Taken (Breaking the Darkness) (13 page)

“To be honest with you, we are optimistic that it is you,” Patience retorted. “The darkest of forces have been growing. A war may be battled amongst them soon. Heaven forbid the destruction of anything or anyone that stands between them.”

“How can no one know this is going on? What kind of dark forces? What am I supposed to do?” I was a terrified young woman trapped in a cell somewhere and I just wanted to get out to have a cup of coffee with a handsome guy.

“We will do what we can to guide you through whatever transition you may face. The possibilities are endless. Your bloodline carries an untold level of uniqueness. Not knowing who your father is adds to the unknown possibilities.

“We’re going to try and contact your grandmother. She has always had a lot of knowledge about these sorts of things. She is now on the other side and can see and access things we cannot. She also knew many powerful people over the years. She
helped
a lot of people, shall we say. I know a few mediums. I have put out feelers to them. I’m sure we will be able to get somewhere with that soon.” Phaela sat down and sipped on her tea as if we were talking about knitting or growing watermelons.

My frustration and rage was building. What was I going to do? I had no interest in being an indentured servant to an evil crime lord or whatever. If I fought back against Ziona without knowing what was beyond the doors, I could bring about much worse situations for myself.

“What about my amulet? Have you found out anything about it?” I absently caressed my chest, looking for something to help ease my mental anguish.

“Patience, she is asking about the amulet.”

“My Axel is working on it. You know how he loves some good old-fashioned research.” Patience’s lips thinned out in an attempt to curve up at the corners.

“Great. So where are we, then? I’m still in the same situation. What am I supposed to do or say to this crazy evil woman when she comes back? Nothing I say to her can put me in a better position. This situation keeps getting crappier by the minute.”

They both just stared at me. Or, in Patience’s case, in my direction. I knew they wanted to help, but they might have scared me more than Ziona. I couldn’t stand it for another second. I had to get out of there.

“Good luck with all that research.” I huffed off like the wind.

MY EMOTIONS WERE running rampant. I had nowhere to go and no one to express them to. Most of all, I was riddled with anger. I loved Gram so very much; it was hard to allow myself to be angry with her. The truth was that I was flipping mighty pissed at her. I was angry at my mother for all the obvious reasons. I was even angry at Patience and Axel for not being truthful with me from the beginning. Now was as good a time as any to let those emotions flow. I’d kept them caged up most of my life.

My life felt like a giant lie. I would have loved to deny it, but there was no stopping myself from all the anger I directed internally. It burned a hole to the bottom of my core. It was now hard not to second-guess everything. Everything that Gram said to me and everything I’d ever felt. What did I miss? How did I miss so much?

Graven might be the only person I wasn’t mad at. I didn’t even know him, but so far he was the only one who’d been up front with me. At least he told me there were things he shouldn’t tell me at that time. It might not have been all of the truth, but at least he had the decency to tell me he was keeping me in the dark.

I needed to get back to the room, but I just couldn’t. What would happen to me if I didn’t go back? I guess at the point when someone starts beating the crap out of me again I would’ve been jolted back. That would suck.

I started to just move through space. The anger propelled me faster and faster. The air around me zipped and zoomed, licking at my face. Pain bellowed from the depths of my soul. I became the sound of rumbling air, emitting a noise I’d never heard before. I had no idea where it came from. If I wasn’t so lost in my own distress, it might have scared me.

Reluctantly declining my speed, I eased back and tried to enjoy the glittery lights that danced in the mist. It was like tiny drops of color shooting past me. I felt like I traveled through a glitter-filled cloud.

Letting the steam out of my sails helped me focus on my reality. I only had the option to face it. There was no denying whatever awaited me in the darkness. I chose to accept that no one would come for me or find me. If that were the case, then I had nothing to lose but loss itself.

I was apparently something worth holding on to. Clearly, at this point they felt I was valuable alive. If that weren’t the case, I’m sure I would’ve been dead long ago. My captors didn’t seem the type for pleasantries or asking nicely for things. My level of comfort was sure to be a thing of the past. Ziona made it pretty clear that my chances of cooperating were about to run out.

I was willing to call her bluff in an attempt to escape. If I gave in to her, there was a good chance I would still not ever get out of there, dead or alive. I preferred to get out alive and as soon as possible. It wouldn’t be an easy fight against her, but I was willing to give it my all. I would sooner die than become a slave to the dark and evil empire of The Taker. I knew she wouldn’t kill me. She needed me. And
he
wanted me.

My eyes opened back to the gloomy nothingness of the black cell. I wasn’t ready to let this become my home. No way could I allow my life to be stolen from me. Certainly not based on a prophecy of me possibly being some super human that was about to transform into an unspoken treasure.

My body was so sore. It had been sitting in lotus pose for hours. Some stretches would go a long way to get the feeling back in my legs. I stood, arching my back and swinging my arms around in circles. It never felt so good. I was going to need to walk off the pins and needles in my feet.

It amazed me how tired I kept getting. Other than my exchange with Ziona and her boots and a few exercises, I’d done very little physical activity. For some reason I kept forgetting how deprived of nutrients my body was. My nervous pacing or leg shaking wasn’t a great means of preserving my energy to take charge of my destiny.

