Gabriel refused the invitation to sink deep, to explore the countless flavors he sampled with the gentle glide of mouth to mouth. Desire had replaced the earlier horror, but until he understood its source, he wouldn’t rush. But he would tempt. For now, he concentrated on learning the dip and curve of her lips, the soft velvet of their surface. For now, he restrained the excitement that beat in his veins, determined to memorize their pliancy without plundering.

When her scent rose and wound itself inside him as though she would always be there, when a low moan escaped and he couldn’t tell from who, when desire and care and destiny seemed inseparable, he ended the kiss. And before she could respond or question, he ushered her inside her apartment and disappeared.

Chapter 11

Revenge. Obsession. Domination. Control.

Erin read over the words glowing on her computer screen. She had been up since dawn, unable to sleep with thoughts twisting themselves in her mind. Her final class of the semester began at nine, which gave her another hour before she left for the university. Time enough, she thought, to examine the mind of a killer.

Already she’d printed out profiles of the victims. A fastidious architect who believed in order and discipline, as well as beauty. A fiercely loyal banker. The calypso dancer who danced for men at night and played for her church on Sundays. Mr. Johnson, the docent who had been beloved by all who met him. Maggie, the kind soul willing to help anyone, friend or not.

She typed in another set of words: Discipline. Loyalty. Duality. Popularity. Selflessness.

Leaning over the keyboard, she studied the list on the screen. Her eyes widened when her mind made the link. Nathan. It all came back to him.

The killer had selected victims who shared more than the eerie reminders she’d found. A decade ago, Erin would have used mostly the same adjectives to describe Nathan Rhodes. Until the day he’d shown her how twisted words and their meanings could become.

ANALISE SAT ON the window seat in her new room, jean-clad knees hugged beneath her chin. A glossy brass latch held the window panes closed, and the metal gleamed in the sunlight. She loved the old-fashioned seat and the view it displayed, which was still so unexpected, though she’d been looking at it all morning. Beyond the glass, blue sky met mysterious gray mountains, far off in the distance. From her dorm room, the best view she’d ever enjoyed had been of the student parking lot. But not anymore.

Graduation had passed a week ago, and today was her second day as Nathan’s guest. At his gentle urging, she had agreed to move in with him while in graduate school. He’d been right, she decided. She was only seventeen and not quite ready to be on her own.