Dark Illusions: The Beginning

by Ariana Browning

  Dark Illusions:

  The Beginning

  Ariana Browning

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty One

  Twenty Two

  Twenty Three

  Twenty Four

  Twenty Five

  Twenty Six

  Twenty Seven

  Twenty Eight

  Twenty Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty One

  Thirty Two

  Thirty Three

  Thirty Four

  Thirty Five

  Thirty Six

  Thirty Seven

  Thirty Eight

  Thirty Nine

  Forty

  Forty One

  Forty Two

  Forty Three

  Forty Four

  Forty Five

  Forty Six

  Forty Seven

  Forty Eight

  Forty Nine

  Fifty

  Fifty One

  Fifty Two

  Fifty Three

  Fifty Four

  Fifty Five

  Fifty Six

  Fifty Seven

  Fifty Eight

  Fifty Nine

  About

  Other Titles by Ariana Browning

  Connect Online, Newsletter

  The Next Chapter Preview

  Dark Illusions:

  The Beginning

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is intended for adult and mature new-adult audiences. May contain violence, sexual, and other situations which some may find offensive. Read at your own discretion.

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 2012-2013 Ariana Browning

  Edited by: Jeanie Creech

  Cover design: Ariana Browning

  Visit my website at: arianabrowning.com/

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I want to thank all the wonderful people who’ve supported me through this process. Not just the fans and the people I’ve met from the beginning, but also my wonderful editor for doing such an amazing job. So grateful to everyone. Also for the gremlin gang who have made my journey fun and interesting to say the least.

  One

  Kat made sure the doors to her vehicle were locked, turned toward the building, and froze. Someone was not-so-casually clearing their throat to get her attention.

  Two men stood right across the street, hiding in the shadows, and they were watching her, waiting. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, her heart skipped a beat. A movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention.

  Two more men on her side of the street came up the sidewalk toward her. They were closer to the entrance of the building than she was. Judging the distance, she wasn’t sure she could make it inside before they got to her. The men across the street stepped forward.

  Kat stepped backward, her legs moved without thought. Fight or flight kicked in and all instincts within screamed, run!

  Her foot slammed into a puddle and water splashed her jeans. From the brief rain earlier in the day, many were scattered along the cement, which made it hard not to land in one. None of that concerned her as she barreled her way through the darkened streets of the city.

  Her breath came in quick gasps and she went as fast as her legs could carry her. Not a hundred percent sure from what she ran, the fear in Kat’s belly told her she needed to keep going, because whatever was behind her was not something that needed to catch up.

  Her legs burned, her feet stung, she struggled to breathe. Her throat was raw and she wanted to stop, but fear propelled her forward. The fear combined with the sounds of wolves she could have sworn she heard behind her.

  Running for her life through the cold, dark city streets, fear boiling through her veins and her soul, wasn’t something she thought she would be doing earlier in the evening. It wasn’t something she ever thought she’d face in her life.

  Having dropped her purse a while ago for speed, she turned a corner and cut through an alleyway with no idea where she’d go, or where she was, but she knew she needed to keep moving.

  “Here kitty, kitty. . . .” Taunting voices called out in the dark. They sounded like they were all around her and she couldn’t pinpoint a location. She prayed they were behind her. They sounded much closer than before.

  An entryway appeared in front of her, and Kat ducked into the corner of it. The moment she was out of sight, the men entered the alley behind her.

  Kat’s heart pounded in her ears, it took every ounce of courage she owned not to scream.

  They pounded on the dumpsters, calling out, “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Rude laughter followed as they passed.

  She fought to control her breathing, lest the men hear her and come back. Once positive they’d passed by with enough time to spare, she slipped out and headed back the way she’d come.

  Kat rounded the corner, back to the street, and halted when she came face-to-face with a man wearing a preacher’s outfit. All black from head-to-toe, with a white collar around his neck, or what looked like a white collar.

  Her heart thumped in her chest. What she saw wasn’t what one would call a man. She studied the creature in front of her. No hair, his eyes were cold and empty, reddish black, his ears were longer than normal and pointed slightly at the end. They showed when he turned to look back down the alley from where she had come.

  Kat wasn’t sure whether or not she should be afraid. Was this one of the men who chased her? Had he been watching her as well? She didn’t know, and couldn’t know for sure. She figured it was, but the way he looked down the alleyway—

  “M—e—o—w. . . .”

  Kat turned toward the sound as she heard the long drawn out taunt from the alleyway behind her, and her heart picked up the pace. Shadows loomed against the brick; she thought she’d have a heart attack. A monster was coming, one she didn’t want to face.

