Prologue

“I can't believe I let you talk me into this,” I said, unable to suppress the giggle. “It's freezing out here.”

Jacob shrugged. “It's not so bad out here,” he replied. “In fact, December in Black Salmon Falls is usually a lot colder than this. Compared to years past, this is practically a heat wave.”

“It's forty degrees out,” I said, looking at the app on my cellphone. “This is hardly a heat wave.”

“Perfect camping weather,” Jacob laughed.

“Apparently being born and raised here has given you thicker skin,” I said.

“Thicker than you California girls.”

I was bundled up in a thick down jacket, scarf, and a woolen cap. Jacob was in a light windbreaker and a cap, otherwise, if he felt how cold it was out there, he didn't give any sign of it. Still freezing, I snuggled closer to him while simultaneously, inching closer to the fire. I smiled and leaned my head on his shoulder, trying to absorb as much warmth from the campfire as I could.

Jacob reached into the picnic basket sitting on a rock near our feet and came out with a bottle and a thermos. Holding them up for me to see, he smiled.

“Peppermint Schnapps and hot cocoa,” he said. “The perfect combination for a somewhat chilly night.”

“Somewhat chilly, huh?” she scoffed.

He shrugged. “I've felt worse.”

Jacob poured us both a cup of cocoa with a liberal dash of the Schnapps and when it hit my tongue, my eyes rolled back into my head. I smiled and relished the taste of it as a warmth began to spread out through my belly.

“Just what the doctor ordered,” I said.

“Told you.”

I was a law student at the University of Washington and Jacob had just graduated with his law degree. We'd been together for a couple of years now, and things had gotten serious between us. We talked a lot about building a life together. A couple of power players in the legal world.

Jacob envisioned us as a power couple – something bordering on superheroes, in fact. Fighting crime and making a positive impact in the world. He as an environmental attorney, and me as a prosecutor. But, he also envisioned a quiet, tranquil home life that included kids and a happy home.

He was always so excited when we talked about it, but there was no way that fantasy life could ever become a reality. At least, not anytime soon. As lawyers, we were going to be putting in long weeks. Eighty hours or more, most likely. I didn't see how putting in those kinds of hours was in any way compatible with the white picket fence life he was imagining.

But, I loved Jacob with everything in me. And I knew that if we wanted it bad enough, we'd find a way to make it work. I wanted a long, happy life with that man and was determined to make it a reality.

I took another drink of my cocoa, enjoying the warmth spreading through my whole body. It almost made me forget about how damn cold it was. Camping had never really been my thing, but Jacob loved it. Loved being out in nature. He loved being out amongst the trees, breathing the musky scented air. I didn't hate it. I wasn't one of those people who freaked out about some dirt and a few bugs. I just didn't have the same appreciation for the outdoors that he did.

Which makes his passion for environmental law make sense.

I'd just drained the last of my cup and handed it over to Jacob for a refill when I heard a sound somewhere out in the woods. It sounded like a twig snapping beneath a foot.

“Did you hear that?” I asked quietly.

Jacob looked at me and smiled. “It's a forest,” he said. “There are all kinds of critters out here, city girl. Deer, raccoons, even bears.”

The night was dark, and a thick cloud cover blanketed the sky above. Not that we would have been able to see much of the moonlight anyway, given the densely packed canopy overhead. But given the total absence of natural light, the pockets of shadow seemed darker – and somehow, even more sinister to me.

Jacob handed my mug back to me. “Relax, honey,” he said. “It's just an animal out there. As long as we keep the fire going, they're not going to bother us. Remember, they're more afraid of us than we are of them.”

“I somehow doubt it.”

Jacob shook his head, laughing. “City folk.”

He leaned over and turned on the portable CD player he'd brought with us. The music started to play, drowning out the sounds of the night around us. It was simultaneously a bit comforting, but frightening at the same time. If something was out there, coming at us, I wanted to be able to hear it.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was probably right. I was being a paranoid city girl, acting like I was out in the wilderness for the first time. I'd been on plenty of camping trips with Jacob and our friends in our time together. I'd heard plenty of animals running around through the woods at night before. None of this was new to me.

I couldn't explain it though, but something just felt different to me. There was something in the air – a sense of darkness and malice I couldn't put my finger on. Something felt off. The darkness beyond the fire was deeper, eerier. There was just a feeling all around me that had me on edge. Like something dangerous was lurking in the dark around us.

It was as if a hand, colder than the night air, was reaching inside of me, gripping my heart, and squeezing.

At the same time though, I knew I needed to suck it up. I needed to relax and enjoy myself. And I most certainly couldn't let my unfounded fears ruin our weekend together. I had a really strong feeling that this was the weekend Jacob was going to propose.

I had a really strong feeling that he was going to take the first step toward building that perfect life we'd talked about and imagined.

“Do you remember this song?” he asked.

