Night's Captive

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Also by Cheyenne McCray

  Excerpt… Lace and Lassos

  Excerpt… Silk and Spurs

  Excerpt… Dark Seduction

  Excerpt… The Auction: Sold

  About Cheyenne

  Night’s Captive

  Dark Enforcers

  Cheyenne McCray

  Copyright © 2011 by Cheyenne McCray

  All rights reserved. No part of this e-Book may be reproduced in whole or in part, scanned, photocopied, recorded, distributed in any printed or electronic form, or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without express written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This e-Book may not be re-sold or given away to anyone. If you would like to share this e-Book with another person, please purchase an additional copy or copies. If you are reading this e-Book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should purchase your own copy. Thank you for honoring the author’s work.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  E-book conversion by Bella Media Management.

  Published Pink Zebra Publishing

  First Edition e-Book 978-0-9834827-6-5

  Chapter 1

  Why hadn’t she ever noticed it before? Loni Stanfield frowned as she shoved light brown waves of hair behind her ear. She had lived here for some time now, yet had never seen the little bookstore tucked away between an art gallery and a jewelry store in Old Scottsdale. In fact, she had never noticed that there was even space for a store between the other two shops.

  The bookstore looked like it had been there forever. Yellowed sales flyers and book posters papered the windows and dust had accumulated at the corners of the glass of the old red brick storefront. Paint had started to peel off the green door and she could just see through its smudged glass panes. Selena’s Bookstore was stenciled across the large display window in white.

  Bookstores, old bookstores, were one of her favorite places. Ever. The moment she saw one it was like a magnet drew her into the store so that she could search the shelves for treasures. Like dusty old books with pages so old and almost brittle that she had to take care not to harm them as she read.

  The magnet-effect was no exception today, and she was glad to let it pull her straight to the green door. After the week she’d had, she needed some kind of escape and was more than happy to lose herself in a bookstore and then a good book.

  It wasn’t easy pushing aside the pain and disappointment that she’d experienced over the past week, but she would manage. Her boyfriend of two years, Barry, dumped her and the next day she learned that the aerospace company she worked for was downsizing and she might be out of a job.

  Well, she wasn’t going to think about any of that right now.

  Loni brushed her palm on her jeans, adjusted the strap of her purse, then reached for the worn brass door handle. The weight of the door surprised her as she opened it. The squeak of its hinges was almost drowned out by the tinkle of bells that were attached to the top of the door with frayed brown rope. How on earth had she never noticed this place before?

  The mystical smell of incense flowed over her as she entered. To the right of the door was a rectangular table with a variety of dragon and faerie incense holders on staggered wooden boxes as well as a big wooden box with slots that held twelve different types of incense.

  On the left side of the door was another table filled with pewter and crystal figurines of more dragons, along with faeries, elves, princesses, and castles, also elevated at different levels on wooden boxes. Three different sizes of crystal balls were on the far end of the table, light seeming to be absorbed by them as they remained dark with no reflection on their surfaces.

  As fun as those things were, what she had come for were the books. There were rows and rows and rows of used books, so many that the store looked bigger inside than it had from outside.

  Loni walked along the row on her left, her hands itching to touch the books. Shelves filled with classics, some of the spines worn and separating at the creases. She went to a large book that was face-out and picked it up. When she flipped through it, she saw that it was a book on shifters. On the cover, a huge jaguar perched at the top of a cliff, the sea crashing against the rock face below.

  What would it be like to be in a world of shifters? She smiled as she let her imagination run wild like she had as a child. Imagining paranormal beings had always been one of her escapes as she read—vampires, werewolves, witches, and shifters were among her favorites.

  She set the book back on the shelf and continued perusing, lightly skimming spines with the pad of her finger. When she neared the end of the first row she came up to an old wood and glass case. On top of the wood surface was an antiquated cash register with a receipt book and a pen lying beside it. Beneath the countertop was a display behind glass of old books and a stack of shirts. One was upside down with a logo and Selena’s Bookstore in script on the backside. Another one was face up with “fictional character” on the front.

  Oh, she definitely needed one of those. Sometimes she felt like a fictional character, as if she wasn’t real and her life was a storybook.

  “May I help you?”

  The melodic voice startled Loni and her elbow hit the glass of the display case as she turned to face the woman who had spoken. She winced but the pain was immediately forgotten as she met the most beautiful sea green eyes she had ever seen and a face so lovely she belonged in one of the books about fae from another world.

  “I am Selena.” The bell sleeve of the woman’s white blouse fell back to her elbow as she extended her hand to Loni.

