Night's Captive Read Free

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!”