Page 1 (1/2)

Chapter One

Meal-on-wheels, eighteen-year-old Rose Pascal thought hysterically That’s e rattled as the creatures who’d captured her only an hour before steered her toward a large tent hidden anarled trees What awaited her in there

Would it be worse than what surrounded her?

Bile burned her throat These s--were tall anddown the center of their skulls, black scales that so frolowing red eyes Hungry eyes Watching her, eager

Frigid rain pounded fro between the four-by-four iron that imprisoned her She huddled in a corner, ar and freaked Today was her birthday She’d stayed up late, hoping to greetof her adolescence--with a laugh and call to her best friend, Claire But the ed froo walls of her bedroom had faded, as had her bed, her desk, and her co rain She’d spun, searching for soh Not yet Perhaps she’d fallen asleep, she’d ued her

But the silly hope had lasted only ato reach her before she could figure out what had happened and where she was Panic? Oh, yes A tidal wave of it The creatures had pawed at her, uncaring as she fought and screae

What she’d known then--she’d never been here before What she kne--she never wanted to return How had she gotten to this place? She still had no clue Thethings had tried to talk with her before jolting into e she’d never heard and they clearly didn’t understand hers

The cart stopped abruptly, and she gulped They’d reached the tent Her heart pounded against her ribs as one of the creatures unlatched the door, the heavy thunk jolting her into action

"No!" When he stretched an ar his claws--so sharp and deadly--away "Leave runt, a snarl, and then those claws banded around her ankle, jerking Rose slid forward and onto her back, skull sla into wood Icy air sawed between her lips as her vision sinking stars Another jerk, and she was out of the cage entirely, staring up at the dark, endless sky, raindrops like little needles against her skin Thendown at her

I’m on my own Helpless Treerher down, pinning her in place

Tears caught in her lashes before flooding down her cheeks, and even those were cold "Let ryassaulted her ears De!"

Firm hands hauled her to her feet and shoved her forward Rose stuidity of her body When she reached the tent flap, one of the monsters held the o inside Shaking her head, she tried to press her heels into the ground and slow her ht kind Her efforts earned her another shove, and this tis, and face on the ground More of those stupid stars flashed through her vision

The flap closed behind her with an ominous swish

Silence

Her tremors intensified Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God

No sudden ainst Slowly she raised her head and cast her gaze wildly about To her left was a bed of furs Avoid! In the center blazed a crackling fire, licking her elcome warmth Every cell she possessed craved more Just beyond those flaht, a table piled high with platters of food Food How long since she’d eaten? But her erily Beside that table stood a lass of a, Rose jumped up At six feet, she usually towered over the people around her, yet this man towered over her He was as muscled as her escort, but unlike those monsters, this man had sun-kissed skin, tousled black hair, and violet eyes framed by thick, spiky black lashes

His face wasbeautiful Haunting, like that of a favored angel Seriously, airbrushed models weren’t this perfect He wore a black shirt and black pants, and if he’d unfolded white, feathered wings from his back, she wouldn’t have been surprised

Was she, dared she hope, safe now?

"Deutsch? Francais? English? Espanol? " he asked

And he purred The oh, God s in her head instantly changed in tone and volu None of the boys at her school spoke like that "I’ hair fros absorbed every drop, and she was suddenly painfully aware of how terrible she lish, then How uess"

Darling The endearment soothed like bal teeth

The cold and waning shock had caught up with her

He shteenth birthday, then" Gaze never leaving her, he drank what re, and set the cup on the tabletop

That shts as well as her breath "How did you know today is oing to do withteeth couldn’t be blamed for that last stutter She wanted to blame renewed fear, but

"One question at a tiirl and sit down for me"