"Yes, but I'll warm it." He shrugged off his duster and gloves, dumped them on the table, and went to the fridge. "You sit down and give me descriptions."

I sighed. "There's nothing more to say."

He removed all the boxes, lined them up inside the microwave, and punched in buttons. "Now you see why I think you should take a break from helping souls. They're a bunch of self-serving shmucks."

"Don't you mean Dev?"

"He tops the list."

"Tell me about him," I said, leaning forward.

Echo glanced over my shoulder and scowled. "What's there to say? He made a mistake and I fixed it."

"No, I want to hear about your childhood. You two were best friends before all the mess with the Romans. Was he nice, sweet, or funny?"

Echo scoffed at my words. "Nice? Try reckless. Irresponsible. A real pain in my ass. He did things without thinking and then smirked when we got in trouble bailing him out. We'd come up with ideas, but before we could iron them out, he'd attempt them. The idiot."

From his voice, he'd enjoyed it. "And Rhys?"

"Rhys shot down every idea we came up with, which would drive Dev crazy. Nara had to keep peace between him and Dev." He removed the boxes from the microwave, placed in a tray, and got two sets of chopsticks from one of the bags. "Without her, they would have killed each other."

"Nara?" I asked.

"The only girl in our group-Rhys' cousin. At first, we barely tolerated her. But when she proved she could out jump, outrun, and even outthink us, she became my second in command."

I'd bet. Not only had he dated Nara, she'd been one of the boys. They'd shared special moments. He regaled me with stories about their escapades, but all I could think about was Nara.

Raine came in from outside and pointed at her watch.

"Hey, Raine," Echo said. "I didn't know you were there." He gave her a hug. While they talked, I threw my leftovers away. Lunchtime was over too soon. I wondered if I could skip school and just stay here with Echo. He'd probably love the idea.

"Let's agree on one thing, doll-face," Echo said, pulling me into his arms before we left. "We fight, we make up. No spending nights apart angry. It messes with my head, which affects my job." He peered at me and ran his knuckles down my cheek. "I probably set a record for the most reaping in the last thirty-six hours, and I wasn't nice to the souls. I don't want to be that person."

I nodded. The kiss that followed was too brief, but I didn't mind because I knew I'd see him later. I planned to fix this mess between him and Dev before we left for the prom on Friday night.

"We're still going to the prom on Friday, right?" I asked.

He smirked. "Try to stop me. See you after school. Raine, tell St. James we'll talk soon."

The portal Raine created opened into a bathroom. We could see a couple of girls in front of the mirror. Good thing humans couldn't see portals. We timed our entry when one left and the other entered a stall. I turned and waved to Echo.

"I forgot to thank you for breakfast," I said. "Mom now thinks I'm a gifted cook and whoever I marry will be one lucky man."

He smirked, thumbs hooked in the front pockets of his leather pants. "Good thing I'm only interested in your other talents."

The portal closed while I sputtered and fought a blush. Raine opened her mouth to comment, and I shook my head. "Not a word."

Echo was waiting for me after school, arms crossed, his back to my car. He made an effort to blend in and had once again traded his leather pants and sailor shirts for jeans and a T-shirt. But he still stood out and students stared as they walked past him. As usual, I doubted he noticed. His eyes followed me and Raine from the entrance of the school.

Raine grinned when she saw him. "Talents, huh?" she whispered. "Do tell."

My face flamed. "Shut up."

Laughing, she waved and headed toward her car while I joined Echo.

"See what I have to put up with because of you?" I said.

He straightened. "What did I do?"

"Other talents? And you said that in front of Raine," I scolded him.

"You mean you two don't gossip about us and compare notes?"

"Ew, no. That's reserved for book, TV, and movie boyfriends."

His hands came to rest on my hips. He pulled me closer until my body was flush with his. "Are you telling me you've never compared our kisses?" He lowered his head. "I'm a better kisser than St. James."

"I'll let you know after he and I kiss."

His eyes gleamed. "Then I'd have to rearrange his pretty face," he said against my mouth. "Then punish you for being a bad girl." He nipped my lower lip.

I was helpless against the shudder that rocked my body.

"Go ahead, then you'd have to deal with me and Raine." I went on my toes and planted one on his lips, taking my time. His hand left my waist and wrapped around my nape. Things were getting out of hand fast. I leaned back, breaking the contact. "I gotta go. I have a doctor's appointment."

He stiffened, eyebrows slamming down. "What's wrong? You're not sick, are you? You can't..."

I pressed my fingers on his lips and grinned. "No, I'm fine, but Mom insists I see her doctor for a checkup. I can't very well tell her I'm an Immortal."

He visibly relaxed and pulled me in for a hug as though holding me tight would reassure him I was okay. I rested my cheek on his chest and let him chase away his demons.

"When do you have to be there?" he asked.

"Four."

"Can I come?"

"Uh, no." I leaned back to see his face. "This is a gynecologist visit, Echo. We're going to talk about female issues, and you can't be there."

"Why not? I'll be invisible, and I know enough about female anatomy not to be shocked."

There was no way I was discussing birth control in his presence. "No, you're not going, and that's final. Don't give me that lost puppy look," I added. "It won't work."

"You're a cruel woman."

"I'll see you afterwards. The visit should be over in forty-five minutes."

"I haven't seen you since Sunday."

I sighed. "Fine. You can sit with me in the waiting room, then stay there while I see the doctor." He grinned triumphantly. Gah, I was so easy. "Come on. I'm dying for a macchiato." I opened the back door and threw my backpack on the back seat.

