Chapter 1 Prologue

Cora knew she was dreaming.

She stood on the rooftop of a high-ri se, goosebumps ri si n g onhe r skin at the glorious view. B esi de her stood the man who gavehe r everything, his face shadowed.

"It's beautiful. " The city lig hts gli ttered like jewels in a blac kvelvet night. The whole wor ld laid at her feet.

"It's mine," Marcus told her . "Ever ything you see belon g s tome. "

She wore a red dress an d heels with slender str aps wi n din g uphe r legs. Her wrists bore silver cu s. Her ring fl ashed red as shetucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Everything?" She leaned against the ledg e, striki n g a pose.The old Cor a, country girl Cor a would never be so brazen . The oldCora was a sheltered virgin, sweet an d naive.

The old Cor a was dead.

Marcus' s footsteps echoed as he st alked to her. "Everythin g."The lines beside his gr ey eyes cr in kled.

He grasped her hips and li fted her ont o the ledg e. Gi gg lesescaped as her chest tight ened. Before her stood the man sheloved. Behind her, a dark exp anse. An endless chasm.

"Marcus. " She clutched his broad shou lder s. The wi n d r ippedat her garments and tugged her golden hair.

He caught her wrists and for ced her han ds back.

"Do you tr ust me?"

"Yes," she whispered. Her fi ngers flu ttered. The gar net i n herengage ment r ing caught the lig ht.

Marcus moved closer as if to kiss her. She angle d her fac etowards his-

-and he shoved her o the ledge. Her hands reac hed for him,he r dress streaming around her floatin g body as Mar cu s g re wfurther and fur ther away.

The night rose up, surrou nded, swallowed her. The ci ty li ghtsswirle d, a dizzying kaleidosc ope. One by one, the li ghts wen t outand Cora tumbled into darkness.

Cora jerked awake. Marcus's dark head was on the pillow beside hers, the shadows under his eyes lighter with sleep. The sight of him anchored her, grounding her spinning senses, the weightless sensation. If she closed her eyes, she was still falling.

Smoothing her pillow, Cora settled in. In the dark confines of Marcus's bedroom, she was safe.

Safe from everyone but him.