54 Kidnapped!!!

After dinner, Talia left Cedric with King Cecil and Duke Andre and went to look for Devin and the nursemaids. She had told the nursemaids of the bedroom setup in the watchtower, but she wasn't sure if Anna and Portia knew where the watchtower was.

Past the dining room was the large parlor area where guests normally mingled and had drinks from the bar at the far end.

On a whim, Talia poked in and took a look at the books that were taking up the place of what was once shelves used to hold a few boring items of decoration.

Her mouth curled up into a smile as she saw the old books that had been rescued from the boxes in the watchtower on display in the parlor library area.

They were aged and well-worn, but they lent a mystic air of old legitimacy to the parlor with their presence. It was as if this inn had existed in the long distant past.

As Talia walked through the corner near the fireplace where the bookshelves were, she perused the titles with growing amazement.

'The Ancient Art of Wand-making'. 'The Care and Feeding of Baby Fauns'. 'How to Read Tea Leaves and Glass Globes'. 'The Basics of Potion Wine Making'.

Talia covered her mouth as she scanned the spines of the books.

For a moment, she wondered if these books should be out here in the parlor where anyone could just take off with them. Perhaps she should box them up and find a more fitting, more dignified and refined space for them.

Suddenly, her hackles rose as she felt a person standing behind her.

Talia half-turned her body to face her interloper. He was strikingly seductive and stunningly charismatic! Although he was slouching over her, Talia could tell that he was quite tall—around Cedric's height.

He wore purple court robes--obviously a royal member of some sort, but it did not take the robes for Talia to know he was noble. He exuded nobleness from the very air that he exhaled.

His deep black hair hung loose around his shoulders like raven wings, ready to take flight. His eyes were deep dark pools with a wild streak of red within the pupils. His face was angular and classically beautiful, with a strong jaw and a high narrow nose.

Talia held her breath. It was not his handsome face that she was focusing on.

It was his teeth.

The tips of his fangs could be seen, peeking out of his shapely red lips. This man was no human. He was most definitely a vampire!

There was only one way out of the corner she was standing in and he was immediately in her way.

He reached out with one hand and rested it against the library bookcase, effectively blocking her way out.

Talia's eyes darted about. There was one other way she could escape. She would have to duck under his arms.

"Don't even think about it." The man smiled. "You cannot escape unless I allow you to."

"What do you want from me?"

"Hmmm. Are you giving me choices? That sounds so decadent! How about we trade choices? You pick something you want from me and I'll pick something I want from you."

"I'm warning you. There are people all around us. All I have to do is scream and someone will come running." Talia threatened.

"Hmmm. We've barely begun to talk to each other. Don't you want to hear what my choice is?"

His eyes smiled in a gentle way, but Talia could sense the urgency in his smile. This man was a predator, looking at his prey with hungry eyes.

"I just want an hour of your time. You will not be harmed. In return, you will be very well-compensated for it. I promise you."

"No. Go away and leave me alone." Talia's hand reached out and grabbed a book.

Her eyes glanced down at it.

'The Ways of a Vampire'. Great. This was something she could have used for its content, but right this moment, the only thing it was good for was the fact that it was a hefty tome with a nice solid feel.

As he came closer, Talia took a swing at him. Before she could do anything, he waved a finger and the book went up into flames.

Talia gasped and let go of the burning book.

The man waved a hand again and the flames disappeared, leaving the book whole and unaffected by the flames.

Damn. He had tricked her!

"Ahhh. You're a feisty one. I like that." He looked at her with intensity. "You're quite a beauty too. I think I'm going to enjoy my hour spent with you."

"Go to hell!" She spat and opened her mouth to scream for help.

He reached out and tapped her throat. His finger was long and shapely, with a ring that held a blood ruby the size of a wren's egg.

A sharp momentary pain hit the back of her throat. Talia swallowed.

"Haaaahhh." Her voice came out in a breathy sigh.

Her eyes widened with horror as she realized she could not say a word! He had disengaged her vocal cords!!!

"As of this moment, you can breathe, but that is all you are allowed to do." He leaned in with a mischievous grin on his face.

This was not good. She had to get the hell out of this corner he had caged her within.

Ducking, with the full intention to run under his arm, Talia bolted.

She had barely taken two steps when she felt his arms pick her up. Once her feet no longer touched the ground, she had no leverage to do anything more than flail her arms.

Turning, she crooked her arm, ready to whack his head in, but the man had anticipated her actions.

He tapped her neck once with his fingers and Talia went limp. Then, he scooped her up by the waist and carried her like a lifeless rag doll.

The only thing left she had any control over was her darting pupils and her rapid forced breathing.

"Relax, woman. Stop panting so hard or you will hyperventilate." He shook his head.

Her response was even harder breathing.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just don't want you to hurt yourself trying to fight me." The stranger began hauling her out of the parlor and through the darkened hallway.

He had barely made it to the end of the hallway when Cedric, Cecil, and Andre appeared from the dining room.

"Hey, that's Talia!" Cecil called out as he caught sight of the man carrying the familiar figure of the beautiful woman he'd been eyeing for days.

"You! Stop!!!" Cecil yelled at the tall figure who was carrying Talia.

He turned to look at them and increased his pace. He was not going to stop or release his prey.

The three men began chasing after him. As Cedric ran, his body began to shift from man to beast. He needed the increased strength and senses of his wolf self to go after the man.

The man dove into one of the side rooms disappearing from sight.

"ROOAAARRRR"

Cedric roared as he chased after the figure into the darkened side room.

Through the pitch black room, Cedric's eyes could see well enough in the dark to know that the man and Talia were no longer inside.

He caught sight of the fluttering drapes from the open window and ran towards the opening. In the snow were a single set of footprints, leading away from the inn.

The man had made off with Talia into the snowy courtyard.