He nodded. “Yeah, I think you’ll be surprised at how resourceful I can be.”
“Yep. Arrogant and clueless. You’re me all over again.” Chuckling, he left the examination room.
“I’d listen to him,” said the nurse as she returned to Other Stark’s side.
Other Stark didn’t say anything. He’d been surprised at the gut punch he’d felt seeing Zoey again, though he really didn’t know her. But he’d wanted to know her. Ghost Aphrodite had been right. He had told a lie in Nyx’s Grove. Sure, he’d traveled here with Kevin to make amends for not standing against Neferet sooner, but that had only been part of his reason for coming.
The rest of the reason was Zoey Redbird. Stark wanted to know if she could fill that empty place in his heart, and he wasn’t going to allow anything to stop him from finding out—even another version of himself.
Other Kevin
Other Kevin handed Aphrodite’s cell phone to Other Stark as he joined the expanding group that was waiting in the foyer of the school. “Is this the human woman who was helping Neferet?” he asked, pointing to the photo illuminated on the screen.
“Yeah, that’s definitely Lynette Witherspoon. She was the concierge at our private airport. At first, we thought she was kidnapped by Neferet, but between what the pilot said about the two of them and the video footage from inside the Covent Garden Hotel where Loren Blake was killed, it’s looking more and more like they’re allies.”
“Weird how things in this world echo your world,” Zoey said. “Our world’s Lynette was loyal to Neferet and then was killed by her.”
“Our Neferet also killed Loren Blake in this world,” added Aphrodite.
Kevin nodded and tried not to stare at Aphrodite.
Grandma Redbird entered the group carrying a mountain of rain slickers. “I know you don’t get cold like humans do, but you do get wet and wet doesn’t help you think or fight. And they’ll keep your weapons dry. So, wear these. Please, children.”
No one argued with Grandma’s logic—not even the wide-shouldered, somber-faced Sons of Erebus Warriors who followed Darius to join them.
Even though she wasn’t his world’s Aphrodite, Kevin had to force himself not to help her with the slicker she frowned at. A joke about it being this season’s couture wear for ice storms almost escaped his lips, but as Darius grinned at her and expertly slid it over her head, Kevin turned away and almost ran into Zoey.
A red vampyre stood between Z and Stevie Rae. The girl looked nervous. She was also unusually gorgeous, even for a vamp. She was a young woman of color, and her skin looked like the sun hadn’t just kissed it but had made out with it. And she had the biggest, darkest eyes he’d ever seen.
“Hey, Kev, I want to introduce you and Stark—” Zoey paused, nodding at Other Stark, who was standing beside him, “to our newest red vampyre—Kacie. Kacie, this is my brother from the Other World, Kevin, and, um, Other Stark.”
“Merry meet,” said Kevin. “Your tattoos are interesting. I’ve never seen water and fire mixed like that before.”
“’Cause Kacie has affinities for water and fire,” said Stevie Rae.
“Wow, that’s cool,” said Kevin. “Merry meet, Kacie.”
“Merry meet,” Kacie said to Kevin, then she turned to Zoey. “You look like your brother.”
“Actually, I’m older. He looks like me,” Z said—sounding exactly like his sister—no matter what world they were in.
“Merry meet, Kacie,” said Other Stark.
Kacie’s eyes got huge. “Uh, hi. So, what do we call you? Blue Stark?”
Kevin crossed his arms and watched his sister. He knew it was going to be amusing having two Starks in one world, and even though it sucked that there were also two Neferets here, he couldn’t help but be entertained.
His g-ma pushed into the middle of their little group and handed them slickers, saying, “Don’t be silly. We’ll call this Stark James, and our world’s Stark will remain simply Stark. Don’t you think that’s an excellent idea, James?”
Kevin’s amused gaze went from Zoey to Other Stark, who was looking helpless against G-ma’s Wise Woman logic. But there was zip he could do about being called a first name he hadn’t gone by since the day he’d been Marked—no one back-talked Sylvia Redbird in either world.
“Yeah, sure. That’s fine with me. I mean, James is my name.”
“James or Jimmy?” asked Kacie as her pretty face emerged from an oversized slicker, and she swept back her thick Beyoncé-blond hair.
“James. Never Jimmy,” said the Other World’s James Stark gruffly.
“No need to get huffy, James,” Aphrodite said. “Ice Cream Shoes doesn’t know the history of the Stark aversion to first names.”
“Ice Cream Shoes?” asked James.
“It’s my nickname. It’s cooler sounding than Jimmy, but, still, I feel ya.”
Kevin covered his laugh with a quick cough.
“Are we all here?” Stark joined them with Damien close behind. He tossed a bow and a quiver of arrows to his Other World twin before Grandma Redbird handed him his own slicker.
“All present and accounted for,” Damien said.
“How’s Jack doing?” Zoey asked.
Damien looked grim and shook his head as he pulled on his slicker. “Not well. He’s curled up in bed with Duchess watching the extended director’s cut of Return of the King.”
“I’ll go see to him,” said Grandma Redbird, patting Damien’s arm.
“Oh, G-ma,” Kevin said. “In the outside pocket of my backpack over there, you’ll find a copy of a poem. The other G-ma Redbird asked me to bring it to you. Apparently, it’s from a really old journal written by the women in our family. She wanted to get your take on it. Would you read it and make any notes that come to mind?”
“Of course, u-we-tsi. I shall study it as soon as I check on Jack. Actually, I will take it with me to see him. His mind is sharp. He can help me with it.”
“Thanks, G-ma.” Kevin kissed her soft cheek.
“Okay, so, we’re ready?” Zoey asked.
“Everyone’s here,”
