Novels by Iandra Taylor

Cora As time passes things get clearer on what needs to change. the first huge step was punishing those who were out to harm others. Not a day goes by where we do not receive new reports from people wanting to inform us of a crime. A task force has been set up to help handle the situation and find justice for the victims. Thomas and Elliot worked hard on forming a new type of what was once called the police. These men and women are tasked with learning the truth and helping bring justice to those who are victims as well as those who are falsely accused. Our personal life has also moved forward and gotten stronger. Over time I learned to work through the pain from my attack and with Thomas’s help, I have made peace with that incident. I have even started a support group for women who have been attacked in any way to get help from each other. “Cora, please sit down and take it easy. I don’t want you getting too tired or hurting yourself or the baby.” I

Cora “Cora you must rest. You have been through a very traumatic experience and your body will start to shut down again if you are not careful. Thomas takes her home and makes sure she rests. I will contact one of my colleagues in the villages that worked as and therapist. She is going to need help working through all this.” Once you make it home Thomas takes me up to our room. As I walk into the room it suddenly hits me that I have just been to hell and back. I suddenly break down and sob my heart out. I cry for my rape. I cry for Thomas and all that he lost today. I cry for the friend that Michael had once been but is now no longer on this earth. I cry for Doug and the sad life that he must have had to live all these years. And finally, I cry for this world full of evil like Caroline. For all the girls who never got to live their lives. Thomas helps me get ready for bed and asks if I want him with me tonight or if I would rather him not stay. I know

Cora Rebecca gasps as she hears the words that change everything forever. The people we have been searching for turned out to be one person. Caroline was thought of as a loving mother and example to all women. She was poised and gave off an air of royalty, and yet standing here now she looks like a psychologically deranged person. “Mother you didn’t. Say you didn’t.” Thomas pleads with her. He looks like a broken child who has just learned that their hero wasn’t the person that they thought they were. “Thomas? Have you learned anything in all the years of training we gave you? You’re showing your emotions and making yourself look weak in from of your men.” She barks out at him. I look toward Doug and he just sits there looking straight ahead as if he hadn’t just heard a thing that was said. “Doug, why don’t you look surprised?” The words come out of my mouth before I have a chance to stop them. He finally breaks his staring contest with the wall in fr

Thomas “I know who did it!” With those words, my heart stopped. Elliot held the information that I needed the most. “Follow me.” I lead him to a remote area and made sure that there wasn’t anyone around. At this point, I didn’t care if there was a way for someone to be recording this. I just needed to find out what happened. “It was Michael. I know you probably thought of it too, but he is the only one that I could think of that would be that emotional when it came to Cora. I have him recorded going into the room and then an hour later leaving looking like he had just been through hell. His clothes were messed up and it looked like he had a few scratches on his face. She must have put up one hell of a fight.” Elliot is treading lightly considering that this was the woman I love and she was currently unconscious. “Get Rebecca down here. I want her to stay with Cora and her family. You and I are going to meet my parents and grandfather. Is security pick

Cora I come to find Michael stripping my clothes off. My dress is gone and he is working to get my undergarments off. I start flailing around trying to stop his movements. He raises his fist and punches me in the face. “Stop fighting me dammit! You brought this on yourself!” He says into my ear in an almost whisper. “Please don’t do this Michael. Please don’t hurt me.” I feel myself beginning to lose control and the tears are starting to roll down my face. I want to stay strong but I am weak from being knocked out and I can feel the fear taking control. “I told you already, I should have been the one to have you first! I loved you and you just threw me away for what? Power, sex, money, or were you just trying to get me to prove myself to you? Why are you making me out to be the bad guy?” He slaps me a few more times and takes my underwear off and uses them to bind my hands together. He stands and starts to pull his pants down and all sane thou

Cora The first morning I went back to headquarters with Thomas I was a complete nervous wreck. Knowing that we still had no idea who was sending the messages or who was behind Michael’s schemes made it all that much harder. Thomas told me multiple times that I would be fine but, something in the back of my mind told me otherwise. “Cora, could you go to the file room and see if you can find the records from your old village for the last six years? I want all of them if possible. Do you need someone to go with you?” Thomas has worked extremely hard the last few days and I know that he is getting tired. “I should be fine. I am just walking down the hall little ways. If I need anything I’ll yell. There is security always walking around. Don’t worry.” I kiss him on the cheek and head out the door. Walking down the hall I see the security guard walking around and notice that there is a lot of activity today. Since we came back Thomas has been working on man

