Darius had fallen heavily to the floor, but he was gasping for air while he tried to stand, putting his body between Kalona, Rephaim, and me. I couldnt do much more than try to control my breathing and blink hard to clear the weird little bright spots from my vision. Fire and wind had gone, leaving me barely able to stay on my feet.
A movement at the edge of my vision had me glancing at the open door and I gasped in surprise as Stark ran into the room, his bowstring already notched with a deadly-looking arrow. He lifted it to take aim at Darius, and then hesitated, shook his head like he was trying to clear it, and stared at me.
At the first sight of him I felt a wonderful rush of happiness. He looked like himself again! His eyes werent glowing red. He didnt seem crazed and wasnt hollow-cheeked and skeletal. Then I realized I was standing there completely naked as he and I stared at each other. I grabbed the sheet pooling at my feet and hurriedly wrapped it around me, bath towelstyle. Even in the middle of the big mess and stress that was going on around me, I could tell that my face was blazing red with embarrassment. I should have said something, anything to him, and instead my mind was frozen by the fact that he had just seen me completely naked.
Recovering his composure sooner than me, Stark lifted his bow again, renotching the arrow and sighting it at Darius.
Stark! Dont shoot him! I cried. I didnt bother to try to block his view of Darius. If Stark shot, he wouldnt miss no matter what I did. He couldnt miss. Unlike Kalona, my Goddess didnt take back a gift once shed given it.
If you are meaning to kill the person who threw me across the room, then that arrow will strike the priestess and not the warrior, Kalona said. He had gotten to his feet and he sounded perfectly normal. His expression was calm, but the skin of his naked chest looked flushed and kinda odd, like hed suddenly gotten a sunburn. Small wisps of vapor were still lifting lazily from his exposed skin, even though both elements had left the room. And it is not the priestess I want killed. It is the warrior.
Before Stark could fire his deadly arrow, I turned to Kalona, beseeching him, Darius was just protecting me. It was a Raven Mocker who did this. I pointed to the long wound across my chest that was no longer gaping nastily open, but was instead an angry, jagged red line. When Darius heard me scream and he saw Rephaim bending over me, it was only logical for him to assume I was being attacked again. Kalona had held up a hand to Stark, halting the shot. With the fallen angels attention fully on me, I continued, Darius has sworn to protect me. He was just doing his job. Please dont kill him for that.
I held my breath during a long pause. Kalona stared at me, and I stared right back at him. The weird, hypnotic allure Id felt for him hadnt returned. Not that he wasnt totally the most gorgeous man Id ever seen. He definitely was. Then I felt a little start of surprise as I realized exactly what I was seeing as I gawked at him.
Kalona had gotten younger.
When hed first risen from his imprisonment in the earth, hed been utterly and completely handsome, but hed also been a man. Well, one that was abnormally big and had huge black wings, but still, a man. Hed had an ageless look about him, appearing anywhere from thirty to fifty. But that had changed. If I had to guess his age, Id say he was about eighteen. Definitely no older than twenty-one.
Hes the perfect age for me
Finally Kalona stopped staring at me and slowly turned to Rephaim, who was crouched in the corner of the room, his terrible human hands pressed around the knife that still protruded from his bird chest.
Is this true, my son? Did one of my children cause the priestesss wound?
I have no way of knowing, Father. Not all of the sentries have returned, Rephaim spoke between short, panting breaths.
It is true, Darius said.
Of course that is what you would say, Warrior, Kalona said.
I give you my word as a Son of Erebus that I tell you the truth, Darius said. And you have seen Zoeys wound. Surely you recognize an injury made by the claws of one of your own children.
I was glad to see that Darius wasnt all puffed up and ready to continue the fight, like an idiot teenage boy would have been (hello, Heath and Erik!), and then I understood. Darius was still protecting me. If Kalona knew a Raven Mocker had almost killed me, without getting the rest of the story about it having been an accident, then maybe he would at the very least not leave me alone with one of them, and at the most warn his nasty children to stay away from me. That is, if Kalona still wanted me alive.
