"Why?" Nara asked. "He'll turn into a raging lunatic and hunt down Kia and Fontaine. It wasn't their fault Maliina escaped. That evil bitch was never going to Corpse Strand willingly. And the last thing we need is fighting among Grimnirs before we face her and her dark soul followers."

My stomach had hurtled to my throat when Nara mentioned Maliina. Now, it raced and my stomach churned. I tried to speak, but all that came out was "goo-goo, ga-ga." The two Grimnirs looked up, realized I must have heard them, and cringed.

"Maliina escaped?" The words finally gurgled out of my throat.

CHAPTER 19. TRUST.

"You were not supposed to hear that," Nara said. "Don't tell Echo."

Was she crazy? He'd want to know yesterday and haul ass from here to next week. "How did this happen?"

A nurse eyed me curiously a few feet away. I was sure I looked like a lunatic talking to myself. Lucky for me, I had my cell phone. I gave her a tiny smile and brought the phone closer to my mouth.

She shook her head and pointed at a sign that said, "No cell phones."

Even my lies were getting me into trouble. Face burning, I pocketed the phone. "Sorry." I looked up and down for the nearest restroom. The nurse was still eying me from the corner of her eye. "Is there a restroom I could use?"

"Two doors past the registration desk." She waved to my right.

"Thanks." I mouthed to Nara and Rhys, "Follow me."

I didn't look back to make sure they were behind me. As I passed the nurse, she added, "No phones in the restroom either."

"Got it." I could feel her eyes on me as I entered the bathroom. I flipped up the light switch and waited for the Grimnirs to enter. They didn't hesitate.

"Does Dev still possess the old woman?" Nara asked, dropping the lid of the can and sitting. Sheesh, didn't she know someone might see the stupid lid moving on its own? I closed the door and faced them. "If he stays too long we'll have to forcefully remove him," she added.

I'd never seen how Echo forced souls out of me, but I was sure it wasn't pretty. "We're not discussing Dev. What happened with Maliina?"

"She escaped," Nara said.

"I know that," I snapped. "How?"

"The Grimnirs escorted her to Hel's Hall, but unlike most souls, Maliina's been there before, knows her way around the place-where the portals are and how to get back to this realm. She escaped before they reached the main hall and was never seen again."

It hurt to breathe, and every vile insult I could think of danced at the tip of my tongue. "And no one bothered to tell Echo?" I asked, my voice rising.

"Damn right," Nara said. "He was already pissed about what she did to you. No one was going to tell him we lost her."

I wanted to gut her. Rhys was busy studying the writings and images on the wall explaining how women should get a urine sample. On a normal day, I would have been embarrassed. Now I just wanted his undivided attention.

"We? You weren't here the night she died, were you? Or I would have remembered."

"We were around," Rhys said. "After all, finding Maliina was a top priority. Most of us were searching for her."

"Yet she managed to give you the slip."

Nara gave me an evil look. "Your point is?"

"You suck," I wanted to tell her, but I had a Eureka moment. Their stalking and relentless attempts to get to Dev now made sense. "This is why you guys have been after Dev."

They glanced at each other and exchanged smiles.

"Told you she'd figure it out," Rhys said.

"Took her long enough," Nara said.

"Hey," I snapped. "Quit talking about me like I'm not here. You've been after Dev so he could lead you to Maliina."

Nara rolled her eyes. "Yes, and preferably before your boyfriend found out."

"What a bunch of... Do you know Dev thinks you're after him because of what happened with your people a millennia ago? Why couldn't you just tell Echo what happened? What could he possibly do that he hasn't already done? It's not like he could kill you guys."

Nara's eyes flashed with annoyance, but she didn't speak. At least Rhys had the decency to look uncomfortable.

"I thought you were really concerned about forgetting the past and working with Echo. He," I pointed at Rhys, "even offered to find the dark souls. You were just covering your asses."

"My offer was legit," Rhys said.

