tonight he was collecting his wife. he had been watching the young lady for weeks. at school, home, in public. she was perfect. he already felt so connected. she would help him build his domain. her house was easy to get into in the dead of night.

It took some effort to rouse the girl. She was the kind of sleeper who sank so deeply into her dreams that the world could have collapsed around her and she’d have barely stirred. Funny, in a way—someone so alert in the daylight, now so vulnerable in the dark. After a few firm shakes, he watched her lashes finally fluttered, and her eyes blinked open sluggishly, still hazy with sleep. But the fog cleared in an instant when he watched her realize what, or who, was in front of her. Cold metal gleamed inches from her face—the muzzle of a gun pointed squarely at her. before a sharp gasp could come from her lips, his hand clamped tightly over her mouth, silencing her in one swift motion.