Prologue
"Kiss me." It was those two words that would freeze time. Everything after them would be irrelevant.
I can't say that my heart beat wildly inside my chest as I whispered those words. Somehow, after having been abducted five years ago, nearly dying time and time again attempting to escape, the possibility of my request now being denied seemed immeasurable to the pain I'd already endured.
Oh, but that's a lie.
As his eyes bore into mine, tearing through all the barriers I'd labored over with my every breath to build, probing through my soul, I found nothing but comfort. And absolute terror.
Being near him is exhilarating. He makes you feel free in a way that your heart tells you that you can never leave his side. Ironic, isn't it?
I could feel his chest rising and falling against my hand as I stepped closer to him still, daring him to close the distance remaining himself.
His ragged blonde hair fell over his brow as he tipped his head toward mine. His breathe stirred my eyelashes.
His presence meant everything and nothing in my life. It meant destruction and hope, failure and promise.
"As you wish," he'd rasped, his voice husky and low.
Then his lips met mine.
We were one in that pocket of time. Our souls were melded. We were invincible. And sometimes, I believe we still are.
He stole my heart.
Only after he had stolen me, though.
He was my abductor. In stealing me, he saved me from reality. Or rather, the reality I couldn't see. He trained me to kill, while wielding compassion in my heart.
He's my savior.
I am Laken Banks, and I am a ShadowHunter.