Life, by nature, was fatal, and that was something actuary Christine Ryther took for granted. There wasn't much chance that anyone would escape tragedy of some kind in their lifetime, and that applied to those who survived. That fact alone gave her real cause for concern, and not just because she worked in the insurance field.

Why had she come on this trip with three practical strangers?

That was a question she asked herself again and again with each passing mile.

As usual, her choices had come down to two, and she didn't like either one. They were lost. Four women. On the road. Strange city. Then a breeze shifted the fog, opening up a view of a place as magical as any Chris could imagine. Lining the long drive, Spanish moss clung to the branches of ancient live oak trees, dripping down like mystical cobwebs. Wind rustled through their branches. Frogs croaked. Approaching thunder rumbled slowly, ominously in the distance. Chris tingled with an excitement she couldn't understand, yet somehow she knew that this place was exactly where they were supposed to be.

Malik was lovely to look at, his dark eyes that smoldered with fire. Despite her discomfort at his frank sexuality, she found it hard to look away. Just for once in her life, she wanted to be reckless.

All she'd wanted was a one night stand, something she'd never had before, one night of reckless heat in the arms of a stranger, consequences be damned.

But one night of passion condemned her to repeating the next day again and again. She wants out, wants to forget she ever agreed to come on this vacation, but can't. Something's keeping her there against her will—ghosts (which she doesn't believe in), residual energy, or aliens manipulating time and space. The only she does know is that she's being forced to find a way to save herself while at the same time saving her companions from certain death. Given enough chances, will she eventually get it right?