to use the vampyre equivalent of old school corporal punishment, then so be it. Dallas and his friends deserved whatever they got.
“Zoey, would you go check on my kids? Tell them that I’m gonna be okay? You know Kramisha and Shaylin are gonna be freakin’ out when they hear what happened.” Stevie Rae’s voice was getting weaker and weaker, and even though she was smiling at me and holding Rephaim’s hand, she’d laid back on her pillow, looking exhausted and broiled.
“No problem,” I assured her. “I don’t want you to worry about anything except getting well. Aphrodite and Shaunee and I will all go see the kids and make sure they know you’re gonna be just fine.”
“Good. While you’re speaking to the red fledglings you can tell them that even though it is Saturday I have decided the House of Night needs an extra day of classes to make up for all the school time we have missed. I have already notified the professors. I will make a schoolwide announcement in a few moments. I expect everyone in their first-hour classes at eight P.M., sharp. Tardiness is unacceptable. Violence and hatred will not throw my House of Night into chaos,” Thanatos said.
“Oh, for shit’s sake—school—ugh,” Aphrodite muttered under her breath.
“I think that’s an awesome idea,” Stevie Rae said. “Take notes for me, Z.”
“Okie dokie,” I said, thinking that I’d get Damien to take notes for her. “I’ll come see you after class.”
“We all will,” Shaunee said.
Aphrodite grunted.
So, Stevie Rae had been totally right. Her red fledglings were freaked. Kramisha descended on us the second we entered the basement.
“If she ain’t okay I’m gonna shank Dallas my own self.”
“Stevie Rae’s going to be fine,” I assured her and the other kids who were clustering around.
“He really tried to kill her, didn’t he?” Everyone turned to Nicole, who was standing off from the group, with only Shaylin near her.
“Dallas tried to kill Stevie Rae and Shaunee,” I said, meeting her gaze and looking for any clue that she’d known what he’d planned.
Nicole’s expression didn’t betray anything except disgust. She shook her head. “He got worse and worse, but I didn’t think he’d try anything right here at the House of Night.”
“You used to be like him,” I said.
“You’re right. I
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” Shaunee asked.
“I believe her.” Shaylin spoke with no hesitation. “I’ve watched her colors change.”
I looked to Aphrodite. “You’re still sure about her?”
“Who her? Shaylin or Nicole?”
“Both,” I said.
Aphrodite’s gaze flicked over Shaylin before coming back to me. “I trust Shaylin’s judgment. If she says the girl’s changed, then I say believe her.”
“She used to be Dallas’s girlfriend, and Dallas just tried to kill Stevie Rae and me!” Shaunee blurted. “I’m not being a bitch—I’m just telling it like it is.”
I heard a few of the kids mutter in agreement with her. Nicole’s face had paled, but she’d lifted her chin and faced Shaunee. “Erin was Dallas’s girlfriend and you still cared enough about her to stand by her pyre until after dawn.”
“I knew Erin a long time,” Shaunee said. “I’ve known you for, like, two seconds.”
“Was Erin perfect for that long time you knew her?” Nicole asked.
Shaunee looked away from the red fledgling. “No. No, she wasn’t.”
“I wasn’t perfect in my past, either, but I’m asking for a second chance.”
I’d heard enough. My Prophetesses and my gut had convinced me. “That’s good enough for me,” I said loudly. “And it needs to be good enough for the rest of you, too. If we held the past against everyone, then Kalona wouldn’t be our High Priestess’s Warrior, and Stark wouldn’t be my Warrior. Hell, Stevie Rae wouldn’t even be my BFF.”
“I would have been shunned and cast out of the House of Night along with Neferet,” Aurox said. I hadn’t noticed him before. He was standing behind us, just inside the basement entrance.
I didn’t look at him, but I did nod in agreement. “And if Aurox hadn’t been given another chance my grandma would be dead. Shaunee, we need to be on the same page about this. Too much crap has happened for us to start mistrusting each other.”
Shaunee looked at Nicole briefly, and then her gaze met mine. “Okay, you’re my High Priestess. I trust you.”
“Thank you,” I said. I looked around the group. “Anyone have anything else to say?”
“Is Stevie Rae gonna be okay?” Kramisha asked.
“Completely,” I said.
“Did Rephaim really save her when he was a bird?” Shaylin asked.
I smiled at Shaunee. “Tell ’em the story, but be fast. Remember that Thanatos said she wants today to be a make-up day and everyone has to be in their first-hour class when the bell rings at eight.”
There were a bunch of groans at that news, but they were cut off by Shaunee’s retelling of what had happened earlier. I took the opportunity to exit to Darius, who was standing at the upper entrance to the basement. Aphrodite, of course, came with me.
As I passed Aurox I glanced quickly at him. The kid looked rough. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy and his perfect skin looked kinda chalky and damp. “Hangovers suck, huh?” I couldn’t stop myself from quipping, though I didn’t wait around to hear if he answered me. Aphrodite snickered all the way up the stairway.
“Kalona and Stark are searching for Dallas?” Darius asked as we joined him.
“Yeah,” I said. “Thanatos wants him brought back for judgment. She said she’s done with his red fledglings, too.”
“It’s going to be real interesting to see what she does with all of them,” Aphrodite said. “Well,
“The immortal will find him, have no doubt of that,” Darius said.
“Did anyone do a roll call and see if any of his friends took off with him?” I said.
“I did a quick check after I made sure our fledglings were safe. Dallas is definitely gone, but I don’t believe anyone left with him,” Darius said.
“I hope whatever Thanatos does makes him leave us alone for good,” Aphrodite said.
I sighed. “I don’t know how you’d even begin to lock up a kid who can control electricity. It’s depressing to start thinking about how many ways he could escape.”
“Thanatos is wise. She will pass a righteous judgment,” Darius said.
“I’m worried that righteous and doable are two totally different things,” I said.
“As your Warrior isn’t present to say this, I will stand in his stead and tell you not to worry so much,” Darius said.
“She’s hardheaded. She’s not going to listen,” Aphrodite said, kissing his cheek. “But thanks for trying.”
He smiled at her. “I am used to dealing with a hardheaded woman.”
“Have you been cheating on me with a stubborn skank?” Aphrodite said, pretending to be pissed off. “Don’t make me claw some poor, less attractive girl’s eyes out.”
Darius laughed and pulled her into his arms. I rolled my eyes. “I’m going to see if I can get lucky two days in a row and get psaghetti for breakfast. Bye, Darius. Aphrodite, I’ll see you in first hour.”
I’d just decided to detour to my dorm room and actually attempt to brush my hair and fix my face before going to the cafeteria when his voice called my name. Truthfully, I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to pretend like I hadn’t heard him and scurry to my room and keep avoiding him for as long as possible. But I’d seen the kid run. It’s not like he couldn’t catch me. I drew a deep breath and stopped, waiting for him.
“Zoey, may I speak to you for a moment?” Aurox asked as he caught up with me.
He sounded so un-Heath-like and formal that I relaxed a little. “Yeah, of course.”
“I believe I owe you an apology.”