Then I quit babbling anything in my mind because Kalona was closing the space between us. I stood very still, staring straight ahead at his bare chest as he reached out, stopping just short of touching me. Slowly, with one finger he traced the path of my wound without actually stroking my skin, but still I could feel the chill that came from his body. I had to grit my teeth hard to keep myself from either shivering and cringing back or looking up into his eyes and taking the chance that I would lean forward just enough for his cold finger to touch my heated flesh.
It is the mark of one of my sons, he said. Stark, this time do not kill the warrior. I had just heaved a long sigh of relief when Kalona added, Of course, I cannot allow him to wound my beloved son without redress. But I prefer to admonish him myself.
Kalonas voice was so calm, so matter of fact, that I didnt really get the meaning of his words until, like a cobra, he struck. The warrior only had time to begin to take a defensive stance when Kalona whirled, pulled the knife from Rephaims chest, and in one motion raked the blade down the side of Dariuss face.
Darius staggered under the blow, and then fell as blood sprayed all around me, a heavy, scarlet rain in the little room. I screamed and tried to go to him, but Kalonas frigid hand closed around my wrist, jerking me back against him. I looked up at the immortal, willing the anger and horror I felt to burn through his awful appeal.
And I wasnt drawn to him! His spell didnt work on me! Young and inhumanly beautiful as he was, I still saw him as a dangerous enemy. He must have seen the triumph in my eyes because suddenly his warlike expression changed to a slow, knowing smile. He bent and whispered for my ears alone, Remember, my little A-ya, the warrior can protect you from all others except me. Not even the power of your elements can keep me from claiming what will eventually be mine again. Then he pressed his lips against mine and the wild taste of him was like a blizzard rushing through my body, numbing my resistance and freezing my soul with a forbidden desire that utterly overwhelmed me. His kiss made me forget everything and everyoneStark, Darius, and even Erik and Heath were frozen from my mind.
He released me and my legs would not hold me up. I crumpled to the floor as he strode from the room, laughing, with his wounded favorite son hobbling behind him.
CHAPTER 19
I was sobbing as I crawled over to Darius. I had just reached him when I heard a terrible sound coming from the doorway. I looked up to see Stark. He still grasped his bow in one hand. The other was holding on to the doorpost so tight that his knuckles had turned white, and I swear I could see his fingers making indentations in the wood. His eyes were blazing red and he was bent slightly over, as if his stomach was causing him pain.
Stark? What is it? I wiped the back of my hand across my eyes, trying to clear the tears from my vision.
The bloodcant bear ithave to He spoke in broken starts and stops and then, as if against his will, he took a staggering step into the room.
On the floor beside me Darius got to his knees. He grabbed the knife from the floor where Kalona had dropped it and faced Stark. You should know I only share my blood with those I have invited to taste of me, Dariuss voice was steady and strong. Had I not been looking at him I would never have known that a river of blood was gushing down his face from a terrible knife slash. And I have offered you no such invitation, boy. Back away before what happened here gets any worse.
There was a dark struggle going on within Stark that was reflected in his entire body. From the glowing red of his heated eyes to the feral grimace of his lips to the tightrope tension that radiated from him, he looked like he was on the brink of an explosion.
But heres the deal: Id had just about enough. Saying my reaction to Kalonas kiss had freaked me out was the new understatement of the year. My body still ached. My head was woozy. I was so weak I didnt think Id win an arm-wrestling contest with, well, Jack. Now Darius was hurt, and I didnt have a clue how badly. Seriously, you could stick a fork in me and call me so done with all this stress.
Stark, just get the hell out of here! I rounded on him, glad my voice sounded lots stronger than I felt. I dont want to zap the crap outta you with fire, but if you take one more step into this room, I swear Im going to burn your butt up.
That got through to him. Starks red eyes locked on me. He looked pissed and dangerous. There was a darkness that surrounded him like an aura, making the red in his eyes blaze. I stood, glad that the sheet was staying tucked around my body, and lifted my arms, holding them up and ready. Do not push me right now. I promise you wont like it if I lose my temper.
