Hunted

"Zoey? Are you okay?"

I looked up to meet Damien's soft brown eyes. Before I could answer him, Darius spoke up.

"She is not. Zoey must get sleep; she must rest to restore her strength."

"How's your nasty, ugly, gaping wound?" Erin asked.

"It doesn't look like you're bleeding through that charming hospital garb, so we assumed you were fixed right up," Shaunee said.

"I'm better, but I'm having an issue with getting my strength back. It's like I'm a cell phone with a messed-up charger."

"You must rest," Darius repeated. "Your wound was almost fatal. Recovery takes time."

"We don't have time!" I yelled in frustration. "We need to get the hell out of here and away from Kalona until we can figure out how we can beat him."

"Getting out of here isn't going to be as easy as it was last time," Damien said.

Aphrodite snorted. "As if that was easy!"

"It will be compared to what we're up against now," Damien continued. "Raven Mockers are everywhere. Last night they were attacking people randomly. It was mass confusion then, and that helped us slip away. Today they're well organized and stationed all over."

"I saw them around the perimeter. They've more than doubled the guards we had before," Darius said.

"But there aren't any of them outside the dorm, like you used to be," I said to him.

"It's because they don't care whether we're safe. They just care that we don't leave the school," Damien said.

"Why?" I asked wearily, rubbing at my temple where a headache was starting to pound.

"What ever they're planning needs isolation right now," Darius said.

"Doesn't that point more to them just taking over this House of Night, versus trying anything with the High Council?" Aphrodite said.

She asked me, but when I couldn't make myself give her the reassuring response she was obviously hoping for, Darius spoke up.

"Perhaps, but it is too early to really know." "Well, the ice storm's helping with the isolation thing. Power is down everywhere. Cell phone ser vice is sketchy. Except for little pockets being run by generators, Tulsa's blacked out," Damien said.

"I wonder if Nyx's High Council even knows Shekinah is dead," Darius said.

I looked at Damien. "What happens when the High Priestess of all Vampyres dies?"

Damien's forehead scrunched up as he thought. "Well, if I remember correctly from Vamp Soc class, Nyx's Council meets and elects a new High Priestess. That only happens about once every three to five hundred years. Once elected, a High Priestess reigns for her entire life. The election is a big deal, especially when it's sudden like this one will have to be."

I perked up. "Doesn't it make sense that Nyx's Council would be verrrry interested in how Shekinah suddenly dropped dead?"

Damien nodded. "I'd definitely say so."

"S _uOrdqo that might be a major reason for Kalona wanting to keep our House of Night isolated. He doesn't want the attention of the High Council," Aphrodite said.

"Or he does want their attention--as in presenting Neferet as the new vamp High Priestess, but they are gathering their power so they can be sure of the Council's vote."

There was a dead silence in the room as everyone stared in horror at me.

"We cannot allow that to happen," Darius finally spoke.

"We won't," I said firmly, hoping we'd somehow be able to back up my statement. "Hey, is Kalona still saying he's Erebus come to earth?" I asked.

"Yeah," Erin said.

"And even though it sounds stupid, everyone believes him," Shaunee said.

"Did you actually see Kalona today?" I asked Shaunee. "I mean, except for when we first got here?"

She shook her head, "Nope."

I looked from her to Erin.

"Ditto. I didn't see him either," she said.

"Didn't see him," Damien said.

"Neither did I, and I say good riddance," Aphrodite said.

"Yeah, but you might be the only one," I said slowly. I looked from the Twins to Damien. "We've already said that Kalona has some kind of mojo crap he uses on everyone. It even works on us, or at least it does unless we don't look him in the eye and fight it real hard--and we were ready for him. We knew he was evil. Hell, it took me seeing him almost choke Darius to death for me to stop panting over him."

"That bastard choked you?" Aphrodite said. "Damn, that pisses me off! Oh, and abbreviated herd of nerd, in case you didn't get it the first time, get this: I'm not in the least bit affected by the mojo the winged freak lays on you. I don't like him. At all."

"That's right," I said. "I noticed that earlier today. You really don't feel drawn to him at all."

"What's to be drawn to? He's a big old bully. And he's never dressed properly. And I really don't like birds. I mean, the bird flu is supposed to be a seriously unattractive way to die. So, no. He's got nothing for me." "I wonder why his stuff doesn't work on you?" I mused aloud.

"'Cause she's abby-normal?" Shaunee said.

"A serious freak in a human skin suit?" Erin added.

"How about because I'm exceptionally intuitive, and I see through his bullshit? Oh, that also means I see through yours, too," Aphrodite said.

"She might have something there," Damien said, sounding excited. "We've all felt his draw, but we can resist him, unlike the other fledglings, right?"

We nodded.

"Well, we're all into the elements--have been physically and intuitively touched by them, much more so than the other fledglings. Maybe our extrasensory abilities give us the power to resist Kalona's allure."

