She was running from her past. She never expected to run into him. Sienna Reed has spent her life on the run, haunted by secrets she barely understands. When she arrives in the isolated town of Blackwood, she hopes for nothing more than a fresh start. But Blackwood is not an ordinary town, and the forests that surround it hide more than just shadows.
Chapter 1 A Fateful Encounter
The first time Sienna Reed saw Damon Wolfe, he was covered in blood.
Not his own.
The night air was thick with the scent of rain and something coppery. Sienna's hands gripped the steering wheel as she swerved to avoid the figure stumbling onto the deserted highway. Tires screeched. Her pulse hammered against her ribs.
The man collapsed to his knees, panting. His dark hair was soaked, sticking to his forehead. His shirt was torn, revealing deep claw marks across his chest. And his eyes-those haunting, golden eyes-locked onto hers.
Sienna's breath hitched.
Then he vanished.
One second he was there, kneeling in her headlights. The next, he was gone. The air buzzed with something unnatural.
Sienna's shaking hands hovered over the ignition. Every rational thought told her to drive. To leave. To pretend she had seen nothing.
But her heart was a traitor.
Slowly, she stepped out of the car. The road was slick beneath her boots as she approached the spot where he had fallen.
"Hello?" her voice wavered.
A whisper of movement behind her.
Too late.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her against a solid, burning-hot chest. A deep voice, ragged and inhuman, rasped against her ear.
"You shouldn't be here."
Before she could scream, the world spun.
And then-darkness.