No. Im not going back up there. Not only is Kalona free, along with his totally gross bird babies, but I cant get caught aboveground when the sun rises, and I can feel that sunrise isnt that far away. I dont think I could survive it already hurting like this. Z, youre just gonna have to do it, said Stevie Rae.
You want me to push on the arrow while you hold her still? Aphrodite asked.
No, watching it will probably be worse than helping with it, I said.
Ill do my best not to scream too loud, Stevie Rae said.
Shed been serious, which made my heart squeeze then, just like it did now as I thought back. Oh, honey! Scream all you want. Hell, Ill scream along with you. I looked at Darius. Im ready whenever you are.
I will cut off the feathered end of the arrow that is still protruding from the front of her chest. When I do that, you take this, he handed me a wad of gauze that was wet with alcohol, and press it over the cutoff end. When I have a good grip on the front of the arrow Ill tell you to push. Push hard while I pull. It shouldus said q I come out fairly easily.
But it might hurt just a little? Stevie Rae said, sounding faint.
Priestess, Darius rested his big hand on her shoulder. This will hurt quite a bit more than a little.
Thats why Im here, Aphrodite said. Ill be holding on to you so you dont flail about as you writhe in pain and mess up Dariuss plan. She hesitated, and then added, But you need to know if you go all crazy from agony and bite me again, Im going to knock the shit right out of you.
Aphrodite. Im not gonna bite you. Again, Stevie Rae said.
Lets just get this over with, I said.
Before Darius ripped off what remained of Stevie Raes shirt he said, Priestess, I must bare your breasts.
Well, Ive been thinkin about that while youve been workin on my back. Youre kinda like a doctor, arent you?
All of the Sons of Erebus are trained in the medicine field so that we can care for our wounded brothers. He relaxed his stern expression for a moment and smiled at Stevie Rae. So, yes, you may think of me as a physician.
Then Im fine with you seeing my boobies. Doctors are trained not to care about that kind of stuff.
Lets hope his training hasnt been that thorough, Aphrodite muttered.
Darius gave her a quick wink. I made a gagging sound, which made Stevie Rae giggle and then gasp when the movement caused her pain. She tried to smile reassuringly at me, but she was way too pale and shaky to pull it off.
It was about then that I really started to worry. Back at the House of Night the undead-dead Stark followed Neferets pain-in-the-butt orders and shot Stevie Rae, blood had spilled out of her body at an alarming rate, so much so that it had made the ground around her look like it was bleeding, which fulfilled the stupid prophecy to free the stupid fallen angel, Kalona, from his gazillion-year imprisonment in the earth. Stevie Rae looked like all of the blood in her body had been left on the ground and even though shed done pretty well up until then, and been walking and talking and mostly conscious, she was quickly fading into a ghostly white nothing before our eyes.
Ready, Zoey? Darius asked, making me jump.
Fear had made my teeth chatter so hard that I barely managed to stutter, Y-yeah.
Stevie Rae? he said gently. Are you prepared?
As Ill ever be, I guess. But I can tell you I really wish stuff like this would quit happenin to me.
Aphrodite? Hed looked to her next.
Aphrodite moved so that she was kneeling on the floor in front of the bed and took both of Stevie Raes forearms in a strong handhold. Try not to flail too much, she told Stevie Rae.
Ill do my best.
On three, Darius said, with the shears poised to close on the feather end of the arrow. Onetwothree!
Then everything happened fast. Hed clipped off the end of the arrow like hed just cut through a tiny twig.
Cover it! He barked the command at me, and Id pressed the gauze against the inch or so of arrow that still stuck out of the front of Stevie Raes chest squarely between her boobies while he moved around behind her. Stevie Raes eyes had been squeezed closed. She was breathing in short little panting gasps again, and sweat was beading her face. Again on three, only this time you push against the end of the arrow, Darius said. Id wanted to stop everything and scream No, lets just wrap her up and take our chances getting her to a hospital, but Darius had already begun counting. Onetwothree!
I shoved against the hard, newly sliced end of the arrow as Darius, bracing himself with one hand against Stevie Raes shoulder, pulled the arrow from her body with one swift, awful-sounding, jerk.
