Prologue

Prologue: A dream

My feet propel me forward and the spiral stairway seems to go on and on. I feel as if I have been running forever. When I get to the bottom of the stairs I dart across the sitting room and charge toward the exit. I push with everything I have in me and beg that the Moon Goddess will grant me the strength I know I don’t have.

Please, please, please.

When the door fails to open I steel myself for the pain I know I’ll earn. I charge the door a second time, but this time I throw my shoulder into it. This time, miraculously, it opens for me. My victory is short lived as I’m blinded. All I can hear is the ringing in my ears. A wolf’s bane grenade had gone off. I squint my eyes, hoping to see through the blinding light. Finally the fog clears and everything is moving in slow motion. My first instinct is to find him, to pick up his scent.

No matter how much I call out to Mavy she doesn’t answer. I can’t hear her and I fear what that might mean. I cry out as I trip and fall over something. I land on my knees and break my fall with my hands. I stare in shock as I find the head of my dearest friend, Gabriel. My throat dries and I choke with emotion, the tears streaming down my face as I force myself to push forward. The need to find him helps me as I rush past the arms, legs, and heads of familiar faces.

I need to find him.

With that thought I continue forward. In the corner of my eye, the ground moves and I come to a stop. I turn and watch as a pile rises and falls. There’s something beneath the bodies and I wait as a shape pushes up and the dead roll off. I gasp as black hair pushes up and out. My heart swells and a sob gets stuck in my throat as I watch him look around wildly. He’s looking for me. When his eyes lock on mine, I cry as relief floods his face. He stands up and my eyes rake down his body. It’s my turn to be relieved and I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding when I only count superficial scratches.

He’s okay.

He’s alive.

The need to touch him grows and almost explodes as he stands to his feet and straightens his back. A small smile pulls at his lips as he takes his first step toward me. I can feel his need and his relief as if it were my own. Our emotions linked as our hearts are. My brows furrow as I feel his shock and then his pain. Frantically my eyes dart over his body as I try to locate what’s wrong. My gaze freezes over his chest, his beautiful chest. The mate bond snaps and my world goes cold.

I’m all alone.

My eyes lock on the hand protruding from his chest, blood drips from the still beating organ. My eyes dart back to my mate’s face as he falls to the ground. I can’t look away from him as the sound of footsteps draw nearer. He drops something near my head and grabs a handful of hair. He starts dragging me and I hit my head on a rock. The last thing I see is the empty eyes of my mate before I lose consciousness. The last coherent thought I have is knowing I’m all alone.