"Liar. You come anywhere near Dev and I'll tell Echo everything. He doesn't know you came to the nursing home to see me that first time or that she," I jabbed a finger at Nara, "almost killed me."

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be-"

"Shut up, Nara," Rhys said. "She's right. We came here with an agenda and she now knows the truth. We apologize," he added, glancing at me. "We would still like to hear the truth from Dev."

"Ha! Like he owes you one now, you lying, sneaky Druids. Argh. Get out of my way." I yanked open the door to find three nurses outside the restroom. They all looked beyond me to see who I'd been talking to. I could either get thrown out for ignoring hospital rules or hauled to the nearest psyche ward for evaluation.

I pulled my phone from my pocket. "Sorry, I had to yell at some people."

"Call security," the nurse who'd warned me against using cell phones said.

"Can we give her a pass this once, Jen?" the second nurse asked. "My sister works at Moonbeam and told me about her. She's the high-school volunteer who came with the old woman from the nursing home. She takes homemade pies to the residents and the staff."

Nurse Jen didn't look like she was ready to play nice. Or maybe she was a pie-hater.

"I'm so sorry," I added. "I promise it won't happen again. I just wanted a friend to take care of my regular guys at the nursing home and he was being a total douche."

Jen's eyes narrowed. Yep, she saw through the lie.

I went for the kill. "A lot of my friends think working with sick or old people is uncool. I think it's noble. I plan to apply to nursing school next year."

I had them. "Okay," Nurse Jen said. "Consider this your final warning or I'll ask security to escort you out of the building."

"Thanks."

Ignoring Nara and Rhys, who were smirking at my lame fabrications, I hurried toward Mrs. J's room. I had reached my quota for caring what they thought. I pushed aside the curtain and peered inside. A tear-stained, raccoon-eyed Lauren looked up, her hand gripping her mother's. Mrs. J appeared to be sleeping or resting. Her color was better, but that could be due to Dev or having her daughter around.

"She's going to make it, right?" Lauren said.

Somehow I doubted it, but I nodded. "She's a tough lady."

"She said you've been very nice to her." When I didn't move from the doorway, she inclined her head. "Come inside."

I stepped inside the room and stayed by the foot of the bed. "My friend Dev and I need to go home now," I said out loud, but I doubted Lauren heard me. She was back staring at her mom and mumbling under her breath. I only caught a few phrases.

"...been here for you... so sorry... pointless fights... love you, Mama..."

Dev must have heard me because he slithered out through her nose and disappeared inside my phone. His movements were sluggish. Something must be wrong. Mrs. J's breathing seemed to have changed, and the pink tinge on her cheeks was starting to fade. Was she dying? I didn't want her soul to see me again.

"Uh, Lauren," I said softly. She looked up. With her makeup smudged, she looked older. "I have to leave now."

She reached out and shook my hand. "Thank you so much for being there for her. She said she always looked forward to your visits and your mother's pies."

Now that was new. "I'll make sure I bring her more." Mrs. J was ashen now. There was no way she was going to make it, which meant I needed to leave. Like now. "Let me know how she's doing. The nursing home has my number."

"I will. Mrs. Hightower was here a few minutes ago. I told her I'll be taking Mom to a nursing home in Portland as soon as she's well enough to travel." She stroked her Mom's hand again. "And, um, tell Rhys that I'll skip the dinner. It would never have worked between us anyway."

A raspy, gaggling sound came from the bed, and ours eyes flew to Mrs. J.

"What's happening?" Lauren asked in a panicky voice. "Call the nurse."

I ran out of the room screaming, "Nurse!"

Chaos followed as several nurses and a doctor raced toward the room. I barely managed to get out of the way. Rhys and Nara had been joined by Syn and Redhead. From their expressions, they all knew that I was aware of their agenda. I didn't slow down or even acknowledged them as I left, but I knew they were behind me. It was as though they released a pulse of energy I was tuned into.

