Night's Captive Read Free Page A

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.
    She had the feeling the man wanted her to run so that he could toy with her. Maybe like a cat might play with a mouse, planning to have a little fun before it ripped out its prey’s throat.
    “Please, no.” Her voice was hoarse with tears. “Please.”
    A part of her was having a hard time coming to terms with a man throwing fireballs with his hands. Was she dreaming? Was she still reading the book with magical characters and somehow living it as she read it?
    As crazy as it sounded, standing here facing a sorcerer in an alleyway was even crazier. And the way she ended up in the alleyway—impossible.
    She looked around her. There was nothing