Page 74 of Lost

Aphrodite raised one brow at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Then she reached into her extra-large Louis Vuitton bag and pulled out one of three bottles of Veuve Clicquot, pleased to see she’d chosen the one rosé she’d brought. Without looking at him she handed the bottle to Kevin. “Open this. Don’t spill it. Don’t get any stink on it, either.”

Stark shook his head. “You brought champagne to a battle?”

“No, I broughtgoodchampagne to theprebattle. Kinda like tailgating, only less sports and more killing. Do you want a glass?” She lifted one pretty little flute she’d stashed in the side pocket with her emergency bottle of Xanax.

“No. I do want an answer to my question, though.”

Kevin popped the cork and Aphrodite held her glass out to him to be filled. “I did answer you.”

“Arealanswer.”

Aphrodite glanced at Kevin. “Cover the top of the bottle with the foil so it stays a little fizzy. Do you know nothing about champagne?”

“Nope. I’ve never tried it. My step-loser—uh, that’s what my sisters and I call my step-dad—is too religious to—”

“Boring!” Aphrodite looked at Stark. “I didn’t think they could talk.”

“You mean red vampyres?” Stark asked, sending Kevin an amused look.

“Yes, of course that’s what I mean.”

“Aphrodite, Kevin is an officer. They talk. You just heard him talking to Neferet in the briefing.”

“That wasn’t talking. That was reporting. Whatever.” She sipped her champagne and stared out the window as they took the turnpike toward Sapulpa.

“Still waiting for you to answer my question,” Stark said.

“Sorry. What was the question again?”

Stark sighed heavily, and Aphrodite noticed Lieutenant Dallas was grinning like she was his personal entertainment.

“Lieutenant Dickless, do you always find your amusement at your general’s expense?”

The grin instantly slid off his face, and his eyes went back to the road.

“Great. The only lieutenant who speaks also stinks. And to answer your question, General Bow Boy, I told Neferet everything. Well, except details like how the Red Army soldiers lost whatever might be left of their minds, and didn’t stop their disgusting killing spree with the humans they found in the bales. They also ate the fledglings—bluefledglings who could have grown up to be big boys like you. Oh, and they ate the blue vampyres too. Basically, your disgusting Red Army massacred everyone. How’s that?”

“Why didn’t you tell Neferet about that?” Kevin asked.

“Because she wouldn’t care. It wouldn’t have changed anything. She’d still send her Red Army. Everyone would still be slaughtered. The end.” She downed the rest of the glass and held it out for Kevin to refill.And I’m going to have to watch it happen. Again.

“Neferet might not care, but I do. We need those people alive. Especially the blue vampyres. They can give us intel on the Resistance,” Stark said.

“Oh, goodie. So, instead of being torn apart and eaten, they get to be tortured.”

“I didn’t say anything about torture!”

“You’re going to ask them nicely to give up their people and their headquarters, and when they say no thank you, you’ll—what? Give them a pat on the back and let them go?”

“Whose side are you on, Aphrodite?” Stark’s look had gone dark and angry.

“Nyx’s, of course.”

“That’s the same side we’re on,” Stark said.

Aphrodite snorted, but said nothing else. Bow Boy could run to Neferet and say she’d been Super Bitch on this little foray. That’d be fine. Actually, that’d be great. Less chance Neferet would send her out again. What he couldn’t do was run to the High Priestess and tell her Aphrodite was sympathetic to the Resistance. That wouldn’t be fine. That would be deadly.

What the hell do vamps like Stark and the Sons of Erebus Warriors think happened to all those High Priestesses Neferet demoted and then ordered to shut their mouths? That they really just disappeared to some crappy country House of Night to pray out the rest of their days in solitude?