Town after town, Jillian Cole has sought out the sick, the despairing, the old. Time after time, they welcome the lovely young woman into their hearts without a second thought. And day after day, she comforts them, cares for them, and loves them...to death.

Now, in quiet, tree-lined Serena, the voice again whispers, "This is your new home."

Jillian knows someone is waiting--someone who deserves her dark devotion. At the bedside of an ancient and declining matriarch, she sets about her ghoulish game. Preying on fear, destroying desire, and shattering dreams until, at last, dying seems the only joy...the final salvation.

Some might call Jillian Cole mad, deadly, evil...but she is only doing her duty. She is, after all, The Companion.