Prologue

The fog was thick around her feet, the headstones shrouded in mists. The night was cool and glowed with an eerie light from the full moon. Her heartbeat raced in fear as she ran, dodging headstones as she went. She could hear the snarls of her pursuer behind her, driving her to run faster. Her long heavy dress was a hindrance in her sprint, her mask slipping and obscuring her view. Stumbling around headstones she yelped in fear more than pain as she felt a snap of jaws narrowly missing her ankle. With the adrenaline running through her veins, she forced herself to run as fast as her tired legs could carry her.

Panic set in as her foot caught on a sunken headstone, causing her to fall and land heavily on her outstretched arms. Moving through the pain she wiggled till she was on her back, crawling backwards for all she was worth. She shrieked in fear as the animal's jaws clamped on the thick heavy fabric of her dress. Trying to wrench the fabric from its jaws, her breath caught in her throat as her back hit a headstone, she had nowhere to run. As the sob of fear and defeat bubbled up through her throat, a shrill whistle cut through the night air. Hearing the whistle the animal stopped its snarling, let the fabric fall from its jaw and sat staring at the frightened girl waiting for its next set of orders.

“Fear is a crippling thing. It causes us to lose focus and panic, our only concern is fight or flight instincts. We forget how to think logically and rationally. It makes us prey, and what lovely prey you are my dear.” The cold voice spoke from the shadows of the night, sending her fear into overdrive.

Her breathing ragged and her heart beating frantically, she searched wild-eyed for the source of the cold voice in the shadows of the cemetery. Her pupils drowned out the clear grey of her eyes, her cheeks flushed from the running, her chest heaving from her laboured breaths, causing her cleavage to become dangerously close to spilling from her dress, her pale skin scratched and dirty from the branches and the mud she fell in, her hair was a tangled mess of curls full of small twigs and fall leaves. He found her fear delicious. He stalked her from the shadows, chuckling darkly as each snap of a twig caused her to jump in fear.

“Wha-what do you want with me?” her voice husky with fear she could not get rid of, her pale skin covered in goosebumps from the cool night air.

“There are a great many things I want from you, my dear. You are my prey and I shall take what I want when I please.” He chuckled darkly drawing ever closer to the frightened girl.

“Wh-who are you?” she whimpered as he stepped out of the shadows so she could see his body, his face still hidden in darkness. She shivered in fear as she took in his impossibly tall and lean frame, his muscles rippling under the thin material of his white dress shirt, the rest of his suit effectively hiding him in shadow.

“Who am I?” he chuckled coolly as he stepped out of the shadow swiftly and knelt in front of her, causing her breath to catch in her throat. “I’m your worst fucking nightmare.” He drawled darkly before pressing a bruising kiss to her lush lips, her fear overpowering her and causing her to pass out. She slumped against the headstone, her head falling to the side at an awkward angle. Chuckling darkly he lifted her frame effortlessly into his arms before standing in a fluid motion.

“Come Reaper.” He whistled, causing the dog to run to his side and follow him as he headed out of the cemetery. “Time to head back to base.” He said smoothly as his cold blue eyes gazed down at the beautiful woman in his arms before his mouth twisted into a dark smirk. He was going to have so much fun breaking her.