Hunted

wrong,” I said.

“Agreed. If your strength has returned,” Darius said.

“It better,” I said.

There was a pause, and then Darius told me solemnly, “When we escape, Kalona will come after you. He will hunt you until he finds you.”

“How do you know that for sure?” Aphrodite said.

“Tell them what he calls you,” Darius said to me.

I sighed. “He calls me A-ya.”

“Oh!” Erin said.

“Shit!” Shaunee finished.

“Now that’s seriously bad news,” Damien said.

“He really believes you’re the maiden the Ghigua women used to trap him more than a thousand years ago?” Aphrodite said.

“Apparently.”

“Do you think it would help if you told him you’re no maiden?” Aphrodite flashed me a cocky grin.

I rolled my eyes at her and then, because Aphrodite’s not so subtle mention of my un-virgin state made my thoughts inadvertently start to drift to the guys in my life, I added, “Hey, I wonder why Stark’s so under Kalona’s spell. He has a major gift from Nyx, and before he died he seemed really intuitive.”

“Stark is an absolute asshole,” Shaunee said.

“Yeah, between what we heard from the other kids, and what went on with Becca, we can definitely say he’s seriously bad news,” Erin said.

“Dying and then un-dying might have messed him up, but my vote is that he was a jerk before he croaked and then uncroaked,” Aphrodite said. “We all need to stay far, far away from him. I think his badness is right up there with Kalona and Neferet.”

“Yeah, he’s like a Raven Mocker without the wings,” Erin said.

“Eesh,” Shaunee agreed.

I didn’t say anything. I just sat there and felt really tired and really guilty. I’d kissed him. Again. And my friends all thought he was a monster, probably because he was a monster. And if he’s such bad news, which it seriously looks like he is, how the hell could I think there is anything good left in him?

“Okay, Z has to sleep,” Damien said, getting up with Cameron still in his arms. “We know what we’re supposed to do, so let’s do it and then get out of here.” Damien hugged me. “Forget about Kramisha’s poem,” he whispered. “You can’t save everyone, especially if he doesn’t want to be saved.”

I hugged him back, but didn’t say anything.

“Getting back to those tunnels sounds good to me. We all need to be away from this place.” Damien smiled sadly at me and left the room with the Twins, who called goodbyes to me, too, as their cat trotted after them.

“Come on.” Aphrodite took Darius’s hand and pulled him off the bed. “You’re not going back to your room tonight.”

“I’m not?” he said, smiling warmly at her.

“No, you’re not. There seems to be a scarcity of Sons of Erebus around here, so I’m going to keep my eyes, and a few other parts of my body, on you.”

“Puke,” I said, but I couldn’t help grinning at them.

“You just sleep,” Aphrodite told me. “You’ll need all your strength to deal with the guy mess waiting for you. I have a feeling Erik and Heath are going to be a bigger drain than controlling the elements.”

“Hey, thanks, Aphrodite,” I said sarcastically.

“Don’t mention it. I’m all about helping you out.”

“Good night, Priestess. I wish you a restful sleep,” Darius said right before Aphrodite pulled him out of the room. The last of the cats followed him out, leaving me alone (finally) with my Nala.

I sighed and dug into my pocket for the bottle of blood stashed there. I shook it up like it was one of those yummy cold Starbucks bottled drinks and downed it. The blood felt good spreading like warm fingers through my body, but it didn’t give me the electric jolt I was used to. I was just too exhausted. I dragged myself from the bed, pulled off the stupid hospital clothes, and rattled around in my drawer for my favorite guy’s boxers (the ones with Batman symbols all over them) and a stretched-out old T-shirt. Just before I put on the shirt I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and froze.

Was that really me? I looked way older than seventeen. All of my tattoos were visible, and they were like a breath of life blown across a corpse. I was so pale! And the circles under my eyes were truly scary. Slowly I allowed my gaze to drift down to check out my wound. It was awful, and so darn big! I mean, it stretched all the way from shoulder to shoulder. No, it wasn’t gaped open anymore like a hideous mouth, but it was a jagged, puckered red ridge that made Darius’s knife wound look like the scratch he liked to call it.

I touched the wound gently and winced at how sore it was. Would it always stay this raised? Okay, I realize it was incredibly shallow of me, but I wanted to burst into tears. Not because all hell was coming against us. Not because Neferet had turned über-dangerous. Not because she and Kalona might very well be threatening the balance of good and evil in the known world. Not because I was a confused mess about Erik and Heath and Stark. But because I was going to have a massively ugly scar, and I’d probably never be able to wear a tank top again. And what about if I ever wanted to let anyone see me, well, naked again? I mean, I’d had one bad experience, but surely some day I was going to be in a great relationship and I’d want him to eventually see me naked. Right? I stared at the nasty-looking, unhealed scar and stifled a sob. Wrong.

Okay, I seriously needed to stop thinking about this, and I definitely was going to quit looking at myself naked. It just can’t be good for me. Hell! It probably wasn’t good for anyone!

I hastily pulled the T-shirt over my head and muttered, “Aphrodite must be rubbing off on me. I swear I didn’t use to be this shallow.”

Nala was waiting for me on my bed in her usual place on my pillow. I slid under the sheets and curled up with her, loving how she snuggled against me and turned on her purr engine. I guess I should have been scared to fall asleep, what with the last Kalona dream visit I’d had, but I was too tired to think, too tired to care. I just closed my eyes and gave myself gratefully up to the darkness.

When the dream started, it wasn’t a meadow, and so, foolishly, I was immediately relieved and relaxed. I was on an incredibly beautiful island, looking out across a lagoon at a skyline that seemed familiar, even though I knew I’d never been there before. The water had a fishy, salty smell. There was a depth and richness to it, a sense of vastness that I recognized as belonging to the ocean, even though I’ve never been to the coast. The sun was setting and the sky was lit up with a fading brilliance that reminded me of autumn leaves. I was sitting on a marble bench the color of moonbeams. It was intricately carved with vines and flowers and felt like it belonged to another time and place. I ran my hand across the smooth back of it, which was still warm from the fading day. It was like I really was there, and not dreaming at all. I glanced over my shoulder, and my eyes widened. Wow! Behind me was a palace with beautiful arched doors and windows, all in pristine white, amazing pillars and wedding cake–like chandeliers peeking out of the elegant windowpanes and twinkling in the predusk.

It was enough to take my breath away, and I was really pleased with my sleeping self for making it all up, but I was also baffled. It all seemed so real. And so familiar. Why?

I turned my face back to the lagoon view, looking across at a domed cathedral and little boats and lots of other amazing stuff that there’s no way I could have imagined all on my own. The soft night breeze was coming off the water, bringing the distinctly rich scents of the dark water. I breathed deeply, enjoying the uniqueness of it. Sure, some people might say it was kinda stinky, but I didn’t think so, I was just—

Holy crap! A terrible skittering of fear fingered down my spine. I knew why this seemed familiar.

Aphrodite had described this place to me just a few days ago. Not in detail. She hadn’t been able to remember everything, but what she had been able to tell me had made a distinct and unsettling impression. So much so that I recognized the water and the palace and the ancient feel of it.

This was the place Aphrodite had glimpsed in the second vision she’d had of my death.