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was slim and attractive with an alternative edge to his demeanor and style that made her wonder if he was a musician, the kind one might see in some cool but slightly decadent after-hours club. Not someone she’d expect to find hanging out in an abandoned graveyard.
    She had no reason in the world to trust him, especially considering her state of undress when she’d…awakened, for lack of a better term. But she wasn’t without memories, though hazy they might still be. She’d kissed him. He may have responded—that part was a little sketchy—but she was pretty sure she’d been the instigator. Which wasn’t like her. She was hardly a shrinking violet but she wasn’t exactly aggressive, either. Certainly not with a stranger she’d just met in a graveyard. It was all just so odd. She’d felt compelled to kiss him, as if she had no will of her own. As if she were merely a puppet in someone else’s dream.
    She was fully conscious now, completely in control of her faculties, and nothing still made sense. The whole night was beginning to seem like a waking nightmare.
    “So do you want a ride or not?” he queried.
    An alarm sounded in her head, but so faintly Ree could easily ignore it. “Yes, a ride would be nice. I live a few blocks north of here. Just at the edge of campus.”
    “You’re a student then?”
    “I’m working on my master’s thesis, but I also volunteer at the Milton H. Farrante Psychiatric Hospital.”
    She could almost hear the wheels turning inside his head. Disoriented girl alone in an old graveyard…
    “I’m a psych major,” she added.
    “Ah.” He made it sound as if that explained everything. “Do you have a name?”
    “Ree Hutchins.”
    “I’m Hayden Priest. Recent law school graduate and soon-to-be attorney when and if I pass the South Carolina bar.” He took a few tentative steps toward her. When she didn’t retreat, he offered his hand and she reluctantly shook it. A surge of electricity shot up her arm and she felt a little light-headed from the contact. Embarrassed, she dropped his hand and clutched the front of her top, which she’d buttoned all the way up to her neck. It was a little late for modesty, though, seeing as how he’d already seen her half naked. Ree actually caught herself wondering about the impression she’d made on him. Idiot.
    His eyes glinted in the moonlight. “Still don’t trust me?”
    “I haven’t decided yet.” Then why had she told him her name and where she worked? Why not just give him a handwritten invitation to stalk her? At least she’d had the good sense to be vague about where she lived. Not that it would matter if she accepted a ride and/or he turned out to be a serial killer.
    She glanced around the old cemetery. Where the mist thinned, she could see stone faces glowing in the moonlight. All those sightless eyes unnerved her.
    “What are you doing out here anyway?” she asked with a shiver.
    He scratched the back of his arm. “I’m on assignment.”
    “What kind of assignment?”
    “I’m doing some testing for the Charleston Institute for Parapsychology Studies. Ever hear of it?”
    That got Ree’s attention. “You’re a ghost hunter?”
    “I prefer paranormal investigator. Ghost hunter is so limiting and I’m not opposed to tracking down vampires and werewolves, or even zombies, if it comes to it.”
    A chill crawled up her spine even though she knew he was joking. At least…she hoped he was. “That seems an odd avocation for a lawyer.”
    “Soon to be lawyer. The courts are pretty keen on that distinction.”
    “So you’re here in the cemetery looking for ghosts?”
    “ Listening for ghosts. There’s a difference.”
    “Have you heard anything?” she asked anxiously. “Voices, music…chanting…”
    “Chanting?” He moved a step closer. Despite his easy manner, his gaze was extremely potent. “Now that would be interesting, but no. I haven’t been able to pick up so much as a whisper. No EVPs, no spikes