Kallista had always known she was different.

The shadows had always called to her.

She craved to be held safe in their cool depths.

To escape her parent's methods of attempting to rid her of her demons.

Valen was destruction.

Everything he touched crumbled.

Everywhere he went, pain followed.

He learned a millennia ago that being alone was the only way to keep the world safe.

When the marks that had shown on Valen's wrist years ago suddenly changed,

he realized that there was more to his world than he knew.

A woman called to the deepest parts him.

For the first time in his very long life, he was going to give in to his instincts.

He would just have to protect her from the destruction that followed him.