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Prologue

Her daddy had told her to stay away from hiood girls didn’t irl, but she didn’t think Ca, and she couldn’t stand to see him hurt

She was thirteen, and boys were just starting to flirt with her She liked the flirting, but she didn’t like how duhteen, ahi

Not that he ever showed it or spoke of it Unlike other boys, Cam didn’t tell anyone when he hurt And he didn’t flirt with her either When he saw her he talked to her, and when the older boys bothered her, he always seereen eyes of his would pin the other boys in a way that always made her shiver with dread And evidently, it made them shiver, too, because they ran, and they rarely bothered her anyht Caot, despite her daddy’s warning But now, it seeht her out

She tipped her head to the side, brushing back her long auburn hair as she stared at the rusty old pickup he drove It was parked on the back road to her daddy’s farm, far away from the house and in an area where the cattle hadn’t yet beenthere silently, just staring out the windshield as she drew her horse to a stop and slowly dismounted

"Stay, Critter" She patted the horse’s mane as she wrapped the lead to the bridle around a branch of a nearby tree and moved toward the truck

He couldn’t have known she would be here Her father rarely allowed her to ride far from the house

She watched as hea bottle to his lips, and she winced It hisky And it was really early in the day to be drinking

She er side of the truck and knew thefor her, because his entire body seeirl" His voice had a rough, growling tone as she opened the door slowly and lifted herself into the vehicle

He was so sad He looked so alone right now With his shaggy black hair fra with eh she didn’t knohat they were

He sat stiffly, his left arainst the door of the truck, his opposite hand holding that bottle of whisky

"Not a good place for you to be right now" He lifted the bottle again

Her daddy had warned her to always be careful of aBut Caed, as it had been at his parents’ funeral three years ago

She reached out and gripped his wrist, feeling the heat of his skin as he stiffened

"Don’t, Ca to hurt yourself like this"

"So?" His gaze pinned her now, and she had to force herself not to be frightened of hi for hirow up and I’ll take all the bad things away" She didn’t knohere the words came frooing to lose hiht now, she would lose hiaze flickered with agony then "Damn you, Jaci You’re just a kid You don’t knohat the hell you’re talking about"

"And you’re just er boys off when they bother me, if you don’t wait for ht anymore"

She tried to smile, but she wanted to cry

He shook his head and stared out the windshield again

"Dark knights are bad news," he finally muttered "Dumb little fairy tales You’d do better to look for a white knight"

"They’re boring" She tried to srief-stricken, she couldn’t find it in her to make her lips curve

"They’re safe" His voice echoed with an aloneness that suddenly frightened her Frightened her, not of hi to leave, aren’t you?" A tear fell froain"

She didn’t knohy it was so important that Cam not leave Shoot, he could do better anywhere than he could in this dusty little county they lived in But she didn’t want to lose him Not yet

"Maybe" He finally cleared his throat "Maybe I’ll just leave for a little while"

His voice was faint, aching with pain She wanted so bad to ease that pain, and she didn’t kno

"I’m your friend, Cam," she told him fiercely "I’ll alait for you to co on you and run your friends off I want you to have lots of friends And I’ll always be here when you coain, those eyes piercing inside her

"What do you want froht?" His voice was hard, like her daddy’s got when she said sohtened on his wrist then pulled away as she stared back at hi from you, Cao away"

"Why?" his voice was ragged "Why does it matter?"

"Because you’re my friend, and because I love you I love you better than anything, Cah to know that if you left, one of these days I would find you And when I do, I’ll show you what being a friend really means"

And he was her friend A friend she never wanted to lose

He blinked back at her and she realized how fierce she sounded Like herher daddy how ht when she shouldn’t And her mom’s voice sounded just like that