CHAPTER 1: The Promise

Fifteen years ago...

Found you, weirdo!

Tyler Morrison's voice made Emma's stomach twist into knots. She looked up to see him and his two friends walking toward her, grinning like hungry wolves.

Why can't they just leave me alone? Emma thought desperately, pressing herself against the brick wall. Her cheek still throbbed from where Tyler had shoved her into the fence yesterday.

"Heard your daddy's a thief," Tyler said, stopping right in front of her. "My dad says you're getting kicked out of town. Finally."

Emma's face burned with shame. The eviction notice was folded up in her backpack, but it felt like everyone could see it. Three days. We only have three days left, and then what? We'll be sleeping in our car again.

"Please just go away," she whispered. "I didn't do anything wrong."

But it doesn't matter, she thought bitterly. Nothing I say ever matters. Dad says we might have to live in a shelter.

Tyler grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked hard. "Maybe we should give you something to remember us by before you disappear forever."

Emma's eyes filled with tears, but she refused to let them fall. I won't cry. I won't give him the satisfaction.

"Back off."

Emma's head jerked up. A boy stood near the swings, maybe nine years old, with messy black hair and the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. They were gold - actual gold, like liquid metal in the sunlight.

Who is he? Emma thought, her heart doing funny things in her chest. I've never seen him before. And why do I suddenly feel... warm?

Tyler let go of her hair and turned around. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Someone who doesn't like bullies." The boy stepped closer, and Emma felt the air around them change. It got warmer, heavier, like right before a thunderstorm. "Let her go. Now."

His voice sounds too deep for a kid, Emma realized, her pulse racing. And why does he smell like pine trees and something wild?

"Or what?" Tyler puffed out his chest, but Emma could hear the fear creeping into his voice.

The boy smiled, and it wasn't a nice smile. "Or you'll find out why smart kids run when I tell them to."

Tyler threw a punch, but the boy moved so fast it was like he disappeared and reappeared somewhere else. Tyler stumbled forward and hit the ground hard, scraping his knees bloody.

"What the hell" Jake, Tyler's friend, tried to grab the boy from behind, but somehow ended up flat on his back, gasping for air.

Emma watched with her mouth hanging open as the third bully swung wildly and missed completely, spinning around and falling face-first into the dirt.

That's not normal, Emma thought, her whole body tingling with excitement instead of fear. Kids don't move that fast. And his hands... His fingernails look razor-sharp.

A low growling sound rumbled from the boy's chest, not human at all, like an angry wolf. The temperature around them spiked so hot that Emma could see steam rising from his skin.

Tyler's eyes went wide with pure terror. "You're... you're not..."

"Stay. Down." The boy's voice had turned rough and dangerous, and when he smiled, Emma swore she saw fangs. Actual fangs.

Tyler scrambled backward on his hands and knees, whimpering. He and his friends ran across the playground like something was chasing them.

What is he? Emma wondered, but weirdly, she wasn't scared. She felt... protected. Safe for the first time in months.

The boy turned to her, and his eyes were still that impossible gold color. Up close, he was even more beautiful, too beautiful for a regular kid. His skin looked perfect, like he'd never had a single pimple or scrape.

"You okay?" he asked, and his voice was gentle now, warm like honey.

Emma nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Why does looking at him make my stomach flutter? I'm only eight. I shouldn't feel like this about boys yet.

"I'm Adrian," he said, crouching down in front of her.

Adrian. Even his name sounded magical. "I'm Emma."

"Emma," he repeated, like he was tasting her name. "Pretty."

Emma's cheeks burned, but in a good way this time. She noticed his knuckles were scraped and bleeding, even though she was sure he hadn't actually hit anyone.

"You're hurt," she said, pulling her little first-aid kit from her backpack. Mom always made her carry it.

Adrian went completely still as she cleaned the blood from his hands. His skin was burning hot, way too hot for a normal person.

He has a fever, Emma thought. He should be in bed, not fighting bullies for me.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked quietly.

Emma looked up at him, surprised. "Because you helped me first. And because..." She hesitated. Because touching you feels like coming home. Because I've been dreaming about golden eyes for weeks. Because you make me feel things I don't understand.

"Because what?"

"Because I think I was waiting for you," she whispered, then immediately felt embarrassed. God, that sounds so stupid.

Something flickered across Adrian's face, surprise, pain, something deeper that made her chest tight.

"No one's ever taken care of me before," he said so quietly she almost missed it.

How is that possible? Emma wondered. He's the most amazing person I've ever met.

Before she could lose her nerve, she reached up and brushed his messy hair away from his forehead. His skin was still fever-hot under her fingers.

"Well, I will," she said firmly. "If you want me to."

The smile that spread across Adrian's face was like watching the sun rise. "I'd like that. A lot."

They sat together in comfortable silence while Emma finished bandaging his hands. She was hyperaware of everything - the way he smelled like wild forests, how his breathing seemed too controlled, the way other kids gave them a wide berth like they could sense something dangerous about him.

I don't care if he's different, Emma decided. Different is good. Normal kids don't rescue people.

"My family's moving," she said finally, the words feeling like swallowing glass. "Tomorrow night. Dad lost his job and we can't pay rent anymore."

