchmen, for almost a year. Throughout which time, they test each other's sexual boundaries, and he comes to develop an obsession for her.

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But is this kind of love real, and could this kind of love last a lifetime? 

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Set against the lush backdrop of San Francisco, all the way across the Pacific Ocean, to Osaka, Japan, Claiming You in Eden will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Stockholm syndrome, Lima Syndrome, Alpha Hero, this book has them all. Ultimately, this is a story of one sexual assault survivor, as she navigates the world after her ordeal, with the help of those around her; in other words, not your usual abduction romance story.

 

Warning: This book contains mature themes and is reserved for 18-years-old and above.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amelia Danver
• Release date: Nov 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393195580

Amelia Danver

Amelia Danver is a pen name used by the author of A Tale of Two Kingdoms (Sorean and Ikharyn) and the Brotherhood series.  She was once a medical student and a science geek. She also took a minor in East Asian studies while in college. Before writing her first novel, she wrote fan fiction mostly. After publishing her first erotic romance novel, she is totally, completely hooked on writing this genre. Maybe the process has stimulated her limbic system too much! She currently enjoys writing at home with her dogs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Book 1, Claiming You in Eden, and Book 2, Bound To You in Japan of the Brotherhood series are out now. Her readers can look forward to more of her novels in the coming months!

Book preview

Dedications

To my parents, who allow me to write in peace.

Epigraph:

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.- Anaïs Nin

Preface

To my readers:

I have written this novel in reaction to some erotica that I have read out there. There are girls in various parts of the world who grow up without any proper sex education, and when sexual experience eventually becomes a normalcy in their life, say when they get married, they are dependent on their partners to teach them what is acceptable.

I personally believe that sexual knowledge is a criterion to achieve sexual empowerment. Rather than shunning a topic as too taboo to talk about, I think it is better to be in the know and then decide for yourself whether it is your kink or not.

Now a girl’s first encounter with sexual knowledge may certainly come from reading romance novels or erotica. This is in contrast to boys where their sex education comes mainly from watching pornography. Neither provides very good sexual advice or guidance as to how to protect oneself from the different kinds of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), bad people (rapists, sexual predators, psychopaths, etc.), and what I usually term the consequences of sex, or the aftermath. If you want to find accurate information on this, you have to search for self-help books, which are generally too tedious to read.

So, the idea for this novel comes from the desire to write erotica that educates. I wanted to write an erotic romance novel that was not just about sexual gratification. I have come to learn a couple of things during my hospital rotations in reproductive and sexual health clinic, psychiatric hospital, and drug and alcohol units that I want to share with my readers. However, I did not want to share it in a dry exposition, say in a self-help book, and I thought of writing erotic romance novels as a way to educate people through a fun, and interesting medium, albeit an unconventional one.

Furthermore, I was very much a part of the #MeToo campaign a couple of years back, and I found there were very few romance novels that dealt with the AFTERMATH of sexual assault -  the emotional and physical trauma that result from it and the long lasting impact it can have on someone’s life. However, more importantly, there are very few novels that enlighten one on how to cope after an ordeal like that.

Having said all the above, perpetrators of sexual assault is usually someone that the victim already knows (a friend, an acquaintance, a family member), not a stranger like Alec. Maybe the point is, my novel is a piece of fiction and should be taken as such, and should not be construed as 100 percent real or correct.

There are some that have objected to the character of Alec. I am very much aware that in making Alec be the perpetrator of the crime, I am taking a huge risk. It may be slightly better to have another bad guy does it, and make him the one to rescue Cathy. I think the point why I decided on him in the end was because of what I knew personally, and from friends who have went through sexual assault or abuse in the past. Although I wish that these criminals did not get away with their crimes (prevention is always better than cure), more importantly, I wish that they take responsibility for what they did AFTERWARDS. I wish that these people would actually be held responsible for the AFTERMATH of a rape or sexual assault incident, be it the psychological trauma that resulted from it, or a physical repercussion from it (say if a rape leads to a pregnancy). I personally feel that jail term is too light a punishment considering the kind of suffering that the victims had gone through. The burdens are still not shared equally by putting away the perpetrators behind bars.

Ultimately, I want you to read this novel with an open mind.

If you feel that the Author’s Notes and Sex Advice bothersome and disrupts the flow of the story, you can ignore them and come back to them later, after you reach the end of the book. If you can, listen to the accompanying songs on Youtube or Spotify as you read the chapters.

