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Prologue

“Going to shoot me?” The wohost “Going to leave ain?”

Drake Archer circled her They were in a small apartment, and the scent of death already filled the air around them

The beautiful woet that knife away from her

She’s already hurt too many people I have to stop her He opened his hand Held it out to her “Give me the knife”

She laughed at him

Her laugh was so fahter had seerow around his heart because he saw her for exactly what she was

Her beauty only went skin deep Evil was at her core

Drake started to shake his head How had he been so wrong about her? How?

And in that one ed forward and drove her knife into Drake’s stoht He fell back, stunned, as his blood pumped from him and a chill seemed to consume his whole body

“This ti

His knees sagged Drake hit the floor

No, no, he wasn’t supposed to go out like this And…it was all his fucking fault He’d trusted the wrong wo eyes

Anna Jean wasn’t going to stop She was a killer, straight to her soul There were others in the apartment Others that she would take out with a cold, calculated brutality He had to stop her

His blood soaked his shirt He tried to look up, to move, but his whole body trembled

Anna Jean drew closer to hih he couldn’t see her face “Maybe he did love me,” she mused “Because if he’d been smart, he would’ve shot utting hi me in the cold”

I never loved you When Anna Jean ers locked around her ankle “No…” Drake growled

“Oh, darling, relax, I’ll slit your throat and end things soon”

And she would Without any hesitation When he’d been the one to foolishly hesitate

He would never hesitate again Drake tried to heave his body up I have to stop her

He would do anything…anything…to stop her

Drake pushed through the pain even as rab the knife that Anna Jean had used on hi another attack froht he was too weak

Her ed up, and he drove the knife into her heart Anna Jean gasped Her eyes widened She turned her head to look at him

“I didn’t…ed to tell her No, he’d ended Anna Jean

She died in his arms

And his blood kept flowing out…

Drake jerked upright in bed, his body soaked in sweat and thein his head Because that hadn’t been a dreahtmare to mess with his head

That had been his sick reality

His hand slid over the newest scar on his sto him out

Only he’d survived