"What did you say, dear?" Mom asked, serving the pancakes.

"Syrup," I improvised. "Do you want maple or strawberry?"

"Nice come back," Echo said.

"Maple is good. We might be out of strawberry." Then she looked at Dad, and they both smiled. I wasn't sure what that smile was, but if it had anything to do with last night, I was swearing off strawberry syrup.

"I think your parents are into something kinky," Echo chimed in, dodging my footsteps. "I wonder what we could do with-"

I stomped on his foot.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Go away," I mouthed and carried the eggs and syrup to the table. I pulled out a chair and sat, aware that he came to stand behind my chair. My parents gushed over the food while Echo continued to push my boundaries. His elbows on my chair, he stroked my shoulders and responded to every comment they made as though he was part of the conversation. He twirled a lock of my hair. Telling him to stop would be pointless, so I let him.

"This is great coffee, pumpkin," Dad said, sipping his coffee. "I couldn't have made it any better."

"Score," Echo said.

"Where did you get fresh strawberries?" Mom asked. "I used the last batch when I made shortcake a few days ago."

"Oops," Echo said.

I was so going to make him pay for this. With all the big secrets I kept from my parents, I didn't want to add another. "Echo bought some last night."

"What a thoughtful young man," Mom said, and Dad nodded.

Echo chuckled. "They adore me, and I've barely started impressing them."

I leaned back, pretended to scratch my nose, and mouthed, "Go away."

"Come to the pantry with me," Echo whispered.

I ignored him and continued to eat. The pancakes were amazing, and the bacon crispy.

"Want to know why?" he whispered, pressing a kiss on my shoulder and reminding me I was still wearing a tank top and pajama pants. He skimmed my arm with his knuckles, sending a delicious shiver through me. "I want you to kiss me before I leave."

"Are you cold, hun?" Mom asked and reached out to rub my arms, almost touching Echo.

I moved back. "No, I'm okay."

"When is Echo coming to dinner?" Dad asked.

"Tonight," Echo said, but I couldn't help teasing him.

"I don't know. I'll know when he comes back in two days. Between finals and his work, he barely has time for anything else." His hands left my shoulder.

I waited for him to do something else. When he didn't, I looked over my shoulder and frowned. He was gone.

Breakfast lost its appeal.

I spent the rest of the morning looking over my shoulder while helping Mom with laundry, hoping to find him. It took me twice as long to finish my chores because I kept expecting him to appear.

Restless, I popped into Raine's room, but she wasn't there. The black cat I'd met yesterday was curled up on the window seat. She lifted her head and stared at me suspiciously.

"Still here?"

Her answer was a disdainful look.

"Yeah, right back at you," I said.

She stood and stretched, then curled back again on the seat, her eyes on me.

"What? Think I want to steal something? Tell your mistress I stopped by."

"I don't think she speaks yet," Femi said from behind me, and I whipped around. She was framed in the mirror portal entrance. Behind her was the living room. "Hey, doll. I heard sounds up here and thought Raine was back."

"Hey, Femi," I said, trying not to look guilty. I was so used to popping in and out of Raine's room I'd never thought how someone else would perceive it. "Just stopped by to see if she was home."

"She left with Torin. Have you checked the mansion?"

The mansion was home to the rest of the Valkyries and Immortals in our little town. "Heading there now." An awkward silence followed. "Oh, uh, how's Mr. Cooper doing?"

Femi grinned. "Better now that Svana is home. He even went for a walk today."

"Wow. That's amazing."

"Love has a way of making us do the impossible."

Raine's father had terminal cancer and, for months, had been bedridden while her mother faced the Valkyrie Council in Asgard. My resolve to help Dev and Echo increased. Yes, love could make us do the impossible.

CHAPTER 8. UNEXPECTED ATTACK.

I cranked up the radio as I left for school on Monday. I was halfway there when a cold draft filled the inside of my car. My first thought was Echo, but then Dev appeared in my rear window. Major disappointment coursed through me. He was the last person I wanted to see or talk to now.

"Sorry, can't talk now," I mumbled.

Dev did his gurgling chuckle sound, but my decoder of soul language was off.

He didn't ask before slithering through the CD slot of my car. Static replaced MTKO, who was singing their latest hit song. Then the announcer said, "This is ninety-four-point-five, Kayville's number one pop radio station. Talk to me, doll-face."

For a second, I was too shocked to speak. Then I realized it was Dev. He sounded like the announcer, American accent and all. "Don't call me that."

"Uh-oh, you're in a bad mood. You talked to Echo and he stormed off."

"No, he didn't."

"Of course he did. He wouldn't be Echo if he didn't get angry and melodramatic. He didn't throw you out, did he? I saw the two of you having dinner Saturday night."

My jaw dropped. "Oh, now you're stalking me?"

He ignored my question and shot back, "What did he say?"

"He'll think about it," I fibbed, feeling terrible.

Dev sighed. "You're a terrible liar. At least you tried. I'll try again in a century or two." He sounded so sad and defeated I felt worse.

"Tell me something I can use to persuade him. I know I can convince him if he knows why you want to talk to him."

"I love your attitude, Cora, but I know Echo. Once he makes up his mind, there's no changing it. How about some music?"

