Taken (Breaking the Darkness) by Felicia Starr Read Free Book Online Page A

really in no shape to fight or take another shellacking.
    My heart pounded loud and fast. I could feel the throbbing in my eardrums. Moisture accumulated on the palms of my hands. I tried to remember to breathe, but only short spurts of air entered and exited my nose. Demanding my eyes to focus on what was about to come through that door was no easy task in the dark.
    A small light, if you want to call it that, started to glow just above the toilet. It provided just enough light to create a room full of shadows. With my attention momentarily distracted, I failed to see from where she came. It was as if she walked out of the shadows.
    The clothes plastered to her body hadn’t changed, so the day was probably still the same.
    I knew this woman was a force to be reckoned with. I wasn’t about to provoke her in any way. Cowering in the corner was also not an acceptable choice. My false sense of bravado could get me killed, but I wouldn’t let her think I was intimidated by her.
    She sauntered slowly toward me. Her black eyes stalked me as she circled past. She would claim the attention of any room she entered. I was by no means short, and she stood at least a head taller. I was amazed at the amount of femininity she was able to maintain with her size.
    She approached me with her extended pointer finger. Her long, curved red fingernail swept just under my jaw, forcefully lifting my chin. Her head wavered side to side as she searched my face.
    “Did you have a nice rest?” Her face lacked expression and her words were flat.
    I pressed my lips shut and my feet remained planted on the floor. I already knew how spontaneously her approach could change. No answer I could come up with would hold her at bay.
    “I think you understand from our last encounter that I am not here to mess around. You will respect me and respond to my questions and commands.”
    With a half step back, she scanned me from head to toe. My face displayed no signs of emotion other than my disdain for her and my situation. She quickly drove that same finger into my shoulder hard enough to knock me back onto the bed.
    “We can do this the hard way.” She leaned down and her voice dropped. “I actually prefer it that way. It is entirely up to you.
    “Now, what is so special about you? What powers do you possess?”
    Taking a big chance and standing back up, I replied, “I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m about as average as they come. Powers? You can’t be serious!”
    I should’ve known it was coming. The back of her hand cracked me in the face, but not hard enough to break my stance. A warning.
    “Really? You can keep slapping me and pushing me around, but my answer is still the same. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Quite frankly, this is crazy. People don’t have powers. The only abilities I have are in the kitchen. Who are you, anyway?”
    “What is crazy is that you stand here and lie to my face. You will call me Ziona.
    “You are here because he believes you have what he needs. I am not sure you are anything special. I am quite familiar with your grandmother.” Her foreboding black orbs were like daggers. “You know something. She would have taught you and guided you to understand your potential.”
    My eyeballs almost burst right out of their sockets. “My grandmother? She taught me many things. She taught me to laugh a lot and how to make a lot of funky teas. She told me to keep to myself, that people must earn trust. As far as my potential, she told me I would be a strong woman and power came from a good education. What is it you think you know about my grandmother anyway?” I didn’t like her speaking of or insinuating anything about her.
    Ziona scrunched her eyebrows and snickered. “Magenta Alexander, your grandmother made a lot more than tea. You can’t seriously think that I believe you could be so naive? She and her teas , as you like to call them, have been on our radar for a long time.
    “You