“Blessed be, my daughters. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again,” Nyx had greeted the others, smiling beatifically before she disappeared into a ray of moonlight.
Neferet had not watched Nyx go. She had been focusing all of her being on her cat. She pressed her hands against her bleeding body, channeling the magickal touch of the Goddess.
Neferet felt the difference instantly. Chloe’s panting ceased. Her heart slowed. Her pain-glazed eyes cleared, for just a moment, and they met hers as the little cat beamed love and joy and relief. Then, completely happy and utterly relieved of pain, her cat curled around her hands. Purring contentedly, she nuzzled Neferet, and died.
“No! No! I was supposed to be able to save you!” Neferet had pulled Chloe into her lap, and begun to keen over her lifeless body when pain exploded across her forehead. Still cradling Chloe’s body, Neferet had crumpled, until her face was pressed into the grass and the blood and earth absorbed her sobs.
“Neferet, child! I am here with you. All will be well!” It was the High Priestess, Pandeia, herself who lifted her. “Oh, blessed Goddess, thank you!” Pandeia had exclaimed as Neferet raised her face. “Not only did Nyx gift you with a healing touch, she also blessed you with the Change this night.”
Still crying and clutching Chloe’s body, Neferet was dizzy with confusion.
Pandeia’s gaze went from the new Marks that decorated Neferet’s face, proclaiming to the world that she was an adult vampyre, to the body of the little cat. “Oh, it is Chloe. I grieve with you, Neferet.” The High Priestess stroked the cat’s motionless head. “But your touch healed her pain and she went on to the Otherworld, where she frolics with the Goddess.”
In the den, the Tsi Sgili drew a deep breath, and then spoke the words aloud, just as she had done in the past.
“I didn’t heal her. Chloe is dead.”
Pandeia’s gaze had been kind, her voice understanding. “I know it is a terrible loss, and difficult for you to bear right now, but when you can think of this night clearly, you will realize that the ability to touch her spirit and to soothe little Chloe’s passing more fully healed her than would mending her physical wounds. Nyx has richly blessed you.”
In her den, Neferet whispered aloud the words she had only been able to think silently those many decades ago: Nyx has taken from me the only thing I love.
Anger stirred the Tsi Sgili, moving her toward consciousness. Her breath quickened, and she almost opened her eyes. But before she could fully rouse, time moved forward, taking her to the next defining experience in her past. The day she killed her lover and began hearing the seductive whispers of the winged immortal—the liar and betrayer, Kalona…
CHAPTER NINE
Zoey
“Zo, Thanatos sent me to find you. The conference with the High Council has begun,” Aurox said.
“Oh, crap! I totally lost track of time.”
“High Council conference? WTF?” Aphrodite said.
“Yeah, again, crap.” I checked my phone: 10:10 PM. Yep, I was ten minutes late. “Sorry, with all this basement moving stuff I forgot to tell you guys. Thanatos is going to ask the High Council to intercede with the TPD because she thinks the humans are going outside their boundaries in the investigation. She wants me to join her so we can tell them about Neferet materializing and being all super crazed and our circle kicking her out, which is what set up the fact that she ate the mayor.” I paused, and sent Aphrodite an apologetic look. “Sorry for saying it like that.”
She shrugged. “You’re just telling it like it is.”
“Well, she should say it in a nicer way,” Stevie Rae said, sending me a frown.
“Bumpkin, nice has never been something I give much of a shit about. Z should just tell it like it is.”
“Hey, we all know you got so wasted last night you couldn’t function most of today. There’s no point in pretending like nothing can bother you,” Stark said. He aimed his comment at Aphrodite, but he wasn’t even looking at her. He was watching Aurox and frowning.
“Stark, two words: shut it,” Aphrodite said. “Oh, and two more words: jealous much?”
Goddess, I was sick of their bickering. “Aphrodite, since you’re okay talking about your dad, I want you to come with me to Skype the High Council.” I spoke quickly before Stark could say whatever petty comment he had opened his mouth to say, whether it was to Aphrodite or Aurox. “Stevie Rae, you come with me, too.”
“Okie dokie,” she said.
