Free Taken (Dragon Shifter Menage Paranormal Romance) (Dragon Princes Of Endor Book 1) by Scarlett Grove Page A

right now,” but he just continues to bark in a yelping, high-pitched yowl.
    I hurry after him, afraid of what I will find. It's probably a grizzly bear or something that will kill us both and put me out of my misery. My heart flaps against my rib cage and blackness threatens to overtake my vision. "Clancy!" I bark at him. Finally, I catch up with him and find him barking at two dark figures at the end of the cave. I can see my flashlight shine off the glossy rocks. The figures are over six feet tall and covered in shadow. I can't for the life of me figure out what they are.
    "Come on boy," I say, gently, afraid they will pounce on us at any moment. My dog is going crazy, like a complete idiot, but the figures only sway as if blown by the wind. I reach out, grab Clancy’s collar, and yank him back, tugging him away from the creatures.
    "Wait,” says a hissing voice.

Chapter Two
    "What?" I blink into the darkness; my flashlight is bouncing around the cave as I try to get my unruly dog under control.
    "Dani Storm. Come with us."
    Before I have a chance to even register how weird it is that the figures spoke and somehow know my name, I feel hands gripping my arms and pulling me toward the back of the cave. I scream and try to get away. A flood of memories overtakes me as I screech and fight for my life.
    My heart is beating me to death inside my chest, and I can barely breathe. I think I'll pass out at any moment, and the blood rushing to my extremities is making me lose my sight. I'm nearly blind with panic and rage as the powerful figures yank me toward the stone wall of the cave.
    A flash of light opens up in the center of the wall and begins to radiate outward, creating an enormous circle that waves from the center as if it's liquid. The figures pull me toward it. I'm still fighting like a madwoman. Somewhere in the back of my brain, I insist that I'm either dreaming or hallucinating.
    I dig my heels into the gravel and fight with every ounce of strength I can muster. I hear Clancy growling and barking at my assailants, yipping and biting at their legs as they try to force me into the light.
    "No!" I scream. "Let me go!"
    "Dani Storm. You must come with us. The fate of our world hangs in the balance."
    I'm caught off guard just long enough for them to get the upper hand and yank me into the light. As my body goes through the shimmering watery substance, I feel like I'm drowning. I can't breathe. I’m falling. I scream but no sound comes out. I'm lost in a sea of the wavering light as I fall and fall and fall. There seems to be no end.
    I hear voices echo and Clancy barking. Where am I? What were those things? Am I alive or dead? Awake or dreaming? I fall onto a hard floor. It hurts my butt. I can't see straight, but I feel a tongue lick my face. Clancy. Thank God.
    I blink, trying to register my surroundings, but my eyes won't focus. The world tilts and whirls around me. I can vaguely make out black-clad figures, towering over me like mountains. There is a smaller figure, but it’s a blur too.
    "You let the dog through," one of them says.
    "The dog was biting my leg when you yanked her into the portal. I had to come, or it would have shut on me. But I'm sure you would have liked that," another voice says.
    "What matters is that you made it back, my lords. I'm sure the lady will be pleased that her animal has made the journey safely. Is that not so, my lady?"
    I see a face come into focus. It looks like a garden gnome, pointed hat and all. I assume it's talking to me, but I can't be sure. This must be a dream. There is no way that just happened. Maybe I'm having a flashback. My shrink said they might keep happening for the rest of my life. But a flashback to what? I was never kidnapped by two grizzly bears and a gnome during the war.
    Finally, my sight stops spinning, and I can focus on what’s in front of me. I'm sitting in a heap on a stone floor. There are lattice-covered windows that let in bright sunlight. The