He ended the call, popped open a bottle of wine, and shot Tara a quick message to let her know she could rx.


    Within minutes, seven or eight cars disappeared into the night, leaving behind nothing but a fresh mound of earth in the lonely wilderness. Aside from that, it looked like nothing had ever happened here.


    Ten kilometers away stood a quiet old temple, a sanctuary of peace. Out here, the ground hid something much darker.


    A sudden animal roar split the silence. Two white blurs streaked through the trees, weaving through the shadows with wild speed.


    They stopped at the mound and started digging furiously.


    A man in casual clothes, his presencemanding, spotted a discarded syringe


    in the dirt and frowned. "What are you two digging for?"


    The white shapes-furry, now streaked with mud-ignored him, paws working nonstop.


    "Hey, Max, Duke. Knock it off."


    He picked up the syringe and flung it down the slope. He really didn''t want to know what was buried here.


    But Max and Duke, his Czech wolfdogs, just kept going. Momentster, they uncovered a pale, trembling hand reaching out of the earth.


    The man was about to grab a stick to shoo the dogs away, but the hand moved- and he froze.


    He crouched down and pulled the person free.


    A woman.


    Max was the bigger one, but both dogs were huge and lean, trained since puppyhood-wild but smart, and intimidating enough to scare anyone on the


    street.


    The man knelt beside ra, his tall frame almost blocking out the moonlight. He gently removed the cloth from her mouth and met her eyes-so bright, so alive it almost startled him.


    How bright? She''d been buried alive, but she was still fighting her way out. Her hands were cut and bleeding, nails broken, evidence of just how hard she''d fought to break free.


    The worse the pain, the sharper her focus.


    And the clearer her mind, the more stubborn her will to survive.


    Her eyes told him: throw me to the wolves, drop rocks on my head-I''ll still find a way out.


    Now this was someone interesting.


    He offered his hand, voice calm. "Charles."


    ra''s face was caked in dirt, her hair a tangled mess except for those striking eyes.


    She rubbed her wrists and took his hand. "ra."


    Charles chuckled, kneeling to look her in the eye. "So, who tried to bury you out here?"


    ra didn''t answer. She touched her neck, blood still oozing from a wound, her wrists a mess.


    She tried to stand, but her knees buckled.


    Charles caught her. "I''m in a good mood tonight. Anywhere you want to go, I''ll take you."


    "Take me to your ce."


    He blinked, caught off guard. It took a second to register. "You know who I am?"


    She moved past him, voice t. "No idea. Just kidding."


    Charles


    d after her, baffled,


    then followed. "You really are


    something, aren''t you..." Comvel s to  swivel


    Before he could finish, ra fainted.


    She''d been running on pure adrenaline, but now that the danger was gone, she finally let go.


    Charles caught her before she hit the ground. Seeing the blood and dirt on her neck and wrists-and realizing she''d still managed to talk-gave him chills.


    Max and Duke followed as he carried her toward the clearing where a helicopter waited.


    He lifted


    the dogs in, slipped on his headset, and let himself smile a little,  Sw


    basi era inside, then helped


    "Max, Duke, you two have no idea who you just saved tonight." The helicopter rose, carrying them away from the darkness. ra didn''t wake for three days.


    She was in a gorgeous room, every detail carefully chosen.


    The two wolfdogs never left her side, each parked on a different side of her bed.


    Charles leaned against the door, asking the doctor, "When will she wake up?"


    "Not anytime soon."


    "What do you mean?"