“We better get going. Thanatos sent Aurox on a fetch mission for you, so that means you’re late,” Stark said, grabbing my wrist and sounding super douchey.
I raised my brows at him and pulled my wrist from his grasp. “We, meaning Aphrodite, Stevie Rae, and I, are going right now. And yeah, I’m late because I got all caught up in a zillion petty fires that need to be stomped out around here. While we’re talking to the High Council I need you to be sure the red fledglings have gotten all their stuff moved into the basement, then help Darius and Damien gather everyone together to go to the funeral. I’ll meet you there.”“But I wanted to—”
“To what?” I knew I was sounding like a bitch, but my patience was gone. It was obvious that what he wanted to do was to be sure he was stuck to my side if Aurox was anywhere around. “Stark, you didn’t see Neferet materialize. That’s what the High Council is going to want to hear about.”
“I just thought you might need me to—”
I cut him off again. “I need you to not argue with Aphrodite or me, and just be sure Erin’s funeral doesn’t turn into a stupid gang fight.”
Aurox cleared his throat. “I’ll go ahead of you and let Thanatos know you will join her momentarily.”
“Yeah, thanks Aurox,” I said absently as the kid took off, obviously glad to get away from the tension he’d accidentally caused.
I could see that I’d embarrassed and probably even hurt Stark, but I really didn’t have the time or the energy to baby his feelings. So I didn’t say anything. Stark didn’t say anything. No one said anything. Until Stark fisted his hand over his heart, bowed formally to me, said, “It will be as you command, Priestess. I hope your conference with the High Council goes well,” and walked away, with silent Darius and Damien following him.
“Okay, awkward,” Aphrodite said. “You know Stark is just being possessive because of the Aurox slash Heath thing. No need to hammer the kid in front of Bull Boy.”
“I didn’t hammer him!”
“Actually, Z, you sounded pretty mean,” Stevie Rae said.
“Are you going to tell me you’re always super sweet to Rephaim, even when he’s annoying the crap out of you?” I said, feeling kinda sorry that I’d lost my temper at Stark, especially in front of my friends, but also still feeling annoyed at him.
“Yeah, I can tell you that I’ve never been mean to Rephaim on purpose,” Stevie Rae said.
“That’s probably because he’s only a boy half the time. It’s pretty tough to get mad at an effing bird. It’s gotta be like dating a dog. I’ll bet he’s happy and wiggling like he had a tail every time he comes back to see you,” Aphrodite said. “Jesus, it exhausts me just thinking about it.”
“You, I’m used to being hateful, so I’m not gonna say anything ’bout you bein’ mean. Her, I’m not.” Stevie Rae turned her back on Aphrodite. “Is somethin’ wrong with you, Z? You’re jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof.”
“Elizabeth Taylor was a goddess,” Aphrodite said. “Batshit crazy, but a goddess.”
“What are you talking about?” I said.
“The movie. Ask Queen Damien. I’m sure he wishes he had been Elizabeth Taylor.”
“Aphrodite, sometimes I think you’re speaking another language, but officially here’s what’s wrong with me: I’m tired of everyone bickering. I’m tired of Stark acting weird about Aurox. I’m tired of not knowing how I’m supposed to act around Aurox because of the Heath thing. I’m tired of people getting eaten. I’m tired of worrying about what the hell Neferet is going to do next. And I’m super effing tired of being stuck at the House of Night like a prisoner.”
Aphrodite and Stevie Rae looked at me like I’d grown wings.
“Damn, Z. You need to start drinking,” Aphrodite said.
“Does Xanax work on fledglings?” Stevie Rae asked her.
“It’s worth a try,” she said.
“I’m right here. I don’t like to drink, and I don’t want a Xanax.”
“I’ll grind one up if you sneak it into her brown pop,” Aphrodite said.
“Deal,” Stevie Rae said.
Then they both started laughing.
I shook my head. “You two aren’t funny, and we’re late.” I walked away from them. They trailed after me, still giggling at my expense.
I was surprised to see Kalona standing behind Thanatos, arms folded over his bare, muscular chest, looking like the statue of an avenging angel.