New Midnight City was cruel during the day, especially in fall.
The traffic barely moved. Cars clustered in long, suffocating lines, and horns blared in short, irritated bursts before dying down, as if even anger had grown tired.
Amid the torture, Hazel Callaway sat in the back seat, with her hands folded neatly on her lap, staring through the traffic with practiced calm.
She hated this city for its traffic, loathed how loud and busy it was. Yet, this was where her perfect life lived.
She had a well-paying job. And in three days, she would be happily married.
Her chest warmed when she thought of Dale Blackmoor, her charming and intentional fiance, who adored her more than life itself. The one person who gave her the kind of happiness other women admired from a distance and wished for in silence.
Three years together, and there wasn't a single unhappy memory worth holding onto. Dale made everything feel right.
Hazel felt blessed.
At twenty-four, she already had the life many women spent their youth chasing. She had financial stability, a man who loved her, and a future that looked secure.
Dale's love was the reason she didn't mind he was what people termed, "a deadbeat man."
Yes, he relied on her financially. For now. But he was ambitious. He talked about his dreams and future successes that were coming with fire in his eyes. That was one of the things Hazel loved most about him.
She didn't mind helping him until he was back on his feet. After all, love wasn't a transaction. It was patience.
A small, contented smile curved her lips as she stared out the window.
But her momentary euphoria vanished as the horns grew louder, and people began shouting.
Hazel's smile slowly faded as she looked ahead, trying to see past the rows of car, but the view was blocked.
Something was happening!
"What's going on, Lukas?"
Her driver leaned forward, squinting. "It's a chase, Miss."
"A chase?" She frowned slightly. Daily chaos was part of New Midnight City's routine. Still, it irritated her.
"A group of men are chasing a man." He struggled to see past the line of cars.
"Oh."
Hazel relaxed back into her seat. There was no need for an alarm. She didn't understand why people were screaming. Things like this happened every day.
She barely turned her head when —
BANG!
A loud sound cracked from the bonnet of the car.
She flinched hard, her head snapping up as her eyes met a man standing right in front of the windshield.
Hazel felt her breath leave her lungs when he slowly straightened, peering directly into the car.
Fear consumed her because his gaze was fixed on her, but it faltered for a second when she truly saw his face.
He was… beautiful.
Uncommonly so.
His wild dark hair fell into his eyes, framing a face that looked carefully carved by nature himself. He had a strong jawline, high cheekbones, and a straight nose that gave him a striking profile. His lips were full, they looked soft, but they didn't soften him at all.
Her gaze lifted to his piercing dark orbs that the glare of the sun made their color impossible to read.
He looked like a man made to be admired.
But then Hazel noticed what was wrong.
Her eyes dropped to his otherworldly body, and flew wide almost immediately.
He was completely naked!
Heat rushed to her face as shock rooted her in place. It took everything in her to discreetly look away, even if her heart raced wildly for odd reasons.
When she looked back at his face, his lips had curved into a slow, sinister smile, and his eyes were locked on hers like she was some prey he wanted to hunt.
Hazel's stomach twisted painfully at the new dread that settled within her.
She opened her mouth to tell Lukas to drive or do something, but men in black suits that rushed to the man beat her to it.
While three grabbed him roughly, one threw a jacket over his body, covering him up before they dragged him away.
He didn't struggle or scream. He just laughed.
Hazel collapsed back against her seat when she was positive he was gone, heaving as she struggled to breathe. Only then did she realize she'd been holding her breath the entire time.
"Are you okay, Miss Callaway?" Lukas asked with concern.
"Y-yes... I'm fine."
Her fingers trembled as she smoothed her skirt.
Lukas glanced at her from the rear mirror. "I'm sorry about that, Miss Callaway. It keeps getting crazier in this city. Things like this make me wonder what the government is even doing anymore—"
Lukas kept on rambling but Hazel shut him out as she slowly closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart.
Luckily, the traffic light turned green, and as if nothing happened, cars began to move.
They'd barely motioned into a steady speed limit when a loud horn blared from the opposite direction.
It happened too fast.
A truck came out of nowhere, and before Lukas could react, it slammed into their car.
Hazel's scream was swallowed by the sound of crushing steel as the car spun, lifted, and flipped. Glass shattered around her like rain. Pain tore through her body, and the seatbelt dug into her chest as the car rolled again and again, until it finally landed upside down.
Then everything went still.
She lay limp as blood crept down the sides of her face, and across the glass beside her. She struggled to breathe, and see, but one of her vision was gone. A glass had pierced into her left eye socket.
Her other eye was half-opened, yet she was staring into nothing. The ringing in her ears drowned every other sound on the highway.
In that fleeting moment, all her memories began to play out in a fast motion, like she was watching a movie in 100x speed.
Everything she'd ever done, the times she spent with her dead parents, her first day at work, the day her fiance, Dale, had proposed to her... But all of those memories were consumed by a familiar, yet not so familiar face.
There was a saying that the last person you saw before death was the one you loved the most.
But Hazel thought it was ridiculous because the last image that burned into her fading mind was the image of the man from earlier.
Then everything went dark.
~♡~
A warm, intoxicating scent, and a soft rhythm of breathing that wasn't hers slowly guided Hazel back to consciousness. Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, but she forced them open.
At first, everything was blurry, just a mixture of bright lights, shadows, and a vague shape that hovered above her.
But when the shape moved, Hazel's vision sharpened, and her heart skipped.
A man was leaning over her!
He was so close that she could see the fine line of his lashes. His scent overwhelmed her senses. And what Hazel found more disturbing was his unbelievable facial features. He was breathtaking!
"You're finally awake."
She jerked violently and sat up.
The man stepped back, placing his hand into the pocket of his pant.
"Who are—?" The words were barely out before the memory of the crash invaded Hazel's thoughts.
She immediately scanned her entire body. There was no injury or pain. She was perfectly fine. This confused Hazel.
She'd died...
She was so sure of it. Death wasn't something you could confuse with something else. Once you'd felt it, you knew. So how was she alive?
Was she saved? Is this a hospital?!
She looked around. This place didn't look or smell like a hospital! It was a fancy room.
"Are you okay?"
Her eyes snapped to the man. She opened her mouth to answer, but stopped.
Something wasn't right.
She looked at him again, then frowned.
This was the same naked man from the highway!
Why was she in the same room with him? What the hell was going on?!