QUOTE : Nerissa, Jade was murdered.” The gasp caught in my throat and I had to rub at the pain in my chest that was suddenly there. “H..how?” “She was stabbed.” “Stabbed?” Sudden flash backs whirled through my head. My father’s face came into view. His voice and the sounds and the smells of that night were everywhere. Ian nodded. “I thought you knew because of your brother’s research…” “No, he was protecting me…” I tasted bile in my mouth and felt a little dizzy. “Liam nearly died trying to save her…his scars…Nerissa? Are you okay?” “I thought you weren’t giving away his deepest darkest?” Dark! It was dark but the snow that night! The snow was stained in red…blood, my father’s blood! “Nerissa?” I slumped onto Baxter’s neck. “You told me his darkest…” I heard hooves pounding toward us now. Who was coming? Why were they in a hurry? The hooves faded as a ringing began in my ears. “That is not his darkest! I thought you knew about the murder…how it had happened. The scars…your own story…Nerissa?” I gripped Baxter’s mane with weakening fingers. Murder…stabbing. The sound of a blade slicing, my father’s scream, pain, fear…loss. My sight blurred. Ian cried out to someone. I had cried out that night. No one had heard me. No one had come! Not until it was too late! I heard someone jump to the ground. I felt hands at my waist and strong arms surrounding me. I smelled him. A wild sense of comfort surrounded me. Liam! Why was he here? Did I care? I was happy he was here. I needed him here. “Ian, what did you say to her?” His voice rumbled through me. “Were you following us?” Thoughts of my father were fading a bit until Ian barked in anger. “I told her about the murder! Why?” Liam growled. “Never speak to her of it again!” “Because her father was…” I buried my face into the sweet comfort of Liam’s scent and let the world go dark.