Read the first chapter below

Copyright by Daria M Paus.
This excerpt is under no circumstances allowed to copy, share or distribute without my permission. 

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Rounding a bend in a blur of speed, Darek pushed the motorcycle to its limit, taking the slick mountain road with fearless abandon. The danger and the icy wind in his hair made him feel alive. Naked trees swished by in shapeless colors of brown and gray, blending with the snow-coated mountains siding the roads. Darek played with death because he didn't think he could die. He had turned into a killing machine. The power burning inside him not only made him immune to the cold winter air, it also filled him with a deeply rooted frustration. He was fire. He was destruction. He was fear. And he loved it—but he wanted more. Whatever more was...

The car came out of nowhere. In the blink of an eye, it was speeding toward him, giving him no chance to brake or steer clear of the inevitable crash. 

Darek’s eyes locked on the face on the other side of the windshield, and the world around him slowed down. Two dark eyes stared back at him. The panic and the fear were his own, even though he wasn't afraid. 

Wings sprouted from his back, ripping his shirt right off his body and lifting him into the air microseconds before the bike slammed into the car. The ear-piercing screech of bent metal and screaming tires all drifted away as he flew unharmed through the thin winter air. 

He never cared about a human life. Not since that day. They all deserved to burn in hell. And he would gladly offer them a ride right down to the flaming gate. He never stopped to think, never felt the regret, and never had a second thought about who he left to die. The need to go back and check on the car both stunned and angered him. Why should he care? What was another soul to him? 

Still, those eyes haunted him. The way they looked straight at him. The way they touched something deep within him that had laid untouched for years.
    Darek cried out from the feeling, then did a one-eighty and flew back. Nearing the site, the smell of gasoline tickled his nose, and a faint pillar of steam rose into the air. The hissing and crackling as the vehicle trembled in the aftermath sent a wave of satisfaction through him. There was nothing better than the sound of destruction. The sound of revenge... The sound of screams was music to his ears.

He landed, changing back into human form before inching closer to the wrecked car. Peeking inside, his eyes landed on a female body, slumped over against the wheel. Black hair covered her face.

Something in Darek clenched. A sliver of regret. A bolt of fear. He reached for the door. It didn't open. One fist to the glass shattered the already broken window. He grabbed the frame, and with one sharp tug, yanked the whole door off. Throwing it aside, he leaned in, grabbed the woman’s shoulder, and pulled her back against the seat. Her body was limp but still warm. Her head rolled to the side, hair falling away with the motion, and the moment Darek’s eyes fell on her face, something shifted within him. The sudden feeling made him jerk back in startled shock. He hit his head in a hurry to get away and cursed out loud from the sudden pain. 

The woman stirred, and his eyes snapped back to her just in time for hers to open. Her gaze as it landed on him, hooded by sleep and clouded from unconsciousness, drew Darek in like a moth to a flame. 

Darek’s lips parted in a soft gasp as the fire within him calmed. Her gaze brought along a cool breeze through his soul. Soothing and calming, allowing him to breathe a deep breath for the first time in years. 

She blinked at him, her mouth opening as if she wanted to speak. Several tries later, she found her voice. Her eyes narrowed as they bored into Darek’s. “You.” 

The hidden accusation in the word sent a chill down Darek’s spine. During her short moment of terror, before he slammed into her car, she’d seen him. She recognized him. She blamed him. 

“Hmph.” He pulled back. “Wanna die in here?” 

She turned her face away, revealing a slow but steady trail of blood trickling down the side of her face. The stark contrast of dark red against her white skin stirred something within him, and when he spoke his voice was just a growl. “You’re injured.” 

“Yeah.” She snapped her head back to glare at him. “That’s what happens when some asshole runs their bike into my car.” 

Ignoring her, he muttered, “You have to get out.” It was only a matter of time before the car caught fire. He'd burned down towns and reveled in the screams of hundreds of souls caught in the flames. But the thought of this stranger’s soft body consumed in the inferno made him sick to his stomach. She was the perfect picture of beauty. She was exquisite. She was innocent, and fierce, she was everything he shouldn’t bother with. Darek had never cared for anyone, never felt the need to be close to anyone. One look at this hauntingly beautiful creature, all of it changed, and he didn't have the will to fight it. 

He didn't even know her name, but he wanted her, needed her. She was the calm in his storm. The lighthouse in the dark. The blood on her soft skin made his chest tighten with a sudden wave of guilt.

Darek ripped off her seatbelt, then slid an arm around her waist with no regard to her protests. He wasn't going to let her die just because she was too stubborn to accept his help. 

Once she was free, he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her away from the car. He didn't even flinch as the blast shook the mountain, and the heatwave pushed against his back. He held her tighter, breathing in her jasmine-scented hair with a desire burning just as hot as the car.

“Let me go!” She pushed against his chest. A growl slipped past Darek’s lips. He wasn't ready to let her go. 

“Put me down!” 

Darek abruptly stopped, dropped her to the ground, and stood glaring at her as she scrambled to her feet and away from him. When she turned her eyes up to glare right back, a twisted grin spread across his lips.

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