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Nina’s steps slowed to a stop, and when Trent continued on, I rocked intoher need to be alone Threemy side He looked like a business out from under his slacks A pinch of worry marred his attempt at a smile, and I slipped e I sloondering if Sharps was around He’d been a big help last time But the ripples on the surface were only froan to wind its way upheadache

"I think I’ to puke at all this sweetness," Jenks et hiether, but Trent was tense

"You’ve done this before," I said, thinking he was stressing about the charm "No sweat"

"Your soul wanted to be saved," he said as our steps becaaveto happen here"

"It’ll be fine," I said "It has a containht? Then all we need to do is lure him into it"

He nodded, but he still didn’t look convinced

"Hey, ah, Rache?" Jenks said, dropping down in a coluot co at two cars roaring into the park, one at either end to block anyone fro at thean to empty of more men than could possibly have fit in there All of theht--all of them were headed our way

"How dare they," Nina whispered, her hissmy skin crawl

Trent slowed, his gaze on the footbridge and Al’s line beyond it "I don’t think those are Cor close, Jenks," I said, and he alighted on uards e I didn’t like that half of the second group was jogging around the small lake to encircle us Worried, I scanned for Bis "Coet into the line before they make it around the pond"

Trent nodded What did they think I was doing out here? Having a picnic? "Stop her!" one shouted "She’s alrabbed Trent’s elbow to run for it Nina, though, had turned to face theer

"You fools!" she shouted, feet spread wide "She isn’t fleeing She could have done that from her church Interfere, and Core from your skin!"

"We don’t work for Cormel," one shouted back, and I heard a crack as someone broke a tree branch for a an, or Ivy dies!"

Suddenly it was ht in thevaiving the undead their soulsat hiht the press was bad," Trentbeside ht the tail of it was in the water"

I flushed, looking up for Jenks "I accidentally ain, not wanting to talk about it "Nina!" I shouted "If you’re corass became the hard thump of concrete, and I spun as the warmth of the line cascaded over ht and a slared at the va to a slow stop before us Bis landed on the statue of Roht had broken out, but so across the shallow pond to join the feho’d run around it

"Don’t do it, Morgan," a va

More cars were driving up, angled to light the braith their headlights This was going to either -found would get ht, then Nina on my left, her eyes a worrisoht betray us all We were in the line The vaht feet, but that wouldn’t last I didn’t care if getting their souls back would kill theet there yourself?" I whispered to Trent, and he nodded He had shifted realities before, and that’s all he had to do, not juot Jenks I’ll take Nina Now!"

"What? Wait!" Nina shouted as I grabbed her arm and shifted her aura to that of the line

"No!" I heard soe rose, echoed, and vanished The rank so!" Nina exclaihed We’d made it

Hand over her face, Nina squinted into the dusky night as the gritty wind lifted her hair Bis hunched on a rock, and Jenks darted into ht was di as it reflected the early night sky The scorch ht earlier looked like wounds

Trent spun around at the clink of a rock, andat us from the dark A second set of eyes joined the first They had found us already?

"Oh, this is oing to take ain of why I wanted to come?"

Immediately Trent knelt and used his hand to s of rock, and Nina spun, eyes becoone It was a sucky way to live, never knowing if what you felt was real and if you could back your words up, or if you were about to find yourself pinned to the floor and your neck ripped out by sorumbled "Save the world, blah, blah, blah"

"Bis?" I asked, and he took to the air in a single doard thrust

"On it!" he called out cheerfully, and still gruht be two surface deht be twenty Bis and Jenks could find out

"I’ to set a perimeter circle," I whispered to Trent, and he nodded, his expression grim as he used a silver knife to carefully scrape a six-foot spiral into the ragged earth I strained to hear any sound as I moved to the outskirts and used the heel ofboth Trent’s spiral and the rock that Nina had her back against I didn’t set it, concerned that Al would feel it and show up like last tiic was beginning to rise Face pale, he backed away froed at the recesses ofas the chill of the night seehdown beside her "You think Felix’s soul is still nearby?" I said as I scanned the horizon