Night's Captive (2 page)

After Loni dug the cash out of her purse and paid, the woman handed her the bag with the book and shirt. “Thank you, Loni,” she said. “Enjoy.”

It wasn’t until she was halfway home that Loni realized she had never told Selena her name, yet the woman had known it. Loni had even paid with cash, so the woman hadn’t seen one of her credit cards or her driver’s license. How had she known?

Loni glanced at the book in its bag on the passenger seat of her car before looking back at the street as she drove the short distance to her home. She thought about the warm sensation she’d had when she met the woman. The experience had been completely odd, but for some reason, despite jerk ex-boyfriends and worries about losing her job, in that moment Loni felt happier than she had in a long time.

* * * * *

After eating leftover Chinese takeout for dinner and taking a nice warm shower, and after setting her alarm system, Loni wore her fictional character shirt as a nightshirt and curled up in her bed with her new book.

Her hair was still a little damp and smelled of apple shampoo. She had the luxurious feeling of having just showered and she was cuddled in freshly cleaned sheets and her grandmother’s quilt, and propped up against a mountain of pillows.

She picked up the book from her nightstand and had the same warm sensation she had felt when the woman at the bookstore touched her hand. She carefully opened the volume, enjoying the musty scent that old books had. Only a true book lover could appreciate the smell. The volume was beautifully illustrated, something she hadn’t even noticed since she had never opened it at the shop. Funny but she had bought it based on recommendation and cover alone.

The first illustration was a page showing the full scene rather than just the vignette of the man and woman on the front cover. The dagger the woman held in her hand seemed to glint beneath the moonlight.

As Loni stared at the picture, again a strong sense of déjà vu washed over her. She shook it off and studied the dark-haired man.

With her fingertip she traced the man’s shoulder down his powerful biceps to his strong forearm. She felt like she had done that before, only in real life. He held the woman’s hand in his own and he looked at her with fierce hunger in his brown eyes, and even a sense of ownership was in his gaze.

To be looked at like that…to be desired like that. Like the stars and moon were his to give her and he would. He would do anything for her.

Loni sighed. A man like that would be amazing.

Nothing like Barry. Although, when she thought about it, she wasn’t giving Barry any credit. She had loved him, and it had been mostly good when they were together. But the way he had left her had been painful and it wasn’t going to be easy to get over it.

Of course if she had a man like the one in the book… It might be plenty easy to get over Barry.

Loni smiled and snuggled deeper under her covers then opened the book to page one. Time for a little escape.

The pages flew by as the story dove into a dark underworld filled with shifters, vampires, and other paranormal creatures. She found herself holding her breath as she fell deeper and deeper into the story. It was a thrilling game of cat and mouse, of intrigue and betrayal.

The hero was hot enough to make her squirm with longing and desire. From the way he fought each battle to the power and intensity of his relationship with the woman he worked with—and slept with—he made Loni long for more. Made her long for an Alec in her own life and made her long for an adventure of her own.

She pulled herself out of the story toward the end of the book to catch her breath. Her fingers ached from clenching the book so tightly as she read. She relaxed her grip and slipped into the next chapter.

City lights glinted through the part in the curtains at the large picture window directly in front of them as Alec and Marie entered her darkened apartment. The fight with Dawson’s men in the alleyway downtown, and the adrenaline rush that had accompanied it, made him feel hyped up and in need of an outlet. He sensed Marie’s need was as great as his.

His blood boiled as he met Marie’s bewitching green eyes. He brought her into his arms in the middle of the room and he brushed his knuckles across her cheek. He took her face in his hands, feeling the softness of her long, dark hair over his fingers. He lowered his face and her breath was warm against his lips.

His mouth met hers and she opened up to him. He darted his tongue inside tasting her sweet flavor as his hands moved down to her breasts and he rubbed his thumbs over her hard nipples through her T-shirt.

She molded her body against his and moaned as his erection pressed into her belly. His cock was hard, aching for her. He loved how her body looked when she was naked and could almost feel what it was like to slide inside of her.

He eased his hands over her shoulders and smoothed them along her sides to her weapons belt at the waistband of her jeans. His palms continued, going over the gentle flair of her hips.

Heat burned through him as she kissed him back, almost fiercely and he moved his hands to her waist.

A subtle shift in the way she held herself caused him to tense inside. Something about the way she held herself in his arms, something about what now felt like deliberate and not sensual movements.

He broke the kiss. In a split second his hand snapped up and caught her wrist as she plunged her dagger toward his back.

A snarl twisted her beautiful lips and her green eyes flashed with a fierce look of hatred. “You were supposed to die in that alleyway tonight,” she shouted. “Not them.” She struggled against his hold on her wrist, trying to bring the knife down. “It’s your turn to die.”

Shock at her betrayal almost had him reeling. She had used him.

Fury burned through him as it came to him so clearly now. Now that she had taken what information she wanted, she was attempting to eliminate him.

She sent a knee toward his balls then started to twist away. She was beyond quick, agile, and strong, and he knew better than to underestimate her.

He dodged her knee and swept his foot out to take her down but she dropped to the floor, tearing the dagger from his hand and rolled to her feet in a fast motion.

She came at him with the dagger and he blocked her with his right arm. She was away from him again then she was back, the dagger aimed at his heart.

The blade would be poisoned with one of her witch’s spells and he had to avoid the metal at all costs. He had to keep from touching her hands or she could use her magic to harm him.

He grabbed her arm whirled her around, and pushed her up against the wall, her head to the side so that she could see him. He clenched both of her wrists in one hand. She struggled, kicking back, but he had her pinned tight. With his free hand he knocked away the dagger. The dagger flew from her grasp and thumped on the carpet behind him.