  She turned to look at the creature, man, thing standing there and knew she needed to get away. His hand swept across her line of vision, and in a single moment, blackness enveloped her world.

  As she passed into unconsciousness, she heard him whisper, “It will be all right. You are safe.”

  Two

  Awareness slowly overcame Kat. As she peeled her eyes open, her surroundings came into view. Easing up on her elbows, she found herself on the couch in her condo.

  How’d she get there? Did that man, creature—whatever he was—bring her up here? How would he get into her condo? Her building? She lived in a secure building and on the top floor. A large brick wall with security cameras surrounded the place, an armed secu
rity guard sat at the desk downstairs. Yet this thing could get in—unnoticed?

  Kat swung her legs around to the floor below and got up to make sure her door was locked to the condo. Wiggling the doorknob, she found it secure.

  A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. The sheers covering her balcony doors swayed in the soft breeze of the night and the cold air drifted across her feet, leading her to understand where, but not fully comprehend how, that creature got in.

  Unanswered questions echoed in Kat’s head as she prepared for bed. How did he know which condo was hers? Why did he choose to help her? Who was he? Who were the other men? Why were those other men chasing her? What did they want with her? How did that creature get onto her balcony and inside her doors, when they were closed and locked? She lived in one of the top condos, so how did he get up five stories without help, holding onto her?

  Kat tried quieting her mind as she went to bed, but found those questions and more continuing to circulate throughout her head all night long, preventing her from getting any restful sleep.

  Three

  The warm sun filtered through the sheers, caressing Kat awake. She opened her eyes, basking in the warmth, and took a deep breath.

  She loved mornings like this and hated having to get up for work, but her clock told her she couldn’t enjoy it because she needed to get ready.

  Kat dug herself from beneath the comfy covers and with a last thought of climbing back in bed, jumped in the shower. Momentary thoughts of the prior week, and the men who’d chased her, popped up now and again while she got ready for the day ahead, and for some odd reason, she couldn’t get them to stop.

  She took the elevator down to the lobby and decided to ask Daryl, the security guard, about the previous week. Maybe he’d seen anyone, or anything, out of the ordinary. Hopefully he would be able to provide her with the answers she needed to let this whole situation go.

  As she exited the elevator, she walked over to the security desk, not noticing that Daryl wasn’t at his usual post until she got over to the desk. Some days he enjoyed leaning back in his chair and with the large desk he sat behind, would stay hidden from view.

  “He stepped out for a moment.”

  Kat jumped and spun on her heel to face the man who spoke, putting her hand against her chest. She failed to notice him sitting in the chairs located across the room from the security desk when she exited the elevator. He’d been hidden by the large tropical plants separating the seating area from the main room. The waiting area provided guests a place to relax and wait for tenants. Some of the condo dwellers enjoyed the seating area for reading as it was usually quiet.

  He was an older man and not entirely unpleasing to look at. Wearing a nice three-piece business suit, light brown hair trimmed close, his eyes were piercing blue, holding all the arrogance and air of a powerful man used to leading.

  As he stood and moved toward Kat, a strange feeling enveloped her. Something rubbed her the wrong way. His eyes. When he observed her, his gaze reeked of something sinister within him. This was no ordinary man. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was trying to read her, which increased her unease.

  She felt antsy standing next to the desk and oddly unprotected. The man walked over to her, extending his hand. “My name is Cyrus. I hope I didn’t frighten you.”

  Right. Why would you frighten me? She grasped his hand firmly, shook it, then didn’t hesitate to let it go, not wanting anymore contact with him than she needed.

  Cyrus took a step too close for her comfort and Kat casually eased back. She couldn’t describe why he made her feel such apprehension, but it was an instinct she planned on listening to.

  “You know, Daryl should be back in a moment. You’re welcome to wait with me.” Something dark passed through Cyrus’s gaze, telling Kat she needed to get out of there. Now. Daryl didn’t leave his post if someone was in the lobby. Also, the ‘I’ll be back in a minute’ sign he always left sitting on the desk was nowhere to be found. That wasn’t a good sign.

  Kat took a step back. “No. That’s fine. I’ll get ahold of him later. I’m already running late for work.” She took another step back, moving closer to the door, as Cyrus took another step toward her.

  “You sure? I’m sure it will only be another minute or so.”

  “Thanks,” Kat mumbled as she hurried through the double doors, not bothering to look behind her when she heard the security lock engage. Had she heard any other sound, she would have been running.

