She made a noise under her breath. “So does it have something to do with Will? You didn’t have sex with him, did you?”

I almost choked on my tongue. “No, no. He still hasn’t even kissed me since … So, he has this really old friend, and she’s gorgeous, and she keeps popping up.”

“Ew, old as in cougar old?”

Well, that was relative. What was a few decades to a reaper? “No, they’ve just been friends for a long time.”

“Ruh-roh. Did they date?”

I sighed. “He swears they never did, but she’s freaking gorgeous and there’s no reason why every guy on the planet wouldn’t want to be with her. I trust Will, but I can’t help feeling so awful about it.”

“Sounds like you’re jealous.”

“I know I am, Dr. Phil. Please don’t tell me I’m paying you by the hour.”

“Shut up. That just means you still love him and you don’t want to see him with anyone else. Totally reasonable.”

“I hate to admit it, but she’s actually kind of cool,” I said, thinking of our last fight against the nycterids. “I didn’t like her at first, but I respect her.”

“You still don’t trust her, though.”

“No. And she and Will are hanging out tomorrow.”

She got a little rougher with my hair in surprise. “Whoa, what?”

“It’s a school project thing,” I assured her. “But I still feel all … yuck.”

“I would tail them,” she blurted.

“What do you mean?”

“Find out where they’re going,” she said. “This chick obviously wants to move in on him. Don’t you want to know if there’s something going on between them? You can see for yourself.”

That was an idea. A potentially bad one, but she was right. If I had the chance to spy on Will and Ava alone together, then I could see once and for all if they liked each other. There was just one little problem. “But I have school.”

Kate leaned over me and winked. “Leave it to me, lover.”

10

WHEN I GOT TO SCHOOL IN THE MORNING, I LOOKED for Kate’s red BMW like she had instructed. She was sitting inside since it was about negative four thousand degrees out, so I hopped into her passenger seat.

“What time are they doing their thing today?” she asked, pulling her cell out of her purse.

“Ten.”

Kate scrolled through her phone book until she found the number she wanted. On the second ring, whoever was on the other line picked up. “Yes, this is Diane Monroe,” she said, mimicking my mom’s voice almost flawlessly. “Elisabeth Monroe’s mother. Yes. She has a doctor’s appointment at ten this morning. If you’ll have her excused at nine thirty … Yes, she’ll be returning to class afterward. That’s perfect. Thank you so much. Buh-bye.” She dropped her phone back into her purse. “It’s done.”

“You are going to get me suspended,” I said as nerves wound their way into my gut.

“Only if you’re stupid and get yourself caught.”

“This isn’t going to work.”

“It will if you stop acting like such a boob. If you freak out and look suspicious, then they’ll get suspicious. This is a covert op. Try not to look like you’re up to something, and no one will think that you are.”

I had such a bad, bad feeling about this.

The note excusing me from class came halfway through first period. That meant I got to stare at it for about an hour while my nerves got the better of me and I lost confidence in my ability to pull this off. I’d never cut class before. My heart pounded like a jackhammer as I dropped off my backpack at my locker and headed for the office with just my purse and coat. The secretary was pleasant to me and I signed out, barely able to breathe the whole time.

I followed the directions I’d printed to an older apartment complex on a street off Orchard Lake Road. The parking lot was quiet and the property was heavily wooded. I sat for a few minutes with my car running to stay warm, wondering if Will and Ava had beaten me here. I hadn’t realized I was so tense until my phone buzzed and I jumped with fright. I pulled it out to see that Kate had sent me a text message.

Hows it going, 007?

I took a long, bored breath and texted back.

Nothing yet.

Want me 2 bring u a cappuccino?

That sounded so good.

We arent both skipping school.

U know u want 1.

Movement out my window caught my attention. Appearing from the Grim, Will and Ava dropped gracefully from the sky with their wings wide before feathers and all melted back into their shoulders.

Thats them. text u later.

I turned off my car and pulled my coat tighter around me as I climbed out. It was hard to meet the look of disappointment in Will’s cool green gaze. Every time I did, stabs of ice hit my stomach. I had everything planned until what I’d say when Will got there.

“Ellie,” he said gently. “What are you doing?”

“I should be doing this with you,” I said. “We’re a team. I’m already out of school, so take me with you.”

Then he smiled, much to my shock and relief. “All right. To be honest, I’m glad you’re here. I didn’t want to do a mission without you.”

“I’m ready for this.”

His smile widened. “Then let’s go.”

“Keep your energy suppressed,” Ava said. “Zane has been the guardian of this relic for a long time, and he will sense us coming. We don’t want him to think he’s under attack and retaliate against us. He likes to cause damage and ask questions later—and he can cause a lot of damage.”