... You make me feel as if I am a bird soaring in the sky. When you are not with me, I am bound to the ground." He touched her soft cheek. "I want you to marry me, Ruby. Will you?

She opened her eyes to find a strange man above her."Ahh," he sighed. "Your eyes are the color of jade. I imagined them to be dark, like your hair. How strange."She continued to stare at him without a word. His figure loomed over her, and he stared at her with large, black eyes, like those of a bird, she thought. His thin, black hair fell past his chin, making him appear delicate, almost beautiful. His lips curved to a smile."I find you just as beautiful, my dear," he said. His statement shocked her; it was as if he'd read her thoughts."Yes, I know what you think presently, but…." He paused for a moment. "Not all of them. You keep something hidden from me. Hmm, how strange. Very well. It seems you are more interesting than I first thought.""What is it that you want?" she spat out."Oh, please do not start with that nonsense," he chided. "My plans are not for you to know. However, I will assure you that now I have seen you, I plan to keep you, at least for a while.

He gave a nod. "My future lies in your hands." "Not your future, Gerard, but the path leading to it," she suggested.

His disheveled appearance could not hide his attractive qualities. And at first sight she could have sworn she'd come upon a character from one of her books¬¬—the gallant prince turned pirate. Perhaps it was his tall, strong form and unshaven face that gave him such a roguish appearance. It also wasn't hard to look into his blue eyes, which peered out from beneath his lengthy wet mop of black hair.

I did not think you would be this impressed with my visit. I should come to see you more often.""Oh Fredrick," she said, not amused. "I am so glad to see a familiar face.""Is that all? A familiar face?" He let out a sigh. "For a minute I thought you'd missed me."She let go of him and stood back to swat him playfully on the arm. "Do not play with me, Fredrick. Of course I missed you. You have been away from my company for far too long.

Good evening, Lady Ruby," he answered. "What are you to dream of?" he asked again with a curious expression.Ruby's cheeks turned red as she met his warm blue eyes. Her feet felt heavy as bricks, and she did not know if she could walk. She had thought she'd never see him again, but here he was now before her.She thought of a crafty remark. "Not of you," she answered. But quickly she wondered if her protest made her sound like a silly, lovesick girl. She bit her lip."I see," he said. "Well, we will have to change that." He gave her a grin, a flash of dark sensuality that sent a bolt of excitement through her.

Do I get a reward?" he asked as he brought her hand to his mouth for a kiss.Ruby darted her eyes away from him as she blushed with embarrassment. "For my rescue?" she dared.His eyes twinkled. "For rescuing each other." He placed his hand along her back and pulled her against his chest.

It was quite apparent that he'd been bestowed all the charms of any handsomely clad rake. A demeanor to match, Ruby thought.

Feris was taller than the average man and his looks were sinister in the form of long dark hair and deep-set eyes. He had an untouchable, magnetic quality that consumed any beholder whose gaze fell upon him as he spoke, and when he fell silent, his penetrating stare easily defied any predators.

Ruby's eyes shot open when she woke, for she felt a constraint around her wrists and ankles. Feeling with her fingers, she touched cold metal. Her small movement gave the chains a slight jingle. A sinking feeling washed over her at the realization that she was chained.

He gave a nod. "My future lies in your hands." "Not your future, Gerard, but the path leading to it," she suggested

He rolled his neck, as if to relieve the stress of his shoulders. "Your body is encased in a strong spell. It will not open up to me," he said in frustration. "Who guards you?

To be your companion.""Companion?" He said the word as if he were spitting a bad taste from his mouth. "I am a killer. A monster! Can you not see that?

The boy continued with a desperate note. "You may have saved my life, but it is not my life any longer, it is yours.

The years passed. Untouched by age, he lived and did as his creator had suggested. Victim after victim, drink after drink, he tried to stop his hunger; however, it did not last for long. The tingling ache of emptiness crawled up from his gut until he could no longer stand it, and soon he would be out on the hunt all over again. He had never felt guilt for his murders. The power inside him reassured that he was above such emotions. Besides, he was the gate that opened their soul to his creator. He fed not only himself, but it.

At first glance, the ball seemed to be an elegant success. However, re-evaluation would allow an observer to see more than a graceful party. Many well-thought plans highlighted what this really was: a marriage market.

The party was at its peak and everyone was taking full advantage of the moment. Each lady had her eye on a certain marked beau. Elegant women conversed with eligible men, handsome and well bred. Ruby felt sorry for the under-endowed ladies and plain girls, who stood together in a small group with their mothers. Passing by the conniving little circle, she heard too clearly the strategies they had concocted. They were like vultures hunting for rotten meat. Mothers sent out their girls to meet the wealthiest and nearly deceased men of the ton.

