by Keri Arthur
that time watching old—.”
“So, what is it you’ve come here for?” Her dad ignored
her mother’s reproachful look and continued to glare at
Duncan.
Duncan hesitated and glanced at Neva. Just for a
moment, indecision touched his eyes. Then the shutters
flashed back up, and her stomach began to churn painfully.
“There’s an awards dinner next Saturday I have to
attend. I’ve asked Neva to come back with me tonight and
attend the dinner with me on Saturday.”
Her dad didn’t move, didn’t blink. “And just where
would she be staying?”
“With me.”
She closed her eyes. The shit had just hit the fan.
Her mom laughed nervously. “In her own room, of
course.”
“No,” Duncan breathed softly.
You couldn’t even leave me that glimmer of respect, could
you? She looked at him bitterly. Just what in hell have I
done to you to deserve this sort of treatment?
You’re a smart woman. You figure it out. His thoughts
were as angry as hers. I’m sure it won’t be that hard.
She stared at him. What on earth was he talking about?
They’d never met before last night and, realistically, she
was the only one who had the right to be angry. He was
the one who had taken without giving. Who was still taking.
You could have said we were staying in separate rooms.
It wouldn’t have hurt.
I could have said we were going to the mansion and the
dance tonight, too. Don’t push, Neva.
Don’t push? What a laugh. Pushing was all he was
doing. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then turned
to face the storm brewing on the other side of the room. It
was a storm that would probably have happened
eventually, but one she hadn’t been prepared to face
tonight. Certainly not with this man by her side.
“I absolutely forbid it,” her mother said, voice flat.
“You can’t forbid anything anymore,” Neva replied. “I
grew up a long time ago, Mother. Accept that fact and stop
trying to control my life.” Her words held a touch of
bitterness that surprised them both.
Duncan squeezed her hand as if in encouragement.
She wanted to rip her fingers free of his and smack him in
the mouth, but she didn’t, simply because she needed this
charade to continue if she was to have any hope of her
parents ever speaking to her again. Lord, if they found out
her true destination was the dance at the mansion...
“And what of your sister?” her dad asked softly.
She raised her gaze to his. “She’ll understand.” But
she wouldn’t. Not this. But at least she’d be close enough
to see Savannah, or talk to her telepathically when she
did wake. “You’re in charge of the Future’s Committee,
Dad. Like it or not, this is part of that future. It’s not a sin
to enjoy yourself before marriage.” And as Ari was prone
to saying, who bought a car without test driving it?
Not that she was buying anything but four days of
misery and frustration.
Her dad didn’t say anything, just walked out of the
room. And that hurt deeper than anything she could have
ever imagined. She blinked back the sting of tears and
glanced at her mom.
“Please understand—”
“The only thing I understand,” her mother cut in
sharply, “is that you’ve decided to turn your back on
everything we’ve taught you over the years.” She thrust to
her feet, a thin, disapproving figure. “I think you’d both
better leave until your father and I calm down a little.”
Neva stared at her for a moment, wondering if it were
possible to hate anyone as much as she did Duncan right
at that moment. Then she rose, gathered her handbag and
that stupid parcel, and left.
The night air hit like a slap across the face. She took a
deep breath, but the shuddering had begun and wouldn’t
stop.
She leaned her back against the wall of the diner, closed
her eyes, hugged her arms across her body, and silently
cried. For the loss of her parents’ respect. For her own
stupidity in ever thinking she could calmly waltz into the
Sinclair mansion and come away unscathed.
For the fact that she still wanted Duncan more than
she’d wanted any other man in her life, no matter how
much she hated him.
The moon certainly had a lot to answer for.
He stopped in front of her, a warm but forbidding
presence. She didn’t look at him, didn’t say anything to
him. Nothing she said seemed to make one bit of difference
to whatever his agenda was anyway, so why bother?
“Neva—” he began eventually, voice soft but still
emotionless.
Just for a moment she had the distinct impression he
was controlling himself very tightly, and it was an
impression that made no sense at all. Maybe her psychic
senses were as rattled as the rest of her.
“Don’t,” she said, voice harsh. “You’ve made it very
clear you have no respect for me, and no respect for the
way I’m trying to live my life.”
“It’s a little hard for me to show any respect when you
show so little damn respect for yourself,” he all but
exploded.
His fury charged the air between them. She scrubbed
the tears away with the sleeve of her sweater, then opened
her eyes. He stood three feet away, a barely visible shadow
against the blanket of night. A man with the face of an
angel and the heart of a stone devil.
