Jasmine permeated the night air, the sweet aroma of honeysuckle wafted toward me as if its only desire was to fill my head with the scent. I breathed the aroma-rich breeze down to my toes, allowing the heady sensation complete entry. Fireflies danced to the rhythm of a cricket's melody, and the cooling night air making alive the scents and sounds stolen by the sun. For once, I allowed my mind to empty until it lay as a blank canvas upon which I could recreate this moment.

"Riley."

Gentle whispers caressed my ear, a delicate nuance of wind, more a thought than actual sound. I relaxed into the pleasure-filled whisper, hoping my mind would capture and hold the enticement forever.

"Riley."

Pleasure grew with just that one word. I sighed, letting go of the day's battle for my emotions. Gazing at the full moon, I wondered if there could be anything more wonderful than having my name whispered on the wind. My name--whispered. My name. Someone was whispering my name.

All my senses regrouped as if ready for battle. The soft tranquility I'd been experiencing fled, replaced by a jolt of terror seizing my gut. Scanning the tree line set my heart racing. Was someone watching me, hidden among the darkened walls of timber?

I closed my eyes, concentrating in that direction. Something had been there, what remained was a shadow within the void the person or thing had left behind. Tingling pressure at the nape of my neck alerted me that the presence I'd felt still existed. Watching. Waiting.

A chill ran the length of my spine, a sure indicator that something unforeseen was about to occur. I breathed the air again, only to find the perfumed loveliness of a moment ago changed to a cloying sweetness clinging to the back of my throat. I turned to walk back to the house, my steps quickening across the expanse of sculpted lawn as if my feet were experiencing a danger not thoroughly registering in my brain. Rushing toward the terrace steps, I noticed a lone figure approaching. I stopped my hurried pace, panic pulsing through my veins, pounding inside my head in an attempt to awaken my subconscious.

Something emanating from the man flowed toward me preceding his steps, an undefined essence that drew me to him as if I had no will. I struggled against the allure filtering through my head and sent back a bit of my own energy to meet his. My thoughts returned to me like a slap in the face, blocked by whoever sauntered my way. One thing about the slap, it carried part of his power. Here was the being that had left the void in the tree line.

Confusion lay heavy on me as I desperately tried to reason how he could have been in two places almost simultaneously. My mind wandered from the thought, content instead to refuse concentration, as an inexplicable calm washed over me. I stood, transfixed by the nearing stranger, knowing he was the unforeseen occurrence.

"Please do not be alarmed, Ms. McCabe. It is McCabe, is it not?"

My head nodded, yet no sound joined the answer.

"You should not be out here alone, especially since there is a party inside awaiting your company."

The man moved closer, the power previously resembling pursuit now felt welcoming, as if the sensation were lined with velvet or mink. The feeling wrapped my body with a slightly erotic covering, as subdued excitement replaced the chill down my spine, expanding itself throughout me until I experienced an oddly intimate act.

As he advanced, the moonlight bathed his head in a shimmering glow of deep blue highlights, convincing me his hair was black. I strained to see eye color only to find it stolen by the night and replaced with piercing pieces of jet.

My very existence flowed into the depths of his eyes, while I struggled against the desire to know what his lips tasted like. Their rich color looked out of place against his pale skin, more than anything they seemed the only color on him in the bleaching moonlight. His expression was tranquil, unlike the frenzy building in me.

"You are Ms. McCabe, are you not?"

I finally broke the lust fest by digging my nails into my hand to see if I was still in my body. My voice sounded distant as I replied. "Yes, I'm McCabe. Riley McCabe, and you are?"