Chapter 1

A/N: Well….I'm back! And rather quick I must say so. Technically this is the prequel to " My life married to a monster," but you can read them in any order you like. I suggest reading the other first though. Bookdreamer17.

" Can I help you find something, miss?"

I peered over the edge of my book, into the eyes of a disgruntled bookstore employee.

" Nope, I think I'm good. Thanks though." My politeness forced.

He looked down his nose at me and gave a pretentious sniff. Growling under my breath I returned to my intriguing book- not caring if he didn't like me sitting in the aisle reading.

When I peeked again he was gone, but my jovial mood had evaporated and my interest in the words before me waned. I rose and stretched my numb legs.

Cracking my neck, I replaced the book on the shelf and headed out into the mall. The mall burgeoned with people: mothers pushing squalling babies, hormonal boys gawking at every inch of skin, older people getting their exercise, and then people like me, who got dragged along by friends and then abandoned at the first chance.

I waded through the masses, heading towards American Eagle, where Susan and Amber said they would be when they left me in Barnes and Noble.

Why is my purse so big? My hands searched fruitless in my fathomless hole of a purse, trying to ascertain the whereabouts of my cell phone. Head stuck in my bag, I kept walking blindly into the mass of people.

" Ah ha!" I exclaimed softly, as I held my phone up victoriously. Then I ran into a wall.

Great, Kate. Way to be an idiot. I bent down to pick up my purse. Standing I realized that it hadn't been a wall, but a very large man. A very large creepy man, I discovered after a quick glance upwards.

" Careful frail." A rough voice said above me.

I almost blistered his face off with a witty retort, but a quick glance into the man's dark eyes silenced me. My mouth opened and closed a few times silently, but then he was gone leaving only the rustle of his black trench coat and a deep chuckle. I inhaled a few times trying to restart my frozen heart, as I detected a faint odor- the smell of pine trees.

What a creepy freak! I hurried on into the store and began my search for my friends.

" Susan?...Amber?" I called softly as I perused the store, occasionally stopping if something caught my eye.

After making a few rounds of the crowded store it was solidified in my mind that I had been totally ditched. Sighing, not so much in sadness but as in resignation, I began to exit the store.

With some effort I pushed aside the stores heavy doors, as I did I heard a loud shout behind me.

" Stop right there!" A male voice yelled hoarsely.

Quizzically I turned. A mall cop hurriedly ran towards me, waving his hands at him. His eyes lay deep in within his skull, like caves of brown and a layer of fat jiggled over his belt.

" Stop thief! Stop right there!"

" Sir?" My heart fluttered slightly in my chest because I saw that his eyes were filled with a strange light.

He grasped my arm roughly, and yanked me closer towards me.

" Get off me!" I yelled, and pulled against his restraint. " What did I do?" Flailing my head, I searched for someone to help me.

He spun me around to face him. " You know what you did! Give me your purse, now."

" No!"

" I said now." He ordered.

When I still didn't hand over my purse, he snatched it out of my clutched hands. Unceremoniously he turned my purse inside out, and with a growl of triumph he held up a shirt.

" You're coming with me, now." He said, as he began to drag me along behind me.

" No! I didn't do it! I didn't steal that shirt!"

He didn't respond, but just continued to haul me along. I searched desperately for Susan or Amber, but the people that surrounded us just stared and didn't move to help me.

Crap, crap and even more crap.

I shook my head back and forth. I sat on a plastic bench within " mall jail." I didn't know such a thing existed! It even had bars and everything!

The ass of a cop was out talking to the other mall cops, and I waited grumpily for my chance to say my side of the story.

I glanced up when the door opened. It was him, the pig headed, peacock brained, cat lover, mall cop. I snorted in disgust, and looked down again. Preferring to star at cement than at his ugly face.

" Why the long face, doll?" He ran his nightstick along the bars and the sound grated against my ears.

" Go to hell."

He pressed his face against the bars. " Tisk, tisk. It will all be okay, don't worry your pretty little head. I promise, you won't be charged with anything. I just had to get you alone, that's all."

As he spoke he pulled a set of keys from his pocket and walked back to the door, inserting the key and locking outer door.

He then turned back and grinned at me.

" You're insane." I pressed my back against the wall and eyed him warily.

" I'm going to help you, but you return the favor." He raised an eyebrow crookedly.

" Yeah right, like that's going to happen."

His footsteps were light and soft, as he approached the bars of the prison. " I'm sorry to hear that." He inserted a different key, and stepped in side.

I really need a boyfriend. Yep, a black belt, ninja, pirate swashbuckling rouge boyfriend. Note to self: Find one.

Eyes wide, hands outstretched and mouth lolling open slightly, he came at me. Striking quickly he grabbed me by the shoulders and shoved me against the wall. I screamed wildly, and thrashed against him. Straining to hit or scratch anything I could reach.

" Hold still!" He said, smashing his palm against my mouth, while kneeing me in the stomach.

I moaned in pain, and he gave a curt laugh. " Don't make this harder than it has to be, doll."

I clamped down on his hand, tasting salty blood. I felt sick to my stomach from the taste, as he reared back and hit me. My head hit the floor as I collapsed, and fought the spinning in my head.

" You bitch!" He screamed. Looking up I saw him raise his hand to strike again, but a knock at the door halted all movement.

Another frantic pounding at the door, and then a panicked voice sounded.

" Hank! Hank, get out here!"

" You know not to disturb me-"

" Doesn't matter! Some son of bitch just drove a display car through Macy's front window!"

Hank looked down at my form, gave a snarl and marched out. Locking the jail door and the outer door.

" I'll be back bitch." With that he slammed the door.

I laid my forehead on the cool concrete and sobbed thick tears of pain and indignation. How could this happen to me?

Crash!

What now? An invasion of leprechauns?"

Slowly I looked up from the floor. The door was hanging from its hinges, slowly swinging back and forth. That's…odd.

A dark shape in my peripheral vision brought my attention back to in front of me. A man stood silently in front of the jail door. From my angle on the floor he rose higher than the light hanging from the ceiling, so that he was shrouded in shadows.

I must admit I screamed loudly, and then crawled to the other side of the prison, huddling in the corner.

He stood there, his hands moving in small movements, and then the door was open. Walking to me only required two steps with his long legs, and his coat blew back to reveal a strong body covered from head to boot in black.

It was the man I had run into earlier. My eyes shut in terror, as his baritone voice washed over me like cold rain.

"Look at the mess you're in. I told you to be careful, frail."