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Chapter 1

The wind breathes over the Mississippi River, rippling the water, caressing the crescent of the New Orleans shore It slips through the black iron gates of Jackson Square, stirring the colorful paintings by local artists carefully hung on the bars, and sweeps through the cobblestone Quarter, an old lover, knowing, fa rides the wind, so, but insidious, invisible andon the shop steps shrink away fronolia trees shiver at its touch

Evil

Caitlin MacDonald shuddered awake in the predawn, her heart racing

Far above her a ceiling fan thruain as the remnants of her dream rustled in her head in sub stantially, like leaves in the wind

Bad wind, she thought So away a silky co for a silver and black kimono that ith her riot of blond hair and silvery eyes

The feeling of unease orse as she stood, and her first jolted thoughts were of her sisters

Fiona Shauna Are they all right?

She crossed her bedroo old oak floors, and pulled open the French doors to step out onto the balcony

In the soft hu, she looked out over the coarden sheltered by the house, built in three wings around the square Caitlin’s every sense was on alert The as strong, insistent, rustling the h the hibiscus vines, splashing water fro stones She froze as she gliate out to the city street

A sleek figure in black…sweatshirt hood shad owing its face…

The figure put its foot up on the ri The hood dropped back, revealing a reddish-blond ponytail

Caitlin slowly relaxed, recognizing her younger sister Shauna, war run Caitlin leaned over the balcony railing, and Shauna, with her ever-present animal awareness, looked sharply up Caitlin waved, and Shauna tossed her pony tail back "Be careful!" Caitlin called down

Shauna grinned and flipped a hand, dis into a run as soon as she’d shut and locked the iron door

Caitlin breathed out, irked at Shauna’s nonchalance, but somewhat reassured at such a normal reaction Then a pale shape leapt into her peripheral vision, and she started back in shock…

Fur brushed against her hand, and Caitlin shook her head at her own ju out to stroke the cat parading in front of her on the railing of the balcony--one of the creaold cats that roamed the compound, sisters upon sisters, as possessive of their space as if they’d been the ones who’d lived there for five generations Which indeed they had, just as had the human MacDonald sisters

Caitlin picked up the cat and cuddled it to her chest as she felt the wind stir again below theather the branches of the trees into a swirling ain

Fiona

Caitlin looked across the garden to the wing of the house directly across from her own, her elder sister’s apart with flowers, which seemed to burst into life when Fiona simply looked at theht ain

What if soot in? What if I’m too late? What if this time she really does die because of me?