  Loni took Selena’s hand and the woman gently squeezed her fingers. A warm, tingling sensation of pleasure traveled through Loni, gentle heat that seemed to relax her. Strangely, she didn’t want to let go of Selena’s hand. The warm sensation surprised her and she wondered if it was her imagination or the woman’s mesmerizing eyes that drew her in.

  Selena was tall, about six inches over Loni’s five-four. She was mature, aged, but had held her beauty. She released Loni’s hand and pushed back her long, silver hair over her shoulders and it tumbled down her back to the waistband of her flowing multi-colored skirt.

  “I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for.” Loni smiled at the beautiful woman, somehow feeling calm, happy even.

  “I have a gift for these things.” Selena returned Loni’s smile. “I can help you. Why don’t you tell me what you like most in a book?”

  “When I read, I like to get lost in worlds and become part of them. To experience them.” Loni tilted her head to the side as she thought about it. “Sometimes it’s hard to find authors who write like that. I don’t want to read about reality. When I read paranormal and magic written by a good author, I
lose myself in the book.”

  “What else?” Selena asked.

  “I love adventure.” Loni pushed her hair behind her ear, imagining what it might be like to actually live an exciting life instead of such a dull one. “I would love something that makes me feel like I’m right there.”

  “Adventure. Wonderful.” Selena nodded. “What kind of man interests you?”

  Loni blinked. “There’s not a man in this world I can trust. I’d have to say that a man who can be trusted, a man with integrity and heart, is an ideal man.”

  “Ah. You don’t think there’s a man you can trust and you love adventure.” Selena inclined her head toward the back of the store. “I like you and I do believe I have something special that you will enjoy.”

  Intrigued, Loni followed Selena through the store to the far back. The store was deeper than Loni could have imagined. She looked at all of the books and gave a happy sigh. Like a kid in a candy shop, that was how she felt in a bookstore.

  As they walked through the shop, Loni didn’t see any other customers. Other than Selena, she must have been the only one in the place.

  “Do you live in the Phoenix area?” Selena asked as they went through the store.

  “In Scottsdale.” Loni glanced at a shelf of thick books with worn red spines and wondered if they were a collection of stories or an old encyclopedia set. “I moved here a few months ago because I needed a change. A fresh start.”

  Selena glanced over her shoulder. “Do you have family here?”

  Loni shook her head. “I don’t have any close family. My parents passed away before I moved and I’m an only child. I imagine I have distant relatives somewhere, but my parents never kept in contact with them.”

  When they were at the very back of the bookstore, Selena opened a door and they walked into a small room. Loni looked in wonder at the lighted glass cases filled with books.

  “This is where I keep the most special books.” Selena produced a set of keys from her pocket then unlocked a wooden case near the center of the room. She pulled out a thick volume and handed it to Loni. “These are reserved for women who feel as you do, who want what you want.”

  The book’s weight surprised her. Dark Enforcers was the title and an A. L. Connor was the author. A man and woman were on the cover. The man held a sword in one hand while he had his other arm around the woman’s waist. The woman held one hand behind her back and she was holding a knife where the man couldn’t see it.

  The woman had fair skin that was pale against the man’s tanned flesh. Her long dark brown hair fell away from her face and she had bewitching green eyes.

  With a taut and muscular body, the man was just plain hot. His black hair had fallen over his brow and his brown eyes were fierce, almost unnervingly so. The characters were so lifelike, so real looking, that Loni could imagine them stepping right off of the cover.

  A sense of déjà vu swept over Loni and she blinked. Had she seen this book somewhere before?

  “It will be perfect for you.” Selena interrupted Loni’s thoughts. “I think you will find this book magical. You will be transported away from this world and into the next.”

  Loni met Selena’s lovely eyes and she held back a smile. “Promise?”

  “I promise. And I promise you will be left wanting to read more of them. That’s what a good writer does. She makes you want more.” Intrigued by the solemnness of Selena’s expression and amused by her words, Loni handed the book back to the woman. “I’ll take it.”

  They walked to the counter with the old cash register, Selena moving behind it and Loni standing in front. The price was surprisingly low for such a large book. She asked for one of the “fictional character” shirts and Selena added it to the total.

  After Loni dug the cash out of her purse and paid, the woman handed her the bag with the book and shirt. “Thank you, Loni,” she said. “Enjoy.”

  It wasn’t until she was halfway home that Loni realized she had never told Selena her name, yet the woman had known it. Loni had even paid with cash, so the woman hadn’t seen one of her credit cards or her driver’s license. How had she known?

  Loni glanced at the book in its bag on the passenger seat of her car before looking back at the street as she drove the short distance to her home. She thought about the warm sensation she’d had when she met the woman. The experience had been completely odd, but for some reason, despite jerk ex-boyfriends and worries about losing her job, in that moment Loni felt happier than she had in a long time.

