Page 62 of Lost

And I’ll do my best to make sure you’re protected,Kevin added silently.

“Of course you will!” Neferet dropped Aphrodite’s hand and threw her arms wide, projecting to the mezzanine level and the officers of the Red Army gathered there. “Red Army officers, are you grateful that my lovely young Prophetess will be joining you?”

“Yes!” Their response was more of a roar than a word.

Everyone’s eyes turned up to gaze, mostly in disgust, at the clamoring, stinking horde, but Kevin kept his eyes on Aphrodite. She looked absolutely terrified.

As if she felt his gaze, her eyes found his.

It’s okay. I’ll protect you.Kevin mouthed the words.

Aphrodite startled slightly when she understood what he’d said, and then she rolled her eyes at him and fixed her face back into its gorgeous mask of indifference as Neferet continued to speak.

“See, I knew that my Prophetess would raise morale. Officers of my Red and Blue Armies, you will do your best to serve me because by doing so you serve our benevolent Goddess of Night, Nyx. And now, General Stark, please gather the soldiers of your choice. Ready yourselves. And then go to Sapulpa and rid us of the traitors!”

“Yes, High Priestess!” Stark responded, and the auditorium cheered in agreement.

Neferet lifted one hand, and the room went silent. “As for the rest of my generals, I want you to join me in my Council Room and we will further discuss what Stark and I suspect, and how I intend we defeat this new wave of enemies. We will not sit idly by and wait for them to burn us as we sleep. We will meet them and defeat them—all of them.Not today. Not tomorrow. But I promise you when we battle this new wave of enemies it will be with more power than any vampyre army has wielded in all of history. We will be victorious!”

The room cheered and whooped, and Kevin thought he might be sick. It was a lie! Everything he’d said about New Mexico and their militia had been a lie! He’d only wanted to turn the army’s attention away from the Resistance headquarters, but they werestillheading to Sapulpa and the fields just below their ridge.

And the power Neferet was talking about—Kevin knew what it had to be. She was going to arm her vampyres with human weapons.

Neferet had to be stopped.

Neferet lifted one graceful hand again, and the room silenced. “I have another announcement that I know my officers will be very excited about. Next weekend OSU and OU are scheduled for the Bedlam showdown. Well, I hate waiting, don’t you?” The crowd made noises of agreement. Neferet smiled. “Yes, I knew you’d understand! That is why I insisted the game must take placethisweekend inTulsa,just down the street at the University of Tulsa’s Skelly Field on New Year’s Day. Won’t that be a lovely celebration? OSU and OU certainly thought so.” She paused, and her smile was filled with malice. “Or at least they did after I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse, and TU, of course, was ever so pleased to accommodate my little holiday request.”

Once again, the auditorium erupted into cheers, though this time some of them were shouting, “Boomer Sooner,” and others were making the crazy pistol-firing hand gestures OSU fans made.

I’d totally forgotten that it’s almost New Year’s,Kevin thought. And he could easily imagine the “offer they couldn’t refuse.” College athletes, and the cheerleaders, band, and fans that went along with them were protected from the hunger of her Red Army as long as they amused vampyres in general, and Neferet in particular. She hadn’t made them an offer. She’d made a deadly threat and the universities had responded the only way they could to protect their students.

“Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again, my loyal priestesses, Warriors, and soldiers, and may Nyx’s blessings be with you all!” Neferet closed the briefing to an uproar of cheers.

Kevin saw Aphrodite hurry to the stairs that led to the stage and follow Neferet, though the Prophetess should have known better. Once Neferet gave a command, she always followed through—no matter the consequences. Every officer in both armies knew that the only thing greater than Neferet’s ego was her pride.

“Lieutenant, you might as well come with me since you don’t have a unit anymore.”

Kevin turned to see General Stark studying him with an unreadable expression on his face.

He snapped to attention. “Yes, sir! I’d be honored, sir!”

“Don’t just stand there gawking at Aphrodite. Follow me.”

Kevin trailed Stark as he wove his way out of the crowded auditorium. When they reached the hall, Lieutenant Dallas was there, waiting.

“Yo, General.Thatwas some weird shit you just did in there.”

“Dallas, try not to speak for a while. I need to think. And while I’m thinking, gather a flight of red vamps and their officers. I’m going to requisition enough trucks for a convoy to Sapulpa. Tell the officers we leave at 2200 hours—sharp.” Stark glanced at Kevin. “Oh, and he’s coming with us too.”

“You mean he’s going to join the flight of red vamps that’ll be fighting tonight?”

“No, I mean he’s coming with us. With me. In my vehicle.”

“Nyx’s tits, General! He can put some words together, but he’s still just an eating machine. Are you sure you want him to ride with us? He’s gonna stink up the Hummer.”

For once Kevin didn’t want to hit Dallas. Not because he liked the guy. He didn’t. But because Stark had just given him more hope than he’d had since G-ma Redbird had dropped him off the day before.

“Lieutenant, are you questioning my order?”