"The red fledglings said they weren't drawn to him at all, just like Aphrodite," I said. "And they all have psychic abilities."

"That sounds logical, and it works for fledglings, but what about adult vampyres?" Darius said.

"Don't your psychic abilities vary, just like ours do?" Aphrodite said. "Sure, fledglings say all vamps can do the mind thing, but it's not really true, is it?"

"No, it isn't really true, though many of us are highly intuitive," Darius said.

"Are you?" I asked.

Darius smiled. "Only when it comes to protecting those I have sworn to defend."

"But that means there is something especially intuitive about you," Damien said, still sounding excited. "Okay, so what other vamps at this House of Night are the most psychic?"

"Neferet," we all said together.

"We already know that. She's made her decision for Kalona, so we're not going to count her right now. Who else?"

"Damien! I think you are on to something!" I said. Everyone stared at me, but I was staring at the extra cats in the room.

And, as per usual, Damien got it right away. "Dragon, Professor Anastasia, and Professor Lenobia! They're who I'd consider as the most intuitive after Neferet."

"It's no coincidence their cats are here with us," Darius said.

"They're a sign, sent to us to let us know we're on the right track," Damien said.

"Then that's the second reason we can't get out of here to night," I said.

"The second reason?" Aphrodite said.

"The first is that there's no way I can control the elements long enough to keep all those Raven Mockers from seeing us; I'm just too tired. And the second is if Dragon and Professor Anastasia and Professor Lenobia can actually see through Kalona's bullpoopie, then maybe they can help us get rid of him."

"The world is falling apart. It's really okay to cuss a little," Aphrodite said. "The world falling apart isn't an excuse to take up bad habits," I said, sounding weirdly like my grandma.

"So it is agreed: We stay here one more day. Zoey, you must sleep. Tomorrow you all attend classes as you normally would," Darius said.

"Yeah, agreed," I said. "Damien, can you get Dragon alone long enough to see if he might be on our side?"

"I should be able to during my fencing class tomorrow."

"Who has Professor Anastasia's Spells and Rituals class?"

The Twins raised their hands like good students.

"Can you guys check her out?"

"Definitely," Erin said.

"Will do," Shaunee said.

"I'll talk to Lenobia," I said.

"And Darius and I will scout out where all those nasty Raven Mockers are stationed around the walls," Aphrodite said.

"Be careful," I told her.

"She will be," Darius said.

"I think no matter what, we should leave tomorrow. Staying here any longer than absolutely necessary feels wrong," I said.

"Agreed. If your strength has returned," Darius said.

"It better," I said.

There was a pause, and then Darius told me solemnly, "When we escape, Kalona will come after you. He will hunt you until he finds you."

"How do you know that for sure?" Aphrodite said.

"Tell them what he calls you," Darius said to me.

I sighed. "He calls me A-ya."

"Oh!" Erin said.

"Shit!" Shaunee finished.

"Now that's seriously bad news," Damien said.

"He really believes you're the maiden the Ghigua women used to trap him more than a thousand years ago?" Aphrodite said.

"Apparently."

"Do you think it would help if you told him you're no maiden?" Aphrodite flashed me a cocky grin.

I rolled my eyes at her and then, because Aphrodite's not so subtle mention of my un-virgin state made my thoughts inadvertently start to drift to the guys in my life, I added, "Hey, I wonder why Stark's so under Kalona's spell. He has a major gift from Nyx, and before he died he seemed really intuitive."

"Stark is an absolute asshole," Shaunee said.

"Yeah, between what we heard from the other kids, and what went on with Becca, we can definitely say he's seriously bad news," Erin said.

"Dying and then un-dying might have messed him up, but my vote is that he was a jerk before he croaked and then uncroaked," Aphrodite said. "We all need to stay far, far away from him. I think his badness is right up there with Kalona and Neferet."

"Yeah, he's like a Raven Mocker without the wings," Erin said.

"Eesh," Shaunee agreed.

I didn't say anything. I just sat there and felt really tired and really guilty. I'd kissed him. Again. And my friends all thought he was a monster, prght T Cobably because he was a monster. And if he's such bad news, which it seriously looks like he is, how the hell could I think there is anything good left in him?

"Okay, Z has to sleep," Damien said, getting up with Cameron still in his arms. "We know what we're supposed to do, so let's do it and then get out of here." Damien hugged me. "Forget about Kramisha's poem," he whispered. "You can't save everyone, especially if he doesn't want to be saved."

I hugged him back, but didn't say anything.

"Getting back to those tunnels sounds good to me. We all need to be away from this place." Damien smiled sadly at me and left the room with the Twins, who called goodbyes to me, too, as their cat trotted after them.

"Come on." Aphrodite took Darius's hand and pulled him off the bed. "You're not going back to your room to night."

