“All five, but especially spirit. Just like my sister.”
“And you recently lost the love of your life.”
It didn’t sound like a question, but Kevin answered it anyway. “Yes. Aphrodite—Nyx’s Prophetess.”
“This question will seem too personal, rude even, but you must answer me honestly,” said the queen.
Kevin glanced at Stark, who shrugged and looked just as confused as he felt. “Okay. I will. Promise,” he said.
“You said Aphrodite was the love of your life. Did she love you equally in return or was it—and forgive me for being crass—more of a one-sided schoolboy crush.”
Kevin’s cheeks again flushed with heat. “She loved me! We Imprinted. I would’ve been her Oathbound Warrior.”
Sgiach turned to Seoras. “It could work.”
“Aye, it could.”
Kevin and Stark spoke together. “What could work?”
“There is another way to move between worlds. It doesn’t involve a door or the use of Old Magick. It involves the Land of the Dead—Nyx’s Realm, which spans all worlds and all realms. If your connection to spirit and your dead love is strong enough, she could guide you there and back, though it will not be without a cost—and the cost is not cheap.”
Excitement mixed with a healthy dose of nerves flooded Kevin, so much so that it took him a moment to gather the words to speak. When he did his voice was as raw as his heart.
“I don’t know how strong my connection to spirit is, but I know one thing for sure. The love I have for Aphrodite is unbreakable, and I will pay any price to see her again.”
5
Zoey
“I don’t like it. There was something wrong about that fog.” I shook my head and studied the screen that showed six different views of Neferet’s grotto. None of them were clear. It was like looking into muddy water.
“Yeah, I don’t like it either.” Beside me, Stark leaned closer to the TV screen that displayed the camera feed at Woodward Park. It was the middle of the night, but we’d clicked from the live feed to the recording of earlier that day and were staring at nothing but fog. “That’s why I called you guys here to review this with me. As soon as I saw all this fog, I realized it hadn’t just been confined to the House of Night. I checked the weather, and when Travis Meyer did a whole segment on what he called ‘the unusual fog phenomenon,’ I knew something must be up. Something not good.”
I sighed. Damien, Stevie Rae, and Aphrodite had joined me in the conference room, which we’d partially turned into a control center for the Woodward Park camera setup.
“Damien, can air tell you anything about the weird morning fog?” I asked.
Damien closed his eyes and whispered something to his element. His sandy brown hair lifted as air swirled around him. It didn’t take long. He opened his eyes and shook his head. “No. Everything is normal with air. But that’s not surprising. Fog is really a water thing. When did you say Shaylin is going to arrive?”
I sighed. “Not sure. There’s tension between humans and vamps in San Francisco right now, and I agreed that she needs to stay at her House of Night until that’s handled.”
“Wait, what?” Aphrodite, who’d been lounging in a leather chair checking her Insta, looked up over the screen of her phone. “I thought the humans in San Francisco were cool.”
“For the most part, they are,” I said. “The problem is coming from a group of incels. They hate all vampyres.”
“’Course they do. Incels hate all women, especially vamps because we’re matriarchal,” said Stevie Rae.
“Not to mention super attractive and so not interested in their pathetic asses.” Aphrodite looked like she’d sucked a lemon. “Incels—ewww. Now I get it. You’re right. Shaylin needs to stay there and handle that crap. And, again, ewww.”
“I could call Shaylin. Maybe water would be able to tell her something, even if she is all the way on the west coast,” I said.
“Why don’t you try calling water?” Stark asked. “Maybe it will tell you something.”
“Okay, I’ll give it a shot.” I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths, in and out, in and out. My affinity is for all five elements. That means I’m connected to air, fire, water, earth, and spirit. They’ll answer my call, especially when I’m circling and doing spellwork or rituals, but I’m closest to spirit. As to the other four—I’m more attuned to them than a vamp with no affinity, but compared to, like, Damien and air, I’m definitely not as connected.
But I oriented myself quickly and turned to face west, the direction from which water was invoked. I thought about the ocean and whispered, “Water, please come to me.” In a few breaths, I smelled the sea, which reminded me suddenly of the Isle of Skye and I made a mental note to email Sgiach, the queen of that isle and also my friend. Mentally, I shook myself, refocusing, and said, “Water, can you tell me anything about this morning’s fog, please?”
The scent of salt and sand increased, so that when I closed my eyes I could easily imagine standing beside Sgiach on the cliff where her castle perched overlooking the ocean. I concentrated and got a vague feeling of unease, but nothing specific—no images and definitely no answers.
I opened my eyes. “Thank you, water. You may go now.”
“Anything?” Stark asked.
“Nothing specific. The element felt uneasy, but that’s all I got. I have zero clue why. I’m just not connected to it strongly enough.”
“Z, I have an idea,” said Stevie Rae. “I know she’s inexperienced and all, but Kacie does have an affinity for water.”
“As well as fire,” added Damien.
“Speaking of fire, isn’t Shaunee on her way here?” asked Aphrodite.
“She will be soon,” I said. “She would’ve been here today, but she called and told me one of
