0- Prologue

Jenn had been running for a long time. Her main source of transportation ever since her childhood had always been her own two feet. She had been involved with track and field throughout Junior and Senior High School. Running had gotten her scholarships which paid for college. It had also been a way to meet guys, and then to avoid them once they realized that Jennifer Solkowski did not slow down her life for any man.
Jenn had been training for the prestigious New York Marathon for the previous six months. She ran close to fifteen miles every morning and once a week after her art history class on Thursdays she ran the full 26.22 miles. Jenn had, in the course of that evening gone almost halfway. The running park of Albany was perfect for joggers and bicycles. She considered a regal old oak beside the running path the marker for the real midpoint 'Pulaski Bridge'. Her breath even and gait smooth. Her long legs propelled her slim 6 foot frame over the dirty pavement. She always went running in the same park nearby her college. The food carts and dog walkers thought of her and her bobbing blond ponytail as natural a fixture as the trees and stone outcroppings. Jenn preferred brightly colored running shoes. The current orange pair she wore had been a good luck gift from her parents. This was the first time Jenn had worn them in the full distance part of her training. Her mind went to a serene mental state as she flew past the marker that designated the next mile of the trail. Her bouncing feet seemed to barely touch the ground as her toes dug in a little, springing her forward with every step.
She heard some dog walker back behind her lose control of his dogs. They must've been some husky or spitz breed because Jenn could have sworn she heard howling. Her brother Daniel had owned a Siberian Husky named Mojo, and that big lovable ball of fur could not play fetch without letting out a generous howl of approval. They were a few miles back based on the amount of echo. The dogs back behind her must have fallen into a hole or were fighting because they let our a terrible painful racket that pained animals made. The sun had begun sinking red and orange behind the horizon and she knew she had just under an hour until the twilight faded and she would be left in darkness. Jenn felt confident that she could best her personal time and be back at her dorm where her bed, textbooks, and a half finished paper on Post-Impressionists awaited her. It would not be total darkness she noted, as the moon was full. It hung white and glowing opposite the sunset.
For several minutes Jenn kept her pace. Her breath remained steady and her well toned muscles were pleasantly warm from the exertion. Running time for her was always an effortless time for reflection. Her legs seemed to know what to do on their own, and she could simply let go. She normally took this time as an opportunity to consider her latest homework assignment, but tonight it was different. She was almost four months from graduating with a Masters degree in art history. She had nothing much to look forward to except more school. She knew she would need to teach it someday, so she needed a doctorate in the subject. Back when she was a freshman things seemed so simple. Her dad had been a history teacher, and her mother a painter. It was almost fated that she would have an interest in at least one of these subjects if not both. She had followed this path set before her not unlike the running path she was currently following.
Part of her looked forward to the pride of seeing her name with a few prestigious letters after it. A larger part wanted to forsake it all and go exploring the mysterious places of the world. To climb mountains and eat the foods of strange and distant cultures. To exchange glances with exotic men who would then, in their strong and interesting accents, offer to pay for her coffee. Jenn Solkowski didn't want a life of dusty books and unrepentant students she wanted...wanted?
Suddenly, off to her right and behind her a dozen yards away there was a rustle of a bush. The sudden noise distracted her daydreams and brought her firmly back into the present. It sounded like something big but not clumsy making its way through the foliage. That was strange. This was a city park, normally there wasn't anything larger than a fox through here. The strange noise worried Jenn so she quickened her pace from a relaxed lope to a more frequent one. Her breath began to come in shorter quicker gasps. She heard off behind her the patter of running feet.
'Oh God, oh God, oh god!' She thought. 'Need to stay calm, if it's an attacker I just need to outrun them.' She didn't want to contemplate what they would do if they caught her. Jenn was on the edge of panic. 'Kara was right not to run alone.' She wished she had listened to her roommate. Kara was a slight thing but had a double black belt and wasn't afraid to demonstrate it to rowdy drunks who thought it might be easy to physically convince her of their affections. Kara always seemed calm and collected no matter what the situation was or the amount of stress. 'You can do this!' She thought to herself, 'Stay calm. Be cool. You can figure this out.'
While she thought Jenn started to control sprint. It wasn't an all out effort, but it was something she was sure would put some distance to her unseen pursuers long enough to get away and call the cops. She could sustain this pace for at least ten minutes. About three quarters of a mile she knew there was a clearing in the woods along the path where the city had built a small picnic area with a pay phone; one side was next to the running path, and the other was gravel and dirt road wide enough to bring a car through. If she could get there in time maybe there would be people or if not there was at least the phone. She could call the cops and then make her way to the highway via the backroad. It wasn't the most fantastic of plans, but it was what she came up with.
