Chapter One
The woods were a blur as he glided swiftly through the dense trees. The gnarled branches snagged at his clothing, but their attempts were in vain; they left no mark on his pale body and he would be replacing his tattered shirt when he reached the next town. After he'd hunted.
Jasper Whitlock had never felt more alone than he did now. It had only been a few hours since he had left her. His cold heart ached as he thought of her, but he knew that he could never return. The life he had shared with her was wrong and empty. He shook his head at this; that wasn't why he'd left. He loved her and would have endured anything to be with her. No, the reason he ran had nothing to do with him and everything to do with Maria. He let the pain wash over him as he closed his eyes and pictured her in his mind; her porcelain skin, her long, wavy dark hair swaying in the breeze as the sun sets behind her. Her eyes beckon to him, blazing like fire. She parts her lips and whispers to him. But instead of her voice, he hears a soft bump, bump, bump…
Jasper stopped so suddenly that he frightened a pair of a birds nesting in a nearby tree. The steady bumping reverberated in his ears. His throat ached at the sound as he began moving again, this time at a run, toward the unmistakable sound of a beating human heart.
Sophie loved this time of year. The leaves were just beginning to change color but still clung to their branches with vitality and life. She walked lazily through woods in a zigzag pattern, carrying a basket and enjoying the early morning light creeping through the oak trees. Rain covered everything from the light shower during the night and the air was heavy with the sound of splashing from a nearby river; Sophie inhaled the aroma and sighed. She knew that she had better hurry or her little brother would be very disappointed when he awoke to find no fresh berries for his birthday breakfast.
The sound of two birds flying away in the distance made her jump and she tripped on a wayward tree root. Her basket flew through the air and she put her hands out in front of her to break her fall. Her sharp intake of breath as the pain shot through her palms echoed throughout the forest.
She groaned as she raised herself from the ground into a sitting position and examined her hands. She winced when she saw her bloody, dirt-covered palms. She stood up, gathered her basket after shaking the gravel from it, and made her way towards the river to wash her burning hands in the cool water.