"I'm not?" he said, smiling warmly at her.

"No, you're not. There seems to be a scarcity of Sons of Erebus around here, so I'm going to keep my eyes, and a few other parts of my body, on you."

"Puke," I said, but I couldn't help grinning at them.

"You just sleep," Aphrodite told me. "You'll need all your strength to deal with the guy mess waiting for you. I have a feeling Erik and Heath are going to be a bigger drain than controlling the elements."

"Hey, thanks, Aphrodite," I said sarcastically.

"Don't mention it. I'm all about helping you out."

"Good night, Priestess. I wish you a restful sleep," Darius said right before Aphrodite pulled him out of the room. The last of the cats followed him out, leaving me alone (finally) with my Nala.

I sighed and dug into my pocket for the bottle of blood stashed there. I shook it up like it was one of those yummy cold Starbucks bottled drinks and downed it. The blood felt good spreading like warm fingers through my body, but it didn't give me the electric jolt I was used to. I was just too exhausted. I dragged myself from the bed, pulled off the stupid hospital clothes, and rattled around in my drawer for my favorite guy's boxers (the ones with Batman symbols all over them) and a stretched-out old T-shirt. Just before I put on the shirt I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and froze.

Was that really me? I looked way older than seventeen. All of my tattoos were visible, and they were like a breath of life blown across a corpse. I was so pale! And the circles under my eyes were truly scary. Slowly I allowed my gaze to drift down to check out my wound. It was awful, and so darn big! I mean, it stretched all the way from shoulder to shoulder. No, it wasn't gaped open anymore like a hideous mouth, but it was a jagged, puckered red ridge that made Darius's knife wound look like the scratch he liked to call it.

I touched the wound gently and winced at how sore it was. Would it always stay this raised? Okay, I realize it was incredibly shallow of me, but I wanted to burst into tears. Not because all hell was coming against us. Not because Neferet had turned ?ber-dangerous. Not because she and Kalona might very well be threatenim out, le y0lleng the balance of good and evil in the known world. Not because I was a confused mess about Erik and Heath and Stark. But because I was going to have a massively ugly scar, and I'd probably never be able to wear a tank top again. And what about if I ever wanted to let anyone see me, well, naked again? I mean, I'd had one bad experience, but surely some day I was going to be in a great relationship and I'd want him to eventually see me naked. Right? I stared at the nasty-looking, unhealed scar and stifled a sob. Wrong.

Okay, I seriously needed to stop thinking about this, and I definitely was going to quit looking at myself naked. It just can't be good for me. Hell! It probably wasn't good for anyone!

I hastily pulled the T-shirt over my head and muttered, "Aphrodite must be rubbing off on me. I swear I didn't use to be this shallow."

Nala was waiting for me on my bed in her usual place on my pillow. I slid under the sheets and curled up with her, loving how she snuggled against me and turned on her purr engine. I guess I should have been scared to fall asleep, what with the last Kalona dream visit I'd had, but I was too tired to think, too tired to care. I just closed my eyes and gave myself gratefully up to the darkness.

When the dream started, it wasn't a meadow, and so, foolishly, I was immediately relieved and relaxed. I was on an incredibly beautiful island, looking out across a lagoon at a skyline that seemed familiar, even though I knew I'd never been there before. The water had a fishy, salty smell. There was a depth and richness to it, a sense of vastness that I recognized as belonging to the ocean, even though I've never been to the coast. The sun was setting and the sky was lit up with a fading brilliance that reminded me of autumn leaves. I was sitting on a marble bench the color of moonbeams. It was intricately carved with vines and flowers and felt like it belonged to another time and place. I ran my hand across the smooth back of it, which was still warm from the fading day. It was like I really was there, and not dreaming at all. I glanced over my shoulder, and my eyes widened. Wow! Behind me was a palace with beautiful arched doors and windows, all in pristine white, amazing pillars and wedding cake? like chandeliers peeking out of the elegant windowpanes and twinkling in the predusk.

It was enough to take my breath away, and I was really pleased with my sleeping self for making it all up, but I was also baffled. It all seemed so real. And so familiar. Why?

I turned my face back to the lagoon view, looking across at a domed cathedral and little boats and lots of other amazing stuff that there's no way I could have imagined all on my own. The soft night breeze was coming off the water, bringing the distinctly rich scents of the dark water. I breathed deeply, enjoying the uniqueness of it. Sure, some people might say it was kinda stinky, but I didn't think so, I was just--

Holy crap! A terrible skittering of fear fingered down my spine. I knew why this seemed familiar.

Aphrodite had described this place to me just a few days ago. Not in detail. She hadn't been able to remember everything, but what she had been able to tell me had made a distinct and unsettling impression. So much so that I recognized the water and the palace and the ancient feel of it.

This was the place Aphrodite had glimpsed in the second vision she'd had of my death.