She thought if she cut through a section of trees up ahead she could cut the distance in half. Jenn darted off the path and into the trees. The dogs were loose now from their walker, and the howling was louder as they ran closer. She tried to ignore it and focus on getting to safety. Branches scratched her arms as she threw them up to cover her face and protect her eyes. the last thing she needed was to have was an eye poked out by a low hanging twig. After about ten yards the brush underfoot was thinner and Jenn saw the lights of the clearing up ahead. She put on another burst of speed that carried her out of the trees.
'Oh thank you God,' her breath was coming in painful gasps, almost like she couldn't inhale. Each intake of air seemed to be laced with slivers of ice. There were a few covered wooden tables with metal frames that were supposed to hold trash cans. They were empty now and on the other side of one was...a pickup truck! Never had a beat up old blue Chevy looked so welcome. There was a man loading a cooler into the truck bed. Jenn tried to call out to him but the words wouldn't come. She was almost on top of him when she skidded to a stop. She collapsed against him and tried through her panting breaths explain what was wrong.
"Some," gasp "men" gasp "or dogs....after me!" gasp gasp "Please help!" Her hands found his arms and she looked up at him. He was a tall well built man. The kind who probably spent most of his time working out of doors. He wore a light grey button down shirt of some warm flannel. He sported a close trimmed beard that was the same shade of gold as on his head. His face went from surprised to concern rapidly as he looked over her shoulder to see if there was any immediate danger. He must have seen nothing and in fact Jenn could no longer hear the running feet, the barking howling dogs, or even the general night sounds that usually permeated the entire park. She clung to the strange man and tried to get her breathing under control. She was not gasping for air anymore, but her shaking limbs needed more time before she was ready to walk much less run.
"Someone after you miss?" His voice had a faint singsong quality about it which reminded Jenn of a friend of her grandfather's. Her grandfather had been from Poland and his friend an immigrant from northern Europe somewhere so she guessed this man was as well. He was very still which had a calming effect on her. She did not know what she would have done if he made any sudden movements. Jenn extricated herself from him and confirmed for herself that there were no pursuers racing after her. she turned back to the man to explain her situation.
"I was running through the park when I heard some dogs and then I thought there were some men after me." Her well trained lungs were coming back to their normal breathing pace, but her nerves would take a bit longer to catch up. "Can you give me a ride back to my car? I parked it at the north entrance to the park." Jenn did not usually hitch a ride with strangers, but it was either the decidedly normal looking man or running back through the park.
"That's no problem miss..?" He left off the question for her to answer.
"Jennifer, but you can call me Jenn." she held out her shaking hand. He took it in both of his in a comforting gesture. He had large rough hands that were extremely warm. His beard cracked open to reveal a white grin.
"You can call me Valli." Somehow Jenn knew he did not mean 'valley'. It was something about how the 'a' sound lengthened a bit longer than she was used to. His accent was a bit more pronounced as he said his name, which cemented in her mind his accent's possible Nordic origin. "Are you needing a ride or would you like me to call someone?" He still held her hand in his warm one, but Jenn felt no need to take it away. Instead she had the sudden feeling of calm come over her. Somewhere in the back of her mind her caution was fleeing away. She felt totally at ease with the big foreigner.
"Yeah I could use a ride." He led her to the passenger side door and even opened it for her. That in itself was unusual. Most men Jenn met could barely be bothered to lean over and pop open the door from the inside. She got in and buckled her seatbelt. It would be stupid to avoid an attack by wild dogs and possible assault by a group of men to be flung out of the car of her rescuer. She did not need to give Valli directions as he remembered her earlier statement and headed north out of the park. It was quiet inside the truck and Jenn kept catching herself looking over at Valli. He was, she decided, a very good looking man. He was taller than her by at least six inches. This was something she definitely enjoyed as being a hair or two over six feet most guys were a little intimidated by her height. Jenn didn't mind dating guys shorter than her, but apparently standing up on their tiptoes to give her a kiss was somewhat emasculating. She had tried to date men taller than her, but they were mostly jocks who were usually so over competitive that the relationships mostly ended up being about them. After a few miles Valli glanced at her out the corner of his eye and finally spoke.
"You are staring." It was half statement and more than a little amused. Somewhere in there was also a question.
She felt her ears burn and sharply looked back at the road. "Was I? Sorry. Sometimes when I'm thinking I kind of zone out."
He looked confused for a moment. "So this 'Zone' is like a mental place you go to in order to think properly?" He seemed confused by her choice of words which seemed a little strange to Jenn. She realized it was most likely because he was not a native English speaker.
"Yes like that." She said hoping he wouldn't remember her stare. "I can get distracted when I think so... I tend to stare." 'Smooth, way to cover your tracks.' She admonished herself silently trying not to look in his direction.
"What were you thinking about that needed such concentration?" His voice seemed almost melodic and Jenn's eyes seemed to be drawn back to his. They were a bright blue. He looked back at her for a long moment and then nodded as if he had gotten the answer out of her that he wanted. He smiled at her then. Jenn thought it was quite a nice smile, and she caught herself smiling back. 'What is the deal? I find this handsome exotic guy only after an evening of running for my life! And what is with the ditzy routine? I don't act this way around men.' She realized he had asked her a question and scrambled for an answer.
