PROLOGUE
The angels told me one day when I was all grown up I'd meet the man who would save the world. They also said that together we were destined for greatness. Things didn't exactly happen that way. My names Haley James and this is my story.
On the eve of my 22 birthday I decided to take a walk down a long dark alley. Stupid I know, but something kept calling to me. I've had dreams like this before. I'm walking alone, at night with the breeze ripping at my coat. The air whispering silent pleases for me to turn around, and right before I make it to the end I wake up. Now I am not asleep and the alley is defiantly real. Even the smells, so god awful!
I cover my face with my hand muffling the piercing screams as a stray cat leaps from the roof tops. Breathing heavy breaths of the cold night air, I push my feet forward. I must find out what's at the end.
A man was being slammed against a nearby dumpster. His voice getting heavy with each blow of his attackers fists. Then I saw the things face. I'd never seen anything like it before. It was a MONSTER!
As the man got loose, I ducked behind some grungy pull down stair. Hopefully no one noticed me. The man obviously didn't, his curses and what I understood as Latin filled the air.
His big form crumpled to the dirt crested cement, one more punch and he'd be gone. I acted on impulse and searched around me for anything that could be a weapon. All I found was a plastic chair and a rusty bar that had once been a part of the balcony stair above. It was probably good for a few hits.
Without thinking I threw myself at the beast. Two whacks in the head had the creatures attention. He turned to me, stalking his prey. I was highly rethinking the act as I was being backed into a corner.
His disfigured face smiled in anticipation as I shrinked into the cold, hard stone wall behind me. Just as I began to scream the monsters eyes turned white and he disappeared leaving only the form of the man holding a silver knife.
He saved me, just as I had tried to do for him. He was heaving with every breath. Even behind the cuts and bruising around his chin and eyes I knew he was beautiful. Before I could speak he held up a hand stopping me. "What were you thinking?" He whispered harshly.
"I'm sorry, I just..." I tried to explain, but he was talking again… more like yelling.
"You could have been killed. Do you know that?" He gestured for me to answer, but I got the feeling I wasn't suppose to because there was more. "If I hadn't gotten up in time, it would have…" He stopped yelling long enough to swipe his hand through his shaggy hair.
"Your very lucky I was here." As I stared at his disheveled body I began to think back. I was lucky. If he hadn't been here, I most probably would have already been dead but he didn't need to know that part.
"It looks to me like you were the lucky one, me showing up when I did. It was about to beat the life right out of you. You can say thanks anytime." His grunt and the look that said, not a snows chance in hell made me pause.
"Please, it was all apart of the plan." He hadn't noticed her moving passed him heading back out of the alley. "You shouldn't have jumped in when you…" Looking around, all he saw were jeans. "Hey! I wasn't done." He yelled after me. I could hear his hushed curses gaining on me.
"Were you ever going to finish?" I asked walking a little faster. After all this man was a stranger, and had just killed something I couldn't explain. Should I be taunting him?
I felt a tug on my arm, and then I was being pushed into hard stone. One of his hands rested on my hip keeping me in place while the other pressed into the stone next to my head. His face was close to mine, I could feel his breath on my face. The hint of sweat and cinnamon filled my nostrils. It made me dizzy. "Back off me, I mean it!" I whimpered partly in fear for my life, and the other part can be left to the imagination.
"No! I told you we weren't finished. You shouldn't have seen anything that happened back there. I'm sorry, but I have to…" Oh god, he's going to kill me. I began to struggle as I began playing his words over and over in my head causing this nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Stop it! Wait, what's wrong with you?" His hesitantly held on to me. The next thing I knew my eyes began to fog over and then nothing. Everything went blank.