"We have time to check out the next house. I need to close the deal by Friday."

"Why the big hurry?"

"It's prom night. I'm hoping to get lucky." He laughed when my jaw dropped. He was being impossible. Worse, he hadn't lowered his voice and a few girls walking by giggled. I shot him a death glare, but he just smirked and glanced around the parking lot, eyes narrowing. "About your tires and those responsible..."

"Took care of them this morning. Come on."

He studied me from across the roof of my car. "You need a new car."

"There's nothing wrong with this one, Echo." I got behind the wheel and waited for him to settle into the passenger seat. How I've missed having him in my car. He took up too much space and often pushed the passenger chair back to accommodate his long legs.

"It makes weird noises when you drive," he said.

Blaine had been talking to him. "I'll get one when I can afford it. And don't even think of offering to buy me one."

"Why not? I can afford it."

"I can't accept such an expensive gift from you, Echo."

He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the Druid ring he'd given me. He didn't have to explain what he was saying. The ring was priceless, yet I'd accepted it.

"Dad's pride would be hurt if you did, so let's not discuss it."

He didn't bring it up again. When I pulled up outside The Hub, my car made a weird noise as I shifted gears to park.

"Not a word," I warned.

Surprisingly, he didn't say anything. As we started for the building, he fell in step beside me and wrapped his pinkie around mine. Just before we entered The Hub, a tingle in the back of my neck had me glancing over my shoulder. There were no souls in sight, but I had a weird feeling we were being watched. Nothing seemed out of place around the parking lot and the line of stores. It was probably Dev. I didn't want to bring him up yet.

I untangled our pinkies and wrapped my arms around Echo's.

We got our drinks and scones. Echo even got a bag of cotton candy. A soul walked past, glanced at me, smiled, and disappeared through a bookshelf. Could she be the one I'd felt outside? I'd seen her before. Since she'd never come to me for help, I left her alone.

The feeling of being watched returned when we left the store. Echo insisted on driving, and I let him. Arguing with him was pointless. Plus, I wanted to get away from whatever was giving me the chills.

Maybe Echo wanted to see how the car felt, or maybe his "You don't know where we're going" was the reason, but he drove too fast.

"There's a speed limit on these roads, you know," I reminded him when we pulled up outside the house.

"I didn't notice." He smirked when I swatted his butt and pulled me to his side. We stood in front of the house and studied it.

It was even cuter than the first one and was inside a new subdivision with tennis courts and a pool. Neighbors studied us from their lawns and front porches. Echo hated it before we went inside. But I felt that weird feeling again and looked around, waving at a few people walking by and staring at us as we left.

"No privacy," Echo said.

"And it's near the forest," I added, knowing how much he hated wooded areas.

He crossed it off the list and promised to show me one last one after my appointment. I let him drive me to the doctor's.

"May I borrow your car?" he asked when he pulled up outside the doctor's.

I eyed him suspiciously. He'd made a big deal about visiting the doctor with me and now he wanted my car. Could he be any more transparent? "Why?"

"I'm going phone shopping and this way I can appear normal when I pull up."

I laughed. He'd never cared whether he appeared normal or not. "That's the lamest excuse ever. If it makes you feel better, yes, you can take my car to have it checked."

"Who said anything about having your car checked?"

"I can read you, Echo. And please, don't listen to Blaine. He is a car snob." I gave him a quick kiss. "Go, but take good care of it. And don't go changing anything without checking with me first."

"I'd never do that," he protested, but I saw through him.

"Yes, you would. Love you. Gotta run."

The gynecologists' offices were in a sprawling house that looked more like a home than an office building. The waiting area had leather sofas around tables with magazines like a furniture store. Women in various stages of pregnancy were seated with their husbands or alone around the room. I felt out of place. Worse, when I made eye contact, eyes shifted to my stomach as though to check how far along I was.

The women behind the counter were nice. Unfortunately, the room was quiet, except for the muted sounds of preschooler kids in the playroom to my right, so I felt like our conversation carried. By the time we finished, I was sure everyone knew this was my first visit and my mother had made the appointment for me.

I took the paperwork and found a chair as far away from anyone as possible and faced the window. They'd also given me some kind of a square beacon that flashed red. If the light turned green, it was my turn to go inside, which meant no one would be calling out my name.

I did the paperwork. It was all smooth sailing at first. I even called Mom when the questions were about family health history.

"I'm so proud of you, honey," she said.

I frowned. "Why?"

"You're taking charge of your health. If you want to talk later, I'll be here."

"Thanks, Mom." But I wasn't smiling a few minutes later when I got to the part asking if I was sexually active and if I had multiple partners. So intrusive.

My face red, I looked around, but no one was paying me attention. I was tense by the time I finished, wishing I didn't have to do this alone, yet I couldn't see myself asking Mom to come with me. Maybe Raine, but I was sure the doctors didn't encourage friends to accompany you. I was happy Echo wasn't with me.

Waiting for the green light became hard, and I actually sighed with relief when it flashed.

Better get it over with.

The nurse who took my blood pressure was nice, but Dr. Steiner was even nicer. We went over some questions: my periods, how far apart they were and how long they lasted, and of course, when I last had one. I just started this morning.

My face warmed when she asked, "Are you currently sexually active?"

I blanked out for a moment. My online research said they didn't ask such questions. "Yes."