Stark blinked a couple of times at me, like he was trying to clear his vision. The scarlet of his eyes faded, the darkness in the air around him dissipated, and he wiped a shaky hand across his face. Zoey, I he began, sounding almost normal. Darius shifted in his defensive stance, taking a step closer to me. Stark snarled at himactually snarledlike he was more animal than human, spun around, and ran out of the room.
I somehow managed to stagger to the door and slam it closed, then dragged a chair from near the bedside and propped it under the door handle, just as Id seen people do in the movies, before I went back to Darius.
I am glad you are on my side, Priestess, he said.
Yeah, thats me. Im fierce. I tried to pretend I wasnt close to passing out by sounding like Christian from Project Runway. I was pretty sure Darius didnt know Project Runway from a science project, but it did make him chuckle as we helped each other over to the end of the bed, where he sat heavily and I stood beside him, concentrating on not swaying like I was drunk. Which, sadly, I wasnt anymore.
There should be first aid supplies in the cabinet over there. He motioned to the long stainless steel cabinet that stretched halfway across the far wall. There was also a sink built into it and a bunch of scary hospital-looking items (they were sharp and very stainless steel) stored neatly in trays and whatnot beside the sink.
Wearily, I ignored the sharp things and started pulling open drawers and cabinets, which was when I noticed my hands were shaking like crazy.
Zoey, Darius called, and I glanced over my shoulder at him. He looked terrible. The left side of his face was a bloody mess. The slash extended from his temple, all the way down his jawline, messing up the bold geometric design of his tattoo. But his eyes smiled at me and he said, Im going to be just fine. This is little more than a scratch.
Well, its a big scratch, I said.
I believe it will annoy Aphrodite, he said.
Huh?
He started to smile, but ended the attempt with a grimace as the movement caused more blood to pour from the wound. He pointed at his face. She wont like the scar.
When I had a bunch of bandages and alcohol wipes and gauze and stuff, I came back to him. If she gives you crap about it, Ill kick her butt. After Ive rested up. I stared at the awful scratch, ignoring the delicious scent of his blood and swallowing hard to keep myself from puking.
Okay, yes, it does sound like a total contradiction: the fact that I love the taste and smell of blood, but that seeing it pouring out of a friends body grosses me out. Wait, no. Maybe its not a contradiction, because, hello! I dont eat my friends! I thought about Heath and decided to amend my thought: I dont eat my friends under normal circumstances and unless they give me their permission.
I can clean it, Darius said, reaching for the alcohol wipe I was balling up in my fisted hand.
No, I said, then repeated more firmly, shaking my head to try to clear away the wooziness in it. No, thats ridiculous. Youre hurt; Ill do it. Just walk me through what I need to do. I paused, before I continued, Darius, we have to get out of here.
I know, he said solemnly.
You dont know all of why. I overheard Kalona and Neferet talking. They said they were planning some kind of a new future, and then said it would involve swaying the Council.
Dariuss eyes widened in shock. Nyxs Council? As in the High Council of Vampyres?
I dont know! They didnt say anything else about it. I guess they could have been talking about the Council here at the House of Night.
He studied my face. But you do not believe that is what they were referring to?
I shook my head slowly.
Sweet Nyx! It cannot be done!
I frowned, wishing my gut wasnt disagreeing with him. Im afraid theres a chance it can be done. Kalona is powerful, and he has that magical draw-people-to-him thing going on. Look, the bottom line is we cant be trapped under Neferets control while she and the bird guy put their disgusting plan in motionwhatever that plan might be. Actually, I was scared that theyd already put their disgusting plan in motion, but saying it out loud felt like a spell that would make it be true. So cant we just get you fixed up, grab Aphrodite, the Twins, and Damien, and go back to the tunnels? I felt precariously close to bursting into tears. Im all better, and I think its worth the chance of drowning in my own blood to get the hell out of here.
Agreed, and I believe Neferet has healed you enough that you will not be in danger of rejecting the Change, even if you are not among a full fold of vampyres.