I hope you enjoy reading this first book in the Brotherhood series. The second and third are already planned out.

Love,

Amelia Danver

Your Author

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE graphic content of this book may be a trigger for those who have experienced sexual abuse, assault, rape, or other forms of trauma. Please proceed with caution.

DEFINITION OF EDEN by the author:

Eden

noun [ S ]

UK  /ˈiː.dən/ US /ˈiː.dən/

Eden is a paradise where, in biblical stories, only the first man and woman were allowed to live in the sole companionship of each other.

LIST OF ACCOMPANYING SONGS

Lights Up!- Harry Styles

Unbroken-Birdy

If I be Wrong –Wolf Larsen

Shelter- Birdy

Fire on Fire - Sam Smith

Lust for Life- Lana Del Rey ft The Weekend

Give Up-Birdy

Who Do You Love? - The Chainsmokers ft. 5 Seconds of Summer

Bruises-Lewis Capaldi

Keeping Your Head Up-Birdie

Prologue

Isat in the interrogation room, facing the two male officers before me. There was a one-way mirror in the room installed on the wall to my right. The room was sparse, the only furniture being the one long table that separated me from them, with the three folding chairs that we were sitting in. Two unopened Crystal Geyser water bottles stood on the table, closer to my side. A couple of dirty brown files, which the officers had brought with them, was placed on the table between us. I felt the nervous tension in the air.

Miss Johnson, there is nothing to worry about. We're not here to interrogate you. I'm pretty sure that you have gone through enough stress in the past year. We're just here to chat with you, The man who had introduced himself as Officer Jordan looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

Have you, during your time with Alec, felt that you were forced to do things against your will? The other officer, Baldwin, started with the first question.

I looked down at my hands. I only realized then that I was wringing them. An image flashed across my mind. Me, on my knees, my mouth on Alec's cock. Cathy, look at me when you are doing it. His voice still sent shivers down my body, even as I was recalling not hearing them. I inhaled sharply, and looked to the side before answering them, No, officer.

I saw the two officers steal glances at each other, before Officer Baldwin spoke again, this time peering over his glasses. I know that it may be uncomfortable telling us, two strangers that you just meet, but nothing is recorded here. We will take a police statement later on, but you can choose what to include and not to include in that, ok? He looked like he was in his fifties with his receding hairline and beer belly.

Has he ever forced himself on you? This time, it was Officer Jordan's turn to reinforce the question.

Another image instantaneously came to my mind, but I suppressed it quickly this time before I shook my head.

Officer Jordan sighed as he twirled the pen on his left hand, You know, there is nothing that we can go on with, if you refuse to tell us anything.

I can tell you all that I know about the Brotherhood. All their activities here and overseas, human trafficking, arms trade, drug dealing and all that, I offered, wanting to be helpful. At the same time, I wanted to divert the conversation away from me and Alec.

Yes, there will be time later for that. Thank you, Miss Johnson. But first thing first, this is about you. We want to help you, and we cannot do that unless we have all the right information, Officer Baldwin persisted.

What would happen if I tell you the things that happened between me and him? Will he go to jail? I asked expectantly, betraying my emotions and the fact that I just told them nothing has transpired between me and Alec.

Well, if you decide to press charges against him, then we will go to court, and depending on the outcome of the court proceedings, he may or may not be acquitted of his crimes, Officer Jordan said matter-of-factly.

I made up my mind then. I did not want to prolong the process. I certainly wanted this whole thing to be over with, and I wanted to get back to my life as soon as possible, or whatever remained of it.

I am not pressing charges against anyone. Alec did not harm me in any way. He has always been kind and considerate towards me, I told them the partial truth.

The two officers looked at me incredulously.

CLASSIC CASE. STOCKHOLM Syndrome. Officer Baldwin threw the files at the desk as he poured himself the stale coffee from the brew pot. He and Officer Jordan just entered the room on the other side of the one-way mirror. They joined another man and woman in the room. The four of them just stood around as they watched Cathryn from the other side.

Well, we have enough to go on, with or without her statements anyway. Alec admitted to everything earlier on, Officer Sturgess, the other male officer, finally spoke.

What do you mean by everything? Officer Jordan raised an eyebrow. He was not present during the suspect's interrogation since he was supposed to be blind when he questioned the victim.