In the realm of Ahura, there are two lands, one of light and one of dark. The land of light is where the mountain lay, and near its top is where the Zoroastrians dwell. They are the people of the land, and the chosen Twelve are their most powerful leaders and protectors. It is a beautiful sight, not like anything in mortal existence. The peak stretches up toward a sky of amber and blue. During certain hours, a purple hue explodes along the skyline, stretching out into the distance of one side of the mountain, extending farther than the eye can grasp. This is a constant. Never without light.

His kiss was cold, and his tongue made her sick. She felt a sharp prick as he pulled her even closer. Her conflicting thoughts dissolved from her mind, every thought except surrendering to him. The heat returned and she desired more, more of what he had to offer, more of what he was doing. She could not deny him any longer. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders pulling him closer, holding on to his solid form.

There he was, her confidant—strong, solid, and unbending.

The dream came again—three times in three nights and always at the first of the year.

... The freshly devoured peppermint she loved lofted from her breath and up to his nose with her loud bellow of Father in his ear, and Caxton was sure that he could smell that scent now out in the crisp night air. "You demon!" he screamed with all his might. ...

We are great friends, Fredrick, and I do not want to lose you. Marriage is something I am not ready for, even if it were with my best friend. Can we not continue to love each other the way we always have?"His eyes scanned her face and his hands reunited with hers. "My dear lady, I love you more than that," Fredrick said tenderly.

His disheveled appearance could not hide his attractive qualities. And at first sight she could have sworn she'd come upon a character from one of her books—the gallant prince turned pirate. Perhaps it was his tall, strong form and unshaven face that gave him such a roguish appearance. It also wasn't hard to look into his blue eyes, which peered out from beneath his lengthy wet mop of black hair.

Cupid had struck his heart to the core but had forgotten to put even a mere scratch on his beloved's.

A giant grin, accompanied by a slight chuckle, had been the grand finale to any of his most successful jokes, while the less impressive resulted in a raise of both his brows, which he followed with a semi-satisfied smirk. The least entertaining attempt at humor would get a shrug and a short grimace that reflected he too understood he’d just bombed. Olivia was acquainted with them all now, considering all the time they’d spent together, the most she’d spent with any other individual inside the vault. Olivia had become accustomed to his infectious humor, though it hadn’t always been so. Especially, when they’d first met.

Thanks, for saving me.”“I didn’t have a choice,” he said softly.“Everyone has a choice.”“Then mine was easy.”“Easy?”He chuckled. “Olivia, my choice will always be simple when it comes to you...

Everyone is dangerous in here, can’t you see that?” he warned.

He whispered for her ears only as he listed off the facts: “Military are allowed a larger portion. Being second in command restricts me from no room and giving orders is what I’ve been hired to do. As far as ignoring you, that is not the case. I’ve checked up on you, and you are doing well. My intentions have never been to harm you or insult you. You actually are quite breathtaking in that dress and that is the problem, you need not draw attention to yourself. You are my responsibility and the answer to ‘why’ will always be because I have to.

No, we’ll live. I promise you that.” He’d said it in a way that she couldn’t doubt, the same way he’d snapped his soldiers back into their rank on the helicopter. His words had been soft yet firm, and she wanted to believe in him as his men had, with confidence.

If only he’d taken one look at her and seen that they were soul mates, swept her off her feet and taken her to Las Vegas to be married in the same little chapel where Britney Spears had been. She laughed to herself. It would probably have lasted just as long, once her mother found out.

We’re in an underground vault, and here’s my first order: You’re going to do everything I tell you to do.

She’d been caught up in that image, that flash, man’s nuclear stamp, and had not really understood what happened after.

Olivia responded with confidence, “You’re the military. You’re in charge. Why would I be scared?

Things are different here. There will be rules and regulations that you are not used to. You will have to follow them. All of them.

It’s not a war. It’s an annihilation,” he’d mumbled low for her ears only. She’d been unable to respond, only focusing on her own breath and marveling that she in fact was still breathing.

She’d found that holding on to him was the easiest and simplest thing to do, not thinking about the bomb, not thinking about the people it killed, not thinking about her family, and not thinking about whether or not she would die. Instead, she’d held tightly around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. She’d thought the entire world was coming to an end and holding on to him seemed to be the only thing she wanted to acknowledge as real.