Chapter 1.

Hope's POV.

"Try and get some sleep, Hope."

"You can count on it." I wave over my shoulder at Dr. Moore as I rush over to the parking lot. It's pouring with rain and everything is shrouded in a thick, grey blanket of mist. I'm soaked down to my skin by the time I make it to my car.

I've just finished a grueling twelve hour shift as a trauma surgeon at the Black Hollow Medical Center, and I'm dead on my feet. I cannot wait to get back to my apartment, curl up under the covers and sleep.

I'm just about to open my car door when I feel something slip over my head and I'm surrounded by pitch black darkness. A pair of hands close around my arms and it feels like they've been placed in a vice-grip. I try my best to struggle, but the hands have got such a tight grasp on me that it's useless. I barely move. The strong hands move down my arms to my own and they tie a rope around my wrists. The rough, slightly bumpy texture immediately digs into my skin.

"You're coming with us, Doctor." A dangerously raspy voice whispers into my ear.

I'm thrown onto the backseat of a vehicle. I hear two doors being slammed shut and then we speed out of the hospital parking lot with screeching tyres. The vehicle has an awful, musty smell to it. It smells so much like wet dog that I wonder if there might be one in the backseat with me.

I can hear two voices whispering in the front seat. It sounds like they're having a heated argument, even though their voices are low.

"This is a huge mistake, Talon! Malakar is going to kill us both!"

"Malakar won't be around to kill anyone if we don't get him some help! So, shutup and drive!"

I start to panic. I can feel my heart pounding away in my chest. My lungs burn as my breathing becomes more and more rapid. I'm hyperventilating. I think I might be having a full-on panic attack.

Talon? Malakar? What kind of names are those? Malakar is dying from some sort of wound, but he might also kill my two captors? What the hell is going on? Where the hell are they taking me? I have an awful, dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach. I need to get out of here.

I struggle against the rope around my wrists, but all I manage to do is make it dig deeper into my skin. My breathing grows even more rapid and my chest feels tight. I struggle for air and gasp.

"You better calm her down, Talon. She won't be any use to us if she passes out before we even get there."

I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder. It's warm to the touch. Warmer than it should be. The person the hand belongs to, Talon, must be running a massive fever.

"Calm down, Doc. We're not going to hurt you. We just need your help." "Just try to relax."

"Relax! Relax! Let's see how calm you are when someone pulls a bag over your head and drags you into the unknown!" The words fall out of my mouth before I can stop them.

I hear a soft chuckle coming from Talon and he takes his hand away from my shoulder. I'm not sure if it's because of my little outburst, or the gentle, reassureing tone in Talon's voice, but I do feel a little bit calmer. My heart rate and my breathing both start to slow done.

After driving for what feels like hours, the vehicle finally screeches to a stop. Two doors open and then slam shut again. The back door opens and Talon pulls me out of the vehicle again. I still can't see a damn thing, but I know that we must be in the forest somewhere. I can smell the scent of the trees and I can hear the rushing of the river.

Talon ushers me forward gently. I stumble and trip over seemingly nothing. "Can't we just take this damn bag off already? Or do you want me to break my neck before I get to your injured friend?"

I feel a strong tug on my arm and we stop. A jolt of fear shoots through my heart and it falls into my stomach. Maybe I just pissed him off. Then, the bag is pulled from my head and I have to blink a few times to adjust my eyes to the bright light.

I'm shocked by what I see when I finally manage to open them again. I'm in the middle of a very large camp. Multiple tents are pitched up all over the place, and a lot of people are moving around, staring at me with wary, suspicious eyes. These people aren't just camping out, they actually live here. But why? Why would anyone want to live like this? In the middle of nowhere, like savages?

"Come on, Doc. We don't have time to waste." Talon pushes me from behind again.

I jerk my head around to face him and I have to stop myself from gaping. Talon is tall, like really, really tall. And he's massive. His hair is dark and his eyes feel like their staring right into my soul. He has a very primal look about him. I gulp and allow him to lead me in the direction of what looks like a medical tent. I'm not entirely sure if I'm totally terrified or totally arroused by Talon.

Two more large men are standing watch in front of the medical tent. They share a look with Talon as they hold the flaps open for us to enter.

I freeze in my tracks immediately. My breath catches in my throat and I almost choke on it. I blink my eyes once again, not because of the bright light this time, but because I can't believe that what I'm seeing is actually real.