Chapter 1

To hear about Elixa/Terry's new releases and upcoming specials and promotions, please sign up for her newsletter. Rest assured we will not spam your inbox.

Newsletter Sign-up

Prologue

Sophia

" Where exactly are you going? " My closest and dearest friend Sasha asked as she helped load the last of my suitcases into the black G-wagon and closed the door.

I shrugged. " I don ' t know. "

She frowned. " You don ' t know? That ' s a little strange, don ' t you think? "

" Yeah, I know. I just have a feeling that I need to be somewhere. I couldn ' t explain it if I tried. Not sure I understand it myself. " Even though she ' s been my best friend since I was a child, I found myself embarrassed trying to explain why I needed to go to some unknown town. I ' d dreamed of a man with stunning amber eyes. I couldn ' t remember much beyond the eyes, but those eyes haunted me both day and night. Just thinking about those eyes made my heart soar. How can you explain that to someone? I needed to follow through with this quest, as crazy as it seemed.

" You have obligations. You need to be at the gala next week. It ' s one of the hottest events of the year. Everyone who's anyone is going to be there. We ' ve been talking about going for months now. The dresses have already been designed and made."

" I know. I can ' t explain it. I just need to go. "

" Wait until the event is over. If it still means that much to you then you can go with my blessing. Hell, I ' ll even go with you."

I wish I could. But I didn ' t have that long. I didn ' t know how I knew it, but I felt it in my gut. Whatever lay waiting for me hundreds of miles away needed me there immediately. It felt like my destiny was waiting for me there – wherever there was.

" There will be more galas. Besides, we go to countless parties and events throughout the year. Missing one won ' t be the end of the world. " Rounding the vehicle, I opened the driver ' s door and tossed my Louis Vuitton handbag into the passenger seat . " I won ' t be gone long and I ' ll make it up to you. Promise."

Sasha didn ' t look convinced, but ultimately nodded. " Fine. You ' re right. I ' ll keep our podcast and Instagram up and running while you ' re away. "

I gave her a grateful smile. " Thank you. I ' ll owe you one."

" How long are you going to be gone? "

I shrugged. " I don ' t know. When I get there I ' ll have a better idea."

She caught my gaze and held it a moment before finally conceding. " Fine. You win. It ' s going to suck being without you, you know. "

" I know. Now let ' s hug it out so I can get on the road before I end up crying and ruining my make-up. "

" Too late. " She sniffed, a tear running down her cheek as she pulled me into an embrace. " Why does it feel like you ' re saying goodbye forever. "

" Sasha, that ' s crazy! " Hugging her back I reluctantly stepped back and got into the vehicle. " Thank you for all the help packing. "

She nodded. " No problem. Love you, bitch. "

Laughing, I nodded. " Love you too, bitch. Until next time. "

" Until next time. " She closed the door for me and then took a few steps back from the vehicle.

Starting it up, I gave her one last wave before shifting into gear and pulling out of the driveway. As my father ' s massive estate began to fade in the rearview mirror , the sadness I was feeling faded, replaced with the anticipation of what was to come. I didn't know how I knew, but I could sense it: My future was waiting for me.

Sophia

I hummed along with the music as the miles passed by me. It felt strange being on my own. Just me and the open road. Yet, in an odd way, it was liberating. Being the daughter of a billionaire tech mogul, I ' d grown up sheltered and been given everything I could ever dream of. Ask and you shall receive. But I rarely went anywhere without a entourage of armed guards. It wasn ' t until I put my foot down a year ago that my father finally pulled them off my detail.

It was a wonderful life. But something was missing. I was twenty-one, yet hadn ' t found the other half to my heart. Not that I was in any hurry to be shackled down, but there was a part of me that did long for something more substantial than parties and fake people. Being nice to your face while stabbing you in the back was normal in my circles. This road trip to wherever I was destined to go was something that I needed to do.

As the miles rolled by, the pull guiding me to my ultimate destination intensified.

Here! A voice in the back of my mind screamed. His voice. The man in my dreams.

Suddenly, I hit the brakes, the G-wagon ' s tires screeching in protest.

Behind me, a car horn blared. The red BMW tore past me, the driver screaming vulgarities and flipping me off. But I didn ' t care. I was too fixated on where I needed to be.

Here was where though?

Checking my mirrors, I shifted to reverse and began backing down the highway until I came to a dirt road partially hidden by overgrown trees. Turning onto the road, I slowly continued on my way, my eyes scanning the area, searching for whatever it was that I was looking for.

It wasn ' t until I reached a sign on the side of the road welcoming me to Beastly Falls that I knew I ' d found the place. Somewhere in this little town I was going to come face to face with my destiny.

