Eli released me, and tenderly grasped a lock of my hair. “You have grieved for your former life, Nina Grey. It is time to rise up as the woman you are: Strong, determined,” he smiled, “and stubborn.” He walked away from us, looking at the sky through the windows. “Humans see life as so precious when it’s fleeting. Add in the defensive instincts of a mother, and you’re nearly unstoppable, even in your fragile shell. It’s more inspiring each time I see it.”

“You know she’s not pregnant,” Jared said.

“Yet,” Eli said, turning with a knowing smile. “Let us visit again when the time is right. At the time when you have no more questions to ask but one.”

“What question is that?” I asked, but he was gone. “Damn it.”

“We need to get Nina back,” Jared said.

“Back to where, Jared? Did you forget your house is toast?” Bex said.

I shook my head, still in disbelief. Jared enveloped me in his arms, warmer and even more inviting than Eli’s.

“You have three choices, Nina: Cynthia’s, Lillian’s, or Kim’s.”

“Kim’s?” I sneered. “Even if I did still consider her my friend, I have no desire to live in the dorms again.”

Jared grimaced. “She’s the safest, option, Nina, and yes, she’s still your friend.”

“Why is she the safest?” I asked.

Bex grinned. “They don’t mess with her. She’s like bug spray.”

I smiled. “She would hate that if she heard you.”

Bex pulled a gun from the back of his jeans and scratched his head with the barrel. “Okay. Where to, then?”

“I still have things at Cynthia’s. We’ll go there,” I said, taking in a deep breath. Luckily, Cynthia was consistently busy with charities, so she would be out and about more often than not.

“You’ll go there,” Jared said.

My mouth fell open. “I’m not going anywhere without you. You told me once you couldn’t go back to that, again. What happened to that?”

“It’s not my first choice, I assure you,” he said, an uncomfortable grin twisting his mouth.

“It’s my house, Jared. You’re coming,” I said. I looked at Bex, then. “And there’s a room for you, too.”

“I have a room, thanks,” Bex said.

“Nina,” Jared began.

I held up my hand. “If you make me go to that house alone, I will spend all of my time in Jack’s office. I'll move my bed in there. I swear to God.”

Jared had once told me that Jack's office was the only room in my parents' home that wasn't wired with microphones or cameras. Jared could still hear me, of course, but having to guess what I was doing drove him crazy.

Jared smiled. “Don’t swear at Him. We need Him on our side.”

I frowned. “You know what I mean.”