Taken

By J. A. O'Donoghue

Savannah Bradley never noticed that she was different than everyone else. At least not until she woke up in a strange house and in a body she barely recognized as her own. After meeting the family who lives there, she's determined to find out what happened to her and find a way home. There’s only one problem-she’s surrounded by werewolves, including Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome, Aiden Porter.

As Savannah starts her new life, she discovers an inner strength that is just as strong as her bodily strength. With the help of new friends she learns about a war and the part that she may play in it. But is she ready when Aiden makes it clear he’s not willing to give up the bond they share without a fight?

Taken is book two in a four book series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. A. O'Donoghue
• Release date: Apr 17, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311414328

J. A. O'Donoghue

J. A. O'Donoghue lives in Kentucky with her husband, her father, their two cats-Barry and Leia, and their pit bull/boxer mix-Gremlin. She adores the pit bull breed, and she and Gremlin enjoy watching Pit Bulls and Paroles on Animal Planet together. She also fights for Mental Health Rights, and receives treatment for Depression and Anxiety. She writes paranormal YA romance novellas and novels. She is currently working on The Lost and Found series and the In The Night series. Dragon's Flame, book one of the In The Night series will be out in Spring of 2017, and Lost, book three of The Lost and Found is planned to be out Fall of 2017. Other hobbies she enjoys are reading, knitting and crocheting, and is proud to be a fan of Doctor Who, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, and The Originals.

Book preview

ONE

Miss, Miss, you have to wake up . . . what’s your name?

Savannah, I know you don’t understand this, but I need to ask you to bite me . . .

I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck, or like I’d just had a horrible case of the flu and was finally coming out of it. My eyes felt heavy as I fought the urge to go back to sleep, and the soft bed I was in didn’t help. My throbbing head and roiling stomach demanded my attention, so it took me a second to realize something was wrong. The air smelled wrong, the soft bed was wrong, and my own body felt wrong. This was not my room at home, but this was also not the room of my nightmares.

I opened my eyes and carefully sat up, ignoring my protesting body, and tested my arms and legs. They felt heavy, but looked smaller than they should have been. As I stretched and bent them, testing my joints, I could tell that the muscles that I had spent years building and maintaining were gone. I closed my eyes against a wave of panic as my heart beat faster. I couldn’t do that right now. I had to figure out where I was. I needed to focus.

Flashes of a dark dungeon had haunted my dreams, but the room I was in now was completely the opposite. It had to be someone’s guest bedroom, furnished with only a bed, a desk, a night table, a closet, and a dresser. There was also an adjoining small bathroom. The bed had a pretty floral quilt on it and there were matching curtains on the windows, so someone had cared enough about this room to make it look put together. Sunlight snuck in around the edges of the curtain, but when I pulled it back to look outside, the light burned into my retinas, blinding me for a moment and giving me a headache.

I turned from the window, and as my sight returned, I caught a glance of myself in the mirror hanging on the back of the closet door. I was shocked. My thick, shiny black hair was dirty, limp, and stringy; my hazel eyes had dark circles under them; and, my once sun-kissed skin was pale as it hung off my bones. I looked like a skeleton, a five-foot-eight-inch skeleton, with only enough flesh to qualify me as alive. I also looked like I was drowning in the purple pajama shirt I was wearing, and a drawstring tied within an inch of its life was the only thing holding the gray sweatpants on.

That probably shocked me the most. I was an expert at keeping my body in shape—I had an obsession with eating right and exercising. I even taught exercise classes at my gym. That was all gone and I didn’t recognize myself anymore.

That’s when I felt it. A strong wave of worry washed over me, almost knocking me off my feet. It wasn’t mine, though; I was more afraid than worried. It was like someone had sent me a message telepathically, except it was emotion instead of words—just like before, in the dungeon with the werewolves.

The feeling got stronger as footsteps outside my door got louder. Part of me hoped that someone who’d put me in a pretty room with a handmade quilt wasn’t going to hurt me, but my mind told me not to trust anyone. I looked around the room for something to use as a weapon—a light stand or maybe a letter opener. I didn’t want to use the chair, too bulky and probably too heavy for me now, but I still wanted to be able to hurt someone if I needed to.

There was a knock on the door just as I was removing the shade off the lamp from the nightstand. I unplugged it, held it upside down like a baseball bat, and waited, tensed and ready to strike, as the knock was repeated.

Savannah? The door opened slightly as a woman poked her head in. She looked to be in her forties, and had blond hair with blue eyes. A smell accompanied her, but it was masculine. It was nice, woodsy and clean, with a hint of Dial.

Oh good, I thought I heard movement. May I come in? She made no comment about my weapon, which I slowly lowered but didn’t release.

I nodded slowly, watching her with narrowed eyes. Who are you?

She opened the door a little wider, revealing the tray she had in her other hand. The smell of chicken filled my nose and suddenly I was starving.

I’m Leigh Stevens. She introduced herself as she set the tray down on the desk. And I want you to know that you are safe. She was tall and curvy, and I felt a strength oozing off her that made me feel like the lamp would not save me. But I could also sense a genuine kindness in her.

I placed the lamp back on the night table and slowly approached the desk. There I found a cup of chicken broth and a glass of water. Where am I? I asked as I stuck the tip of my finger in the broth, testing the temperature. I was pleased to find it just cool enough to eat, er, drink.

You are in Creede, Colorado, and you are staying in our guest room, she told me as I slowly started eating . . . well, drinking. You’ve been here for a few days now. We were worried you wouldn’t wake up.

A few days? I asked, setting down the empty cup. I was surprised that it filled me up, and how thirsty it made me.

Savannah, what’s the last thing you remember? she asked me as I took a sip of water.

Her question put me back on the defensive, and I remembered the worried feeling that had pushed itself into my mind—a feeling which was now joined by curiosity. The pleasant scent that had been drifting in had gotten stronger and I noticed a shadow by the door. My heart was thudding so violently, I felt like the whole room had to be able to hear it.

Who is that? I backed up a step.

She looked toward the door and back at me, eyes narrowed. How did you know he was there?

Am I not supposed to?

Is it okay if he comes in? She deflected my question. There’s a few things you need to know.

I set down the glass. I wanted to keep both hands free, even though I was sure I probably couldn’t do anything. While I had a lot of training in multiple fighting styles, I felt as weak as a newborn kitten. But if she was telling the truth, if I had really been here for a few days without incident, then maybe I was safe with them.

I wanted to tell her no, but there was too much I needed to know. Sure, I said, but he can stay by the door.

No problem. Aiden, you heard her, she said to the man outside the door.

I inhaled a sharp breath as he stepped into the room. At least six foot tall, he was lean without being lanky, and his arms gently rippled with muscle. He was dressed in comfortable looking jeans and a green T-shirt that accentuated his chocolate-brown skin and dark eyes. There was something about his eyes that made me nervous, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.

Savannah, this is Aiden Porter. He is the person who found you.

Thank you. I sounded harsher than I meant to, but I couldn’t get myself to relax. There was just too much fear coursing through my veins.

It was no problem. His voice was deep and warm, and it sent a pleasant tingle down my spine. How are you doing?

Well, I just woke up in a strange place with people I’ve never met before and I look like I’m in someone else’s body. Okay, I guess.

I picked up the glass of water and took another sip, more to give myself something to do than to wet my dry mouth. As I moved to set it back down, I notice the water in the glass ripple from my hand shaking. I quickly set it down before I dropped it. Fear wasn’t an emotion that I was familiar with and I didn’t know how to make it stop.

When I looked up again, Aiden had stepped closer, though there were still a few feet between us. Those dark eyes studied