Stevie Rae did scream. So did I. So did Aphrodite. And then Stevie Rae slumped forward into my arms.
Keep the gauze pressed against the wound. Darius quickly and efficiently cleaned the newly exposed hole in Stevie Raes back.
I remembered repeating over and over, Its okay. Its okay. Its out now. Its all over now
Looking back, I remember that Aphrodite and I had both been sobbing. Stevie Raes head had been pressed against my shoulder, so I couldnt see her face, but I could feel wetness leaking down my shirt. When Darius lifted her gently and laid her back on the bed so that he could dress the entry wound I felt a jolt of pure fear stab through me.
Id never seen anyone look as pale as Stevie Raeanyone who was still alive, that is. Her eyes were squeezed tight shut, but red-tinged tears made horrible tracks down her cheeks, the slight pink in stark contrast to her almost transparent colorless skin.
Stevie Rae? Are you okay? I could see her chest rising and falling, but she hadnt opened her eyes and she wasnt making any noise.
Imstillhere. She whispered the words with long pauses between them. Butkindafloatingaboveyall.
Shes not bleeding, Aphrodite said in a low voice.
She has nothing left to bleed, Darius said as he taped the gauze to her chest.
The arrow missed her heart, I said. Its purpose wasnt to kill her. It was to bleed her.
We are lucky, indeed, that the fledgling missed his mark, Darius said.
His words still went round and round inside my head because I knew what none of the rest of them did, that it was impossible for Stark to miss his mark. His gift from Nyx had been that his aim was always true, that he always hit whatever it was he aimed at, even if that sometimes had horrible consequences. Our Goddess had told me herself that once she gave a gift, she never took it back, so even though Stark had died and then come back as a twisted version of himself, he still would have hit her heart and killed Stevie Rae if that had been his intention. So did that mean there was more of Starks humanity left than there had seemed to be? Hed called my name; hed recognized me. Id shivered, reliving the chemistry that had sparked between us right before he died.
Priestess? Did you not hear me? Darius and Aphrodite had been staring at me.
Oh, sorry. Sorry. I was distracted by I hadnt wanted to explain that I was thinking about the guy who had almost killed my best friend. I still didnt want to explain that.
Priestess, I was saying, if Stevie Rae doesnt get blood, this wound, though it missed her heart, could very well be the death of her. The warrior shook his head while he examined Stevie Rae. Though I cannot tell you for sure that she will heal. She is a new kind of vampyre and I do not know how her body will react, but were she one of my brother warriors, I would be very concerned.
I had drawn a deep breath and readied myself before saying, Okay. Well. Forget waiting for the Twins and their bloodmobile. Bite me, I told Stevie Rae.
Her eyes fluttered open and she somehow managed the hint of a smile. Human blood, Z, she said before closing her eyes again.
Shes probably right. Human blood always has a more powerful effect on us than fledgling or even vampyre blood, Darius said.
Well, then, Ill run and get the Twins, I said, even though I hadnt had any real idea where I would be running to.
Fresh blood would work better than that bland, refrigerated stuff, Darius said.
He hadnt so much as glanced at Aphrodite, but she definitely got the message. Oh, for craps sake! Im supposed to let her bite me? Again!
I blinked, not sure what to say. Thankfully, Darius came to the rescue.
Ask yourself what your Goddess would have you do, he said.
Well, shit! This being one of the good guys really, really sucks. Literally. She sighed, stood up, and pushed back a sleeve of her black velvet dress. Holding her wrist in front of Stevie Raes face, she said, Fine. Go ahead. Bite me. But you owe me big-time. Again. And I do not know why Im the one who keeps saving your life. I mean, I dont even Her words were choked off with a little yip of yikes!
Its still kinda disconcerting to think about what happened next. When Stevie Rae grabbed Aphrodites arm I saw her entire expression change. She instantly went from my sweet BFF to a feral stranger. Her eyes glowed a nasty dark red, and with a scary hiss she bit the crap out of Aphrodites wrist.
Then Aphrodites yikes turned into a disturbingly sensual moan and her eyes closed as Stevie Raes mouth latched on to her, breaking the skin easily and causing the hot, pulsing blood to flow as my best friend greedily sucked and swallowed like a predator.
