Blood Ties

Chapter 1

My footsteps crunched against the dry leaves that littered the gutters of the street as I held a cigarette to my lips. Smoke puffed out and hung in the air like a sickly mist as my lungs expanded to accept the invading inhale of nicotine. My whiskey orbs tilted to the sky as one arm rounded my waist to keep the chilly autumn air from wrapping me up in its cold embrace. Ahead I sought the river where I may lay and pass away the day with a pack of expensive cigarettes and a chaser of bitter wind that stung my lungs with its icy bite.

Pale lips and ghostly eyes hovered behind a curtain of golden curls as a swollen-bellied figure followed silently behind me. I heard not the footfalls of my pursuer as pavement turned to long blades of grass and overgrown patches of dandelions. There she followed me until I reached the grassy bank of the river and my thin legs dangled over the precipice of clotted dirt and tangled jumbles of knotted roots. I only did notice the blonde when her lithe frame was splayed out beside me on the side of the riverbank. My head tilted to the side as I took a long drag on the end of the paper roll, bitter scented smoke curling into my nostrils and expelled through a simple exhale.

We sat in silence for a good few minutes as she watched me intently, eyes studying the facets of my face and the gentle dip between my nose and the curve of my upper lip. After a long moment in which our eyes met and her lips parted in a haunting smile I knew something about this woman would make it very hard for me to forget her...

"You have beautiful eyes." The woman whispered as her palm rustled against the leaves that lay strewn around us in a decorative arrangement. My whiskey orbs flitted down to see her slender fingers parted as if to signal she wanted to hold my hand. 'What a preposterous thought, Regina!' I scolded myself as I ripped my gaze away from her wanton gesture. I wasn't here to flirt with disaster and give this stranger what she craved. I wasn't one to comply with others wishes at anything as simple as puppy dog eyes and the obvious need for attention as this woman displayed.

"That is a highly inappropriate comment since I know nothing of you." I quipped as my knees curled up to my chest and my arms rounded them to hold myself in a smaller form.

"Emma." She replied as a smirk spread across those annoyingly adorable lips of hers.

"Pardon?" I queried as my perfectly sculpted brow rose in a sign of my displeasure for being so rudely disturbed.

"Now you know something about me, and my comment is acceptable." She replied in a cocky tone as her slender arms came to cross over her chest.

I chose not to answer as I let out a huff of annoyance and pushed myself to my feet. I was not one to participate in such childish actions. Pushing my palm into the ground I gracefully rose to my full height as my hand swept across my backside to sweep away any clinging blades of grass. It was probably a good thing then that I didn't notice the pestering blonde named Emma staring right at the sensuous curve of my ass, or I might've throttled her right then and there. Turning on my heel I made to walk away before the golden haired pest could follow after me. But apparently, this so called Emma wasn't so keen on letting me leave her in the dust.

Suddenly I felt a sharp tug on the arm of my blazer and I was turned to face the now disgruntled female.

"I would appreciate you not ripping the arm off my blazer, Miss.." I ended my sharp outburst in a sigh as I realized I didn't even know her last name.

"Austen." the woman replied as her fingers uncurled from around the fine material that cloaked my thin arms. Fixing the front of my blazer I stood back to listen to what she had to say.

"Listen I know you don't know who I am... But I promise you will find me. When you do you have to remember this- you have to remember me." She gasped as I saw moisture build behind those beautiful blue eyes that drew me to her like a magnetic pull. I knew she meant her words- no one was that good at acting, not even myself. My fingers moved to the ring I wore attached to a silver chain at my neck as I let her words wash into my mind and settle there like a persistent piece of gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe. Two rows of perfectly whitened teeth closed around crimson flesh as I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth.

"Why is it so crucial that I find you again? Miss Aus- I mean Emma." I answered in a considerably softer tone as I took one step closer to the distressed woman.

"Because you're the only one who can save me, Regina." She whimpered as the tears broke past her lashes and spilled down her cheeks.

"One day you're going to be happy you did and I won't be able to thank you enough. I know this doesn't make sense now but I need you to trust me." I couldn't help but believe the blondes words as I stepped forwards until my arms were around her and I felt cold tears trickle down the side of my neck. Poor woman, she must be having an emotional breakdown. Bad breakup? Perhaps a family death had spurred this momentary burst of emotion...

The last thing I expected was for Emma to kiss me, but she did. Her lips moved desperately against my own as fingers clasped around the back of my blazer and her tears dripped onto my lips. My eyes closed as I felt my body move into action and I kissed the woman back. My lips melted against her own and my hands slid around her waist so I could pull her flush to my front. The kiss lasted long enough for us both to lose our breath and our chests to heave with the adrenaline of the moment.

"Forget me not." She whispered before the dream faded to blackness and I was left with a fissure that consumed my heart with its aching pain. Only this mysterious blonde could fix this hole in my chest.

I had to find her....

NEXT ON BLOOD TIES:

I woke to the persistent beeping of my pager as it flashed a message.

"Jane Doe, blonde hair, blue eyes car crash victim. Head trauma, several lacerations, and severe blood loss. Report immediately."