I cocked my head for a moment, listening to the song that was playing. A smile touched my lips as I recognized the song almost instantly – Unchained Melody.

“It was playing in the coffee house the night we met,” I said.

Jacob nodded. “It was indeed.”

He slipped his hand back inside of the picnic basket. My heart shot up into my throat when he pulled out a small black box. Jacob got onto one knee, his face flushed, a crooked smile on his lips. He looked nervous and it was adorable.

“I know you knew this was coming,” he said. “I was going to wait until Christmas, but I didn't want to wait a few more weeks.”

“I had an idea,” I said, tears welling in my eyes.

“Dana, I love you more than anything in this life,” he said. “I want to be with you forever. I want to build an amazing life with you.”

My heart was thundering in my chest and the tears finally spilled over, rolling fat and warm down my face.

“Dana McGovern, would you do me the honor of being my wife?”

I jumped to my feet, pulling Jacob up with me, and wrapped him in a tight embrace. I kissed his lips over and over again, the feeling of excitement and my love for this man washing through me, drowning out everything else – even my silly fears.

“Is that a yes?” he asked, that lopsided smile on his face.

“Yes,” I squealed. “Of course, it's a yes.”

Jacob slipped the ring onto my finger and I looked at the way it sparkled in the light of the campfire. It was beautiful. The most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, and I couldn't stop staring at it.

“I love you, Jacob,” I said.

“And I love you, Dana McGov – excuse me, Dana Lochlan.”

I held him tight and was only aware that the music had stopped playing when I heard the sound of twigs snapping underfoot again. This time, much closer. In fact, it sounded like it was right on top of us.

With fear coursing through my veins once more, I pulled away from Jacob and bent down, grabbing a flashlight.

“Babe,” he said. “It sounds like a deer walking around through the underbrush out there.”

I looked at him, but said nothing. It hadn't sounded anything like a deer to me. The footsteps I'd heard sounded human. Or at least, something walking around on two legs. Jacob gave me a patient smile and walked around the screen of bushes that ringed our campsite. He clapped his hands and sang Unchained Melody in the loudest, most off-key, and obnoxious voice imaginable.

He stopped and turned to me, a wide grin on his face. “That should have scared anything within a hundred miles off, don't you –”

Jacob never finished his statement as a pair of hands reached out of the bushes and lifted him off his feet, pulling him deep into the bushes and out of my sight. I stood rooted to my spot, the light from the flashlight I was holding bouncing around in my trembling hand.

Tears rolled down my face and choked sobs escaped my throat as the sound of Jacob's agonized screaming filled the air. He screamed for me to run, to get out of there, but then devolved into shrieks of pure agony.

I wanted to run. I wanted to get as far away from there as I could. But when I tried to will myself to move, I found that my body wouldn't respond. I was gripped by a paralysis that wouldn't let me go.

A moment later, Jacob's screams stopped entirely and the night around me grew silent. Tense. Pregnant with a sense of anticipation and the whispered promise of violence.

“J – Jacob?” I whispered into the darkness of the night.

Though I didn't expect an answer, the fact that I didn't get one, sent lances of pain and fear shooting through my heart. My hand shaking like I had palsy, I lifted the light and scanned the bushes around the campsite, hoping to see Jacob standing there smiling at me. He'd always been a prankster, so I couldn't totally discount the idea that he'd just pulled the most horrible prank in the history of the world.

But as I scanned the bushes, it felt more like wishful thinking than anything.

The scream that erupted from my throat echoed through the woods far and wide. The beam of light I was holding glinted off a pair of red, glowing eyes staring back at me. The bushes rustled as it stepped through them, and I felt warm urine running down my leg.

As the creature advanced on me slowly, I sank to my knees. I somehow managed to keep my light on it the whole time. It was as if I needed to see the thing that was about to kill me. It was a creature that defied description, a creature that was the fuel of nightmares and horror movies everywhere.

My body spasmed as I sobbed, and my heart was hammering so hard, I wouldn't have been surprised if it just burst inside of me. I lowered my head as the creature stood over me, not wanting to see it anymore. Its breath was rancid, and I felt drops of Jacob's blood falling from its mouth landing on my cap.

The tears came harder and faster, and when the creature let out a primal shriek, I couldn't keep the blood curdling scream from bursting out of me. I felt its hands on me, felt its long claws digging into my flesh. The creature's breath grew more rancid as it lowered its head toward me.

I finally looked up, looked into its red, glowing eyes and saw nothing but hatred within them. It was irrational, and I was acting on pure adrenaline, but I spit in the creature's face and then smacked it with my open hand.

The creature seemed to smile at me as it opened its jaws wide and plunged dagger sharp teeth into my neck. I was only vaguely aware that the screams of agony echoing around in the darkness of the woods were coming from me. I felt like a live wire was being held to my skin and a million volts of electricity were being shot through me. The pain was excruciating.

But then, my vision wavered, the pain eased, and the darkness slowly pulled me under.