Okay, yes. It was disturbing and nasty, but it was also weirdly erotic. I know it felt goodit had to. Thats how vampyres are made. Even being bit by a fledgling will cause the bitee (a human) and the biter (a fledgling) both to experience a very real jolt of intense sexual pleasure. Its how we survive. The old myths about vamps ripping open throats and taking victims by force is pretty much bullpoopwell, unless someone pisses off a vamp pretty badly. And then, even though his or her throat is being ripped out, the bitee would probably like it.
Anyway, we are what we are. And from observing what was going on with Stevie Rae and Aphrodite, it was clear that red vampyres definitely had the whole bring-your-human-pleasure phenomenon going. I mean, Aphrodite had even leaned suggestively into Darius, who wrapped an arm around her and bent to kiss her as Stevie Rae continued sucking on her wrist.
The kiss between the warrior and Aphrodite had so much sizzle to it I swear I could almost see sparks flying. Darius held her carefully so that he didnt cause Stevie Rae to wrench her wrist. Aphrodite wrapped her free arm around him and gave herself to him with an openness that showed exactly how much she trusted him. I felt guilty watching, even though there was an undeniably sexy beauty to what was happening between them.
Okay. Awkward.
Seriously. Could have gone my whole life without seeing that.
Id looked away from Stevie Rae and company to see the Twins standing just inside the blanketed door. Erin was holding several packets of what were obviously bags of blood. Shaunee was holding a bottle of some kind of red wine and a glass, as in the typical kitchen variety that Mom pours the iced tea into.
Duchess pushed past them and came wagging doggily into the room with Jack close behind him.
Ohmigod, girl-on-girl action while the guy gets the benefits, Jack said.
Interestingto think some guys would really find that a turn-on. Damien had come into the room behind Jack and was holding a paper bag and peering at Stevie Rae, Aphrodite, and Darius like he was watching a science experiment.
Darius managed to break the kiss, pulling Aphrodite close to him and holding her tight against his chest. Priestess, this will humiliate her, he told me in a low, urgent voice. I didnt bother to take time to wonder which her he was referring to, Aphrodite or Stevie Rae. Before he finished the sentence, I was already moving toward the Twins.
Ill take that, I said, grabbing a bag o blood from Erin. Totally diverting their attention from the scene on the bed, I used my teeth to tear open the packet like it was a bag of skittles, being sure I got a nice amount of blood on my mouth. Hold the glass for me, I told Shaunee. She did as I commanded, even though she was giving me an eew look. Paying her no attention, I poured most of the blood into the glass, making a point of licking my lips and catching the spattering of red that hung on them. Deliberately I upended the baggie and slurped out the remaining blood before I tossed the flattened pouch aside. Then I took the glass of blood from her. Now the wine, I said. The bottle had already been opened, so all Shaunee had to do was pull out the cork. I held up the glass. Id filled it about three-fourths full with blood, so it took no time to add the wine and fill the cup. Thanks, I said briskly and turned, marching back to the bed.
With a business-like movement Id taken Aphrodites upper arm and pulled, disengaging her from Stevie Raes surprisingly gentle hold. I discreetly stepped in front of her, blocking the view of my best friends mostly naked body from the gawking masses, a.k.a., the Twins, Damien, and Jack.
Stevie Rae glared up at me, her eyes glowing and her lips curled back to expose sharp, blood-reddened teeth. Even though I was shocked by how monsterlike she looked, I kept my voice calm and even added a touch of annoyance to it. Okay, thats enough. Try this now.
Stevie Rae snarled at me.
Weirdly enough, Aphrodite had made a sound that echoed Stevie Raes snarl. WTF? Id wanted to turn to Aphrodite to see what was going on with her, but Id known it was best to stay focused on my best friendwho was growling at me.
I said enough! Id snapped in a voice low enough that I hoped my words couldnt be overheard by everyone else. Get it together, Stevie Rae. Youve had enough from Aphrodite. Drink. This. Now. I distinctly separated the words, and then I shoved the blood and wine mixture into her hands.
A change came over her face and she blinked and looked unfocused. I guided the glass to her lips, and as soon as the scent of it hit her, she started gulping it down. She was drinking greedily, so Id allowed myself a second to glance over at Aphrodite. Still in Dariuss arms, she looked okay, though more than a little dazed, and she was staring wide-eyed at Stevie Rae.
