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Chapter One

While standing in her office, preparing to leave for the night, a vision came to Elise Jordan, a sequence of events that threatened the life of soes down, to stop the flow, so she could normally do But this vision would not be denied She saw it through to the end, which was not an end at all, just that point at which the woman, if left on her oould surely die

Now she had a decision toshe had promised herself she would never do

Elise thrived on order and routine She enjoyed having a firenial relationship with her alarm clock

Everything about this vision, however, invited chaos, the very thing she strove to avoid every day of her existence

She sighed She didn’t really have a choice, not if she was to live with her conscience Funny how her conscience, and not desire or drive or hope or even fear, would dictate her future Just guilt Good old-fashioned guilt

She finished up in her office, going through her ritual: wiping down the counters, checking the optical refractor, frowning because she needed to buy a new one, bringing forward the s maintenance people found it and emptied it She stared at the trash can Would she even be here after the weekend?

On Friday night, a single woirlfriends, nor down former vampire warrior boyfriends from other dimensions Two or three expletives, a habit learned froh her mouth and hit the air

She took off her professional white coat, folded it up, and put it in her tote She had a stock of coats so that she could rotate theh the cleaners She never wore the sa fresh, clean, in its place, which rain

She never went against the grain Except for Gideon Gideon in all respects, in every sense, had been totally and irrefutably against the grain

The last one to leave, she set the alar practice that she shared with several other opto up shop as an optometrist Talk about overkill

She headed to her car, her very sensible Audi, white, of course, against the endlessPhoenix sunshine

Once inside, she buckled up In April, the te the day, so she needed a coupleto take the day’s heat off the vehicle She started the engine and powered up the A/C

She sat for ain particular She leaned her forehead against the steering wheel She took deep breaths The hum of the motor and rush of air eased her nerves Sort of

Oh, God Was she really going to do this, open the lid to Pandora’s box, let out all that chaos?

Courage, Elise

Whatever

She didn’t have a choice She really didn’t So in the balance If she felt the routine of her life slipping away, too bad

She sat back in the seat and withdrew her iPhone froray leather purse She touched the screen and brought up Gideon’s nu, not caring that she resented the hell out of this conundrum

“Elise, what’s wrong?”

Oh, God his voice So deep Her body knew that voice, every varied resonant tietto push all that sudden familiar desire away