Night Magic Read Online Free PDF Page A

weakened her knees. Silenced, stunned, terrified, barely aware of the taste of blood on her tongue from a cut lip, she was forced into her bedroom by a grimly silent monster in the shape of a man who was twisting her arm behind her back as though he meant to break it. The pain shot through her body like hot swords, but even worse than the physical agony was the mental. Who was he? What did he want with her? Oh, God, was he a rapist? A killer? What could she do?
    She thought about trying to kick backwards at him, then thought again. She was not even sure she could kick that farin her present bent position, and even if her foot made contact with his leg she doubted that it would hurt him. Her slippers were soft terrycloth. In retaliation for the attempt, he might very well break her arm. He pushed her through the bedroom door, his grip on her arm tightening brutally as he forced her to her knees beside the bed. Tears formed in her eyes and clogged her throat. She was in so much pain. …
    “Search the house. Everywhere,” he said over his shoulder in a cold hard voice with the faintest hint of an accent that she couldn’t, in her agony, quite place. It was then that she realized he was not alone. Crashes of overturning furniture told her that his confederates were tearing her home apart.
    “You will tell me where he is and I will let you go.” Her captor was leaning over her, holding her arm in a vice grip. Bright shafts of agony shot along her nerve endings. Then he slackened his grip a degree, leaving her almost gasping in relief.
    “Who—who?” The word was a squeak, but Clara was surprised she could talk at all. Her arm was twisted so viciously that she cried out.
    “The Magic Dragon. Where is he?”
    “The magic dragon?” Was the man insane? Oh, God, this couldn’t be happening. It was the stuff of her worst nightmares. Half sobbing, she rested her head against the soft plush covering the floor. He was going to kill her, she knew it. There was a cold viciousness about the way he deliberately caused her pain. She would die—and she wouldn’t even know why, or the identity of her killer. Clara was afraid to look at the man’s face, afraid of what he would do to her if she tried to get a glimpse of his features.
    “Yes, the Magic Dragon!” He wrenched her arm again,then slackened his grip as she cried out. “Do not play games with me! Where is he?”
    “The magic dragon?” Clara thought frantically, but she had not the least idea of what he was talking about. “Uh, what magic dragon?”
    Clara screamed as he twisted her arm with methodical ferocity. He would break it for sure if she didn’t tell him—what? The pain was so excruciating that she couldn’t even think clearly.
    “The Magic Dragon! The Magic Dragon! This Magic Dragon!” He extracted something from his pocket and thrust it in front of her eyes. Clara saw that it was a copy of her latest book, The Magic Dragon, Her hero had been a secret agent who had used the song title as a code name. But what did her book have to do with anything?
    “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you want.” She tried to speak clearly and reasonably, hoping that some of her reason would rub off on the maniac who was breaking her arm.
    “I want to know where the Magic Dragon is!” he said in a voice more terrifying than a roar. “This Magic Dragon!” He opened the book to the title page, holding it in front of her eyes so that she could read the dedication. “With love to the real Magic Dragon, who inspired this book—and me” she’d written.
    “This Magic Dragon!” he hissed. “Where is he? You will tell me now !”
    “Uh, under the bed,” Clara whispered, closing her eyes. If he was going to kill her, she didn’t want to watch him do it.
    “Under the…” His voice trailed off. His grip tightened on her arm and she braced herself as he twisted it with slow relish. Searing pain shot from her shoulder blade throughher midsection and back up