Hunted

Darius glanced back at him. “I do not know what you mean by the Red One,” he said blandly.

In an instant Rephaim had spread his massive black wings and leaped on the hood of the Hummer. The crackling of the metal denting under his weight was drowned out by the collective hissing of the agitated cats. Rephaim perched there, human hands curled into claws, lurking over Darius. “Do not lie to me, ssssson of man! You know I sssspeak of the red vampyre!” As his temper spiked, his voice became less human.

“Get ready to call your elements,” I said, trying to push down the pain and speak clearly and calmly, even though I felt so weak and lightheaded that I wasn’t certain I could call spirit for Aphrodite, let alone help control and direct the rest of them. “If that thing attacks Darius, we throw everything we have at it, pull Darius in here, and drive away like hell.”

But Darius didn’t seem perturbed at all. He looked up at the creature coolly. “You mean the red vampyre priestess Stevie Rae?”

“Yessss!” The word was one long hiss.

“She is not with me. I have only blue fledglings here. And the priestess among them needs immediate aid—as I have already explained.” Darius continued to gaze calmly up at the thing that looked like it had stepped out of a nightmare. “For the final time, do you allow us to pass or not?”

“Passss, of courssssse,” the creature hissed. It didn’t get off the Hummer, but leaned back so that Darius could barely get the driver’s side door open.

“Come this way. Now.” Darius motioned for Aphrodite to slide across the seat, and held his hand out so that she could take it. “Stay close,” I heard him murmur to her and slly. &ldque creVaw her nod her head quickly. Keeping glued to Darius’s side, she moved with him to my door. He leaned in, meeting our eyes. “Are you ready?” he asked quietly. The question was filled with so much more than those three simple words.

“Yes,” Damien and the Twins said together.

“Ready,” I said.

“Again, stay close,” he whispered.

Darius and Damien managed to move me painfully into the warrior’s arms. Glaring silently at the Raven Mockers, all the cats in the vehicle slunk out and seemed to melt into the icy shadows. I breathed a sigh of relief when none of the creatures pounced on my Nala. Please let the cats be safe, I sent a silent plea to Nyx. I felt more than saw Aphrodite, Damien, and the Twins surround Darius and me, and then, as if we were one being, we moved away from the Hummer and onto the school grounds.

The Raven Mockers, including Rephaim, took to the sky as Aristos led us the short distance to the first building on campus, the one housing the professors’ quarters as well as the infirmary.

As Darius carried me through the arched wooden doorway that always reminded me of something that should stand behind a moat and into the familiar building, I thought about how it had only been a little more than a couple of months ago that I’d first arrived here and had been taken unconscious into the infirmary to wake up, not having a clue about my new future. Weird that I was in almost that exact position again.

I glanced at my friends’ faces. Everyone looked calm and confident. It was only because I knew them so well that I recognized the fear in the tight line of Aphrodite’s mouth, and that Damien’s hands, fisted at his sides, hid their shaking. The Twins walked on my right, so close that Shaunee’s shoulder brushed Erin’s, which in turn brushed against Darius—as if through touch they could gain courage.

Darius turned down a familiar hallway, and because he was carrying me, I felt the instant tension in his body and knew before she spoke that he had seen her. I lifted my heavy head wearily from his shoulder in time to see Neferet standing in front of the door to the infirmary. She was beautiful in a long, body-hugging dress made of an iridescent black material that shimmered and showed hints of deep purple whenever she moved. Her dark auburn hair fell in thick, glossy waves down to her waist, and her moss-green eyes sparkled with emotion.

“Ah, so the prodigal returns?” Her voice was melodic and slightly amused.

