Beneath Dark Skies (Rolling Hills Ranch #1)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

My legs are moving before I even realize it, carrying me back into the barn. My hands are trembling as I grab EJ’s reins, fumbling with the leather as I try to get the saddle on. The cold, stiff feel of it is in complete opposition with the burning panic rising in my chest. Every second feels like an eternity, every heartbeat a painful reminder that Holden is out there, somewhere, and I’m not with him.

Everything else fades away. The soft glow of the morning, the peaceful sounds of the farm waking up—it’s all a blur. All I can think about is Holden. For months now, I’ve worried about him, wondered where he is, if he’s even still alive. The fear of losing him when the sight of Comet makes it seem like he’s so close, of finding him too late, twists something deep inside me, a pain I can’t put into words.

I don’t even notice Adrian near the main house as I swing up onto EJ’s back. My mind is too consumed with fear, too focused on finding Holden to register anything else. Magnum’s bark echoes behind me, but I don’t stop. There’s no time. EJ senses my urgency, and we take off in a blur, hooves pounding against the earth as we race across the field. The wind whips through my hair, but it does nothing to cool the fire of panic burning in my chest.

Holden has to be out there. And I have to find him—before it’s too late.