OpheliaI turn my head and see him standing there, grey eyes burning holes into mine. Cole’s dark brown hair pushed back away from his eyes and looking like he had just rolled out of bed. The smile on his face was a genuine one that went all the way to his eyes and held happiness. Part of me wanted to know what had put that happiness in his eyes. Part of me wanted to put that look there. Even though years had passed and I had loved my husband deeply, I still had some feelings for Cole. And that thought scared me. How could I have feelings for someone who had hurt me so deeply? What person in their right mind even entertained the thoughts of liking the person who shattered their heart? But then again, I think about how old we were when everything happened. Can I really hold a grown man who is doing well for himself, accountable for the actions he did as a stupid teenage boy? The answer is yes and no. What Cole did was horrible and should have never happened to anyone. But the Cole sta

Ophelia“I never thought that in all my life I would see you again.” I look up to see a smiling Dominic. That proud smirk sitting on his face proves that he may have changed, but the same old Dom was still in there. Standing up and hugging him was the first instinct that I had, so I followed it. Part of me felt angry at myself for doing it, but most of me was happy to see an old friend. No matter what had happened in the past, it didn’t change the fact that somewhere deep inside, I still considered him a friend.“Never thought I would be here.” I say..“I’m so happy to see you. Knowing that I’m incredibly late with it, I’m sorry. As your friend, I should have told you up front about it all. Hell, I never should have taken part in anything so stupid. I’ve learned my lesson and would love to make all this up to you.” Dom says.“It’s over and done with. Don’t let this mistake stay with you forever. Were you right about what you did? Of course not. Do I forgive you for being a stupid kid

ColeBusiness trips have been the bane of my existence since I started working with the company. Dad had always told me they were a great way to get some alone time. I found they sucked the life out of me. Running from meeting to meeting, trying to make things work, was something that I hate. Henson Tech has taken over my life for the last five years.Since I found Ophelia and made my peace with our relationship, I have focused solely on work. Gaining peace about Ophelia really just means that I want her to be happy. I still love her more than anything in this world and I would drop everything to make her happy. When her husband died, it took all of my willpower to not see her. I wanted to console her and tell her that everything would be alright. I wanted her and her son to feel safe and loved.I knew that if I did, I would cause her more stress. Instead of giving in to my desires, I ask Maggie daily how she was doing. I have removed any problem that could have come her way. I never

Ophelia Light hits my face as I roll over in my sleep. My body fights the light and wants nothing more than to return to the darkness of my slumber. My sleep last night was nothing short of glorious. Thinking back, I realise I haven’t slept that well since Chris passed. The safety and love that he gave me always made me fall into a sleep that was deep and peaceful. Rubbing my eyes, I sit up in the bed and see that the sun is high in the sky. How late did I sleep? Looking at the clock, I see it is almost 11:30 in the morning. Jumping up, I head into the en-suite bathroom and get myself ready. I can’t remember the last time that I slept this late. There is no doubt in my mind that my dad and Bess have taken care of Ethan all morning. For the last few years, they have both begged me to make more time for myself and stop focusing all my attention on everyone else. Looking into the mirror, I see exactly why they have been telling me that. My face looks refreshed a

Ophelia The time flew by while getting everything ready for the move. Ethan was over the moon, knowing that he was going to have his Papa in the house and that his Grandma Bess was coming with us. I put the house up for sale with all the furnishings left in it for the sale. We packed away all our things and hired movers to get them to Frankford. We have grown closer each day because Bess has been a lifesaver. Bess got out of her lease and sold all the things she didn’t want to take with her. Bess has been talking about how excited she is to meet Dad and to see the town that made such an impact on my life. I always tell her the same thing, you’ll be surprised. “Mommy, can I take some art stuff in the car with me?” Ethan asks as we load up the car. “I already set a bag of things in the seat for you.” I smile at him. “Yay!” I hear Ethan yell as he jumps up and down. “That child is always wanting to do something creative. He

Ophelia Monday morning came all too soon, and I felt my nerves getting the best of me. The weekend had gone quickly, with Ethan and me playing at the park and painting. Ethan loves to teach me how to paint. I’m not the greatest at it, and he loves to tell me when I do something wrong. I have been out of practice since high school and it shows. I left him with Grandma Bess this morning. He adores her, and she feels the same about her. They like to spend their time doing many things together, and I think the child loves her as if she were his grandmother. Bess is nowhere near old at 52. But to Ethan, she is the right age to be his grandmother. Bess has always lived alone and has never been married. She said that there has never been a man that is good enough. I have often wondered if she and Dad would be interested in one another. Both of them claim to have never found someone who lights their fire. Maybe next time Dad’s in town, I should invite her over to meet him. I walk into th