  * * * * *

  After eating leftover Chinese takeout for dinner and taking a nice warm shower, and after setting her alarm system, Loni wore her fictional character shirt as a nightshirt and curled up in her bed with her new book.

  Her hair was still a little damp and smelled of apple shampoo. She had the luxurious feeling of having just showered and she was cuddled in freshly cleaned sheets and her grandmother’s quilt, and propped up against a mountain of pillows.

  She picked up the book from her nightstand and had the same warm sensation she had felt when the woman at the bookstore touched her hand. She carefully opened the volume, enjoying the musty scent that old books had. Only a true book lover could appreciate the smell. The volume was beautifully illustrated, something she hadn’t even noticed since she had never opened it at the shop. Funny but she had bought it based on recommendation and cover alone.

  The first illustration was a page showing the full scene rather than just the vignette of the man and woman on the front cover. The dagger the woman held in her hand seemed to glint beneath the moonlight.

  As Loni stared at the picture, again a strong sense of déjà vu washed over her. She shook it off and studied the dark-haired man.

  With her fingertip she traced the man’s shoulder down his powerful biceps to his strong forearm. She felt like she had done that before, only in real life. He held the woman’s hand in his own and he looked at her with fierce hunger in his brown eyes, and even a sense of ownership was in his gaze.

  To be looked at like that…to be desired like that. Like the stars and moon were his to give her and he would. He would do anything for her.

  Loni sighed. A man like that would be amazing.

  Nothing like Barry. Although, when she thought about it, she wasn’t giving Barry any credit. She had loved him, and it had been mostly good when they were together. But the way he had left her had been painful and it wasn’t going to be easy to get over it.

  Of course if she had a man like the one in the book… It might be plenty easy to get over Barry.

  Loni smiled and snuggled deeper under her covers then opened the book to page one. Time for a little escape.

  The pages flew by as the story dove into a dark underworld filled with shifters, vampires, and other paranormal creatures. She found herself holding her breath as she fell deeper and deeper into the story. It was a thrilling game of cat and mouse, of intrigue and betrayal.

  The hero was hot enough to make her squirm with longing and desire. From the way he fought each battle to the power and intensity of his relationship with the woman he worked with—and slept with—he made Loni long for more. Made her long for an Alec in her own life and made her long for an adventure of her own.

  She pulled herself out of the story toward the end of the book to catch her breath. Her fingers ached from clenching the book so tightly as she read. She relaxed her grip and slipped into the next chapter.

  City lights glinted through the part in the curtains at the large picture window directly in front of them as Alec and Marie entered her darkened apartment. The fight with Dawson’s men in the alleyway downtown, and the adrenaline rush that had accompanied it, made him feel hyped up and in need of an outlet. He sensed Marie’s need was as great as his.

  His blood boiled as he met Marie’s bewitching green eyes. He brought her into his arms in the middle of the room and he brushed his knuckles across her cheek. He took her face in his hands, feeling the softness of her long, dar
k hair over his fingers. He lowered his face and her breath was warm against his lips.

  His mouth met hers and she opened up to him. He darted his tongue inside tasting her sweet flavor as his hands moved down to her breasts and he rubbed his thumbs over her hard nipples through her T-shirt.

  She molded her body against his and moaned as his erection pressed into her belly. His cock was hard, aching for her. He loved how her body looked when she was naked and could almost feel what it was like to slide inside of her.

  He eased his hands over her shoulders and smoothed them along her sides to her weapons belt at the waistband of her jeans. His palms continued, going over the gentle flair of her hips.

  Heat burned through him as she kissed him back, almost fiercely and he moved his hands to her waist.

  A subtle shift in the way she held herself caused him to tense inside. Something about the way she held herself in his arms, something about what now felt like deliberate and not sensual movements.

  He broke the kiss. In a split second his hand snapped up and caught her wrist as she plunged her dagger toward his back.

  A snarl twisted her beautiful lips and her green eyes flashed with a fierce look of hatred. “You were supposed to die in that alleyway tonight,” she shouted. “Not them.” She struggled against his hold on her wrist, trying to bring the knife down. “It’s your turn to die.”

  Shock at her betrayal almost had him reeling. She had used him.

  Fury burned through him as it came to him so clearly now. Now that she had taken what information she wanted, she was attempting to eliminate him.

  She sent a knee toward his balls then started to twist away. She was beyond quick, agile, and strong, and he knew better than to underestimate her.

  He dodged her knee and swept his foot out to take her down 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.