***This story is a Co-written venture with Jessica Pattinson, (Who also Beta's this story) who is also writing a story called "An Eternity of Night" on Twilighted and has co-written a story with Carla Kaye called "Black Night" published on 'the writer's coffee shop' Please check them out!***
Prologue
Galveston, Texas Spring, 1881
It was spring and the entire world was in bloom, but the tranquil surroundings were oblivious to Isabella Swan. She took little note of the lush wildflowers that surrounded her in the meadow. It was hard to notice such quaint and delicate things when you were being held captive.
It was little less than a week ago when the stagecoach carrying her back east was attacked by a ruthless band of outlaws. Bella seemed certain of her destiny two weeks ago, certain that she would marry the man of her dreams. That was until her father had discovered her plans to run off with his ranch foreman Edward Cullen. He was none too pleased to say the least, which is why he fired Edward and sent her packing on the first stagecoach bound for New York.
She made it just to the outskirts of town when the stagecoach driver and horses were shot and she was kidnapped from the coach. At the time she considered herself lucky to have been left alive, but no longer. Bella learned that her captor, James, had been the same rustler that was stealing cattle and supplies from her father s ranch. It was her initial assumption that his small crimes had led him to discover a bigger opportunity to ask for a higher pay day. She feared that after all she had put her father through recently that he d be reluctant to pay for her release. Once the renegades learned that her father wasn t paying the ransom, Bella was sure they would kill her or worse.
As they days passed by she began to lose hope that anyone would rescue her.