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"But she can't go back! Kalona's there," Erin said.
"Not to mention the Raven Mockers," Shaunee said.
"One of them did this to her," Erik said. "Right, Heath?"
"Yeah, the thing was disgusting," Heath said. He was chugging brown pop from a can Jack had handed him while he stuffed nacho cheese Doritos in his face. I was glad to see he looked lots better, almost completely like himself, which proves Doritos and brown pop really are health foods.
"Then they'll just attack her again, so taking her there won't really save Zoey. It'll just enable them to finish killing her," Erik said.
"Well, maybe not," I admitted reluctantly. "The Raven Mocker didn't attack me, or at least, not on purpose. It was going to attack Heath and I kinda got in the way." I gave Heath an apologetic smile. "Actually, it freaked when it hurt me."
"Because it said its dad had been looking for you," Heath added. "I remember. He did freak right after he cut you. Zoey, babe, I'm sorry I almost got you killed."
"Didn't I fucking tell you!" Aphrodite practically snarled at Heath. "What happened was your fault! You shouldn't have been here!"
"Whoa, Aphrodite, hang on," I said. I started to put my hands up to make simmer-down motions to her, but Darius shot me a "hold still" look. Plus, it really did hurt whenever I moved too much. So I settled for words with no hand motions, which felt kinda weird. "You kept blaming Heath before. What gives?"
She looked at me and I swear she fidgeted. Aphrodite actually fidgeted.
I frowned at her. "What's the deal, Aphrodite?"
When she didn't say anything, Stevie Rae sighed and said, "'Cause she's know-it-all Vision Girl, and this time she was in the dark."
"Do not tap into my mind like that!" Aphrodite shouted at Stevie Rae.
"Then answer Z's question. She feels too crappy to pull it out of you," Stevie Rae said.
Aphrodite turned her back to Stevie Rae. "It's just that I expected to get a heads-up if you were going to die, that's all."
"Huh?" I said, speaking for all of us who were staring at her with question-mark faces.
She rolled her eyes. "D'j X"0%Hello! I've had two death visions of you, so it's only logical to assume if you were going to be all grotesquely close to death, I'd know a little something about it, that's all. But Nyx didn't clue me in with any kind of a vision, so I figured Football Joe over there messed things up 'cause the goddess didn't expect him to be poking around where he's not supposed to be." She frowned at Heath and shook her head in disgust. "I mean, come on! Are you special needs, special ser vices or what? Weren't you almost killed here once before?"
"Yeah, but Zo saved me, so I figured she'd make like a superhero again if things got bad, and we'd be okay," Heath said. Then his cute, goofy expression changed and he looked like someone had just taken away his birthday. "But I didn't think I'd be the cause of getting Zoey almost killed."
"And they say football players aren't brilliant. Wherever did they come up with that?" Aphrodite said sarcastically.
"All right, that's enough," I said. "Heath, you didn't almost get me killed. The stupid Raven Mocker almost got me killed. Do you think I would have gone willingly with it? Hell no!"
"But I--" he began.
I cut him off. "Heath, if you hadn't been there I would have eventually stuck my head aboveground. The gross birdman said they were looking for me, which means sooner or later they would have found me and I would have had to fight them. Period, the end. And, Aphrodite, just because you get visions doesn't mean you know everything. Sometimes stuff happens even you can't foresee. Get used to it and stop being so darn mean. Plus, this isn't just about Raven Mockers. Before it attacked, it looked like Neferet," I finished in a rush.
"What?" Damien said. "How could it have looked like Neferet?"
"I don't have a clue, but I promise when I looked up she was there. She smiled a terrible, creepy smile at me. I blinked, and then she was gone and there was a Raven Mocker in her place. That's all I know." I knew there was something else I needed to remember about what had happened, but my mind was feeling fuzzy with pain and I slumped down, totally exhausted.
"We have to get her back to the House of Night," Darius said.
"And take her right to Neferet? That doesn't sound smart," Heath said.
"Nevertheless, she has to go there."
I looked up at Darius. "Isn't there some other way?"
"Not if you want to live," he said.
"Then Zoey has to go back to school," Damien said.
"Oh, great! So the Raven Mockers and Neferet have her exactly where they want her!" Aphrodite yelled.
I looked at Aphrodite and saw beyond the hateful demeanor she wore like armor to the sincere worry she had for me. Basically, she was scared. I couldn't really blame her. I was scared, too--for myself, for my friends. Hell, I was scared for the whole darn world.
"They want me there, but they want me alive," I said solemnly. &ldq Cx't uo;That means before they do anything else, they'll make sure I'm healed."
"Are you remembering that the House of Night's healer is Neferet?" Damien said. "Of course I remember," I said irritably. "I'm just hoping Kalona wants me alive worse than she wants me dead."
"But what if she does something terrible to you after you're healed?" Aphrodite said.
"Then you guys will have to come get me out of there," I said.
"Uh, Zoey," Damien said. "You sound like you think you're going back there alone. You're not."
"Yeah, no way," Erin said.
"We're not letting you out of our sight," Shaunee said.
