Taken

Chapter 3

Ebony inhales sharply, the smell of burning wood fills her nostrils. The large shadow in the kitchen window tilts it's head.

Ebony sees fire, she blinks rapidly.

Something deep down wakes up.

"Run" it whispers

The large figure smacks a hand against the window, then it's gone.

Ebony freezes.

"Run" the voice whispers.

She hears plates smash, a table hits the wall. Feet thundering on the stairs.

"Run" the command comes again, louder this time.

The creature from the window, crashes through her gate, he stops and stares at her, his breathing heavy, his eyes unfocused. His black hair unkempt, his skin dirty, his lips pull back to reveal sharp, brown teeth.

Ebony steps back, the burning smell stronger now. He steps towards her. Stretching an arm out, he lunges. Ebony dodges quickly. She darts behind her attacker and kicks him hard in the back of the knees.

He growls as he hits the concrete path.

Quickly, he jumps onto all fours and snaps at her. His eyes dart from her to the parked cars, to the street lights, and back to her.

Ebony backs away. Whatever this man is on, it seriously messed him up. He lunges again and she kicks him hard in the nose. He rolls yelping.

He's back on all fours again, his back hunched, a loud snap echos around the street.

"RUN" the voice shouts.

Ebony turns and runs.

Retracing her steps, back down the street, across the road to the river bank, down the hill, through the deep forest that takes over the land past the river. She dumps her phone and keys into a bush and splashes into a nearby stream. She wades in deeper, as the sound of snapping twigs and footsteps or is that paws grows closer. She scoops up a handful of stones and throws them as far as she can. she hears the satisfying "plop, plop" of them landing before taking a breath and ducking underwater. She swims to the other side, where the water is deeper. Pulling herself between two rocks, she surfaces, hidden by the overhanging moss.

A large creature emerges from the trees. It sniffs and scans the water, seeing ripples it pauses. It looks to the water further up, where Ebony threw the rocks. It sniffs again, then growls in frustration. A large brown paw steps into the water, prowling the waters edge, the creature continues to sniff, it walks in circles between Ebony and where the rocks landed. Constantly sniffing and growling, clearly frustrated, trying to find something.

Her.

Ebony holds her breath

"Don't move." the voice comes again.

A sharp whistle comes from back towards the flat.

The creature reluctantly starts to retreat from the water. It pauses. Another whistle and it runs back towards Ebony's flat.

Ebony stays still, she dare not move. Pure instinct had told her to head into the water. It had thrown whatever that was off her scent.

"We're safe" the voice comes back into her head. Ebony takes a breath and swims back underwater between the two rocks. Silently, she surfaces, taking a big gulp of air. Her breath mists as she breathes out. The autumn night is cold but she doesn't feel it. She feels a warmth creep across her. She stands, the water waste deep, her hair lose and dripping.

"I can't go home." she whispers to herself.

"No, you can't" the voice answers.

Ebony pauses, then shakes away the thought of hearing things, must be the cold.

She wades out of the stream, stopping to listen. When she's happy nonone else is coming after her she locates her phone and keys. She shakes her hands dry and unlocks her phone.

Biting her bottom lip she stares at it, who does she call. Her parents will think she's mad. She can't tell them about strange men smashing up her apartment, cracking bones, voices in her head and huge furry brown creatures chasing her into the woods.

She had an imaginary friend once, Malka. They did everything together, when no one was around, Malka was always there. When she wasn't allowed to go to birthday parties or after school events, Malka was always a comfort her.

She remembered talking to Malka at the dinner table when she was seven or eight. Malka had told her a joke and she'd giggled outloud. "Malka, that was funny!"

Her parents reacted as if she'd commited the most hideous crime, they'd locked her in her room for four days. When she'd been let out, she was told imaginary friends are the work of evil and she was never to mention or talk to Malka again. She was rarely left alone after that. She wasn't allowed to spend time in her room, she had to come straight home from school, she was kept busy with chores and homework.

Ringing her parents was out of the question. They'd probably make her move back home with them,any excuse to get her to do that, never let her out of their sight.

Ariadne, she'd try Ariadne. She scrolls to the number and taps it.

It goes straight to voicemail.

Ebony sighs, she could go back, maybe whatever it was, was just her being tired, working too much and she'd imagined the whole thing.

"No, we can't go back" that voice again, clearer this time.

Ebony looks around, there's no one.

"Dan" it says

"No, I'll walk back" She shivers.

"STOP!" the voice screams

Ebony wraps her arms around her, trying to keep warm. The earlier warmth she felt gone.

"DAN!" Ebony clamps her hands over her ears. What on earth is going on? Voices in her head, big creatures in her kitchen. "I am not going mad!" She sobs.

"No your not, now call Dan"

"Stop it!" Ebony stamps her foot in frustration. She scrolls down to his number and pauses, what if she did imagine the whole thing.

"Dan" the voice comes as almost a wine, pining for him "Akiva"

A tear rolls down Ebony's cheeks. She swipes it away, confused and annoyed.

She puts her phone away, this is stupid, she thinks to herself

"AKIVA!"

Ebony presses her hands over her ears, the shout so loud inside her head. A growl escapes her lips.

"AKIVA!" The voice yelling over and over, that name, why does that name feel familiar yet so strange.

"Malka" she whispers outloud. Tears fall down her face, her legs give way, she feels lost but she knows where she is, she knows where home is. Her vision blurrs, her hands feel the damp ground, her fingers grip the mud.

"Malka" she whispers again and again.

"AKIVA!" the voice in her head roars, snapping Ebony out of her trance.

She stands as Dan collides with her.

He steadies her and pulls her into a tight hug. Ebony wraps her arms around him, squeezing tight and realsies he's shirtless.

He strokes down her back as she shivers. She inhales deeply, nuzzling his neck. She freezes, what was she doing.

She pulls back abruptly, a whimper escapes both their lips.

"It's freezing!" she says, "put a shirt on!"

"yet you're the one that went for a swim?" he brushes her wet hair from her face. "what happened, I heard Mal..." he straightens up, a look of pain crossing his features.

Ebony shakes her head "nothing I just... I..erm... I took the scenic route home and lost my footing, that's all"

"liar"

Ebony snaps her head up. "Pardon?"

Dan looks confused, "I didn't say anything."

Ebony growls again.

"Tell him,"

"Shut up!" she clamps her hands over her ears, trying to block out the voice.

"Tell him, or I will."

"Shut up!" Ebony screams this time.

Dan pulls her hands from her ears and holds her tightly, stroking her wet hair. "It's ok, I know, I know."

Tears stream down Ebony's face. "What's happening?" She sobs.

"Come on, you're coming with me." Dan puts an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close. "You can hear Malka again?"

Ebony sniffs. "I don't understand what's happening."

"Come on, let's get you warmed up."

Dan closed the bathroom, giving Wbony privacy to shower and chnage. He'd left her to one of his hoodies and shorts. She hadn't protested when he'd told her she was staying with him tonight.

"We must protect our mate" Akiva's voice was clear in his mind.

"I know" he replied

"We should help her release Malka, she says Ebony is starting to hear her."

"You spoke to her?" Dan asks

"A little, it's still difficult, Ebony doesn't know she has a wolf inside."