"No, music. Talk to me. You said things weren't what they seem. What did you mean? Were you framed?"

The radio crackled, and Bon Jovi's It's My Life filled the car. Dev sung along.

Un-freaking-believable. Too bad he sounded good for a dead man.

I reached out and switched off the radio. "Listen, Dev. I want to help you. No, I need to help you. Not because I'm on some stupid mission to help every soul with a sob story." Gah, I was a total wimp and a pushover when it came to sob stories. I even helped criminals. Petty criminals, psychopaths, perverts. Their crimes weren't written on their foreheads or anything helpful like that. "Echo regrets what happened between you two."

"Did he say that?" Dev sounded hopeful.

"Uh, no, but I know Echo. He's never regretted the things he's done. Not turning your Druid brothers and sisters into Immortals, making sure he's on Hel duty for eternity just so he could punish the Romans who persecuted your people. He does what needs to be done and moves on. But when he talks about you, I can tell it bothers him. He needs to know why, Dev."

Silence followed.

"Why did you do it?" I asked.

Nothing. I waited. Bon Jovi was back on. I wasn't sure whether that meant Dev wouldn't talk to me. After a few seconds, I gave up. Soon I was humming along. The group was before my time, but I grew up hearing their songs because Mom had a crush on the lead singer or something.

I pulled up into the parking lot across from the school. Students hurried to the school building while others steamed the windows of their cars. Two girls walked by discussing school prom and reminding me of something I'd pushed aside after the battle with the Immortals. Junior prom was this Friday and the senior one was several weeks away. I planned to attend both. With Echo. Hopefully, we'd be talking by then.

I still hadn't picked up my dresses from Angie's Boutique. Because of my D-size cups, dresses off the rack never worked for me, unless I was going for spandex. I hated spandex.

I stared out the windshield as I waited for Dev to say something or slither out of the radio. Nothing happened. I wondered what he'd say or do if I gave him an ultimatum. Talk and get lost. Echo's face when he'd talked about Dev flashed in my head. No, I was doing this for Echo, too.

I glared at the dials, wishing I had the mental powers to bend them to my will. Seriously, Druids were the most stubborn and annoying men on earth.

I should talk to Raine about this. She was so level-headed she might just have the solution I needed. Plus, she'd understand about going the extra mile for someone you loved.

Torin's bike was missing from its usual place at the curb, which meant they hadn't arrived yet. He and Raine usually arrived about the same time as Andris, and Andris' SUV just pulled up beside Blaine's sports car. Blaine had given Eel a ride to school? Were they an item now? He could do so much better.

Ingrid saw me and waved. I like her. She was unlike her evil older sister Maliina who'd runed me and turned me into a soul magnet. In retrospect, I guess I owed Maliina. If she hadn't turned me and mimicked me, I would never have met Echo. Ingrid and Blaine were Immortal like me, though they were hundreds of years old.

A soul of an older man walked aimlessly around the parking lot and glanced toward me. Andris ignored him. Ingrid and Blaine probably didn't see him. They didn't need to. Immortals dealt with the living, not souls. Blaine had even told me he used runes so he wouldn't see souls.

"Dev?"

No response, just the NPR people talking about the Spring Fund Drive. "Listen. I want to help you, but I can't if you won't talk to me or try to at least meet me halfway."

More chances to win an NPR mug instead of the voice I wanted to hear. Annoyed by his silence, I switched off the engine and reached for my backpack. The moment I stepped out of the car, I spied Andris sauntering toward me.

He blew me a kiss. Androgynously beautiful, sarcastic, and a hoot and a half, Andris was a Valkyrie like Torin. When I wasn't with Echo, he was my second favorite guy to hang out with.

I was about to close the door when I noticed my cell phone in the front passenger seat. I reached for it, glared at my radio, and closed the car door.

"I appreciate what you're doing, Cora," Dev said, speaking from my cell phone and blindsiding me. I almost dropped my phone. He sounded like a male version of Siri. "Whether you succeed or not, it's been a pleasure meeting you."

"When did you...? Seriously, stop moving around without warning me. It's creeping me out."

"Okay, here goes. Tell Echo I did it because of Teleia."

Teleia? The woman Echo, Dev, and Rhys had a crush on? "What do you mean?"

"He'll understand once you tell him."

"Tell me more."

"No. There're people who don't want the truth known, so the less you know the better."

"That's a copout, Dev. I can protect myself."

"Not against Grimnirs. You barely became an Immortal."

"I have Echo," I bragged.

"Do you really want him going against the other Grimnirs to protect you? Again? The last ones he and your Valkyrie friends killed are not happy."

"Cora?" a student said from behind me, and I whipped around.

Jeff Lancaster, the super geek from my English class held out his hand. My keys dangled from his finger. "You dropped these."

"Oh." I took the keys. "Thanks, Jeff."

"Hi, Jeff," Dev said.

Jeff stared at my phone then me. "Um, hi?"

"Don't mind him," I said. "Shut up, Dev."

"I miss talking to people. You have no idea how lonely it gets inside electronics."

"Dev-" I glanced at Jeff and groaned. His eyes were locked on my phone like it was the freaking Holy Grail.