"Where you go, we go," Jack said.
"That's right. We're in this together," Stevie Rae said. "Remember the only thing that was the same about both of the death visions Aphrodite had of you was the fact that you were alone. So we're not lettin' you be alone."
Erik's voice sliced between us. "We can't all go back with her."
"Look, Erik," Aphrodite sneered. "We get that you're Mr. Jealous and that seeing your girlfriend sucking on another guy is probably not cool with you, but you're going to just have to learn to deal."
Erik completely ignored her. Instead, he met my eyes and I saw that he had, once again, reached into his acting bag of tricks and pulled out the character of a stranger. As I studied him, I saw absolutely no trace of the guy who wanted me so bad that his passion had gotten kinda scary. I couldn't even find any trace of the possessive Neanderthal who had wanted to kick Heath's butt and boss me around. He was able to cover all of those versions of himself and his emotions so effectively that I was beginning to wonder who the hell the real Erik was.
"Stevie Rae can't go back with you. If she goes, who will be here to control the red fledglings? Aphrodite can't go back with you. She's just a human, and as much as I'd like something to eat her, I imagine you and Nyx probably want to keep her around."
"Before he says shit else, you need to know that I'm going back with you, no matter what," Heath said.
Erik didn't so much as blink. "Yeah, and you'll get your stupid human ass kicked, probably killed, even faster than Aphrodite would. And along with yourself, you'll probably get Zoey killed for real this time. Zoey has to go back, because she'll die if she doesn't. Darius is the only one who should go back with her. Anyone else is taking a big risk. For sure they'll be trapped at the House of Night. Maybe they'll even be killed."
As usual, the room exploded as my friends yelled their own not-so-positive opinions of Erik's emotionless proclamation.
"Guys...guys..." I tried to speak over them but didn't have the energy.
"Silence!" Darius commanded, and everyone x| As finally shut up.
"Thanks," I said to him, then I looked at my friends. "I think Erik's right. Anyone who goes back with me is at risk, and I don't want to lose you guys."
"But aren't the five of you stronger when you're together?" Heath asked.
"Yes, we are," Damien answered.
Heath nodded. "That's what I thought. So shouldn't those of you who have a special thing with an element go back with Zoey?" "An affinity for an element," Damien explained. "That's what it's called. And I agree with Heath. The circle should stay complete."
"It can't," Darius said. "Stevie Rae has to stay here with the red fledglings. If she's trapped on campus or, worst case scenario, killed, we have no way of knowing if Erik's presence, as a Changed vampyre, will be enough to keep them healthy and under control. In case Zoey and I were the only ones who noticed, let me tell all of you that Kramisha looked as if she was having trouble controlling herself around Heath. The ripple effect that might be caused by Stevie Rae's absence could be disastrous. So the circle cannot stay complete."
"Wait, maybe it can," Aphrodite said.
"What do you mean?" I asked her.
"Well, I can't represent earth anymore. That affinity was given back to Stevie Rae when she Changed, and the one time I tried to evoke it, the element was pissed and zapped me."
I nodded, remembering how upsetting it had been for Aphrodite to believe that Nyx had abandoned her, which she really hadn't. But still, the girl was definitely unable to evoke earth anymore.
"But," Aphrodite continued, "Zoey can evoke earth, just like she can any of the five elements. Right?"
I nodded again. "Right."
"And I just evoked spirit without any problem. So what if we just change positions? Zoey personifies earth and I call spirit. It worked just a little while ago. I think as long as Zoey's around to help nudge spirit toward me, there's no reason it won't work again."
"She has a point, which makes the circle complete without me," Stevie Rae said. "As much as I want to stay with you, Darius is right. I can't take the chance that I can't get back here to my fledglings."
"You are all forgetting another reason the rest of you can't return with Zoey," Darius said. "Neferet, and perhaps even Kalona, can read your minds. Which means everything you know about the red fledglings and this safe haven, they will know, too."
"Uh, guys, I have an idea," Heath spoke up. "Okay, I don't really know much about this stuff, so I might be totally wrong, but can't each of you get help from an element to, I dunno, set up some kind of roadblock around your minds?"
I blinked in surprise at Heath and then grinned. "You might be on to something. What do you think, Damien?"
Damien looked excited. "I @all spirom think we were idiots not to have thought of it ourselves." He smiled at Heath. "Well done, you!"
Heath shrugged and looked adorable. "No problem. Sometimes it takes someone from the outside to figure stuff out."
"You really believe that could work?" Darius asked.
"It should," Damien said. "Or at least it should for those of us who have an actual affinity for an element. The Twins and I have called our elements to protect and shield before. It shouldn't be hard to ask them to put up barriers around our minds." He hesitated and glanced at Aphrodite. "But can you do it? You don't really have an affinity for spirit, do you? I'm not trying to be mean, but just because you can stand in Zoey's place and evoke the element within a circle, it doesn't mean you are actually able to conjure spirit on your own."
