Prologue

She could feel it.

Surrounding her. Choking her. Pulling at her. She fought back, fought against the gray that threatened to envelope her, envelope everything she had once dreamed of.

It was too much.

She struggled, her arms flailing for any kind of leverage, anything to save her, save her life.

Save them.

But it was too strong.

It fought harder, longer, and though she beat at it with her bare hands, felt it strong and sturdy around her, she clawed still. She was fighting for them, for herself, for everything she had every wanted, yet it mocked her. Pushed her aside. Left her alone.

Weak.

She didn't know if she could continue to fight. It was mocking her, keeping her down, keeping her still, and yet, in the shadows, a ray of light burst through, its edges tinted in blues and purples, her eyes struggling to see against the light, to fight through the darkness, as she battled for control.

She could not give up. This was her fate. Her destiny. And she fought for what she wanted. She grappled for leverage, for any sort of help, and she felt him, felt his hand warm and solid grab hers, link with hers. She didn't have to turn, didn't need to look up at the face she had loved since she was sixteen, to see the man who represented all she loved in life.

She didn't have to look, for she had already memorized, she knew each line and curve of his handsome face, the dark cobalt blue of his eyes, the strong, lean set of his chest.

She felt the strength build inside her, even as the gray threatened to surround, smother, destroy. But the light blinked solidly, and she could see him, his body tall beside hers, and she knew. She felt his body pulse beneath hers, the warmth of his hand soothing against the cold that had taken her over.

She knew.

She was not alone. They were together. A common link. It was all that was needed to survive. And even as the gray beat around them, they stood strong, their hands, their hearts linked.

And they loved.

They were the architects of their own fate, a fate which they alone would decide, and no one, or no thing, would stop them.