BENEATH BLOOD & STONE

PROLOGUE

Virginia, 1906

Sound was usually the first sense to return after the drug wore off. This time it was smell, and with it the scent of blood. That, at least, was normal.

Haziness filled Marie's mind like a dense fog, its heaviness weighing her down. Soon a pounding headache would set in, and she would curl herself into the smallest ball possible to wait it out. She hated showing them her pain, but some things couldn't be helped.

The smell of blood grew stronger, the essence of its metallic tang touching the back of her tongue. She parted her cracked lips and drew a ragged breath and realized she wasn't imagining the taste. Blood coated her mouth. She squeezed her eyes together tightly, grateful there would be no memory of what had happened. She only hoped it had been quick.

A cool breeze touched her sweat-coated brow. She stilled, and her breathing ceased.

That couldn't be right. It was wrong, all wrong. It had to be.

Her head began to throb, her lungs burning for air as she waited. Another breeze came. She took a tentative breath, dreading to find which captor's scent it carried. A mixture of damp forest and brine washed over her, and her lids snapped open.

Trees stood in place of the grimy, mold-covered walls and iron bars. There was no dim flicker of torchlight, but rather a bright whiteness illuminating the forest around her in sporadic patches, and it took her a long moment to grasp the impossible.

She was...outside.

She struggled to sit up, her body stiff from the drug. Her dirty linen shirt twisted high around her waist. She made to pull it down and cover herself, only to stop when she found she wore breeches. She touched the fabric hesitantly, certain it couldn't really be there.

The dark of night did nothing to disguise the trees, grasses, and forest floor. As the drug continued to wear off, the sounds of crickets, owls, and other nighttime creatures scurrying through the underbrush broke through—things Marie had forgotten long ago. The breeze picked up again, carrying with it earthy debris. A large leaf landed against her thigh, and she stared at it before grasping its stem. She ran gentle fingertips over the lobes, the leaf's scent and leathery feel stirring memories she'd once thought lost.

One memory she would never lose would be that of her last breath of fresh air. The years had been relentless in trying to dim it, but sitting on the warm forest floor turned that memory vivid, and the smell of the air was even better than she remembered.

How is this possible?

The snapping of branches somewhere behind her made her drop the leaf and wheel around, the movement wreaking havoc on her head. Her attention caught on a dark mass on the ground a few feet behind her, and she immediately recognized the shape as a person.

The last remnants of the drug cleared from her mind. Then realization dawned.

The blood in her mouth tasted wrong.

Her eyes flicked up to the shadowed forest as she shifted to her knees and crawled over to the figure, bracing for what she'd find. With stiff fingers, she pulled the man's coat sleeve to roll him to his back. His head lolled toward her, and she shoved away so fast she stumbled and fell back, gagging.

Snap. Crack.

Movement through brush brought her head up, and her heart leapt into her throat as three figures sprang from the forest and descended on her with inhuman speed.