Secret Sanctuary. Amanda Stevens

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      He wanted her as much as she wanted him. Elizabeth thought she must have died and gone to heaven

      He tasted her with his lips and his tongue, and when she arched her back, he groaned, a deep, dark, sensual sound that sent a thrill coursing through her veins.

      She plowed her fingers through Cullen’s hair, holding him close, thinking to herself, I always wanted my first time to be with you.

      Cullen lifted his head. She went still. Surely she hadn’t said that aloud. Had she?

      “This is your first time?” He sounded almost angry.

      “That can’t come as much of a surprise,” she whispered. “But it doesn’t change anything.”

      Cullen pulled back, resting on his knees. “It changes everything.”

      CAST OF CHARACTERS

      Elizabeth Douglas—An expert in criminology, she’s standing in the way of a killer’s ultimate revenge.

      Detective Cullen Ryan—A man with a dark past of his own. He vows to protect Elizabeth from the killer, but can he protect her from himself?

      Professor Lucian LeCroix—He arrived in Moriah’s Landing on the night the first body was discovered.

      Dr. Paul Fortier—He has an eye for the ladies—especially his students.

      Dr. Leland Manning—A pioneer in gene therapy research. What, exactly, is the nature of the experiments he conducts at his isolated compound?

      David Bryson—A recluse, he was a suspect twenty years ago in the killings that terrorized Moriah’s Landing. Has his grief for a lost love driven him to do unspeakable evil?

      Ned Krauter—The town mortician, he’s a man who enjoys his work.

      Dr. René Rathfaster—A brilliant researcher, he disappeared several years ago when allegations surfaced that he conducted genetic experiments on human test subjects.

      Geoffrey Pierce—How does he know so much about serial killers?

      Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

      Cupid’s bow is loaded at Harlequin Intrigue with four fabulous stories of breathtaking romantic suspense—starting with the continuation of Cassie Miles’s COLORADO SEARCH AND RESCUE miniseries. In Wedding Captives, lovers reunite on a mountaintop…unfortunately they’re also snowbound with a madman!

      And there’s no better month to launch our new modern gothic continuity series MORIAH’S LANDING. Amanda Stevens emerges from the New England fog with Secret Sanctuary, the first of four titles coming out over the next several months. You can expect all of the classic themes you love in these stories, plus more of the contemporary edge you’ve come to expect from our brand of romantic suspense.

      You know what can happen In the Blink of an Eye…? Julie Miller does! And you can find out, too, in the next installment of her TAYLOR CLAN series.

      Finally, Jean Barrett takes you to New Orleans for some Private Investigations with battling P.I.’s. It’s a regular showdown in the French Quarter—where absolutely anything goes.

      So celebrate Valentine’s Day with the most confounding mystery of all…that of the heart.

      Deep, rich chocolate wishes,

      Denise O’Sullivan

       Associate Senior Editor

       Harlequin Intrigue

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      Born and raised in a small, Southern town, Amanda Stevens frequently draws on memories of her birthplace to create atmospheric settings and casts of eccentric characters. She is the author of over twenty-five novels, the recipient of a Career Achievement Award for Romantic/Mystery, and a 1999 RITA Award finalist in the Gothic/Romantic Suspense category. She now resides in Texas with her husband, teenage twins and her cat, Jesse, who also makes frequent appearances in her books.

      Secret Sanctuary

      Amanda Stevens

      

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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      This book is gratefully dedicated to B.J. Daniels,

       Dani Sinclair and Joanna Wayne,

       my partners in crime as well as my friends.

      Special thanks and acknowledgment

       are given to Amanda Stevens for her contribution

       to the MORIAH’S LANDING series.

      Contents

      Prologue

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Chapter Seventeen

      Prologue

      The sky had been clear all day, but as evening fell, storm clouds moved in from the sea, blocking fragile moonlight and deepening shadows across a bleak and eerie landscape. The wind had picked up, too, stirring dead leaves over the necropolis.

      There was something in that wind, Elizabeth Douglas thought with a shiver. Something evil.

      She glanced at the luminous dial on her watch. Almost midnight. Time for the ghosts to rise….

      She and her friends huddled just inside the cemetery walls as they gazed in trepidation at the shadowy formation of headstones and crumbling mausoleums. Silhouetted against the darkness, marble angels stood with bowed heads and furled wings, celestial sentinels as cold and silent as the graves they watched over.

      Elizabeth didn’t want to be here. She wanted to be anywhere but here. Spending the night in St. John’s Cemetery as part of a sorority initiation was just plain crazy, not to mention against the rules. They’d all be in big trouble if the school got wind of what they were doing.

      “Do you think we’ll see Leary’s ghost tonight?” Claire Cavendish asked nervously. A pale, slender girl, she was even more skittish about the coming night than Elizabeth.