Adrian's entire body went rigid. The temperature around them spiked again, and Emma heard what sounded like a low whine coming from his throat.

"Moving where?" His voice was strained.

"Probably California. Mom thinks her sister might help us." Emma tried to smile, but her eyes were filled with tears. "I guess this is goodbye."

"No." The word came out sharp, desperate. Adrian caught her hands in his, and his skin was so hot it almost burned. "It doesn't have to be. I'll find you."

Emma's laugh was shaky. "Adrian, we're kids. How could you possibly"

"I'll find you," he interrupted, his golden eyes blazing with intensity that should have been scary but somehow wasn't. "No matter how long it takes. No matter how far you go. I'll find you, Emma."

The way he's looking at me..., Emma thought, her heart hammering. Like I'm the most important thing in the world. Like he'd die if I disappeared.

"Promise me something," Adrian continued, his grip on her hands tightening. "Promise me you'll wait for me."

"Adrian"

"Promise me," he said again, and there was something almost desperate in his voice. "Promise me you won't forget. Promise me you'll wait."

Emma stared into those beautiful, impossible eyes and felt something shift inside her chest, like a door opening that she hadn't known was there.

"I promise," she whispered.

Adrian's smile this time was wild, almost predatory. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead, and Emma gasped. His kiss burned like fever, sending heat racing through her entire body.

This is wrong, she thought dimly. I'm eight. I shouldn't feel like this. I shouldn't want...

But she did want to. She wanted him to never let go of her hands. She wanted to stay in this moment forever.

When Adrian pulled back, his eyes were glowing so bright they looked like twin suns.

"Fifteen years," he said quietly. "I'll come for you in fifteen years, Emma Parker. And when I do..."

"When you do, what?" she breathed.

His smile was full of secrets and promises that made her shiver. "When I do, you'll be mine. Forever."

…

Present Day

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Emma jerked awake, her entire body drenched in sweat and her heart pounding like she'd been running. The dream again. Always the same dream.

Golden eyes. Burning kisses. "You'll be mine forever."

"God," she gasped, pressing her hands to her face. She was twenty-three now, had been having the same dream for months, and it still left her aching and restless and wanting things she couldn't name.

6:30 AM. Time for another day in hell.

Emma dragged herself out of bed and immediately stubbed her toe on the overflowing pile of medical bills on her floor.

"Fuck!" she hissed, hopping on one foot. Mom's chemo: $3,000. Emergency room visit: $1,500. Prescription medications: $800.

I'm drowning, she thought desperately, staring at the numbers that never seemed to get smaller no matter how many jobs she worked. I'm actually drowning, and no one cares.

Her phone buzzed with a text from her mom: Sweetie, the hospital called. They need another payment by Friday or they're stopping treatment. I'm so sorry.

Emma's hands started shaking. Friday. That's four days. Four days to find three thousand dollars or Mom dies.

She's going to die, and it's going to be my fault because I can't save her.

Tears started streaming down Emma's face before she could stop them. She slumped against the wall and let herself cry for exactly thirty seconds - that's all she could afford.

Stop it, she told herself fiercely. Crying doesn't pay bills. Get up. Go to work. Figure it out.

She was washing her face when her phone rang. Unknown number.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice still thick from crying.

"Emma Parker? This is Jessica from Premier Staffing. I have an urgent placement for you."

Emma's pulse quickened. "What kind of placement?"

"Personal assistant to a CEO. Cross Industries. The pay is... well, it's two hundred thousand a year."

Emma nearly dropped the phone. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Two hundred thousand. Plus benefits. Plus housing allowance. The CEO needs someone immediately - like, interview-today immediately. Are you available?"

Two hundred thousand dollars. Emma's knees went weak. That's... that's everything. Mom's treatment, the bills, maybe even a real apartment.

"Yes," she said quickly. "Yes, I'm available."

"Perfect. The interview is at 9 AM sharp. Cross Industries, downtown. Fiftieth floor. Ask for Adrian Cross."

The phone line went dead, but Emma barely noticed. Something weird was happening to her body - her skin felt too hot, too tight, and there was a strange humming in her ears.

Adrian Cross.

Why does that name...

Emma looked in the bathroom mirror and froze. For just a second, just one impossible second, her reflection looked different. Her eyes weren't their usual brown.

They were gold. Bright, blazing gold.

What the fuck?

Emma blinked hard, and her eyes were brown again. Normal. Humans.

I'm losing my mind, she thought, but her hands were still shaking. Too much stress. Too little sleep. Too much desperation.

But deep in her chest, something was waking up. Something that had been sleeping for fifteen years.

Adrian Cross. Why do I feel like I know that name?

Why does it feel like... like coming home?

Emma stared at her reflection and whispered the words that had been echoing in her dreams:

"Fifteen years."

Today. It's been exactly fifteen years since the dream started.

Fifteen years since...

"No," Emma said out loud. "Dreams aren't real. Golden-eyed boys don't keep impossible promises."

But what if they do?

What if he kept his promise?

What if Adrian Cross is...

Emma's phone buzzed with another text, this one from an unknown number:

I told you I'd find you, Emma. See you at 9.

Emma's legs gave out. She slid down the bathroom wall, staring at the message, her heart hammering so hard she thought it might explode.

He found me.

He actually found me.

Oh God. What have I gotten myself into?