Roosevelt

Stabbing the double-decker hamburger with a toothpick to keep it together, I placed it on the plate and then added a serving of golden, crispy French fries. I did the same with the second plate. Satisfied with the presentation, I picked up the plates and carried them from the kitchen to the two customers waiting at the counter.

Over the years that I ' d been here , the population of Beastly Falls had increased so much that I was struggling to keep up with the demand. But who in the hell could I get to help me? Everyone in Beastly Falls had a role to play in the functioning of the town. There wasn ' t much of a supply of people wanting to bus tables for free at the local diner.

" Hey Chef Savage! How much longer for my pizza? We ' ve been waiting for ages!"

Dropping the plates off to the customers, I looked past them to Theadore Sullivan, the short, portly, red-haired leprechaun. Across from Theadore was his wife, Elaine, a human. She came to Beastly Falls years ago, long before I arrived, and never left. She worked with him in his little tailoring shop.

While most people in town loved Theadore, I found him annoying. He was too happy. All the time, happy. How can a person be happy all the time? I was rarely happy, especially since I arrived here. Pissed off seemed to be my default.

Beastly Falls sucked and I wanted out and back to my old life, if that was even possible. While I was trapped in this town, life on the outside world had no doubt moved on without me. While I ' d been a celebrity in the cooking world before being trapped here, I ' m sure I was nothing but a distant memory now.

" It ' ll get to you when it gets to you," I growled, turning and making my way back into the kitchen. I was especially grumpy today. Tonight was a full moon and with it, a complete shift that I ' d be unable to control. Shifting to my primal form was uncomfortable at best. Normally it was downright painful.

But with the shift would come a run through the woods, and a sense of freedom that I rarely got to feel. My monthly transformations were a double-edged sword for me: They hurt, but they made me feel alive.

The smell coming from the brick pizza oven signaled that Theadore's pizza was ready. Grabbing the pizza peel, I shoved it under the pizza and lifted it from the oven. I slid it onto the granite pizza plate sitting on my stainless-steel prep counter. With a few flicks of the wrist, the pizza was cut into six slices. I added some chili flakes and freshly grated parmesan cheese, and the pizza was complete.

A few more hours and my whole day would be complete.

Perhaps tomorrow I ' d work on some new recipes . The menu was becoming stale and certainly not worthy of a Michelin star chef. If I ever – no, when – I got out of here I needed to make sure that I was still at the top of my game.

I ' d have my old life back.

One day.

Sophia

Something felt different the moment my vehicle passed the Welcome to Beastly Falls sign. I couldn ' t explain the feeling if I tried. It just felt – different. Like this was where I was meant to be. It felt like home. I was confident that whatever I was searching for I ' d find here.

His amber eyes flashed in my mind again.

I ' d been driving for so long that I couldn ' t even say what state I was in anymore. While it was still sunny out, I could feel the evening settling in. Before long, the sun would disappear and I still needed to find a place to stay for the night.

Shops began to appear. They all looked quaint. A picturesque version of what you ' d envision a town to be. The buildings were in great repair, no graffiti to be seen. It was nice. It was certainly a change from the lights and excitement of the big cities I normally resided in.

I let my vehicle slow to nearly a halt, a frown creasing my brow, as I realized I ' d become the main attraction for the townsfolk. What was even more surprising was the fact that many of them were dressed in Halloween costumes . There were vampires, gargoyles, werewolves, and even elves. It wasn ' t yet October. Maybe some sort of costume festival or comic-con?

My stomach grumbled as I came upon a 70s style diner called the Moonlight Café. Perfect timing. I ' d grab a bite to eat and get a recommendation on a hotel in the area to stay the night. I ' d figure out what I was supposed to be doing here in the morning.

After pulling into a space in the nearly full parking lot, I cut the engine, grabbed my handbag, and made my way inside. As I entered the loud murmur of voices died off to the point where you could hear a pin drop as all eyes turned to stare at me. The silence broke as a symphony of whispers began.

I ' d seen horror movies that started in just this very way.

Well, no thank you. No matter how much I felt like this was the place I needed to be, the desire for self-preservation kicked in. I spun around intent on getting the hell out of here when I collided with a solid wall.

" Oomph! " I moaned as I stumbled backwards.

A hand shot out, steadying me on my feet. " You alright? "

I nodded. " Yeah, I think …" Looking up at the man I ' d collided with, my jaw went slack as my blue eyes widened.

Looking down at me was a set of amber eyes. The very amber eyes that had been haunting my dreams for months. " Oh my god. It ' s you … How is this possible?"