Saving Noah

Prologue

Noah's POV

We'd been lying on a sofa, her head rested on my chest. Just this afternoon I had shown her the huge log cabin that my parents owned. They were wealthy enough to own a few houses, and I decided it would be a good idea to take Lilith for the holiday.

The fire in the fireplace danced off the walls and on our faces, the stockings above it colored emerald green and ruby red with a white fur trim lining them. It gave me a warm, inviting feeling that I always loved during Christmas time. Lilith was reading aloud her favorite book, "Pride and Prejudice." This would've been the hundredth time she'd read it, I think. I loathed the book; I'd found romance stories to be dull and boring. I still acted like I enjoyed it, for her--giving gestures to make it seem like I was paying attention.

What I was really focusing on was the contours of her face, her ocean blue eyes, and her soft, velvety voice. I would often get lost in her voice; it was the loveliest sound I had ever heard--like a soft melody. I could listen to her for the rest of my life if I could. She was wearing grey sweatpants and a simple black long sleeved shirt, with her dirty-blonde hair tied into a messy bun. She looked so effortlessly beautiful in that moment. I wanted it to last forever.

But beautiful things don't always last forever.

"Are you going to pay attention to the story, or are you just going to keep staring off into the abyss?" Lily questioned, raising her brow. Lily was what her friends and family called her.

"You've read this many times; and to be honest, it's a bore." I stated.

She gasped playfully, putting her hand to her chest as if my words had wounded her. "Do not say that! This book is the best book to ever be written, and you cannot change my mind," she exclaimed, a smirk forming on the corners of her mouth.

"The male protagonist is an ass," I said.

"He's less of an ass than you," she said, grinning now.

"You love me," I said, chuckling. I sometimes wondered if she loved the characters in her books more than me. I didn't doubt it.

"I do," she said defeatedly while putting her bookmark into the book and setting it on the floor. I pressed my lips against her hair. It smelled like vanilla and cinnamon, and I breathed it in, savoring it. She pressed her head more into my chest, hugging me close. I watched as she drifted off to sleep, fluttering her eyes closed, and her breathing slowed.

I sat there in my thoughts for a while until I too fell asleep, dreaming of the proposal I would give to Lily tomorrow, and how she would say yes and everything would feel like a fairytale.

The thing that I always disliked about fairy-tales though, was that they always came to an end.

----

I awoke abruptly to a loud thud. Curious, I opened my eyes to see that it was 3am in the morning. Lily was still sleeping soundly, snoring a little. I chuckled softly.

Although everything seemed normal, a strange feeling in my gut was forming. Something felt. . . off. I gently lifted Lily's head from my chest and got up from the sofa to investigate.

I went through the log cabin, and to where I heard the thud. It sounded like it came from the kitchen. To be cautious, I went up to the old guest bedroom upstairs and took out the gun in the side-table beside the bed. It may seem too cautious to take out a gun, but since my parents had a lot of money--my father was a well-known businessman--burglars often tried to break in. I wasn't going to risk it, especially with Lily here.

As I creeped down to the kitchen, I heard the voices. Two men-- one's voice low and husky, and the other's higher, maybe even a little nervous. My stomach plummeted when I heard the low low voice speak.