“Everything was a lie.” Alec spat the words as the pain of her betrayal ripped through him like a blade. “You work for him. For Dawson.” He paused as the truth came to him. “You are the traitor. You killed Carrie, Steve, and Jonathan.”

He didn’t need to give her time speak to know that it was true. He could see it in her eyes as she glared over her shoulder at him. With the palm of his hand, he hit her on the side of the neck, just enough to stun her and cause her to lose her coordination.

Her knees gave out and he had to hold her to keep her from dropping to the floor. Anger gathered into a hard ball in his chest as he pulled a pair of cuffs from his back pocket that would subdue any paranorm’s powers, and he snapped them onto her wrists.

He had cared for Marie and she had tried to kill him. She had killed his comrades, his friends. Could he ever trust a woman again?

A grim sense of determination took hold of him. He would get Dawson. The bastard’s days were numbered.

Loni’s eyes widened as she caught her breath and set the book down on her lap. She hadn’t expected Marie to be the traitor…the woman deserved to be incarcerated forever for what she’d done to Alec and to the other members of his team, the Dark Enforcers. They had trusted her, taken her in, and all along she had been cutting them down one by one.

With a sigh Loni stared at the last page. What would happen to Alec next? Would he find a woman he could trust even though he believed he would never be able to trust again?

Selena had asked her what kind of man interested her. If a man like Alec existed, that would be the man she wanted.

She thumbed to the back of the book. There was no mention of another novel or that it was part of a series. There wasn’t even an author biography for A. L. Connor.

Tomorrow she would go back to the bookstore and see if there was a sequel. The ending left so many questions. It was an amazing book and she had lost herself in it and she had to read more. She had to find out what happened next.

Chapter 2

Sunshine warmed Loni’s bare shoulders as she walked from where she’d parked her car, down the street toward the bookstore in Old Scottsdale. Her purse swung from her shoulder at hip level and her loose skirt flowed around her ankles, a good length for her, and her ballet flats were silent on concrete as she walked. She saw the store ahead, tucked away just like she remembered it. It was still odd how she’d never noticed it before.

When she reached the store she pulled open the door and stepped inside. No bells jangled like they had when she’d been here before and it was dark—she couldn’t see anything. It smelled of dirt and something rank rather than the scent of incense and books.

She frowned. The bookstore must be closed and Selena had forgotten to lock up.

The door handle jerked out of Loni’s hand and slammed behind her.

Her heart in her throat, she turned to grab the handle—

The door was gone.

Her eyes widened as she stared at a brick wall that she could see somehow in the darkness. Her heart pounded faster and faster as she put her hands against the wall and felt the rough brick beneath her palms.

“Hey!” She slapped her hands against the brick but it hurt her palms. “Somebody open the door!”

No response. She took a step back, away from the wall, feeling almost dizzy.

“Hello, lovely,” came a cool, almost eerie voice behind her. “You’re late.”

Loni spun to face a man who was a good twenty feet away and she clutched her purse close to her side. Her back against the wall, she stared at him, trying to process the man and her environment.

It wasn’t too dark to see any longer, but it was night now, not the middle of the day. A wooden pole with a light at the top of it illuminated the area. She was in an alleyway, not the store, and the rank odor came from a Dumpster to her right. City noises rose from the other side of the buildings that made up the alleyway and she heard the distant sound of sirens.

Everything flashed through her mind as she stared at the man. Wearing a perfectly pressed black suit and polished black shoes, he was tall with a long face. His hair was thick and black, and he had a mustache and goatee, and a pink scar along his right cheek. Even with the scar she would have considered him handsome if he didn’t have such a sinister air about him. He didn’t look like a mugger but something about him made her shiver.

“What took you so long?” The man took a step toward her. “I’ve been waiting for some time now.”

She reached in her purse with one hand and fumbled as she blindly searched, her eyes still on the man.
Damn it.
Did she still have the can of pepper spray she’d bought last year?

“Stay back.” Her voice shook as her fingers found her keys and wallet, but no pepper spray.

“You are a pretty thing.” The man smiled as he stepped closer. “It’s a shame, a real shame that you have to die.”

Die?
Her heart pounded so hard her chest hurt. “Who are you?” Her voice trembled. “Why would you want to kill me?”

He gave a deep laugh. “I’ve visioned that you pose a future threat to me, so I intend to eliminate you.”

“How could I be a threat to you?” She tried to catch her breath. She felt like she’d been running a mile after waking up in a nightmare.

He let out a sigh. “As interesting as our little conversation has been, I have places to go, people to kill.” He took a step closer to her.

“Help!” She screamed with everything she had. “Somebody, help!”

His smile faded as he paused and studied her. He raised one hand and fire sprang up from his palm. “Scream again and I’ll kill you slowly.”

As she watched, he threw a ball of fire and it slammed into the Dumpster behind her. Her eyes widened and another scream strangled in her throat as she stared in horror.

The metal melted. A gaping hole of about four feet in circumference was now in the side of the Dumpster. The garbage inside was on fire and the stench made her cough.

“Who are you?” She had to know who this man was and why he was trying to kill her. “What are you?”

“I am William Dawson, a sorcerer.” He smiled. “But that matters not for I am going to take great pleasure in killing you. Any toy of Selena’s is a pleasure to break.”

Terror ripped through her body like knives shredding her skin. Her whole body shook. She covered her mouth to hold back the scream that wanted to escape as he now held a fireball in each hand.