, the silence that followed thick with the sound of her own ragged breathing. Using a collapsible gurney she kept

illa was dominated by a fully equipped ho

e leaving no room for argument. "Get washed up f

paused at the bottom of the sta

s face, so serious and so young, was a mirror of her own resolve. "I'm going to do eve

n of the house, and herd

arsh light exposed the full extent of the man's injuries. She took a deep, steadying breath, the fa

it. The fabric, soaked in blood and rainwater, peeled away to reveal a torso that was a roadmap of viol

aculously missing any major organs. The real danger was blood loss. She inserted an IV line into his a

s brushed against something else-a raised, puckered scar. She

. The distinct, crescent shape of the teeth, the

terrifyingl

rugged drink. The weight of a man's body on hers. Fear, panic, and a desperate, primal act of

anicked beat. It couldn't be. The location, the shape... it was identical

, her mind screaming the word

ned the wounds, and began to suture the torn flesh. Her stitches were small, neat, and pr

st of it was don

came away, his features were revealed. A strong, aristocratic brow. A straight, noble nose. A firm, scu

breathtakin

ecognition. It was specific. It was the exact shape of his eyebrows, the sa

her

ren were sleeping. She pictured Mason's face, his serious expression, his determ

same high cheekbones.

y into her mind, a thought so terrifying

n from that night was a hired

d into his skin and carved into h

life she had painstakingly built for herself and her children over the

g, not a haunting resemblance. She

ction vial. With an expert touch, she found the vein in his uninjured arm and drew a sample of his b

t to a trusted private lab

the slow, steady rise and fall of the stranger's chest. Who was he? The monster fr

ss doze in the chair. She opened her eyes to see Mason, Miles, and Lily

," Lily whispered, h

ce bright with an excitement that twist

ds the man on the table, and quietly took a picture. Chloe kne

feet and opened the door.

ed from Mason's face to the face of the man on the table, the resem

the truth. No ma