Taken (Breaking the Darkness) (14 page)

Kaden had a fire in his eyes. The intensity almost frightened me. “You are full of surprises. I can tell you have many secret talents worth discovering. You don’t have to hide them from me. Kasha, you are a treasure…”

From a distance I could hear my name being called. I looked around but saw no one. The voice got louder and louder. The last calling of my name came with a nudge to the ribs. It woke me from my slumber and had me on my feet in seconds.

I swung an arm out toward the intruder. All I heard in response was laughter. It wasn’t a playful kind of laughter. I knew my time was up and Ziona was back to claim her prize. Unfortunately, I had nothing to offer her but fear itself.

“Why would you even embarrass us both by attempting to swing at me?” She lunged and towered over me. It amazed me how she managed to somehow emit enough of a red glow so I could see her. Her lips were straight and her eyebrows lowered into one another. She wasn’t at all entertained.

I wanted to cower beneath her and hide like a scared little mouse. What purpose would that serve? None, and my plan was to try and fight my way out of there. If only she would reveal that stinking doorway. I stood strong and met her hard stare.

“You know I am done playing games with you. What is it that you are or will be? Your grandmother knew of things that were foretold, as does my superior.” She stalked me like I was her prey. If she got any closer, she would’ve been pressed up against me.

“Your denial is laughable at best. I am warning you and pleading with you for your own sake. Tell me what I need to know. Submit and you can be part of something. There is a place for those who join us.”

Ziona stepped in close and her voice deepened. “Those who defy us will be punished. The price you might have to pay will be a steep one. In the end, you will still give us what we want, but you will be broken.”

She reached up and grabbed the back of my hair. Her grip was tight and right at the roots. I twisted my head back and forth, trying to loosen her grasp, but it only tightened. I lifted my arm up to push her back, and my hand met great resistance.

“Get… off of me!” I struggled to free myself. “Let me out of here!” This was the first time I allowed myself to give in to the rage. My screams fell on deaf ears.

“Stupid girl.” She pulled me by my hair into her face as she spat at me and then threw me down to the ground. “I warned you!”

With a quick click of her heels, she turned toward the door. A rush of excitement filled me. My energy boomed at the chance to run. I prepared myself to lunge for the door when it opened.

She put her hand to the door and it slowly started to crack open. The light from the hallway, although only a thin stream floated into the room, burned my eyes. It momentarily blinded me. Pushing up, I ran to the door as fast as I could. Ziona moved so fast I didn’t even see the blow coming. She knocked me back. My coccyx slammed hard onto the ground and pain shot up my spine.

She looked back at me. I think there may have even been a little pity in her eyes. She didn’t say another word. The door continued to open to a blinding white light. Part of the light was blocked by the shadow of a man.

“She is all yours, Levi.” She waved a hand in my direction as if I were some sort of prize.

“YOU DIDN’T TELL me she is a redhead. What a rare treasure and pleasant surprise.” The man’s voice was familiar. “I am going to want some light in here. I want to see her eyes when she is on her knees begging me.”

He stepped into the room and the lights illumined just enough for me to see him. The door slammed shut behind him, and he stood before me just as he did earlier today. His skin was midnight black with a radiant sheen like a polished piece of onyx. Anton’s suit was certainly custom fit. No matter which way he moved, it contoured his moderate but muscular frame.

I didn’t know why she called him Levi if Graven called him Anton. All I knew was he was probably up there on the list of dangerous people to which Graven referred.

He took a step closer, slowly entering the room. His eyes were black and empty. He slowly removed his jacket, folded it in half, and smoothed it out just before tossing it onto the bed. He took another slow step toward me.

I scooted back on my butt until the wall wouldn’t let me go any farther—which wasn’t nearly far enough. But the truth was there was nowhere for me to hide in there. My heart pounded in my ears. I wasn’t sure if I stopped breathing or if the throbbing blood made it hard to hear.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. His shirt fit him like a glove. I could see his muscles rippling through the tailored white cotton. He rubbed his head again, stroking forward. His eyes took inventory of what was his for the taking.

“Are you ready to have some fun?” A twisted grin revealed his pearly white teeth. “I know I am. To think I almost missed this. I was just about to head off to my favorite hotspot and I got the call for this intervention.”

I couldn’t move. My thoughts jumbled. I wanted to scream out for help, but who would hear?

“I am hoping you don’t want to do this the easy way. Ziona has brought it to my attention that you have something she desires. Would you like to share it with me?” As he moved a pace closer, he began to unbutton his sleeves, rolling each cuff slowly and meticulously. He never took his eyes off of me.

My absent stare wasn’t an answer at all. If I even had one for him, fear had all but stolen my tongue. Not that he was interested in my compliance.

“I see.” Finishing the other cuff, he glanced down to approve of their symmetrical position.

A whole new world of darkness approached me. It was happening so fast, but time seemed to stand still. It felt like an eternity of despair.

He crouched down in front of me, his breath hot and smelling like a smoldering fire. He leaned over my head and took in a deep breath of my hair, gathering the strands and licking them.

My body shook. I could hardly breathe. “Please… no…”

He inhaled again like an animal sniffing its prey, tilting his head and raising it with his inward breath. I pushed myself against the wall with nowhere to go.

His eyes started to show signs of color. The black orbs shrank into slivers at the center surrounded by orange and yellow rings, his optic stare now glowing green. The skin on his face started to buckle and swell and leathery scales replaced his tight onyx skin. His nose began to widen and his nostrils flared out.

“I… I can’t. I… don’t know…” My eyes were as wide as they could stretch.

