Fated Connection (Book 1)

Prologue

Waiting. It's always the worst part of living. You're always waiting for something. Tonight, in my case, I'm waiting for several things. I'm waiting for my time to run, to flee for my life. I'm also waiting for the moment when I have to say goodbye to my baby girl, and there is nothing more devastating than holding your daughter and knowing it could be the last time you will ever get to see her. Walking away was the only way to keep her safe.

As I sat in the bedroom of our small house, I watched her as she slept, smiling with her little dimples on her tiny pink cheeks. I ran one hand gently along the rail of the cradle that Dominic had made by hand, tracing the intricate details he had carved into the wood. I smiled to myself, thinking of how much he cared for our daughter and me, knowing he would do anything for us. I looked around at the room, which wasn't much bigger than a walk in closet, and realized how little time we had spent at any location since we had fallen in love. We had only been at this home for two months, and I hadn't bothered to decorate because I knew we probably wouldn't be here long.

I looked back at Nevada, smoothing her blonde hair so like mine. The gesture caused her to stir and she slowly opened her eyes and peered up at me. At only four weeks old, her eyes were already a bright emerald green and held an intensity as if she had already experienced the world. She looked so much like her father, Dominic. Smiling sadly to myself, I held her tiny form close to my chest, cherishing every moment I could have with her.

The door burst open and I jumped, poised for battle and ready to kill anyone unwanted. Seeing it was Dominic, the love of my life, I let out a shaky breath. It only took me half of a second to realize that something wasn't right. His lip was split and bloody, and he had a gash on his left temple that was bleeding down the side of his face. I glanced at the sword in his hand and realized it was covered in blood. My thoughts suddenly flashed back to before guns had been invented, when the fae races had slashed their way through battle fields. The clang of swords filled my ears and my heart stopped. However, the crazed look in his eyes brought me quickly back to the present, making everything all too real.

"We need to go. Now!" Dominic said as he stepped into the room.

I backed away shaking my head, "I can't do this."

"Lana, we've talked about this over and over again. We have to. There isn't another choice." He replied gently. He held his hand out, trying to coax me towards him.

"Please, Dom! Our daughter must stay with us. We have to protect her and teach her about her magick!" I pleaded with him even though I knew it was pointless. "How is it so easy for you to give her up?"

I knew my words weren't fair and almost immediately regretted them. But I couldn't take them back now and I bit my lip to try and hold my tears at bay. Dominic was my knight in blood-stained armor, the backbone to my strength. As the oldest Folmorian prince, he had to teach himself to steel his emotions and not let anything cloud his judgement in battle. As I studied him in the dim bedroom light, I saw the muscle in his jaw twitch but saw no other visible reaction to my words.

"Nevada will be fine. She is our daughter after all. We'll see her again, my love." Dominic took another step towards me, still holding out his hand. His voice was still calm as he continued, "It's time to go now, Lana. We are running out of time. Some of Torch's people have already come."

I didn't know much about Torch except for the stories I had heard. Everyone said he was an ancient and powerful Folmorian who was always in search of more power. He was greedy and cruel, and came from one of the original Folmorian families. The rumors had told of a man that had always resented the fact that his family had not been royalty. Because of that, he used everything he could get his hands on to terrorize the world in revenge.