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Enthralled |
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Taken, confined and kept in the
dark, Tess is surrounded by shadow...and she likes it. Excerpt: “We found
one for you.” Looking down into the swirling vortex of darkness that
was refusing to communicate until its needs were met took more nerve
than Dr. Mavich was willing to admit. Knowing that, at any moment, a
tendril of the shadow could lash out and incapacitate him was unnerving
to say the least. When the voice came from the maelstrom below, it was
almost a relief. “She matches the
specifications?” The voice was deep enough to be felt and heard at the
same time. “She does. We had to rescue her
from Soorn and he was not happy about it, but we have her in a storage
pod.” “Bring her to me.” Now was the time to make the deal.
“Will you fight?” “Allow me a few hours with her and
I will.” Dr. Mavich breathed a sigh of
relief. “Two hours. That is all the time that can be spared. There is
a large gathering and they are requesting your particular talents for a
bout. Do you have any preferences for an opponent?” The shadows shifted and almost
showed the form of the being within. “Soorn.” The word reverberated
on the walls of his enclosure and shook the stone until it hummed. “They will not give you Soorn.
Someone else?” “If it is not him, then it does
not matter. Bring her to me now.” The swirl and snap of the shadows
indicated eagerness. Dr. Mavich almost pitied the female
in that moment. * * * * Clawing at
the interior of the storage pod had done nothing but bloody her fingers.
They had left her in the dark with only her memories of the attack to
keep her company. Horror welled as shadows of colleagues wandered in the
darkness around her pod. Some were missing features, some had been
gutted by debris, but all were looking at her with silent accusation.
Why was she still alive when they were snuffed out with no warning? Tess slumped in defeat and let
despair wash through her. Her life was going to be short and judging by
the comments of the medical staff, unpleasant. With nothing to distract her, Tess
thought back to the events that had brought her here. Her talent for
languages and fascination for trade records earned her a place in the
Volunteer ranks on Terra. Her family was proud and quite happy to have
her in such a prestigious position. She had never been happy just
plodding along day by day. There had been tears when she had
boarded the shuttle to the Apparently, she was wrong. When the opportunity for the
position in Barco had arisen, she had jumped at the chance to have
access to the Nyal archives. Few, if any, linguists had had a chance to
investigate the ancient trade documents. She had been on a short list of
five who were considered for the position. Tess said yes and here she
was. Why hadn’t she taken the posting
on Azon? Tess kicked herself mentally as she lay trapped in the pod. She
could have been mated to a nice researcher by now and living in a modest
home on Azon or one of its colonies. Well, hindsight was always 20/20. A light flicked on in the storage
area where they were keeping her and she put her bleeding hands up in
front of her eyes. She guessed that she had been in the tube for nine
hours or so, based on how hungry she was. “He wants to see you. Now.” The
medical officer stroked the keys on the side of her pod and she was
moving. Rolling through hallways filled with
light burned Tess’s eyes. The cuts that the shards had left behind had
swollen her lids so that they only opened to slits. Her pod was a clear
plexi on the exterior, heat and air were the only things that were built
in and those units were under her feet. She was completely exposed and
didn’t like it one bit. At least she still had the shredded
remains of her robe around her. It had allowed her that little bit of
dignity before they dumped her in the pod for safekeeping. The slashes
on her clothing barely allowed it to hold together, but it kept her from
complete panic as they passed any number of horrific creatures in the
hall that looked at her with unabashed curiosity. Some were recognizable
species but most were not. The academic portion of her wondered what
their species’ names were and some were obvious blends. Her mind
whirled with the possibilities of researching those races. They paused in front of two giant
doors and her escort tapped in a code to open them. A light blazed to
life, illuminating the doorway and a few feet inside it. “Here we are.
I will be back to collect your pod in two hours if you are still
alive.” The officer was very matter of fact as he shoved her though
the doors and closed them behind her. Shadows surrounded her pod,
caressing and gently exploring. She realized that they were physical
when they managed to open her pod. The hiss of air as it opened made her
whimper in fear. The dark tendrils were different from the natural
darkness, more solid somehow. Welcome,
little one. The
shadows surrounded her, warm black velvet on her sensitive and
abused skin. They lifted her from the pod and cradled her gently as they
transported her into the heart of the darkness. Terror was fighting with the comfort
she felt at the calming touch. “What are you?” I
am Vere of Admar. Those here call me the shadow. “Admar? Isn’t that the elf
world?” So
your species called us over a thousand years ago. She was floated into the presence of
two burning red eyes in a sea of darkness. You
were injured? “Yes. But your demand for my
presence saved me from getting my arms and legs blown off.” “Soorn.” The sound of his voice shook her. It
stroked parts of her that he could not touch through her clothing. “Yes. That’s what he said his
name was.” “I have requested him as my next
opponent, but I doubt that they will let me have him.” Shadows stroked
her hair and she sighed in relaxation. His gentleness was almost her
undoing. Tears started to form and only a sharp inhalation of breath
stopped them from falling. His shadows pulled her to him and
she floated into his arms. For now, she was safe. She let him hold her like a child,
cradled in his arms. She lifted her hand and pulled a handful of his
hair over one shoulder, surprised that it was bright white. “How did
you get here?” “The Admaryn have portals to
hundreds of worlds, all hidden under ground. We don’t travel well in
ships, so we developed an alternate form of transport. We used the power
from our world to move between them.” He didn’t pull his hair from
her grasp but let her continue to examine its texture. “Do they know all of this?” “No, and I will have to take your
memory of this information before you leave, or they will take it from
you.” His fingers stroked her cheek. “I will be gentle with your
mind. I promise.” “That was you, speaking in my mind
when I first came in here, wasn’t it?” “It was. It is easier for me to
communicate that way sometimes—through the touch of the shadows.” Vere brushed his lips against her
forehead, a soothing warmth flowed from everywhere he touched her. Her
cheek blazed with sensation as he touched it, the trail of his fingers
lighting the way down her neck until she shivered with a heat that was
not localized above the waist. Curious, she lifted her lips to
touch his and the blaze that kicked through her at the innocent touch
took her breath away. She cupped his cheek with her hand, stroking the
hard line of his jaw while she leaned up for another kiss. This time, she flicked her tongue
out to taste him and his answering groan and the tangling of his hands
in her hair proved that her little exploration was welcomed. When she
tried to pull back, he fought her but only for an instant before he let
her go. “Wow.” “Indeed. It’s nice to know that
my instincts did not fail me.” He smiled at her and the heat in his
deep red eyes burned into her soul, lighting her from within. To cover her pounding heart, she
smiled, “Instinct?” “I have been asleep for a very
long time. When you passed Admar, my cold sleep ended and I woke with
one purpose.” “Which was?” “To find you.”
The first book in this set ... Entranced available from Extasy Books The second book in this set ... Entwined available from Extasy Books The Third book in this set...Enchanted available from Extasy Books
Enthralled...available
from Extasy Books
Viola Grace Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved |
