Kiss of Defiance

The night was deep, and the hospital room was so quiet that the only sound was the steady beeping of the machines.

Desmond sat on the companion bed beside Valerie, his nerves finally relaxing after days of tension, and he drifted into a deep sleep.

In his dream, the world around him was bleak and cold, a biting wind chilling him to the bone.

A cold, solemn tombstone suddenly appeared before him, t