Are you okay enough to leave?
I told you I am fine, and I was speaking the truth. Let us get this cleaned up and then we will leave this place.
I like the tunnels better. I surprised myself by admitting out loud what I had been thinking, but Darius nodded solemnly in agreement. It is because it feels safe there, and it is definitely no longer safe here, he said.
Did you notice Neferet? I asked him.
If you mean did I notice the Priestesss power seems to have increasedyes, I did.
Great. I almost wish I was just imagining things, I muttered.
Your instincts are good, and theyve been warning you about Neferet for quite a while. He paused. Kalonas hypnotic power is unusual. Ive never felt anything like it before.
Yeah, I said, cleaning the blood off his face. But I think Ive broken whatever hold he was having over me. I refused to admit, even to myself, that though the hypnotic effect was gone, I still had had a powerful reaction to his kiss. Hey, did Kalona look different to you?
Different? How so?
Younger, like hes not even as old as you. I guessed that Darius was somewhere in his early to mid-twentiesor at least thats how old he appeared to me.
Darius gave me a long, considering look. No, Kalona appeared the same as when first Id seen himageless, but not in a way that could ever be mistaken for a teenager. Perhaps he has the ability to alter his appearance to please you.
I wanted to deny it, and then I remembered what hed called me just before he kissed me. It had been the same name hed called me during my nightmare. My response to him is almost automatic, as if my soul recognizes him, my mind whispered traitorously. A terrible fear shivered through my body, causing the little hairs on my arms and the back of my neck to stand straight up. He calls me A-ya, I said.
The name sounds familiar. What does it mean?
Its the name of the maiden the Ghigua women created to trap Kalona.
Darius sighed deeply. Well, at least we now know why hes so intent upon protecting you. He thinks you are the maiden he loved.
I think it was more obsession than love, I said quickly, not wanting to even consider the idea that Kalona could possibly have loved A-ya. Plus, we have to remember that A-ya did trap him, causing him to be imprisoned in the earth for more than a thousand years.
Darius nodded. So his desire for you could very easily change to violence.
My stomach clenched. Actually, the reason he wants me might be just to get back at A-ya. I mean, I dont know what hes actually planning to do with me. Neferet was all for killing me, but he stopped her because he said he can use my power.
But you would never turn from Nyx to him, Darius said.
And once he realizes that, I cant see him keeping me around.
Hell view you as a powerful enemy, one who might find a way to entrap him again, Darius said.
Okay, so explain to me what to do to get you fixed up, and then lets find the others and get the hell out of here.
Darius walked me through a very gross cleaning of the long slash wound, during which I actually had to pour alcohol into his cut to, as he put it, flush out any infection that might have been caused by the Raven Mockers blood. Id totally forgotten that the same knife had been imbedded in Rephaims chest and it definitely had nasty mutant man-bird blood all over it. So I cleaned the cut and then Darius helped me find this weird but cool stuff called Dermabond, better known as liquid stitches, which I squirted in a line down the length of his cut, mushed the sides of the wound together, and, ta-da! except for a big not-yet-healed cut, Darius said he was good as new. I was slightly more skeptical, but (as he reminded me) I really wasnt a credible nurse to begin with.
Then he and I searched though the cabinets because I was not going anywhere with a sheet wrapped around me. Okay, you would not believe the gross, paper-thin, backless hospital gowns (oh, please, they are so not real gowns) we found in one drawer. Why is it hospitals make you wear ugly, too revealing stuff when you already feel awful? It just makes no sense. Anyway, we finally found a pair of green hospital scrubs that were way too big for me, but whatever. They were seriously better than being wrapped up in a sheet. I completed my look with some booties. I asked Darius if hed seen my purse, and he said he thought it was still in the Hummer. It was probably shallow of me, but I spent quite a few minutes stressing that if my purse was lost Id have to get a new drivers license and cell phone, and wondered briefly if Id remember the exact right shade of the cool Ulta lip gloss I was going to have to replace.
