Shifting Sides

The day everything went to hell, Emma knew something was wrong.  There was an odd aura of violence in the air, and it wasn't just because of the destruction that had been wrought each night as they slept.  No, this was something worse, something that made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck and had her instincts screaming to run.

Then they struck.  It was overwhelming and devastating.  She was surrounded and saw no way out, no escape, no chance at life.

And then he arrived. "The Beast."  He dashed through the settlement and carried her away.  At first, she was convinced that she'd been rescued from one deadly trap only to be thrust into another.

But when he finally put her down, she looked up and was immediately ensnared.  She felt it, that nebulous something she'd been missing out on all her life… attraction.   For the first time in a long time, she had a spark of hope.  Maybe she could have love, a family, purpose.  

But as she got to know her beast, it became clear that she just might have to make a choice: her happiness… or their lives.