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PROLOGUE

          Clear's boots crunched on the loose gravel of the clearing. His arms rested comfortably across his chest. He surveyed the clearing, taking in the lush greenery flaring defiantly along the edge of the woods.

Wild. Untamed. Natural.

          Why she'd wanted to meet on a mountainside, he wasn't sure. But he certainly wasn't going to waste the view. He turned toward the snow-capped mountain, its beauty stealing his breath. He took a few steps before stopping at the jagged mouth of a ravine. He leaned forward, peering into its endless depth. The drop stretched endlessly below him.

          Sighing, he ran a hand over his face and straightened, pulling a mouthful of fresh mountain air deep into his lungs. The crisp bite of it cleared both his lungs and his mind. He lifted his chin to gauge the streaks of pink and orange beginning to stain the sky. The sun was starting to dip behind the tree line. He checked his watch, a hollow deepening his cheek. He'd been waiting for hours.

Where was she?

          Frantic footsteps broke through the quiet. He turned toward the tree line, expectation lifting his gaze. A deafening crack split the air. A high-pitched ringing swallowed everything else. The ringing erased every coherent thought. Clear's mind moved sluggishly as he tried to remember what he'd been about to say, what he'd been doing, what was happening right now. Time slowed to a crawl as he looked down at the red spreading wildly across his shirt.

This wasn't real; it couldn't be.

          He placed a finger against the tender hole in his chest. A rush of pain proved otherwise. Adrenaline flooded his body as his throat tightened in panic. He tried to speak, but the words came out as a hard grunt. Bloody bubbles trapped the words in his throat. He fought the sting in his eyes.

This couldn't be happening.

           A mix of copper and metal coated his tongue. Dropping to one knee, he tried to gather his bearings. Crimson drops pattered across the pebbled rocks. A crimson reminder that he was on borrowed time. He tried to stand, but his legs wouldn't budge. He felt himself begin to sway and gasped. Suddenly remembering the deep cut of the ravine at his back.

          His mind swam in shock as his world began to tilt. Letting out a guttural shout, he threw his arms to his sides, desperately trying to regain his balance. His heart hammered at an unnatural pace as he realized it wasn't working. He was about to free-fall into the ravine. Why was this happening to him? He tried to think of all the things he'd done in his life. Nothing had warranted this.

Had it?

          His eyes widened as the footsteps came to a sliding halt on the rocky pathway. An outline cleared the surrounding woods and came into view. He inhaled sharply as a bright blue seared into his brain. The ravine swallowed the figure from view. Maybe he did deserve this. His body jerked as the sharp wind flailed his limbs in every direction. One question echoed through his mind
as he fell.

"Why would she do this?"

The answer—a sickening thud as his body hit the earth below. His body jerked once more before his vision went black.