If it hadn’t been for that mind meld, I would have taken it all. And that would have either changed Colin into another gray...or it would have killed him.

I ran away from the school for a half mile before I finally stopped, bracing my hands on my thighs, and took deep choking breaths of cold air.

I’d told Bishop to leave me alone. Nobody had been watching me, lurking in the shadows. Nobody was here to stop me. They were all at the church, dealing with other problems.

I’d never felt so alone in my entire life.

But I couldn’t go home, which was exactly where I wanted to go.

After what I’d heard in that mind meld, I knew I had to go downtown. I had to find Jordan. She’d left school to find the model scout who’d touched Julie, inspecting her as a potential model. After that, Julie’s mood had plummeted. Jordan thought that the woman had something to do with that—that her touch had messed up Julie’s mind and driven her to kill herself.

Eva might be an anomalous demon who’d escaped from the Hollow—just as Natalie had. Instead of souls, she fed on good emotions, leaving only the bad ones behind. All the suicides in the last week could be because of her.

And Jordan was going to confront her.

I had to do something. I couldn’t stand back and let her get hurt.

I checked the phone book to find Divine Model Management. Then I hopped on a bus to get downtown as fast as possible. I entered the building, scanning the area for any sign of Jordan, but she wasn’t there.

The agency’s office was on the fifth floor. I considered leaving, going to the church and trying to find Bishop to tell him, despite my harsh words—and his—last night. This wasn’t personal. This was business. And I knew he could do something about it. Beyond that, I missed him more than I thought possible. Seeing through his eyes in the mind meld only made that fact impossible for me to ignore.

However, Jordan didn’t have that kind of time. I had to do this on my own.

I took the elevator up to the fifth floor. The agency was large, with dark hardwood floors, lots of glass and silver. The logo was on the wall in large, shiny letters.

“Yes?” The receptionist greeted me from behind the tall, red desk.

“I’m looking for...” I scanned the waiting room, but nobody was here except for me. “Eva?”

“What’s your business with her?”

I scanned my mind for a lie good enough to get me past this gatekeeper. “She gave me her card at the mall, told me to stop by.”

The receptionist’s gaze moved over me skeptically. I did my best not to look guilty or like I was a big liar.

“For our petite division?” she asked.

I could pretend to be an aspiring model. Sure, I could. “Um, yeah.”

She still didn’t look all that convinced. But she picked up the phone and pecked in a couple numbers. “Eva? There’s a...” She looked at me. “Name?”

“Samantha Day.”

“There’s a Samantha Day here to see you. Says you gave her your card?” There was a pause, and the receptionist looked at me. “She doesn’t remember you, but she says to go on in. Third office to your left.”

My mouth went dry. “Okay, thanks.”

I walked down the hall nervously. I had to remember that I wasn’t helpless here. I was a nexus, and if she was a demon then I could deal with her. I’d read her mind to get the truth. I could defend myself with my zapping ability. And the skirt made accessing my new knife a lot easier. I slid my hand over its reassuring shape.

I stopped at the door, which opened in front of me. The woman I’d seen at the mall gave me a once-over. She was definitely middle-aged, with auburn hair, paler highlights and, although I was no expert on the subject, she wore a designer suit that easily could have been featured in a Vogue spread.

“I didn’t give you a card,” she said. “I remember everyone.”

“Where’s Jordan?” I asked, my throat tight. I wasn’t playing this game any longer than I had to.

She frowned. “Jordan?”

“Jordan Fitzpatrick. Redhead. Way taller than me.” Although that might not help pinpoint someone in a place like this. “Was she here earlier?”

“Oh, right. Jordan.” She shook her head. “I was very sorry to hear what happened to her friend. Your friend, too, right? Such a shame.”

“Was Jordan here?” I asked again, firmer. I swept my gaze over her from head to foot. It was so hard to tell if she was a demon. I couldn’t exactly ask her to lift up her blouse so I could see her imprint. And she wasn’t making direct eye contact with me.

She patted her hair in its perfect chignon. “She stopped by earlier, but she’s gone. Wanted to ask me a couple questions. Seemed so upset. Poor kid. I tried to help, but I couldn’t do much, I’m afraid. Look, Samantha, I’m very busy. I’m about to head out to do a sweep for new talent. We’re looking for girls for a last-minute show at the Trinity Mall this weekend. It could be a onetime thing for you to try it out.”

“Modeling?” I eyed her warily.

She looked at me curiously. “Well, of course. This is a modeling agency.”

“I’m not a model.” Last time I checked, super short and lacking model looks seemed to be a big deterrent in that particular industry.

Her curious expression turned confused. “Then what are you doing here?”

“Looking for Jordan.”