Id felt a prickle of unease skitter down my spine at the shocked expression on Aphrodites face, which turned out to be an accurate premonition of weirdness to come. But then I turned my attention to my gawking friends. Damien, I made my voice sharp. Stevie Rae needs a shirt. Can you find her one?
The laundry basket. Therere clean shirts in it, Stevie Rae said between gulps. She sounded and looked more like herself again. With a shaky hand she gestured to a pile of stuff. Damien nodded and hurried across the room.
Let me see your wrist, Darius said to Aphrodite.
Without speaking shed turned her back to the staring Twins and Jack and gave her arm to Darius, so I had been the only one who really saw what he did. The warrior lifted her wrist to his mouth. Without taking his eyes from hers, his tongue snaked out and ran over the ridge of bite marks that were still dripping scarlet. Her breath caught, and I saw that she was trembling, but the moment his tongue touched the wound the bleeding began to clot. I had been watching closely, so I didnt miss the way Dariuss eyes had widened suddenly in surprise.
Well, shit, I heard Aphrodite say softly to him. Its true, isnt it?
It is true, he answered her in a low voice meant for her alone.
Shit! Aphrodite repeated, looking upset.
Darius smiled, and I saw a definite glint of amusement in his eyes. Then he kissed her wrist gently and said, No matter; it will not affect us.
Promise? she whispered.
I give you my word. You did well, my beauty. Your blood saved her life.
For a moment I saw Aphrodites unguarded expression. She shook her head slightly and her smile was tinged with honest wonder and more than a little sarcasm. And why the hell I have to keep saving Stevie Raes country-bumpkin ass I do not know. All I can say is that I used to be really, really bad, so I have an unbelievable amount of shit I have to make up for. She cleared her throat and ran the back of her hand shakily across her forehead.
Do you need something to drink? I asked, wondering what the hell the two of them were talking about, but not wanting to ask just then because they obviously didnt want the whole room to know.
Yes. Stevie Rae surprised me by answering for her.
Heres a shirt, Damien said. Hed approached the bed, saw that Stevie Rae, who had gone from gulping to sipping from the glass, was partially naked, and averted his eyes.
Thanks. I gave him a quick smile, took the shirt from him, and tossed it to Stevie Rae. Then I looked back at the Twins. The swallows of blood had begun to work in my body, and the exhaustion that had pressed down on me since Id had to call all five of the elements and control them while we escaped from the House of Night finally had lessened enough for me to think again. Okay, guys, bring the blood and wine over here. Do you have another glass for Aphrodite?
Before they could answer Aphrodite spoke up. Uh, no blood for me. I have one word for that: disgusting. But I will take the booze.
We didnt bring another glass, Erin said. Shell have to drink out of the bottle like a peasant.
Sorry, kinda, Shaunee said insincerely, handing Aphrodite the bottle. So, as a human, can you explain to us what its like to get your blood sucked by a vamp?
Yeah, inquiring minds want to know cause you looked like you were liking it, and we didnt know you swung that way, Erin said.
Did you brain-sharers not pay any attention in Vamp Soc class? Aphrodite said before she tipped up the bottle and drank from it.
Well, Ive read the physiology section of The Fledging Handbook. Damien said. Vampyre saliva has coagulants, anticoagulants, and endorphins that act on the pleasure zones of the brain, human and vamp. You know, Aphrodite is right. You two really should pay better attention in class. Schools supposed to be more than a social event. He finished primly while Jack nodded enthusiastically.
You know, Twin, what with all the drama going on abovethe release of an evil fallen angel and his goonsand the House of Night pretty much in panic mode, there might not be school for a while, Shaunee said.
Excellent point, Twin, Erin said. Which means we wont need Queen Damien and his tutorness for a while.
So we could, I dunno, hold him down and pull out his hair? What do you think? Shaunee said.
Sounds fun, Erin said.
Great. Im drinking cheap red wine out of a bottle. Miss Teen Country Vamp just bit meagain. And now Im going to be witness to a nerd herd rumble. Sounding much more like her bitchy self, Aphrodite sighed dramatically and plopped down on the end of the bed next to Darius. Well, at least being human means I can probably get drunk. Maybe I can stay that way for the next ten years or so.
