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Prologue

Eighteen Years Ago

He could pinpoint the day, the hour, even the second when he’d chosen his first kill In that sacred mo nurtured fantasies elbowed aside judgment The switch had been flipped And a line would be crossed

He raised his gaze to the blindfolded young girl tethered to the wooden chair She was slus he’d administered A curtain of lush dark hair covered her pale oval face, cascaded over tight full breasts, and grazed a full waist and gently rounded hips Not irl worked at the carnival She was the psychic The seer The seducer For the average person she was a delightful diversion or a harifts that allowed him to see beyond her youth and beauty to the timeless evil

The decision to kill her had coo when he’d visited her carnival tent On that night, he’d patiently waited in the line that trailed outside her tent He’d been nervous, edgy, and still clueless that his life was about to change

When he’d finally entered her domain, candles flickered in shadowed corners, soft music drained fro to the air She’d been sitting behind a gilded desk and had worn a bright red flowing gypsy costu framed a lovely face half hidden by a black domino mask He’d felt the rush of excitement as he’d stared at her and sat across the table from her

“Madame Divine,” he’d said

Nodding, she turned his hand over and exposed his palm “Yes”

“You look so young”

“Do not be fooled by my youth” Confidence dripped froed lifeline

He wasn’t deceived “I saw the line You are quite popular”

Green eyes bore into him “What is your question?”

Her abruptness stoked his anger but he was careful to keep it checked “Did she love me?”

Nodding, Madame Divine traced another line on his palm “I can answer that question for twenty dollars”

His skin tingled as he pulled his hand free, dug a rumpled twenty-dollar bill from his jeans pocket, and laid it on the velvet-draped table She set the tiain cradled his hand Her skin was soft and warled with the heavy stench of scented candles She closed her eyes and asked the spirits for guidance

As he stared at the delicate frown that creased her forehead, he iined what it would be like to strip the clothes from her body and beat her until she wept Hoould her voice sound when she begged? He i, cry, and plead And when he wrapped his fingers around her neck, how long would it take for the life and wars as she traced the lifeline on his palood fortune

And then suddenly she straightened as if she’d been kicked by the Devil Tension rippled through her fingers and her breathing grew shallow She released his hand as if it had burned her flesh She stared at hireen depths

In this panicked moment, he knew that she saw his true intent

The realization rattled him No one had ever seen beyond his veneer She was a true seer A witch

She was The One that God wanted him to kill

“Are you okay?” he said

“Yes Yes I’m fine” She moistened her lips “Tell me about this woman you love”

He s when it suited him “We met at the university We’re in the same class”

“What’s her name?”

“Carrie I loved her very much Why didn’t she love me back?”

The predictable question coaxed some of the tension from her shoulders, and she eased forward a fraction She smiled but he knew her fear, as visible as the sweat on her brow, lingered “Carrie loves you, but she is afraid of her emotions”

Despite his resolve to be strong, her soft voice speaking Carrie’s name drew him in closer He wanted to believe Carrie had loved him “She said she hated me”

“She doesn’t hate you She loves you You o to her and tell her that you care”

She spouted ood fortunes and happiness, but when the timer buzzed, she immediately released his hand

His open palered He yearned for her touch Eic kept hiht leash Wait

Prepare

And so he quietly left the tent and used the next week to prepare his room for her She was his first kill and he wanted the details to be perfect

On the seventh night after his reading, he’d waited in the shadows When she returned fro in town and ventured to the carnival bathroorabbed her and covered her loved hand An injection in her arm had immediately rendered her silent and compliant He easily duht her to this hunter’s cabin, nestled in the hollow of the Virginia woods

Now led with the glow of three lanterns The only concession to luxury in the rough cabin was a water pus were liht-back chairs by an old soot-stained hearth Those who inhabited this place were prepared for a monk’s life, an idea that appealed to him

Eagerness churned inside hi were about to becoled His stoy brio insane

Unable to wait for her to awaken, he grabbed a bucket of cold water and poured it on her face She awoke cussing, screa The hint of panic behind her screams enhanced his excitement He stared at her silk blouse, noet and plastered to full, full breasts

Breathless, his ownant, he retreated to the cabin’s corner and sat down He’d not expected so much desire He’d always considered himself a chaste and prudent man, but she made him crave dark, evil passions

Anticipation burned through his body, and he knew if he didn’t rein in his desires, he’d break his covenant with God

She must confess and be purified first

As she coughed, hethe sold cross embossed into the orn black leather The Bible had been a gift froh not fancy or substantial in size, the book provided hiuiding force

With tre and rereading passages As he focused on the words, he suddenly felt her gaze through the blindfold Her head was tipped back and cocked in his direction Water dripped froold chain and down between the cleavage of her breasts

Tied up, cold and wet, she should have been contrite and scared, but instead she possessed a dark, brooding bearing that unsettled him He didn’t like her absence of fear

“Don’t stare at me,” he said

She shook her head “I’”

“You are looking at me”

“So what if I am?” Her voice was rusty, seductive