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Prologue

The letter came at a time in his life when the battle inside his soul could have tipped either way

The war against terrorisun, and in select areas of the Middle East it was hell The Special Forces unit Dash Sinclair was assigned to had been there for a year noorking together, beco on each other Until the day their transport was taken out by a well-aimed missile It had killed the other sevento life when rescue had arrived

At the time, he wasn’t even certain what kept hi, just plain tired of being alone He had been closer to those seven soldiers than he had ever been to anyone, and now they were gone, leaving an awareness within him of the desolate wasteland his life had become

Weeks later, his eyes bandaged, his wounds covered, he lay in ato life A part of his soul howled out in fury; that restless, yearning part that never seeht to survive Why was he alive when the others had been lost?

It was then his co officer came to him

“You have a fan, son” So inside, a primal, instinctive part of his conscience stilled then It pushed back the pain, the

He had no fans, no friends or fa and fighting, and they wouldn’t let hiht to deny ake once again Instinctively he knew his greatest battle was yet to come

“A nice little girl named Cassie Colder Let me read this to you real fast I’ll answer her until you’re well enough to do it yourself But I have a feeling this little girl would get right pissed if you didn’t eventually answer…”

I liked your naave us the list Dash Sinclair It has a very nice sound to it I think Momma said it’s a very brave, very handsoht it sounded like a daddy’s nairls And I bet they are very proud of your name I don’t have a daddy, but if I had one, then I would like a name like that for my Daddy

He had created his own nao Far away Created a naht to change hiirls and he wasn’t a daddy The words his coan to fill him

My Momma, her name is Lizbeth And she has brown hair kind of like me And pretty blue eyes But my eyes are kind of blue too I have a really pretty Momma, Dash She makes me cookies, and even tells me it’s okay to talk to the fairy that lives in my room with me My Momma is really nice

My Mo to keep us safe I wish you were here with us Dash, cause soets very tired

Even in pain, barely conscious, a sense of alarh him He could feel fear in that siht to live He had to live He had to save Cassie and her momma

He saw Cassie, sht, vivid colors, he saw her hter like a protective she-wolf, snarling in fury Why did he see that? Why did the ie taunt him?