Prologue

Remus

1991

I frowned at Cassie as she lay on the bed. She wanted to see the Northern Lights, so we came to Norway, and now she was ‘ill.’ I shoved my snow boots on because I wasn't about to miss seeing them. It was our last night in Norway, and the skies were finally clear.

“I’m going. I booked the tour, and I’m not wasting money,” I said, reaching for my hat and gloves.

She gasped, and her head popped up.

“You're leaving me on my own when I'm poorly?” she said like a drama queen, putting the back of her hand on her forehead and looking pathetic. “You have plenty of money. We can come another time.”

This was why finding a girlfriend in London was so tricky. For me, everyone wanted a piece of my success. I set up my wealth management group at twenty-nine, which started in my studio apartment. As long as I met my clients at their place of work or home, an office wasn't essential.

“I will see you later,” I said before I left the hotel room.

We were finished when we got home, but I didn't say anything because I had to fly home with her and didn't want it to be awkward. I might get another fuck out of her before our flight tomorrow.

◆◆◆

The sky was breathtaking. I would rather be out here than stuck in the hotel. We had to walk a little distance so we could see it all. The group had around 25-30 people. The guide called on us, and I took my camera out to take the last few pictures. It was bloody freezing but worth the biting cold air that stung my face.

I saw some trees and decided to take pictures with the black branches as part of the backdrop. The sky was lit up with pink, green, blue and purple. It indeed was stunning. The group was walking up the hill. I could catch up.

I found the perfect tree and dipped my camera upwards to catch the sky colours with the branches. After taking a few more, I was about to walk away from the wooded area when I heard a growl. I slowly turned around, expecting a dog, but what I saw made me freeze.

It was a black man. No, it was a bear or a wolf that looked like a man because it stood upright on its hind legs. His hands or paws had the longest claws I’d ever seen, and I noticed the swish of his sizeable black tail. I stared at his height. He had to be at least seven feet tall. Another growl, accompanied by his movement, made me turn and run. The image of his saliva dripping from large canine teeth and those glowing eyes.

“Help,” I shouted, hoping that someone in the group would hear me. “Someone help—” my call for help was cut short as the beast jumped onto my back, pushing me into the snow.

I felt it claw at my coat. The movements were fast and frenzied, and when I felt the pain, I knew he had sliced through my jacket. He turned me around, and his jaws opened wide as he came for my face. I screamed as his fangs sank into my skull and cheek as he clawed my belly. I tried to push it off me, but the hideous beast was too heavy.

Pain, there was so much pain. It was unbearable .

When I felt my warm blood spurt out of me and run down my neck, I knew I was going to die tonight.

◆◆◆

I woke up in a sweat, panting, and my body shot upright to look around for the beast. I couldn't tell if I was dreaming or not because it looked as if I was in a hospital. I felt my belly as I remembered the beast pulling my intestines out.

My face .

I touched my face, but it was bandaged up. The beast had torn my face. I jumped off the bed and felt my belly. My stomach was still there. I lifted the hospital gown and saw my skin was still there. Not only was my skin intact, but there wasn't a blemish in sight.

“How is this possible?” I said to myself.

I began to pull the tubes and needles out. When the door flew open, I panicked, threw the monitor towards the man, and tried to run out. I was halfway down the corridor when I reached the nurse's station.

“Mr Hawkins,” the doctor who I was running from said. He came up behind me. “Please, calm down. You might be in shock. You went missing for four days. The rescue team found you in a poor condition. Your recovery has been nothing short of miraculous.”

“My face?” I asked, touching the bandage on my cheek.

“Those are some superficial wounds. Uh—when you were found, scavengers were trying to peck at your face.”

“What the fuck?” I said in alarm before I collapsed, but my head hit the counter as I fell. Everything turned black, and my nightmares of being mauled to death followed me into the darkness.