I dont have enough wine for that. We all looked up as a red fledgling entered the room, followed by several others who clustered behind her in the shadows. And that isnt cheap red wine. I dont do cheap anything.
Everyone else turned their attention to the red fledgling as she spoke, but Id been watching Aphrodite gripe at the Twins (and was getting ready to step in and tell everyone to shut up), so I saw the brief flash of what looked like a mixture of embarrassment and discomfort cross Aphrodites face before she got a handle on her expression and said coolly, Nerd herd, this is Venus. Dorkamese Twins and Damien, you should remember my ex-roommate who died about six months or so ago.
Actually, it seems reports of my death were premature, the pretty blonde said smoothly. Then something totally bizarre happened. Venus paused and sniffed the air. I mean she literally lifted her chin and took several short, sharp sniffs in Aphrodites general direction. The red fledglings that still clustered together behind her followed her lead, and I watched them sniff, too. Then Venuss blue eyes widened and in a very amused voice she said, Wellwellwellhow interesting.
Venus, do not Stevie Rae began, but Aphrodite cut her off.
No. It doesnt matter. Everyone might as well know.
With a mean smile the blonde continued. I was just going to say how interesting it is that Stevie Rae and Aphrodite have Imprinted.
CHAPTER 4
I had to clamp my jaws shut to keep from gasping along with the Twins.
Ohmigod! Imprinted! Really? Jack blurted.
Aphrodite shrugged. Apparently. I thought she looked way too nonchalant, and she was totally avoiding even glancing in Stevie Raes direction, but I think almost everyone else in the room was fooled by her whatever attitude.
Well, spank me and call me your baby! Shaunee said.
Make that a double spanking, Twin, Erin chimed in. And then the two of them burst into semi-hysterical giggles.
I think its interesting. Damien spoke up so he could be heard over the cackling Twins.
Me, too, Jack said. In a freaky, ohmigod way.
Sounds like Karma has finally caught up with Aphrodite, Venus said with a sneer that made her beauty turn reptilian.
Venus, Aphrodite just saved my life. Again. And its really not right that youre being ugly to her, Stevie Rae said.
Aphrodite finally looked at Stevie Rae. Do not start doing that.
Doin what? Stevie Rae asked.
Standing up for me! We may have somefuckinghow Imprinted, and thats bad enough. But Do. Not. Go. All. BFF. On. Me! she said slowly and distinctly.
Your bein hateful will not change this, Stevie Rae said.
Look, Im just going to play like this never happened. A wave of giggles from the Twins had Aphrodite glaring their way. Dorkamese Twins, I will figure out a way to smother both of you while you sleep if you do not stop laughing at me.
Naturally, the Twins erupted into louder guffaws.
Turning her back on them, Aphrodite faced me. So, like I was saying before I was rudely interrupted times ten: pain-in-the-ass Venus, this is Zoey, the super fledgling Im sure youve heard so much about, and Darius, the Son of Erebus warrior who you will not be sneaking around with, and Jack. He wont be sneaking around with you, either, but mostly because hes gay as a French pastry. His other half is Damien, the guy who is staring at me like a fucking science project. You already know that the Twins are the laughing heads over there.
I could feel Venuss eyes on me, so I managed to tear my gaze from Aphrodite (Imprinted! To Stevie Rae!) to look at her. Sure enough, she was staring at me with an intense expression that made me instantly defensive. I was still trying to decide whether my negative reaction to Venus was because she was (obviously) a bitch, because she had been skulking around the tunnels with Erik, or because I had a bad feeling about the red fledglings in general when she spoke up.
Zoey and I have already met, but it was unofficial. Seems last time I saw her she was trying to kill us.
I put a hand on my hip and met her cold, blue-eyed stare. While were taking this trip down Memory Lane, you might want to get a clue. I wasnt trying to kill anyone. I was trying to save a human kid you guys were trying to eat. Unlike you, I would have much rather been at IHOP munching on chocolate chip pancakes than football players.
That doesnt make the girl you killed any less dead, Venus said as the red fledglings behind her stirred restlessly.
Z? You killed someone? Jack asked.