  Four

  Kat fumbled around in her purse for her keys as she approached her building’s security door in the parking garage. She was exhausted from standing on her feet all day working. Not finding her keys was about to send her over the edge, and she was close to losing it on someone or something.

  Snatching her keys from the bottom with a sigh of relief, she unlocked the door and entered the building, letting the door shut behind her and the security lock engage. Using the stairs which came out next to the front desk, she took a few deep breaths to calm down.

  “Good evening, Kat. How was work?” Daryl stood as she came in and greeted as usual.

  Kat waved him off without looking at him. “Don’t ask.” She headed toward the stairs to the left of the elevator, intent on going upstairs for a nice warm bath.

  “You want to chat? I heard you were looking for me earlier?” Normally he left her alone when she was tired, Daryl appeared to want to keep her in the lobby, which she found curious.

  She paused in front of him and took a good look at him. “Yeah I was, but it can wait. I am too tired to talk.” Finding nothing off, she proceeded past. Two handsome men came strolling down the stairs, causing her to back up. When they saw her, they perked up. They were looking for her.

  Have I seen you two before?

  Kat backed up toward Daryl, but when she took a closer look at him, something was different. Now he was giving off the same vibe that earlier she’d felt from that man, Cyrus or whatever his name had been. Daryl used to be the sweetest man she knew, but his presence right then practically reeked of danger.

  The sound of the security lock on the front door being disengaged drew her attention. Another good-looking man walked in, wearing the same style suit as the men on the stairs who had stopped at the bottom to watch her. Kat took a step toward the elevator to exit the lobby and get up to her room.

  The elevator dinged, indicating it had reached its destination. She examined the panel above the doors and the L was illuminated. The doors opened and out walked Cyrus with yet another man in a suit. Kat backed away from Cyrus, and away from the other men, finding nowhere to go. Her options were running out. What the hell is going on?

  “Kat. Good to see you again. There’s something you and I need to discuss.”

  “Look, I don’t know who you are or what you want, but I want nothing to do with you.” One man stood blocking the front door. The other two still blocked the stairs. Cyrus and the other blocked her way to the elevator. Daryl was behind his desk, but no longer provided her any comfort. She was trapped on all sides with no escape.

  Cyrus took a step toward her. “I said we should discuss some things. How is that so bad?”

  “She already told you she did not wish to speak with you. I believe that means what it sounds like.”

  The man from the alley!

  Kat’s heart leapt in joy. She didn’t know why, but seeing that man, or creature—whatever he was—provided her a well-needed sense of safety. Although she didn’t even know if she could trust him yet. How did he fit into all of this? For all she knew, he was just as dangerous as Cyrus and wanted the same things as he did.

  “Kober, what are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here. Go back to your fucking sewer.” A small sound made Kat’s attention snap toward Cyrus. Did he just snarl?

  Kober, as Cyrus called him, studied Kat, dismissing Cyrus without hesitation. “Are you all right?”

  Cyrus stared in shock. Kat glanced
at him and he glared at Kober. “Kober, this has nothing to do with you. Leave,” he commanded.

  Kober watched Cyrus, his pacifistic demeanor emanating from him. “I will leave when she leaves.” His attention returned to Kat and she was enveloped with a sense of safety when she gazed into his eyes.

  Kat answered the question by scooting over to Kober and hiding behind him. The fear within her eased even more when she did, telling her she’d made the correct decision.

  “Kober, what the hell are you doing here?” Cyrus asked in frustration.

  “Preventing you from doing something you know you should not. Preventing you from making a mistake, which you cannot come back from.” With that Kober turned around and waved his hand across Kat’s vision, and her world went black before she could react.

  Five

  Debussy’s instrumental, Clair De Lune, seeped into Kat’s world, and a smoke-filled dampness filled her nostrils, overpowering that was the scent of cold dirt. Without opening her eyes, she knew she’d find candles surrounding her.

  She peeled open her eyes and glanced about to find it dark, except for the glow of the candles placed sporadically around the tables and benches. Lying atop a bed, not exactly the softest in the world, she found herself in a cave.

  Glancing about, she noticed paintings scattered here and there. Some were placed on easels, others balanced along the wall, some stacked up in small towers. They were mixed in amongst the candles of different sizes and standing at different heights, lightening the interior and dispersing many of the shadows.

  Kat turned toward the sound of scraping, and a man stood there with his back to her, painting. She recognized him the moment she laid eyes on him. Kober. Seeing he was the one she was alone with calmed her racing heart.