Chapter 1: Adela
Thescreamtearingfrommy throat doesn’t sound human.
Pain explodes through my body, hot and blinding, throwing me onto the pavement. Gravel cuts into my palms as I claw at the ground, trying to move, trying to breathe. I have to get out of here before they come back.
A car speeds away at the end of the street, taillights shrinking into the dark.
I try to stand.
Another scream rips out of me instead.
The pain is unbearable — a violent pulse radiating from my leg. I force myself to look down, and the world tilts.
Blood pools beneath me.
And through the pain where blood pours out—
Bone.
A broken shard pushing through torn skin.
My stomach lurches.
A scream explodes again.
The world flickers white, then red, then nothing at all.
Darkness swallows me whole.
Two Months Earlier
“Adela Kalkaska, baby.” Cody closes the door behind him, pushing it until it clicks, then he leans against it lazily, licking his lips. “What am I going to do with you?”
My heart races, pushing my hair away from my cheek as I glance at him over my shoulder. The light hits his broad shoulders framed in the doorway, his scent filling the space. He’s standing there with hunger in his eyes as he watches me bend over inside my closet, trying to find the silly little camera I know I threw in here the other day. I push my ball-gown bag to the side, search my vintage hatboxes, but I come up short. It’s not in here. I give up, turning back to Cody to find him already behind me, admiring my position.
“What’re you doing in here?” I ask, pushing to my feet. “They’re going to notice we’re both gone.”
The Kalkaskas will throw a party for any reason, but today is my special day.
He turns to lock the closet door, and his smile widens, slow and sure, absolutely pleased with himself.
“I wanted some alone time with you,” he says, crossing the closet in two long, unhurried strides. “Happy twenty-first, baby.”
Before I can even pretend to scold him, his hands slide around my waist, and his mouth finds mine.
Everything in me melts at once.
Every time I see him after being too long apart, there’s a jolt inside of me, like every time he touches me, it’s the first time. Every time he kisses me, it’s our first kiss.
He tastes like mint and champagne tonight. God –– I’ve missed him. The weeks apart, the distance since he transferred universities, the hockey schedule that keeps him there more than here with me. All my worries disappear with the warmth of his lips on mine.
He spins me gently until we’re facing my vanity mirror. In our reflection, my frilly dress, which costs a fortune, hugs my waist in pale ivory satin. My blonde hair is styled in loose waves, and my gray eyes are slightly wide from surprise and excitement.
“You’re the sexiest girl I’ve ever seen,” he murmurs, breath brushing my ear.
Heat sweeps through me. I try to turn to kiss him again, but he reaches into his pocket and lifts a small velvet box — my breath stutters when he opens it.
Nestled inside is a delicate pink Swarovski pendant, catching the light like a droplet of sunset.
