The Claimed
Book One of the Harcourt Chronicles
- Thriller
- Fantasy
- Historical Fiction
One wrong step beneath the water changed everything. Darius Coleman and Connor Hayes expected nothing more than a late-night swim, but the glowing rift at the lake bottom dragged them into a nightmare mirror of colonial America. Here, Black families rule the colonies while white people live as property, beaten and branded under brutal overseers. Rescued by runaway slave Eli Turner, the boys are captured and returned to Harcourt Plantation—where Darius is shockingly revealed as the long-lost heir. Connor and Eli are cast into the slave quarters while Darius is welcomed into luxury by his mother. The intoxicating taste of absolute power corrupts him completely. His former best friend becomes his favorite plaything to break and humiliate. As Darius descends into sadistic dominance, Connor and Eli must endure torture, psychological warfare, and twisted games while plotting their desperate escape. Some rifts should never be crossed. Some power should never be tasted.