Sometime after I put on the scrubs (while Dariuss back was turned) and started worrying about my purse being missing, I realized I was sitting on the bed staring off into space and almost falling asleep.
How are you feeling? Darius asked. You look His words trailed off as Im sure he tried and vetoed words like crappy and hideous.
I look tired? I volunteered helpfully.
He nodded. You do.
Well, thats a not-so-amazing coincidence because I am tired. Really tired.
Perhaps we should wait and
No! I interrupted. I meant it when I said I wanted to go. Plus, theres no way I can get any real sleep as long as were here. I just dont feel safe.
Agreed, Darius said. You arent safe. None of us are safe.
Unspoken was the understanding that we would still not be safe even if we managed to get away from the House of Night, but it was better for morale if neither of us mentioned that.
Alright, lets get the others, I said.
I checked the clock on the wall before we left the room and realized that it was a little after 4:00 A.M. It was a shock to see how much time had passed, especially since I must have been out for several hours, even though I didnt feel rested at all. If things were normal at the House of Night, fledglings should be finished with classes. Hey, I told Darius, its about dinnertime. They might be in the cafeteria.
He nodded, moved the propped-up chair, and opened the door slowly.
Hallways empty, he murmured.
While hed been peeking down the hall, Id been checking him out. So, instead of following him out of the room, I grabbed his sleeve and held him back. He gave me a questioning look.
Uh, Darius, Im thinking that we really need to change clothes before we make a grand entrance in the middle of the cafeteria, or even my dorm. I mean, youre more than a little bloody, and Im wearing what looks like a big green trash bag. Were not exactly inconspicuous.
Darius glanced down at himself, taking in the dried blood that was splattered all down his shirt and jacket. The blood plus the newly closed laceration on his face plus my hospital scrubs definitely equaled conspicuous, a conclusion Darius obviously came to easily.
Lets take the stairs up to the next floor. Thats where the Sons of Erebus are housed. Ill change, then get you quickly to your dorm so you can be rid of those. He gestured at my outfit. If we get lucky well find Aphrodite and the Twins in the dorm and will just have to scout out Damien and then slip from the school grounds.
Sounds good. I never thought youd hear me say that I was looking forward to getting back to those tunnels, but right now that feels like the best place to be, I said.
Darius grunted what I assumed was guy language for agreeing with me, and I followed him into the hall, which really was deserted. It was just a short way to the stairwell. Okay, going up a flight of steps just about did me in, and I ended up leaning heavily on Dariuss arm. I could tell by the worried glint in his eyes that he was seriously considering picking me up and would have (despite my protests) if we hadnt gotten to the next floor about then.
So, I said between gasps, is it always this quiet up here?
No, Darius said grimly. Its not. We passed a common area that had a fridge, a big, flat-screen TV, some comfy couches, and a bunch of guy stuff like free weights, a dartboard, and a pool table. It, too, was deserted. His face set into unreadable lines, Darius led me to one of the many doors that opened off the hall.
His room was just about as Id imagined a Son of Erebuss room would beclean and simple, with hardly any knickknacks. He did have some trophies that were for winning knife-throwing competitions, and a whole collection of Christopher Moores hardback books, but no framed pictures of friends or family, and the only art on the walls was of Oklahoma landscapes, which probably came with the room. Oh, he also had a mini-fridge like Aphrodites, which kinda annoyed me. Did everyone have a fridge except me? Jeesh. There was a big, heavily draped picture window that I wandered over to, pulling back a corner of the curtains and looking out so Darius could change his clothes without causing a jealous Aphrodite to disembowel either of us.
It should have been a busy time. Classes were out and kids should have been going from the academic part of the school to the dorms, rec room, cafeteria, and just in general hanging out and being teenagers. Instead, I only saw a couple of people doing their best slip and slide down the sidewalk as they hurried from one building to another.