Well, he pleaded guilty to multiple sexual assault charges and kidnapping, just to name a few, The woman spoke briskly.

She would need to undergo a thorough medical examination, and check herself in with a psychiatrist or psychologist specializing in sexual assault cases, She added, a tone of finality in her voice.

The three male officers nodded in agreement. There was an aura of confidence about the woman that whenever she spoke, she always commanded respect from her subordinates and peers alike.

If she is to press charges against him in the near future, what is the time limit she should do it by? Officer Jordan directed the question at the woman.

Every state is different, but here in California? It's 10 years from the date of the last assault or attempt, or 3 years from the time the victim discovers an illness or injury resulting from it. It is best done sooner rather than later, because as you know, memory fades with time and with it, the chance of winning the case, She elaborated.

I always wonder what Alec sees in her, The woman mused, as she paced back and forth, Say, Sturgess, how old do you think she is? At first glance, if you did not know about her age.

To be honest? Probably around 15 or 16. I would have guessed that she was still in middle or high school, He answered before turning around to grab the brown files on the desk. Peering into them, he added, It says here that she has just turned 19 during the time of her abduction. She was in her freshman year.

She does look young, doesn't she? The woman muttered softly, as she folded her arms across her chest and stared at Cathryn's reflection on the mirror once more.

Chapter One

One year ago

University dormitory somewhere in California, Saturday, October 31st, 2015

Cathryn stared blankly at her computer screen. The cursor at the end of her sentence blinked steadily until it stopped and formed a solid straight line instead. She has been at it for a couple of hours now and has finished typing about 1000 words out of 5000 for her History of Science essay. She clicked and selected the window showing the journal article once more. Her eyes skimmed over a few lines,

The earliest microscopes were compound microscopes.......It had three sliding tubes for different lenses, no tripod, and was capable of magnifying three to nine times the true size.

She poised her hands on top of her laptop keyboard, squaring her shoulders, readying herself to type. But the words just would not come to her. How could one paraphrase that?

Sliding tubes, tripod, magnify.

What's another word for magnify? Enlarge. Amplify.

She has already overused those two words.

Make bigger. Increase size of.

Cathryn groaned in exasperation.

There were only so many ways that one could say the same thing, to get the same idea across. Now the plagiarism rules have begun to look more and more ridiculous to her. 

Could you risk getting academic probation in your freshman year just because of this, she begrudgingly reminded herself. The answer was no. So, she made a mental note to subscribe to WritingCheque later - an online plagiarism checker tool.

Truth be told, Cathryn's university life has started out alright. She has just begun to enjoy her newfound freedom. She had moved out of her parents' house, and could finally get her mom off her back when it came to late-night curfews.

The Fall Quarter (semester) has also started with a flurry of activities. First, there was enrolment, then the societies' fair, then choosing your courses, then buying or renting your textbooks, and so on and so forth. She made it through the first week of Orientation, feeling more alive than ever.

Even now, Cathryn could still recall her excitement back then when she attended her first lecture on the Birth of Modern Science. It was held in the oldest sandstone building on campus, probably constructed in the 1800s. She entered the lecture hall just as her Professor, who looked as ancient as the building itself, began to ask the class to settle down. She remembered that she had jotted all his words down to the letter, not wanting to miss out on a single important information. It was also during that lecture that she first met her university friends, as they introduced themselves to one another in hushed voices. 

Now that she was well into the quarter and her assignments were starting to pile up, Cathryn found that she barely had time to relax, let alone socialize. On top of that, she has also started her part-time job as a waitress at a university café. So, here she was, cooped up in the university library for the past couple of days, researching for her essay on the discovery of scientific instruments during the Renaissance.

Hello from the other sideeee, Her cell phone ringtone played out, snapping her out of her reverie. She glanced at the screen and saw that the call was from Christina, one of her close friends. Well, she's gotta pick this one up.

Hey, babe, why don't you come for a couple of hours tonight for the Halloween party? I haven't seen you in ages! Christina's sultry voice came on as Cathyrn put her headphones on.

You know I can't, hon. I've got this 5,000 words essay due in a week, and I've written like less than a quarter of it, Cathryn tried not to sound hysterical.

"You know what it is? You are having writer's block. You need to get

Reviews for Claiming You in Eden

[DreamiBabe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing storyline, lovely presentation, erotic and classy perfectly blended to capture reader's interest. Character development is deep and complex.

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