Meli has a few problems. She's a telepath who reluctantly works for a psychopath. Then her day becomes really bad when she "hears" that her neck might be on the chopping block. Her neck is at risk, as are her family's necks. It's further compounded when another person speaks with her telepathically, which has never happened before. Rousseau, a young man from a remote Louisianan town where many of the occupants have extrasensory gifts, has tuned into Meli's fear and hurries to help her. Provoked into running, Meli becomes allies with Rousseau and ultimately realizes they are connected in a special way. However, the man Meli works for is a bona fide monster with secrets of his own, and he doesn't want to lose his "pet" psychic. He will do anything to get her back while Meli and Rousseau will do anything to escape. A full-length novel of about 109,000 words.