He leaned in hard against me. I turned my head away and tried to push against his immovable chest. It was like pushing a brick wall. A tear escaped my eye and rolled down my cheek.

His hot breath filled my ear. “I will break you. You will show us what you are or I will take you for what you are not.”

Both his hands gripped my arms and his fingers burned into my flesh as he wrapped them tightly around my biceps. I let out a scream so loud I could barely hear his maniacal laugh as he hoisted me up to my feet.

He pressed his cheek to my jaw and then nuzzled his nose against mine aggressively to turn my face. He wouldn’t allow me to look away. His breath was so hot I feared it might scorch my skin. His breathing had become more sporadic and smoke spilled from his nostrils. I turned my head away as hard as I could. He took the opportunity to slither his acrid tongue along my jawline, removing the remains of my tear.

Panic set in so hard, I was frozen with fear. Waves of terror crashed over me at such a rapid pace I felt like I was drowning in it. I tilted my head up and shut my eyes. My guttural cries were so loud I wasn’t sure they actually came from me.

“You should know how much I love to hear you scream. Flattery will get you everywhere with me.” He trailed off with some kind of growling roar. I felt it vibrating in my chest. “We are just getting started, Red.”

He pressed himself hard against me just before easing back enough to show me his hands that now looked a little more like paws with talons. He lifted a claw up to my face, and with just enough pressure to scratch but not break my skin, trailed it down my cheek. He continued down toward my chest, splitting open the front of my shirt.

“Oh, please, NO!” I couldn’t help but beg. I didn’t know what was worse—what was happening at that very second or the images of what would come next.

Anton whipped me around and slammed my face against the wall so hard it almost knocked the wind out of me. It also gave me half a second to think. What could I do? How could I get out of there or get him off of me?

He punched me just under the ribs. My body wanted to collapse, but instead, I again found his serpent-like structure compressing me into the wall. I could hear him breathing me in, his hot stench encircling my face from behind while he played with my hair.

“How I love the color red. And you taste so good.” He kept licking my hair. The sound of his wet tongue slurping away disgusted me. As if I didn’t feel dirty enough. “Good enough to eat.

“What is it they want from you? Maybe it has something to do with how good you smell.” He buried his snout into my neck. “I am not sure that I care what they want. I sure do know what I want.”

I could hardly breathe enough to cry. The tears may not have been falling, but my sniveling was in full effect.

I felt his blistering hands glide up my thighs toward my abdomen. Anton delivered another blow to the same area just beneath my right rib. “After a while, it won’t hurt anymore. You will numb out and then you will beg me for more. You will need to know you can still feel.”

I felt him release me just enough to slash his claws across my back. As I crumbled to the ground, my pain echoed in the room. I could feel my hot blood dripping down my back. My shirt was still intact enough to soak up some of the blood, and it stuck to my skin.

There was no time to catch my breath from the pain of the slashing. My hair was in his grip, and he lifted me off the ground by my tresses.

“My little plaything, beg me to close those wounds. Show me your gifts. Share with me what you treasure most.” Smoke billowed out of what was once his nose. He tossed his head from side to side as he roared.

“Never! I’d never willingly share any part of me with you or your cohorts!” I spit in his face.

He wasted no time backhanding me across the face and back down to the floor. At this point, he proceeded to work me over, never forgetting about the same spot just under my ribs. He was right about it hurting so bad that I almost couldn’t feel the pain anymore.

“Are you enjoying yourself yet? Are you ready to beg me for more? Let me show you how we can keep having this much fun.” He turned me around with my face kissing the cold floor. I felt him lift the rear of my shirt.

I could feel it tearing away at my wounds. The shirt had started to adhere to the edges where the blood coagulated. Shivers ran down my spine with each inch of flesh he revealed. I could feel that my back was still bleeding and the blood was trickling down my sides toward my belly.

And there it was. His repulsive tongue slithered over the wounds, burning my oozing flesh. He stroked back and forth with an ugly passion for my blood. It felt like someone poured hot salty wax over my lesions.

He thrust back down what was left of my shirt. “I have never tasted blood so pure and ripe. I can usually taste the difference between different breeds or a human. What are you?”

I tried to focus enough to project myself out of my body. There was nothing I could do to defend myself against this monster. All I could conjure was anger and fear. How could Gram allow this to happen to me? How could I protect myself if I didn’t know about any of this?

I called out for her. I called out against her. I just called out… “Gram!”

Every last bit of energy went into my wail. If there were ever a chance I could beckon her to me, now would be the time. Now in a fetal position on the floor, I reached up for my amulet. I grasped it with both hands and willed her to hear my cries.

Everything around me fell away. My eyes again filled with only darkness. I knew not at that moment if I was even still alive. A glowing orb in the distance grew brighter by the second. As the light subsided, all I could see was my grandmother’s white face and silver hair cascading around her shoulders.

“Am I dead?” I whispered

“No, my child. I am so sorry this is happening to you. You will find your inner truth and I will find a way to help you reach your potential. Your heart will link you to your truest self.

“He who attempts to break you is Anton Leviath. He is of the dragon’s blood. It takes the blood of the dragon to release the dragon’s blood. The amulet will keep you strong and enhance your connections to the elements. You cannot defeat him. He is held by The Taker with a bridle. His freedom is his weakness. You must oppose the force that resides inside him.”

“What? Gram, please, now isn’t the time for your riddles. He’s going to kill me.” My voice was all of me that existed there and it quivered with fear and confusion.

“Remember the blood. An eye for an eye, they always say.” Gram winked at me, then faded away into the darkness and I faded back into my grim reality.