"I'm darkness, Maddie. Stay away from men like me. You'll only get hurt."

At one time, my life was simple. Easy. But that was before the war. Now, I am no longer an average college student; I am a survivor—a woman living in a ravaged world. My future is not bright, and my life is far from perfect. The war has taken so much from me... but it isn't finished yet. It wants more. It wants my heart. My soul. The one person I can't live without. It wants Ryder Delaney.

Ryder is my best friend. The bad boy. The one person who can fight like no other and love me like no one else. He is the father of my baby. I watched him walk away one hot summer day, and I prayed he would return. I need him like I need air to breathe and water to drink. Without him, I'm lost. A light without her darkness.

Until he returns, I'll wait for him. And I believe he will return because love is powerful... And so is the light calling him home.