Untamed

'Grandma, did it have physical form, or was it just a spirit?'

'I think it's some of both. But it is very close to its physical form.'

'Which means Kalona must be getting stronger,' I said.

'I believe so.'

'It's scary, Grandma.'

Grandma pulled me into her arms and stroked my head like she used to when I was a little girl. 'Do not fear, u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya. The demon's father will find that today's women are not so easy to subdue.'

'You kicked butt, Grandma.'

She smiled. 'Yes, daughter, we certainly did.'

CHAPTER 28

With Grandma watching in approval, I called wind back and had it whip around campus, especially focusing on the dorms. We listened carefully for sounds of shrieking demons, but all we heard was the comforting whistle of the wind. Then, exhausted, I put on my pj's and finally got into bed. Grandma lit a full-moon protective candle for us, too, and I curled up with Nala, liking the sounds of Grandma brushing out her long silver hair as she went through her familiar nighttime rituals.

I was just drifting off when her soft voice caught me. U-we-tsi-a-ge-ya, I want you to promise me something.'

'Okay, Grandma,' I said sleepily.

'No matter what happens, I want you to promise me that you'll remember Kalona must not rise. Nothing and no one is more important than that.'

A little trickle of worry made me wake up all the way. 'What do you mean?'

'Exactly what I said. Do not let anything distract you from your purpose.'

'You're sounding like you won't be around to keep me straight,' I said, feeling a flutter of panic start in my chest.

Grandma came over and sat on the edge of my bed. 'I plan to be around for a very long time, sweetheart, you know that. But I still want your promise. Think of it as helping an old woman sleep well.'

I frowned at her. 'You're not an old woman.'

'Promise me,' she insisted.

'I promise. Now you promise me you won't let anything happen to you,' I said.

'I'll do my best; I promise,' she said with a smile. 'Turn your head, and I'll brush your hair while you fall asleep. It will give you good dreams.'

With a sigh I rolled over onto my side and fell asleep to the loving touch of my grandma and a softly hummed Cherokee lullaby.

At first I thought the muffled voices were coming from the nanny cam, and not even fully awake, I sat up and reached for the little viewscreen. Holding my breath, I clicked to ON the video button, and then I let out a big sigh of relief when the solitary table came into view with its unchanged, shrouded occupant. I turned off the video and glanced over at Grandma's now empty but tidily made-up bed. I smiled as I looked blearily around my room. Actually, Grandma had done a nice little bit of cleaning up before she'd gone out for her day of shopping and lunch. I looked down at Nala, who blinked at me sleepily.

'Sorry. Must have been my overactive imagination making me hear things.' The full moon candle was still burning, though it was definitely smaller than when I'd fallen asleep. I glanced at my clock and smiled. It was only two o'clock in the afternoon. I had several good sleeping hours left before I had to wake up. I lay back down and pulled my quilt up around my neck.

Muffled voices, this time accompanied by several soft knocks on my door were definitely not my imagination. Nala grumbled a sleepy mee-uf-ow, which I couldn't help but agree with.

'If it's the Twins wanting to sneak off to a shoe sale, I'm going to strangle them,' I told my cat, who looked pleased at the prospect. Then I cleared the sleep out of my throat and called, 'Yeah! Come on in.'

When the door opened, I was surprised to see Shekinah standing there, along with Aphrodite and Neferet. And Aphrodite was crying. I sat bolt upright, brushing my crazy bedhead hair out of my face. 'What's wrong?'

The three of them came into my room. Aphrodite walked over to me and sat on the bed beside me. I looked from her to Shekinah and finally to Neferet. I couldn't read anything but sadness in any of their eyes, but I continued to stare at Neferet, wishing I could see past her careful façade—wishing everyone could.

'What's wrong?' I repeated.

'Child,' Shekinah began in a sad, kind voice. 'It's your grandmother.'

'Grandma! Where is she?' My stomach clenched when no one said anything. I grabbed Aphrodite's hand. 'Tell me!'

'She was in a car wreck. A bad one. She lost control as she was driving down Main Street because . . . because a big black bird flew into her window. Her car left the road and hit a light pole head-on.' Tears were running down Aphrodite's face, but her voice was steady. 'She's at St. John's Hospital in intensive care.'

I couldn't say anything for a second. I just kept staring at Grandma's empty bed and the little lavender-filled pillow she'd placed there. Grandma always surrounded herself with the scent of lavender.

'She was going to the Chalkboard for lunch. She told me so last night just before—' I broke off, remembering how Grandma and I had been talking about her going to the Chalkboard for lunch just before I opened the curtains to find the horrible Raven Mocker. It had been listening to us, and it had known exactly where Grandma was going today. Then it had been there to run her off the road and cause her accident.

'Just before what?' To the uninformed observer, Neferet's voice would have seemed concerned—that of a friend and mentor. But when I looked up into her emerald eyes, I saw the cold calculation of an enemy.

'Just before we went to bed.' I was trying hard not to show how much Neferet disgusted me—how truly vile and twisted I knew she was. 'That's how I know what she was doing driving that way. She told me what she was going to be doing today while I slept.' I looked away from Neferet and spoke to Shekinah instead. 'I need to go to her.'

'Of course you do, child,' Shekinah said. 'Darius is waiting with a car.'

'May I go with her?' Aphrodite asked.

'You already missed all of your classes yesterday, and I don't—'

'Please,' I interrupted Neferet, appealing directly to Shekinah. 'I don't want to be alone.'

'Don't you agree that family is more important than academics?' Shekinah said to Neferet.

Neferet hesitated just for a second. 'Yes, of course I do. I was just concerned about Aphrodite falling behind.'

'I'll take my homework with me to the hospital. I won't fall behind.' Aphrodite gave Neferet a big reassuring smile that was as fake as Pamela Anderson's boobs.

'Then it is decided. Aphrodite will accompany Zoey to the hospital, and Darius will look after the both of them. Take your time there, Zoey. And be sure to let me know if there is anything the school can do for your grandmother,' Shekinah said kindly.

'Thank you.'

I didn't so much as glance at Neferet as the two of them left my room.

'Fucking bitch!' Aphrodite said, glaring at my closed door. 'Like she's ever been concerned about me falling behind in anything! She just hates it that the two of us are friends.'

Okay . . . okay. I have to think. I have to go to Grandma, but I have to think and make sure everything is taken care of here, first. I have to remember my promise to Grandma.

I wiped tears from my face with the back of my hand and rushed over to my dresser, pulling out jeans and a sweatshirt. 'Neferet hates that we're friends because she can't get inside our heads. But she can get inside Damien, Jack, and the Twins' heads, and I can promise you she'll be sniffing around them today.'

'We have to warn them,' Aphrodite said.

I nodded. 'Yes, we do. This nanny cam thing won't reach all the way to St. John's, will it?'