"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 reached 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?"