Chapter 1

Prologue

Pain.

It filled his consciousness, was his whole world.

Flashes of white ceilings.

Voices.

A light in his eyes.

More pain. It consumed every inch, every cell of his body. Dragged him under, chewed him up and spat him out.

There was no end to the torment.

"Healing's not working. Something's fighting me."

"He's too far in Rage. We're going to have to move him to the lab."

He heard the voices from far away, the darkness that swirled in his blood chattering about vengeance and destruction. He ignored it, calming his mind and ignoring the agony that was his existence.

Memory eluded him, but that wasn't unusual. He had a feeling it often did. That knowledge allowed him not to panic. To remain calm and still until he had more information about what was going on.

Where he was.

Who he was.

"Will he survive? Shouldn't he be at the hospital?"

A new voice, a female voice, brought him back from the darkness. The soft, soothing tones were a balm to his soul, and he focused on them instantly.

Latched on to them.

Locked on to them.

His eyes snapped open, and he reached out, desperate to find and touch her. The source of the voice was the only thing that had brought him peace in years.

It was a fight to open his eyes, but then he saw her. She was beautiful, a vision from the lady goddess herself.

Strength deserted him as hard hands pulled him away, and his last view was of her beautiful, stricken face as the darkness pulled him under again.

He didn't fight it this time.

He didn't need to. He had something to fight for now.

Her.