Instantly I pulled my eyes from her and whispered frantically under my breath, “Your elements!” I only worried for the space of a heartbeat about them not hearing and not understanding, because almost immediately I felt the light brush of a fire-warmed wind and smelled a cool spring rain. Even though Neferet could not read Aphrodite’s mind, I murmured, “Spirit, I need you,” and felt the flutter within me as the element responded. Before I could change my mind and selfishly keep invigorating spirit for myself I commanded, “Go to Aphrodite,” and heard the sharp intake of her breath as the element filled her. Sure that my friends were as protected as they could be, I turned my attention to our tainted High Priestess. I opened my mouth to comment on the irony of her using a Biblical comparison, when a door a few feet down the hall from where Neferet stood opened and he stepped out of it.

Darius stopped so abruptly it felt as if he’d suddenly hit the end of a tether.

“Oh!” Shaunee breathed.

“Shiiiiiit!” Erin said on a long sigh.

“Don’t look at his eyes!” I heard Aphrodite whisper. “Stare at his chest instead.”

“Not a hard thing to do,” Damien said softly.

“Stay strong,” Darius said.

Then time seemed to suspend.

Stay strong, I told myself. Stay strong. But I didn’t feel strong. I felt exhausted and hurt and utterly defeated. Neferet intimidated me. She was just so perfect and powerful. Kalona made me realize my insignificance. The two of them together dwarfed me, and my head swam dizzily with a cacophony of thoughts. I was just a kid. Hell, I wasn’t even a full vampyre yet. How could I hope to stand against these two amazing beings? And did I really want to fight Kalona? Did we know for one hundred percent sure that he was evil? I blinked, clearing my blurring vision and stared at him. He absolutely did not look evil. Kalona was wearing pants that looked like they were made of the same creamy brown deerskin real moccasins were made of. His feet were bare, and so was his chest. It sounds stupid to say it—that he was standing there in the hallway half-naked—but then it didn’t feel stupid at all. It felt right. It’s just that he was so incredible! His skin was completely free of any blemish and was the golden tan that white girls try but always fail to get by roasting in tanning beds. His hair was thick and black. It was long but not ridiculously Fabio long. It was just kinda shaggy and had a cute wave to it. The more I looked at it, the more I could imagine running my fingers through it. Not heeding Aphrodite’s warning, I looked directly into his eyes and felt a jolt of electricity sizzle through me as his eyes widened in recognition, and that jolt seemed to zap even more of my already almost non ex is tent strength. I sagged in Darius’s arms, so weak I could hardly hold my head up.

“She is wounded!” Kalona’s voice boomed down the hall. Even Neferet cringed. “Why is she not being tended?”

I heard the sickening sound of huge wings fluttering, and then Rephaim stepped out of the room Kalona had just been in. I shivered as I realized the Raven Mocker must have flown up to the window and then crawled in from there. Isn’t there any place aboveground that the horrid things couldn’t get to?

“Father, I ordered the warrior to take the priestess to the infirmary so that she could be properly cared for.” Rephaim’s unnatural voice sounded even more obscene after hearing the majesty of Kalona.

“Oh, bullshit!” Completely shocked, I stared openmouthed at Aphrodite, who was giving the Raven Mocker her best bitchy sneer. She tossed back her thick blond hair as she continued, “Bird boy kept us out there in the freezing rain while he yammered about the Red One this and the Red One that. Darius got Zoey in here despite his help.” Aphrodite air-quoted over the word “help.”

There was utter silence in the hallway, and then Kalona threw back his beautiful head and laughed. “I had forgotten how amusing human women can be.” With a graceful movement of his hand he gestured to Darius. “Bring the young priestess here so that she may be tended.”

I could feel Darius’s reluctance in the tension of his body, but he did as Kalona ordered, with my friends at his side. We reached Neferet and the infirmary door at the same time Kalona did.

“Your duty is finished here, Warrior,” Kalona told Darius. “Neferet and I shall attend her now.” And the fallen angel opened his arms as if he expected Darius to give me to him. With that movement the enormous raven- feathered wings that had until then been tucked neatly against his back, rustled and half opened.

I wanted to reach out and touch those wings and was glad I was too weak to do more than stare.

“My duty is not finished.” Darius’s voice was as tense as his body. “I have sworn to care for this young priestess, and I must stay by her side.”

“I’m staying, too,” Aphrodite said.