Page 60 of Lost

“Merry meet, General Stark. I will hear what you have to say.”

“I’ve been feeling like something is off too. I’ve been trying to figure it out, and today I discovered some intel from an unusual source. I think it aligns with what Nyx has shown you.”

Neferet’s smile was the one Aphrodite liked to call her part-honey, part-whore grin, and the Prophetess had to suppress another snort. It looked like Bow Boy would be getting lucky tonight.

“I knew I could count on you, General Stark. Please, share your intel with us.”

Then Stark shocked Aphrodite and the entire room by motioning for the stinking red vampyre kid slumped beside him to stand.

The kid jerked in surprise, and then got awkwardly to his feet and stood at a very stiff attention.

“General Stark, why is a young red vampyre soldier here on the floor of my auditorium?” Neferet’s voice was contemplative, and she looked more curious than upset.

“Because he is my intel, and he isn’t a soldier. He’s a lieutenant—Lieutenant Heffer of General Dominick’s unit.”

The susurrus of the soldiers around her reminded Aphrodite of gossipy old women, and she wondered just who the hell this kid and his general were—and why they had elicited such a reaction from the crowd.

“General Dominick? My Red Army general who is missing?” Neferet said.

Aphrodite blinked in surprise. She hadn’t heard about any missing generals, but she also rarely paid attention to what was going on with the animals that made up Neferet’s disgusting Red Army. They were all boring. And stinky.

“Yes, High Priestess. General Dominick went missing with an entire squad of his soldiers, and they have yet to be found. Except for this lieutenant, and I believe he might know what happened to his unit.” Stark nodded encouragement to the lieutenant, who was standing so stiffly at attention that Aphrodite could practically see the poker sticking up his ass. “I would like to ask your permission for Lieutenant Heffer to give his report to you.”

Neferet’s emerald eyes studied the red vamp kid who was standing stone still beside Stark. “You say his name is Lieutenant Heffer?”

“Yes, High Priestess,” Stark said.

“He looks strangely familiar. General Stark, have you used this red vampyre for intel before?”

Aphrodite wanted to stand up then and call bullshit. No damn way Neferet recognized this red vamp, or any other. Aphrodite had heard the High Priestess comment often about how the Red Army was a fetid, disgusting but necessary evil—one she wanted little to do with. She wouldn’t recognize one of those soldiers if he’d passed her in the hall every day for a year.

“No, High Priestess, I have not, but I believe you should hear what he has to say.”

“Huh. The familiarity is odd.” Neferet shrugged her smooth shoulders. “Very well, why not? The lieutenant may speak.”

When the kid didn’t say anything, Stark prodded him. “Go on. Tell the High Priestess where your general was heading, and what he told you before he left.”

Aphrodite saw the kid swallow—once, twice, three times. When he began to talk he spoke in short, clipped sentences devoid of emotion as he stared straight ahead.

And as he began to talk, Aphrodite’s eyes widened in shock.

“High Priestess Neferet, my general had intel that the New Mexico state militia was on the move. He heard they were going to cross Texas and enter Oklahoma by using the Red River. The general was heading to Elmer, Oklahoma, to set a trap for them. That is all the info I have, High Priestess. The rest was above my need to know.”

Aphrodite barely heard Neferet’s delighted response. She was too busy staring at the kid who had just spoken—the red vampyre lieutenant kid whose voice she absolutely recognized as the same guy who had been in the meditation garden the night before!

Except that kid had talked normally, like a real vampyre and not a stinking, red eating machine.

And then another jolt hit her.

Last night he didn’t stink. I know he didn’t. I’m super sensitive to the way those things smell, and I would’ve noticed.

Something completely bizarre was going on, which seemed like an excellent time for Aphrodite to begin her performance. She turned back around to face the stage. Neferet was still gushing and glowing about Stark confirming her weird neurosis, so when Aphrodite struggled to her feet, the High Priestess was completely caught off guard and stopped speaking midsentence.

Aphrodite staggered into the aisle. She pressed one hand to her forehead as if she was trying to keep her head from exploding. The other hand she held out toward Neferet beseechingly.

“Neferet!” Aphrodite gasped and swayed like the floor was pitching and rolling. “I see… I see…”

Around her, men began talking nervously.