I eased back onto the crappy bed yet again. Rest and the possible chance at a relaxing sensual dream with Kaden would be a welcome distraction. I considered the possibility of focusing on him like I did when I wanted to try and travel to him. I wanted to evoke him into my dreams; I craved him.

For the first time, I embraced the silence. My thoughts faded away into the darkness. Basking in the daylight with a sun-kissed hunk was enough to get through the moments that passed until I drifted off to sleep.

MY EYES OPENED and my heart sang at the sign of a blue sky and white fluffy clouds. I stood amidst a field of wild flowers. While spinning around soaking in all the colors, I noticed the field was encased in giant oak trees. I couldn’t be bothered to wonder about what resided beyond them.

I was elated by the fact that my feet were free from any hindrances. The grass beneath the flowers tickled my soles. The softness soothed my worries away. With my cares left behind in the real world, I took what I could get.

I threw my arms up in the air and tossed my head back and began to spin, dancing about like a little girl. The clouds swirled in the sky above me, and my laughter bounced back off the trees.

“Ah. Are you not a sight of pure beauty?”

I stopped short and lost my balance. I fell to the ground, and the earth around me spun at an angle. The trees took their rightful place back at the edge of the enclosure. I found myself sitting at the feet of Kaden. He took my breath away, not just because he startled me either.

His eyes squinted as his plump lips curled up on one side. His left eyebrow rose and his hand extended, inviting me to take it. With a schoolgirl giggle, I accepted his help and got to my feet.

“We never did get to finish our picnic. Care for a snack? I fixed you something sweet, just like you.”

Really? That was a lame line, but I took the bait. I was ready to sink my teeth into something, preferably him.

We turned back around and there was the same checkered blanket sprawled out, surrounded by a rainbow of colors. This time there were plush pillows around the edges. At the center of the blanket stood two crystal flutes filled with bubbles. There was a plate decorated with chocolate-covered strawberries and a bowl of what looked like fresh whipped cream.

I allowed him to lead me by the hand to our perfect little picnic. Butterflies danced in my belly; they may have carried me to the blanket. This wasn’t a picnic for casual friends.

Sitting on the plush pillow was all the luxury I needed. I rubbed my hand over the satin fabric and enjoyed the silky texture beneath my fingertips. The colors in the pillows only enhanced the beauty of the surrounding flowers. If Gram were here, she would have found a way to incorporate a lesson about the healing components that our surroundings had to offer.

Kaden interrupted my wandering thoughts. “You seem so distracted. Is there something on your mind?” He placed his hand on top of mine. The heat that surged through me was incredible.

“Hmmm… Yeah. I just miss my grandmother. I don’t know if I mentioned that she recently passed.”

“I am sorry to hear that.” He passed me a glass of bubbly. “Were you close with her?”

“Yes, very. She raised me. I lived most of my life with her.” I took a deep breath. I just sat there watching the bubbles rise up in my glass and disappear. “I always thought we were very close.”

“Why do you say it like that? Why wouldn’t you be close now?” His words were tender and kind, but his eyes told me something a little different.

“It just seems like she kept a lot of secrets from me. I know she always told me I was special, but don’t all grandmothers tell that to their grandbabies?” I wanted to look deep into his green eyes and lose myself, but I watched my finger circle the rim of my glass over and over again instead. Maybe a part of me hoped the slight hum I created would drown out the painful thoughts.

“You’re quite special indeed.” His hand tucked my hair behind my ear. “Your beauty is captivating. There’s something unique about you.” His fingers stroked the side of my face, sending shivers down my body. It was hard to hide the excitement he caused in me.

I could no longer keep my eyes fixed on my glass. I looked up to meet his gaze. “Thank you,” I whispered shyly.

His hand followed down my shoulder and back to my hand. He held it with just the right amount of pressure that I knew he wanted to touch more. Hell, I wanted him to touch my very existence. If only I were able to get lost in the euphoria that I assumed he could offer me.

He dipped a chocolate-covered strawberry in the whipped cream and lifted it to my mouth. I wrapped my lips around the tip and took a bite. Bits of chocolate shell fell from the fruit as he pulled it away. I could feel the wet bit of whipped cream that smeared onto my top lip. Just as I was about to wipe it away, I found his lips draped over mine. He slowly sucked the whipped cream. The connection breaking made a popping sound. “So sweet,” he all but whispered.

I couldn’t help but giggle a little. I could feel my face heat from the excess blood. That might not have been the best reaction. My innocence became much more obvious than I would have preferred. I wanted him to devour me. Instead, he lifted the half-eaten strawberry to his mouth and finished all but the stem.

It felt good being desired for something other than the mysterious gifts I was to inherit. It filled the emptiness that had been eating away inside me.

I dipped my finger in the sweet, white fluffy cream and sucked it off slowly, keeping my eyes locked in on him. I wanted Kaden to know I wanted him too.

He gave me a devilish little smile and dipped his finger in the bowl. Instead of removing it with his own mouth, he slid his finger into mine. He tasted good. My tongue danced around his finger as I licked off the whipped cream. He moaned so loud a flock of birds scattered from a nearby tree. I imagined myself putting my lips all over his body.