'You think you need to forgive me?'
He was starting to look like a jerk again. I'd definitely had enough of the jerk Erik. My eyes narrowed and I snapped, 'Yeah! I need to forgive you. You said you cared about me, but you've called me a slut. You've embarrassed me in front of my friends. You've embarrassed me in front of a class of kids. And you did all of that because you had only part of the story, Erik! So, yeah, you're not totally spotless in this whole thing either!'
Erik blinked in surprise at my outburst. 'I didn't know I had only part of the story.'
'Maybe next time you should think before you vent without knowing the full story.'
'So you hate me now?' he said.
'No. I don't hate you. I miss you.'
We stared at each other, neither of us knowing where to go from there.
'I miss you, too,' he finally said.
My heart made a little skip-beat.
'Maybe we could talk again,' I said. 'I mean, without the yelling part.'
He looked at me for a long, long time. I tried to read his eyes, but they just reflected back at me my own confusion.
My phone rang, and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was Grandma. 'Oh, sorry. It's my grandma,' I told Erik. Then I flipped the cell open. 'Hi, Grandma, are you here?' I nodded as she told me she'd just pulled into the parking lot. 'Okay, I'll meet you there in just a few minutes. Can't wait to see you! Bye!'
'Your grandma's here?' Erik asked.
'Yeah.' I was still smiling. 'She's come to stay for a little while. You know, what with the whole winter break being cut short and all.'
'Oh, yeah. That makes sense. Okay, well, I guess I'll see you around.'
'Uh, want to walk with me to the parking lot? Grandma said she was going to pack a little something, which means she probably brought one ginormic bag or ten little ones, and she could definitely use a grown vamp to carry them for her, what with me being just a little fledgling.'
I held my breath, thinking I'd messed up (again) and gone too far too soon with him. And, sure enough, the guarded look was back in his eyes.
It was exactly then that a vamp in the Sons of Erebus uniform came out of the door behind me.
'Excuse me,' Erik said to him. 'This is Zoey Redbird. A guest of hers has just arrived. Are you available to help bring in her luggage?'
The warrior saluted me respectfully. 'I am Stephan, and it is my pleasure to aid you, young Priestess.'
I made myself smile and say thanks. Then I looked at Erik. 'So, I'll see you later?' I said.
'Of course. You're taking my class.' He saluted me and then went into the building.
The parking lot was just a short way around the side of the main building. So, thankfully, I didn't have much walking with the warrior in uncomfortable silence to endure. Grandma waved to me from the middle of the very crowded parking lot. I waved back, and Stephan and I headed toward her.
'Wow, there are a ton of vamps here,' I said, looking at all the unfamiliar cars.
'Many Sons of Erebus have been called to this House of Night,' Stephan said.
I nodded thoughtfully.
I could feel his eyes on me. 'Priestess, you need not fear for your safety,' he said with quiet authority.
I smiled at him and thought,
'Zoey! Oh, honey! Here you are.' Grandma enveloped me in her arms, and I hugged her hard, breathing in the familiar scent of lavender and home.
'Grandma, I'm so glad you're here!'
'So am I, honey. So am I.' She squeezed me tight.
Stephan bowed respectfully to Grandma before he gathered up her mound of luggage.
'Grandma, are you planning on staying a year?' I asked, throwing a laughing look over my shoulder at her bulging luggage.
'Well, honey, one must always be prepared for all contingencies.' Grandma Redbird wrapped her arm though mine, and we started back toward the sidewalk that would lead to the girls' dorm, with Stephan following behind us.
Soon she tilted her head close to mine and whispered, 'The school is completely surrounded.'
I felt a sizzle of fear. 'By what?'
'Ravens.' She said the word as if it left a nasty taste in her mouth. 'They're all around the grounds, but none are actually inside the boundary of the school's wall.'
'That's because I blew them out of here,' I said.
'Did you?' she whispered. 'Well done, Zoeybird!'
'They scare me, Grandma,' I whispered back. 'I think they're getting their bodies back.'
'I know, honey. I know.'
Shivering, we held tightly to each other as we hurried to my room. The night seemed to watch us go.
CHAPTER 27
Not surprisingly, everydangbody was crammed into my dorm room.
'Grandma Redbird!' Damien cried, and hurled himself into her arms. Then there was a big flurry of him introducing Jack to her, the Twins saying their hellos, and finally, Aphrodite, looking uncomfortable but pleased, getting a very tight, very heartfelt hug from Grandma. During the commotion, Damien and the Twins cornered me.
'Z, are you okay?' Damien asked in a low voice.
'Yeah, we were worried,' Shaunee said.
'Some scary crap is going on,' Erin said.
'I'm fine.' I threw a furtive look to where Jack was babbling something at Grandma about how much he liked lavender. 'Because of your help, I'm fine.'
'We're here for you, Z. You're not in this alone,' Damien said.
'Ditto,' said the Twins together.
'Zoey? Is that a dog?' Grandma had just noticed that the lump of blond fur stretched out on the end of my bed actually moved and caused every cat in the room to hiss at the same instant.
'Yep, Grandma. It's a dog. And it's a long story.'
'Who does she belong to?' Grandma asked, giving Duchess a tentative head rub.
'Well, kinda me. At least temporarily,' Jack said.
'Maybe this would be a good time to explain to your grandma about Stevie Rae and everyone,' Aphrodite said.
'Stevie Rae? Oh, honey. Are you still grieving her loss?'
'Not exactly, Grandma,' I said slowly. 'There's really a lot to explain.'
'Then you should get started. Something tells me we're getting ready to run out of the luxury of time,' Grandma said.
'First, you should know that I haven't told you all of this, because Neferet is involved in it—in a bad way. And she's majorly psychic. So whatever I tell you, she may be able to pick out of your brain, and that's not good,' I said.
Grandma thought about that while she pulled the chair away from my desk and made herself comfortable. 'Jack, sweetheart,' she said. 'I would really like a glass of cold water. Do you think you could scare up one for me?'
'I have Fiji in the fridge in my room,' Aphrodite said.
'That would be lovely,' Grandma said.
'Go ahead and get it for her. But don't touch anything else,' Aphrodite said.
'Not even your—'
'Not even.'