Though his stance appeared casual, the hands he had
thrust into his pockets appeared clenched. It was the only
visible sign of the angry tension she could almost taste.
“I have my reasons for attending the dance last
night—”
“Of that I have no doubt.”
She clenched her fists. “How dare you judge me, when
your own actions over the last twenty-four hours are no
more worthy of respect than mine.”
“I have my reasons,” he echoed, voice bitter.
“And what makes you think those reasons are any more
noble than mine?”
“So why did you join the dance last night? If your
reasons are so damn honorable, you have nothing to fear
in telling me, have you?”
She was tempted, so very tempted, to tell him. But if
he was treating her like this now, what would he do when
he discovered she’d deliberately set out to seduce him,
that she’d only intended to use him to gain entry into the
mansion?
“You’re destroying my life,” she said softly. “And all
I’ve done to you is agree to share a dance for the length of
this moon cycle. Does that equation seem equal to you?”
She didn’t wait for his answer, just pushed away from
the wall and walked off.
Duncan took a deep breath and released it slowly. He
let her walk away, a slender, angry, and very hurt shadow.
It felt as if someone had rea
ched into his chest and
squeezed his heart tight. He could barely breathe under
the crushing weight of her pain.
Of course, she was right. What he was doing to her
wasn’t entirely fair. Did the crime of keeping an eye on
him befit the punishment of destroying her life? Hardly.
And what if she didn’t know the reasons behind the
watch? What if she’d been spun some tale that made her
believe she was doing the right thing? Given his wild past,
any lie would be more than half-believable to those who
didn’t know him.
He took another deep, calming breath and thrust the
uncertainty away. He needed to find this killer. Fast.
Needed to get away from the mansion and its environs, get
back to the real world of his new life. A life he’d spent the
past ten years building.
Problem was, he had no real clues as to the killer’s
identity, and four women had already lost their lives. If
destroying Neva emotionally was the fastest way to find
and stop this killer, then he had no real choice in the
matter. Neva could rebuild her life. The women whose blood
had been shed under the moon certainly couldn’t.
These next four days were certainly going to be
bittersweet. He might have her physically, but by the time
he’d finished with her, she would truly hate him. And he
had a suspicion he might well regret that.
Which would just be another item on an already too
long list, he thought bitterly.
***
Neva threw the parcel into the trash can, then stormed
into her house and went straight to the cabinet that held
the few bottles of alcohol she had. She poured herself a
large glass of whisky and drank it in one long gulp.
The liquid burned all the way down, settling like a
weight in her agitated stomach. And though it gave her a
head rush, it certainly didn’t make her feel any better about
herself or the situation she’d so stupidly put herself into.
Got what I deserved for sticking my tail in places it had
no right to be, she thought bitterly. And yet, at the same
time, she very much suspected she’d have reacted the same
way even if she had known what would happen. Savannah
was her twin. She couldn’t just sit around and do nothing.
Besides, she had no doubt Savannah would have reacted
the exact same way—though she probably would have
picked a better method of entry into the mansion than the
moon dance. It was just the quickest and easiest way...or
so Neva had thought.
She sighed and rubbed her temples. What was done
was done. Maybe once all this was over, she could try to
talk to her parents. Explain. Or maybe Savannah would.
She’d undoubtedly disappointed them. She understood
that, but deep down, she was still the child they’d raised.
She walked into the kitchen and reached for the
telephone, dialing Ari’s cell phone.
“Y’ello,” her friend said almost immediately.
“Sorry to interfere with your date,” she said. “But I
have a favor to ask.”
“Hey, no probs. Honey buns has gone to the bar to get
us a drink. What’s the favor?”
Ari’s exuberant tone made Neva smile. At least she
was enjoying herself tonight. “Do you think you could call
that friend of yours and see if she’s still interested in
working at the diner? I need a fill-in for the next few days.”
“Wow, that coffee spilling trick really did work, didn’t
it?”
If only. “Yeah, it worked.”
“Cool.” She hesitated. “You told the folks yet?”
“Oh yeah.” Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked them
away. The deed had been done, and there was nothing she
could do, or say, to take back the hurt. She could only
hope they’d see past this sometime in the future. “The
‘Sounds of Silence’ is the only tune I’ll be hearing from
them for a while.”
