Beneath a Rising Moon

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.