Read Forbidden (The Seeker Saga, #2) for Free Online

get started on the homework I had let pile up. My resolve  faded as my thoughts were drawn to the crystals.  I was fascinated by the promise of what they could do.  I was not scared of it any longer.  And, most importantly, I had seen the premium Chris placed on them.  I did not know why that was, exactly, but I was determined to find out.  It had to be more than the fact that they were something so out of the ordinary, so unusual, so… supernatural.
    No, there was definitely more to the crystals.  Something very valuable. I had to find out what.  How Chris knew about them in the first place was another mystery.  I reached down to open the bottom drawer of my desk.  There were some books there, a few scattered sheets of paper, and a soft cotton pencil case.  Pushing all that aside, I reached into the far corner.  There, hidden beneath everything else, was a small, silver, cloth bag.
    My fingers brushed against the soft fabric.  For a tempting moment, I considered picking it up.  The other girls all kept their crystals hidden by the lake, because the draw sometimes became too much for them to resist.  I had good enough control over it to keep mine here.  I pulled the silk bag out, and hefted it in the palm of my hand.  I could feel the weight of the crystal inside.  I felt the call from it.
    Suppressing another sigh, I put the bag back in its place.  Obviously, I was more interested in exploring the crystal’s power than in doing my homework.  But I was already behind on my work, and had made a promise to myself to—
    Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted an unusual shadow coming up behind me.  I twisted around in my seat. My chest constricted in fear as the shadow transformed into the dark outline of a man.
    Everything happened at once.
    I opened my mouth to scream, but the man’s hand darted from his side to press a moist rag over my mouth.  At the same time, he snaked around the chair so I could no longer see him, and wrapped his other arm across my shoulders to pin me in place.
    Panic gripped me.  I tried to struggle against his grasp, but he was too strong.  I tried to scream, but the rag muffled my cry.  I took a sharp breath in, and choked on fumes.  The rag was soaked in some type of chemical.  I exhaled as quickly as I could, expelling all the air I took in, but even that whiff made my head spin. 
    In vain, I kicked at the desk, trying to push the chair back to knock the attacker over.  He didn’t even budge.  Sheer terror coursed through my veins.  I was a rabbit struggling in the talons of a hawk.  Squirm and fight as I might, there was nothing I could do to free myself. 
    I was determined not to breathe.  Whatever the rag was soaked in would surely knock me out if I did.  But time was running out. I couldn’t hold my breath forever.  My mind raced for an escape.  Something.  Anything !  I tried flailing my head back and forth, pushing against the chair with my back, squirming my body to the sides – all to no avail.  The man was an oak. He would not budge.
    Seconds ticked by as long as hours.  I fought the man’s grip with every muscle in my body.  My hands tore at his arm, trying to force the rag away from my face.  Nothing I did had any effect.  He hadn’t even made a sound yet!  Sheer terror radiated through my body.  I couldn’t hold my breath much longer.  Just a few more moments, and my lungs would gasp for air, forcing me to breathe the cursed chemical. 
    Desperately, I tried to reach for the crystal.  But it was back in the desk drawer.  Too far for me to reach.  If only I hadn’t decided this was going to be the time to do my homework.  If only I had taken that moment to take it out of the silk bag.  If only…
    The man had me beat, and I knew it.  Whoever he was, he would get what he wanted.  The crystal was my only salvation, and it was out of reach.  My lungs screamed for oxygen, but I fought the impulse to gasp in a breath.  Every