Ari snorted. “They’ll get over it. And you’ve played the
dutiful daughter long enough. Go screw that beautiful
man’s brains out and enjoy yourself for a change.”
“That’s the plan.” And somewhere deep down, some
small part of her half-wished it was. But in one way or
another, she had a feeling the frustration of the last twelve
hours would continue.
“So, where is he taking you?” Ari asked. “Somewhere
wild and wicked, I hope.”
If she told Ari just how wild and wicked, her friend
would faint. Ari enjoyed the dance as much as the next
wolf, but even she refused to go as far as those at the
mansion.
“He has some awards dinner on Saturday.” It was better
to continue the lie already told, especially since Ari would
more than likely give her dad a piece of her mind at the
diner tomorrow. Her friend certainly didn’t believe in
holding back feelings or thoughts, and she’d clashed with
Neva’s dad more than once over the years. “I’m staying
with him until then.”
“An awards dinner? Sounds boring.”
“But he’s not.” And wasn’t that the truth.
“Woohoo!” Ari’s excited bellow echoed down the line.
Neva winced and pulled the phone away from her ear as
Ari continued, “The deed has been done. Was he good?”
“A master.” At manipulating. At ruining her
relationship with her parents for no justifiable reason. At
leaving her so totally frustrated she thought she’d burst.
At giving her a glimpse of the stars, then snatching it
away again.
And the fact that her mind placed the most emphasis
on those last two only proved how rattled she was.
“Then I expect to see you in a week with the biggest
smile on your face. And I want details.”
“Only if you buy the coffee. I may not have a job when
I get back.”
“They can’t fire you. Who else would they find to work
the sort of hours you do for crap pay?”
She had a point. “I’ll talk to you next week.”
“Take care of yourself, sweetie,” Ari trilled and
disconnected.
Neva placed the phone back on the receiver and stood
staring out at the dark expanse of her back garden. Duncan
hadn’t followed her into the house yet, and while she had
no doubt he would soon appear, she was extremely glad
for the breathing space.
She closed her eyes and reached for the warmth of her
sister’s mind, as she had in the past when in trouble. But
there was no response, other than a slight stirring in the
cloud of memories. Consciousness was drawing closer, but
it could be several days yet before it happened.
She bit her lip and resolutely turned away from the
window and made her way upstairs to her bedroom. She
packed a bag with enough clothes to last four days then
studied her wardrobe for something to wear to his stupid
costume party tonight. She flicked through her dresses
and eventually pulled out the elegant blac
k dress she’d
bought two years ago when Ari and she had gone on a
somewhat drunken shopping spree in Denver.
It was form fitting, plunging past her breasts in the
front, and to the base of her spine at the back. The skirt
was full and swirled around her toes, but the four panels
were split right up to the top of her thighs, so that when
she walked she flashed a lot of leg. The hem of the skirt
was beaded, the tiny drops of color forming gentle flames
that shimmered like the real thing with every movement.
Match it with that stupid mask she’d worn last night,
and she might just pass as a she-devil. Which was only
fitting, given her partner.
She found a matching pair of high heels, then picked
everything up and took the lot downstairs. Duncan still
hadn’t appeared and hope flickered briefly. Maybe he’d
given up his whole sordid game—whatever it was. Maybe
he was so overcome by remorse that he’d decided to just
walk away.
Maybe tomorrow the Earth would stop spinning.
She rubbed her forehead. A large glass of whisky on
top of an agitated but basically empty stomach had not
been one of her better ideas. She stretched out on the sofa
and closed her eyes. The temporary darkness felt like
heaven to her aching head.
She wouldn’t sleep, just close her eyes and rest a little.
***
Duncan glanced at his watch as he walked up the path
to Neva’s front door. It was nearly eight. He’d spent almost
an hour on the phone, covering his one lie should Neva’s
parents call to check. Once Dave, his boss and good friend,
had known the reasons behind Duncan’s lie, he’d had no
hesitation in playing along. He’d even offered use of his
contacts in the sheriff’s department. And Duncan had no
doubt he’d need them before this week was out.
He took the steps two at a time and knocked lightly on
the front door. There was no answer, though he knew she
was home. The warm scent of citrus swirled around him,
a warmer, more alluring scent than jasmine, and one that
suited her better. Heat surged through his body, though
after this afternoon’s efforts, it certainly didn’t take much
to get him aroused.
He twisted the handle and the door opened. Light shone
softly in the kitchen, and a travel case waited near the
door, along with a pair of shoes and a long black dress.