"I don't have to conjure spirit to protect my mind," Aphrodite said. "Neferet hasn't been able to read my mind from the day I was Marked, just like she hasn't been able to read Zoey. And I have to tell you I'm getting damn tired of you guys giving me shit because I'm a human again!" "Okay, you're right about the mind reading part. Sorry about that," Damien said. "But I think we should know for sure if spirit will really work for Aphrodite, before we blunder back into the House of Night."
"Yeah, Aphrodite," Jack said. "We're not being judgmental about you being a human and all. We just need to know if your spirit mojo works."
I had a sudden thought. "It doesn't really matter whether Aphrodite can conjure the element outside a circle casting, because I can. Spirit," I said softly, "come to me." As easily as drawing a breath, I evoked the element and felt its wonderful presence. "Now go to Aphrodite. Protect and serve her." I flicked my fingers wearily in her direction, and felt spirit rush away from me. An instant later Aphrodite's big blue eyes widened and she smiled.
"Hey! It works," she said.
"How long can you keep that up?" Erik asked me.
Annoyed at the total lack of emotion in his voice, I snapped, "As long as I have to."
"So the circle stays intact," Damien said.
"Yeah, we all go with Z back to school," Erin said.
"Together. The five of us," Shaunee said.
"I feel like one of the dorky Mouseketeers," Aphrodite said, but she was smiling.
"We're agreed, then," Darius said. "The five of you and I will return. Stevie Rae, Erik, Jack, and Heath stay here."
"Hell no, he doesn't stay here," Erik said, finally showing some emotion.
"Dude, you don't have shit to say about it. Anyway, I'm not staying. I'm going with Zoey."
"You can't, Heath. It's way too dangerous," I said.
&ld to say ab$@quo;Aphrodite's human and she can go. So can I," he said stubbornly.
"Moron football boy, first, I might be human, but I'm also special, so I go. Second, you can't go because they can use you to get to Zoey. You're Imprinted with her again. They hurt you; they hurt Zoey. So show some sense and take your butt back to suburbia."
"Oh. I hadn't thought about it like that," Heath said.
"You have to go home, Heath. We'll talk later after things have settled down."
"Shouldn't I stay here, where I'm close to you? So if you need me you can get to me fast."
I wanted to say yes, even with Erik watching me all dead-faced and even knowing that the best thing for Heath was if I never saw him again. Our Imprint was incredibly strong, even more so than it had been the first time. I could feel him, so close and sweet and familiar, and even though I knew it was wrong and knew I shouldn't, I wanted to keep him beside me. But then I remembered how Kramisha had looked at him, like she wanted to take a chomp outta him. I knew that his blood would taste funny to any other fledgling or vampyre because we'd Imprinted, but I couldn't be sure that would stop them from wanting to sample it. Just thinking about someone else drinking from Heath made me feel seriously pissed.
"No, Heath," I insisted. "You have to go home. It's not safe for you here."
"I don't care if I'm safe or not. I care about being with you," Heath said.
"I know, but I care if you're safe or not. So, go home. I'll call you as soon as I can." "Okay, but I'll be back here the second you call," he said.
"Want me to walk him outside?" Stevie Rae asked. "The tunnels can be kinda confusing if you're not familiar with them."
Plus, I can stop any red fledgling who has a mind to take a bite out of him. The thought was there, but unsaid in the air between us.
"Okay, thanks, Stevie Rae," I said.
"Erik, hold Zoey up. Aphrodite, finish wrapping this Ace bandage around her. I better go out there with Heath, too," Darius said.
"The Raven Mocker was in the tree above his truck, kinda perched on the roof of the depot," I told Darius.
"I'll be vigilant, Priestess," Darius said. "Come on, boy. You need to go home."
"We'll be back in a sec, Z," Stevie Rae said.
Instead of following Darius and Stevie Rae from the room, Heath came to me. He cupped my cheek with his hand and smiled. "Stay safe, okay, Zo?"
"I'll try. You, too," I said. "And, Heath, thanks for saving my life."
"Anytime, Zoey. And I mean that. Anytime." Then, like we were alone and not in the middle of a room with my friends (and boyfriend) gawking at us, Heath bent and kissed me. He tasted like Doritos and brown pop and Heath. Through it all I could smell L) me. t him, the distinct scent of his blood that was Imprinted uniquely to me and, because of that, literally the most fascinating, delicious smell on this earth.
"I love you, babe," he whispered. He kissed me one more time. As he was leaving he waved at my friends. "See you guys around," he said. I was only half surprised when Jack and Damien called bye and the Twins made kissing noises at him. I mean, Heath is cute. Totally cute. Right before he ducked out the blanket door he glanced back at Erik, who was standing beside me. "Hey, dude, I'm holding you personally responsible if anything hurts her." Then Heath gave Erik his charming, lopsided grin. "Oh, and how about you make my job totally easy and try to boss her around a bunch while I'm gone?" Chuckling to himself, Heath finally left the room.
Aphrodite laughed, which she tried to cover with a cough.
"Ex-boyfriend does have a way about him," Shaunee said.
"Yes, he does, Twin," Erin said. "Not to mention a cute butt."
"Uh, awkward, anyone?" Jack said.
