Forstaken Read Online Free

the beginning of feeling. It was the same sensation you got
when your feet were asleep due to lack of circulation. Even though he was
currently in human form, he didn’t normally experience this type of human circulatory
sensation, but he’d studied it. He glared down at his own legs and suddenly
realized two important things.
    He’d been
drugged with something lethal to a merman and that doofus cowboy had taken his
girl.
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    By the time
Byron exited the locker room, undetected, the sun had already begun to set. How
many hours had it been since Nadia had been taken? At least five or six?
    He wasn’t sure,
but he made his way back to the parking lot to find only puddles of soapy water
remaining. No sign of Nadia there and only a few cars remained in the lot, most
likely belonging to the cheerleaders still on-site.
    The keys to
his car were in his pocket, and he slid behind the wheel starting the engine
and shoving it into gear but then unsure of where to go next.
    Someone knew who he was, and they
knew how to kill him. Neither bit of information would be available to the
average mortal. This meant whoever had taken Nadia was either a non-mortal or
was working for someone else in the supernatural realm.
    He took a
couple of deep breaths and tried to focus. The feeling in his legs had returned
almost fully by the time he’d made the walk to his car. Only a few tiny
particles of the drug remained in his system now, and he was damned lucky. He
wasn’t sure if Nadia’s captors had simply misjudged the amount of poison, or if
they were only trying to incapacitate him temporarily. He assumed the former
because it was really impossible to measure the amount. They’d been willing to
risk his life.
    But why would
anyone want Nadia? Unless they were really trying to get to him, or get to his
mother, perhaps? His mother was Vellamo, the goddess of water. Since his father
had died, she’d been both courted and hunted by every sea creature in
existence. Their current battle was with the feared Tursas, and it was a battle
he must fight when he returned home.  
    But Nadia had
nothing to do with his other life. He was sure she had no clue who or what he
really was. After all, there’s no way she’d love him if she knew he was only
half man. Being the sole heir to his mother’s kingdom under the sea wasn’t
something he knew how to explain.
    ****
    The man in the
black cape extracted a large wad of cash from the lockbox and proceeded to
painstakingly count each piece. The room was silent, but Nadia could hear her
own heart behind her eardrums.
    The cowboy had
moved closer to her and was peering at her with a look of hunger. She swore at
any moment he would pull out a knife and fork and begin chowing down on her. He
gave her the uber-creeps.
    Finally, the
money manager completed his task and turned to hand the money to the cowboy. He
paused when he observed the cowboy’s current proximity to her.
    “Shadee, just
what do you think you’re doing?”
    The cowboy
didn’t take his eyes off Nadia when he said, “I know we agreed on a certain
price for me to track her down and deliver her to you, but you can keep your
money.”
    Black cape man
squinted his eyes. “Oh, really?”
    Cowboy gave a
quick nod.
    “Yesiree. I’ll
waive your fee for my private investigatory services under one condition.”
    Black cape man
waited, wordlessly.
    “Let me have
just one little taste of her.”
    Nadia flinched
at the words. She’d been totally right about him. This guy was a creep, and he
wanted to eat her. What fresh hell was this place?
    Black cape man
took two quick steps forward and proceeded to backhand the cowboy named Shadee
across the face. The movement was so sudden there was no way he had seen it
coming.
    Shadee flew
back against the wall with a thud. Sharp, pointed teeth emerged from his mouth followed
by a hiss-like sound.
    “Fuck you,
Dagger.” He snarled but made no retaliatory move against his