I opened my mouth to answer, but Venus beat me to it. She did. Elizabeth No Last Name.
I had to, I said simply, speaking to Jack and ignoring Venus and the red fledglings, even though something about them had the little hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. They werent letting Heath and me out of here alive. Then I turned my attention back to Venus. She had an icy beauty. Venus was sleek and sexy in a pair of tight designer jeans and a simple cropped black tank that had a rhinestone skulls head on it. Her hair was long and thick and the kind of blond that looked golden. In other words, she was definitely attractive enough to hang with Aphrodite, which was saying something, because Aphrodite is totally gorgeous. And, like Aphrodite used to be, Venus was obviously a hateful bitch, and probably had been one before she died and un-died. I narrowed my eyes at her. Look, I told you guys to back off and let us out of here. You didnt. I did what I had to then to protect someone I cared aboutand you all should know Id do it again. My eyes shifted from Venus to the fledglings behind her while I stifled the urge to reach for a couple of the elements and have wind and fire put a little added punch to my threat.
Venus glared back at me.
Okay, yall have got to learn to get along. Are you remembering that the entire outside world might be against us, or at least filled with scary booger monsters? Stevie Rae sounded tired but herself. She sat up, gingerly straightening her Dixie Chicks T-shirt and slowly leaning back against the pillows Darius had propped behind her. So, like Tim Gunn on Project Runway would say, lets make it work.
Ooooh, I love that show, Jack gushed.
I heard a couple of the red fledglings mumble agreement and decided Stevie Rae might have had a point during one of our many trash TV arguments: Reality shows could make the world a better place and bring peace to all mankind.
Making it work sounds good to me. Even though my internal alarm was still warning me that all was not sweetness and light with the red fledglings, I smiled at Stevie Rae, who dimpled back at me. Okay, she obviously believed we could figure out a way to get along. So maybe my alarm system was misfiring simply because Venus was a hateful bitch, and not because she and the rest of them were evil incarnate.
Good. So, first, could I please have a refill of that blood and wine? Heavy on the blood part. She held her empty glass out toward the Twins, who gratefully moved closer to Stevie Raes bed and farther away from the group of red fledglings. I noticed Damien and Jack, with Duchess by his side, had also managed to make their way over to where I was standing. Thanks, she said when Erin took her glass. And therere some scissors in the drawer over there so you dont have to rip it open with your teeth. She gave me a little eye roll. While Erin and Shaunee were busy getting Stevie Rae more bloody wine, she studied the little group of red fledglings. Look, we already talked about this. You know yall are gonna have to make nice with Zoey and the rest of the kids. She glanced up at Darius and smiled, Well, kids and vamps, that is.
Hey, excuse me, guys. I need to get through.
Id bristled automatically as Erik pushed through the crowd at the door. If someone (Venus) tried to bite him, someone (me) was gonna kick her ass. Period.
Ignoring the tension in the room, Darius said, What does the radio report is happening in the world above?
Erik shook his head. I cant get anything in. I even went up into the basement. Nothing but static. Couldnt get my cell phone to work, either. I did hear a bunch of thunder and could see flashings of massive lightning. Its still raining, even though its getting colder, which means itll probably turn to ice. Plus, the winds kicked up like crazy. I couldnt tell if the weather was natural, or if Kalona and those bird thi said, &~
Aphrodite saved her by letting Stevie Rae drink her blood, Shaunee said, and then giggled.
Yeah, and now the two of them have Imprinted, Erin finished in a rush, and then joined Shaunees laughter.
Wow, youre kidding. Right? he said, sounding totally shocked.
No, they are not kidding, Venus said smoothly.
Huh. Well. Thats interesting. I watched Eriks lips twitch as he stared at Aphrodite. She totally ignored him and kept drinking straight from the wine bottle she clutched in her hand. He stifled a big laugh with a cough, and then his eyes lit on Venus. He nodded, his normal easygoing, popular self. Hi again, Venus.
Erik, she said, with a feral smile that made me want to squash her like a bug.
Aphrodite was right to start introductions, Stevie Rae said, and before Aphrodite could, she hurried on, And, no, Im not saying that because were Imprinted.
I really wish you would all quit talking about it, Aphrodite muttered.