"J-Just glad I found you when I did." She was one more lame sentence from banging her head against the glove box to put herself out of her misery. She continued hoping the more she spoke the more sense she would begin to make. "I'm training for a marathon so I do a lot of running, just not the kind for survival." 'Better that's better, keep talking' "I thought there some men or dogs after me so I just tried to find some help." 'Aaaand Big Finish!' "Thank you for being where you were. I had no real plan after I got to the highway."
Valli continued to smile. He seemed to find her verbal stumbles slightly amusing. "I was just planning on meeting some old friends of mine for a dinner. My "heroic rescue" was a complete coincidence of place and time, I assure you. I am glad to abandon my plans to assist such a nice young lady in her time of need." He had an air about him that Jenn found difficult to describe as anything other than refined. He spoke in a way that reminded her of someone out of a costume drama from the 19th century. He may have looked like he has stepped out of a Land's End catalogue, but he didn't sound like any other man she had met before.
Another few minutes passed in blessed silence. Every time Jenn had the urge to speak she analyzed what she would say until there was nothing left to say so she kept her big mouth shut. They pulled into the parking lot where her SUV was. She turned to say her thanks and goodbye when she noticed a slight tension in his muscles.
"Well this is me. Thanks for the rescue, and the ride." Jenn reached down to unclip her seatbelt. Suddenly his hand closed on hers. His hands were no longer gentle but fierce and strong bruising her skin. "Hey!" She protested and tried to yank her hand away. It wouldn't budge. She looked up at him her panic returning.
"I want you to know this evening was truly nothing personal. You were merely at the wrong place at the wrong time. I honestly did not know you would be here, but since you are I cannot deny my brothers a bit of sport." His voice sounded sincere but deeper somehow Valli looked like he was in serious pain, but his smile returned. It was spread much too wide and showed his now far too numerous teeth. "The nearest hospital is about ten miles away. If you can manage to escape try to get some help there." His skin seemed the wrong shape for him and his body began to stretch slowly.
'Too many teeth' the observant but distant part of her brain thought as it wanted to run for it's life away from the now terrifying blond giant.
His ice-blue eyes flashed a predatory gold, and his mouth opened wide to reveal a set of teeth no human should be able to grow. Suddenly his hand ripped away from hers and took a slice of skin with it. Her hand started to bleed freely around the jagged lines where his fingernails had grown sharp. Her Flight reflex had always been much more developed than her Fight so she jerked the door of the truck open and slammed it behind her as she sprinted to her SUV. She fumbled the key out of her shoe, and tried not to listen to the screams behind her in Valli's truck turn to growls. Something knocked into her calves and she lashed out with her right foot. That something sliced into her ankle and practically severed her achilles tendon. She lashed out again ignoring the sharp pain it caused when she connected. She got the key and fitted it in the lock. As she practically leapt into her car she heard the crash of breaking glass and knew Valli, or whatever the heck he was, had slammed into her driver's side door. There was little light from the window but the broken glass refracted it all over her lap. Jenn tried to slot the key in the ignition, botched it, and dropped it onto the floorboard. Cursing under her breath she scrambled to find it scratching her fingers on the shards of broken glass when something slammed again into the side of the car. It rocked over briefly onto two wheels on the passenger side of the vehicle and then back to all four as it none too gently touched back down.
'There!' Her fingers found the missing key and jammed it into the slot. She turned it over and got the ignition started. Slamming her shifter into first she peeled out right as another hit clipped the back right side. If she had hesitated another moment the car would have flipped over. Jenn drove fast enough to impress any stunt driver and after about four minutes she saw the lights of the hospital up ahead. She was breathing heavily and found that there were tears streaking down her face. The cuts on her hand, wrist and leg burned and the world was turning blurry. Whenever she tried to shift the gearstick her hand slipped on the blood now pouring out of the gash on her right hand. When she stepped on the pedal, her foot screamed in pain, and occasionally slipped in its pool of blood collecting in the floorboard. She heaved a sigh of relief as she pulled into the ER drop off bay. She stumbled inside barely able to remain upright and fell against a middle aged woman who wore green scrubs and was carrying an armload of papers and file folders. She smeared tears and blood on the smaller woman and looked down at her hands. 'There is so much blood! How could this much blood be from me?' Jenn fell away from the poor lady. As she turned she was faced by a crowd of doctors, nurses, and a slew of people with any number of illnesses or ailments. She realized she was sobbing uncontrollably. The only thing she could think to say was.
"Sorry about the mess." The world seemed to go topsy turvy and the next thing she saw was the beige colored tile ceiling above her. Her vision started to blur into darkness. She could faintly hear the clamor of people springing into action, and then nothing at all. The only thing she was aware of was a faint humming buzz coming from somewhere indistinct. Then as she began to lose consciousness, even that faint sensation disappeared.