Even though my intuition was telling me there was way more to it than that, I wanted to blame the dead quiet of the school on the weather. The dark sky was still spitting icy rain, and despite the isolating effects of the storm, I was enthralled with how magical the shining coating of frozen water made everything look. Trees bowed under the crystalline weight that entombed their branches. The soft yellow of the gaslights flickered over slick walls and sidewalks. The coolest thing was the ice-encapsulated grass. It stuck up in brittle spikes all over, glistening when light hit it just right, making the ground look like it had grown a field of diamonds.
Wow, I said, more to myself than Darius, I know the ice storm is a pain in the butt, but it really is pretty. It makes everything look like a whole different world.
Darius was pulling a sweatshirt on over a clean T-shirt as he joined me at the window. His frown said that he saw the pain-in-the-butt part of the storm more than the ice magic of it.
I dont see one sentry, he said, and I realized that his frown hadnt been directed just at the ice but at the boundaries of the walls, which we could see from his window, too. We should be able to see at least two or three of my brother warriors from here, but there is no one. Then I felt him stiffen.
What is it?
I spoke too soon, and you were correct. This is a whole different world. There are sentries posted. They are just not my brothers. He pointed at a spot on the wall to our right where it curved behind Nyxs Temple, which was situated right across from the building we were in. There, between the shadow of an ancient oak and the rear of the temple, the darkness shifted to reveal the bent shape of a Raven Mocker crouched on the wall. And there, Darius motioned down the wall a little way to another spot. Id overlooked it as nothing more than a natural fold of darkness on this stormy night, but as I stared, it, too, moved slightly, revealing another terrible man-bird creature.
Theyre all over, I said. How are we going to get out of here?
Can you disguise us with the elements, as you did before?
I dont know. Im so tired, and I feel weird. My cut is better, but its like I keep getting drained and never really refilled. Then my stomach sank further as I realized something else. After I used fire and wind to knock Kalona off you, I didnt have to release the elements. They just werent there anymore. Thats never happened before. Theyve always hung around until I bid them depart.
Youre exhausting yourself. The ability to conjure and control the elements is your gift, but it doesnt come without a price. Youre young and healthy, so under normal circumstances you probably hardly notice the drain it causes in you.
I have a couple of times before, but its never been like this.
Youve never been close to death before. Add to that the fact that you havent had time to rest and recuperate, and thats a dangerous combination.
In other words, we may not be able to count on me to sneak us out of here, I said.
How about we call you Plan C, and we try to come up with Plans A and B.
Id rather be Plan Z, I grumbled.
Well, this will help, even if its just a temporary fix. He went to the mini-fridge and pulled out what looked like two water bottles, only the bottles were filled with a thick red liquid I recognized very well. He handed me one. Drink up.
I took it and frowned at him. You have blood in water bottles in your fridge?
He raised his brows at me, then cringed a little as the cut that stretched down the entire side of his face pulled. Finally he said, I am a vampyre, Zoey. You will be one soon. To us having bottled human blood is the same as having bottled water. Only there is a lot more kick to blood. He lifted his bottle to me and then drained it.
I shut off my mind and did the same. As always, the blood hit my system like an explosion, giving me a kick of energy and making me feel suddenly very much alive and invincible. My woozy head cleared, and the ache that had been radiating from my wound diminished, letting me draw a big, deep, pain-free breath.
Better? Darius said.
Totally, I said. Lets go get me some real clothes and find the others while this buzz lasts.
That reminds me. He turned back to the fridge, grabbed another bottle of blood, and tossed it to me. Stick that in your pocket. Drinking blood wont replace sleep and the time your body needs to heal, but it will keep you on your feet. Or at least I hope it will.
I shoved the bottle in one of the huge pockets of my baggy scrub pants. Darius strapped on his knife holster, grabbed a clean leather jacket, and he and I left his room, hurried down the stairs, and walked to the door of the buildingall without seeing anyone else. It felt wrong, but I didnt want to pause to talk about it. I didnt want to do or say anything that might keep us there for even one more second than we had to be.
As Darius reached the front door of the building, I hesitated. I dont think its smart for the Raven Mockers to see that Im up and walking around. I kept my voice low, even though there was no one visible around us.