Out in the waiting room, I found a chair and texted Mom. I brought my phone closer to my mouth and whispered, "You okay, Dev?"

"No," he sounded tired. "I hate trapping souls. It sucks so much of my energy. Do you mind if I rest now? Like for the next hour or two."

"Go ahead. You've earned it. Oh, and thank you for what you did back there. Without you, Mrs. J and her daughter would not have talked."

"It's what I do, doll-face. It's what I do." He sounded completely exhausted. Funny, I never thought how the souls felt after possessing me. I just knew I was drained afterwards. I always assumed they were the ones draining my energy. Fatigue must be the side effect of possession.

I didn't try to converse with him after that. When Mom walked into the waiting room half an hour later, my throat closed. I'd had it together until she appeared. Now, I wanted to bawl like a child and tell her everything: Maliina had escaped and she was after me. Again.

"Oh, sweetheart," Mom whispered, putting an arm around my shoulder. "It must have been one heck of a day," she added as she led me outside.

I managed to hold back the tears. "I just want to go home."

"Then home it is." She pressed a kiss on my temple. Once again, I didn't glance at the Grimnirs, but I was aware of them following us.

Mom fussed over me during dinner, studying me with worried eyes. Dad was more subtle, but I felt his concern too. Then my cell phone rang. My hand was a bit unsteady as I brought it to my ear. I listened to Mrs. Hightower's assistant. A mousy, petite woman who tended to blend in with the background. I could never remember her name.

"Thank you." I hung up and pocketed the phone. My parents stared at me with identical expressions. Funny I hadn't noticed how they tilted their heads in the same direction and scrunched up their faces in exactly the same way. Must be true what they said about people starting to look alike after living together for years. Would Echo and I make the same gestures after a couple of centuries together? Gah, I missed him so much.

"Mrs. Jepson is dead," I said in a tiny voice. "Her daughter was with her."

"Oh, sweetie." Mom reached out and rubbed my back.

"It's okay, Mom. I, uh, kind of saw it coming." Once Dev left her body. I stood. "I think I'll go to bed early. Goodnight."

They didn't complain, but I felt their eyes on me. Upstairs, I closed the door and fought tears as I dropped on my bed. I should be happy, not crying. I'd brought Mrs. J and her daughter together, and they'd found closure.

"Are you okay?" Dev asked. He still sounded like crap, his accent heavier.

"Yeah," I whispered in a shaky voice, fighting a losing battle with my tears. They pooled at the corners of my eyes and rolled down into my ears.

"Then why are you crying?"

I didn't try to deny it. "Did you know about Maliina?"

Silence. Then a soft, "Yes."

"Is that why you came looking for Echo?" I asked.

"Partly. I planned to warn him and gain his trust. I'd hoped that once he took care of Maliina, he'd be willing to listen to my story. Our paths have crossed so many times in the past, but he always looked the other way. Learning about Maliina and her plans to use your body as a vessel gave me a reason to approach him and maybe make him really look at me. I was thousands of years old, yet I had a form. I needed him to know I was making amends, that I hadn't betrayed him."

At least he had my interest as part of his agenda. "I wish you'd told me from the beginning, Dev."

"I'm sorry I've disappointed you, Cora. Even souls can be selfish."

That was an understatement. "I know."

Silence followed. "Besides, I didn't know you, Cora. You could have been working with Maliina for all I knew."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not that sneaky, Dev."

"No, you're not. You are awesome." He chuckled. "And I'm proud to call you my friend."

I smiled. "Same here. What are we going to do now? Echo is gone, but Maliina is out there waiting to pounce."

"Nara and Rhys are on our side. I want to talk to them. It's time they knew the truth."

"You can't trust them. They're only after you so you can lead them to Maliina," I said.

"I figured as much, but you should trust them."

"Heck no."

"They're Druids, Cora. Rhys claimed you as family when he introduced you to Mrs. J's daughter. He meant it. Once a Druid accepts you as one of them, they stay loyal. Until you betray them, of course."