Hunted

CHAPTER 31

“That is an insane plan,” Aphrodite said.

“Yet it just might work,” Darius said.

“I like it. It’s kinda romantic, with the horses and all. Plus, it’s the best plan we have,” Damien said.

“It’s the only plan we have,” I said. At Lenobia’s raised brows I hastily added, “But I like it, too.”

“The fewer horses you take, the easier it will be for you to get away unnoticed. I suggest you ride double,” Lenobia said.

“Three is definitely sneakier than six,” Erin said.

“But how are we going to get Dragon and Anastasia in on it?” I said. “We definitely can’t all go walking over to the fencing room or Anastasia’s class. And I don’t want us to split up.”

Lenobia’s brows went up again. “I don’t know if you’ve heard of this, but there is something many of us use, called a cellular telephone. Believe it or not, Dragon and Anastasia each have one.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling like a moron.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes at me.

“I’ll call them and fill them in on their part of the plan. Those of you wearing skirts—you need to change. Zoey can show you where the extra riding habits are kept in the tack room. Take anything in there you might need,” Lenobia said as she hurried toward her office.

“I’ll tell Dragon the diversion will start in thirty minutes.”

“Thirty minutes!” My stomach clenched.

“That should give you plenty of time to change and put bridles on three horses. You won’t be able to use saddles. That would be too obvious.” Lenobia disappeared into her office just as Damien said, “No saddles? I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Join the crowd,” I said. “Come on,” I told Aphrodite and the Twins, “You need to change out of those short skirts. And who the hell wears stilettos in an ice storm?”

“They’re boots,” Aphrodite said. “And boots are proper winter attire.”

“Three and a half inch stiletto boots are not sensible footwear for winter,” I said, leading them to the tack room and the riding clothes hanging neatly there among the other tack.

“Fashion-impaired geek,” Aphrodite muttered.

“Agreeing,” Shaunee said.

“For once,” Erin added.

I grabbed three bridles and shook my head at my friends. “Just change your clothes. There are riding boots in that closet. Avail yourselves of their use.”

“Avail?” I heard Shaunee say as I marched out of the tack room.

“Girlfriend has been hanging around Queen Damien too much,” Erin said.

I slammed the door.

I wasn’t sure what other two horses Lenobia would choose to go with us, but I knew Persephone would be carrying me, so I hurried toward her stall. Darius had moved over to one of the high stable windows and was busy stacking hay bales on top of each other. Obviously he was going to give us a weather and Raven Mocker check.

“Uh, Z, may I have one little word with you?” Damien said.

“Sure, come on in.” I went back to Persephone’s stall, grabbed the currycomb, and started giving the mare a quick wipedown.

Damien stayed in the doorway. “Here’s the thing—I don’t really ride.”

“Well, that’s not a problem. I’ll do the hard part. You just sit behind me and hold on.”

“What if I fall off? I’m sure she’s a perfectly nice animal.” He sent a little hello wave to Persephone, who was still happily chewing her hay and not paying any attention to Damien. “But she’s also big. Really very big. Humongous, actually.”

“Damien, we are about to break out of school, run for our lives, and then try to banish an ancient immortal and a vamp High Priestess gone bad, and you’re stressing about riding behind me on a horse?”

“Bareback. Riding bareback behind you on a horse,” he said. Then nodded. “Yes, yes, I am stressing about it.”

I started giggling and had to lean against Persephone because I was hurting myself. Okay, here’s the life lesson I’ve really been learning: If you have good friends, no matter how much life is sucking, they can make you laugh.

Meanwhile, Damien was frowning at me. “Just so you know, I’m going to tell Jack you were laughing at me, and he’ll get mad at you. That means the next time I purchase a gift for you, he will go on strike and not supervise its tasteful wrapping.”

“Jeesh, that’s kinda harsh,” I said, then burst into giggles again.

“Would you guys get serious! We have a war to win and a world to save.” Aphrodite was standing with her hands on her hips just outside Persephone’s stall. She was wearing her cropped black designer tank (with the gold JUICY label across her boobs) and her borrowed tan riding pants tucked into flat English riding boots. With no heels. None.

I took one look at her and started to giggle again. Then I caught sight of the Twins, who were standing behind her. Both of them had on Dolce & Gabbana animal-print silk tunics (probably from Saks Fifth Avenue or Miss Jackson’s, jeesh). Their butts were snugged with spandexy tan English riding leggings (hee hees), tucked into brown and tan English riding boots.

It was priceless. This time Damien joined me in my hysteria.

“I hate both of them,” Aphrodite said.

“Girlfriend, we’re finding we have more and more in common with you,” Erin told Aphrodite.

“Ditto,” Shaunee said, scowling at Damien and me.

Sadly, Lenobia’s words threw cold water on my giggly good time.

“I spoke with Anastasia. Everything’s ready to go, even though Dragon was temporarily unavailable. He was dealing with an unusual case of vampyre Change. I was told to pass word along to Zoey that Stark arrived and has been taken care of.”

“Did she say Stark?” Damien asked.

“Huh?” the Twins said.

“Oh, shit,” Aphrodite said.

“The weather still looks bad, and I can see stirrings in the trees. I think their plan is to grab us as we leave the stables. We better get going,” Darius said as he rejoined our group. He paused as he saw everyone staring at me. “Obviously I missed something.”

“Yes, and Zoey was just getting ready to fill us in,” Damien said.

I gnawed my lip and looked from friend to friend. Well, hell. “Okay, here’s the deal. Stark Changed. He’s the second red vampyre there’s ever been.”

“Whoop-de-fucking-do,” Erin said. “He’s still an assbucket.”

“Yeah, and why would you know shit about him Changing?” Shaunee said.

“You have to stop thinking of him like he’s Stevie Rae. They’re worlds apart,” Damien said, more gently than the others.

“She loves him,” Aphrodite blurted.

“Aphrodite!” I yelled.

“Well, someone had to clue the dorks in to your pathetic infatuation with him,” Aphrodite said.

“You’re not helping me,” I said.

“Wait. Rewind. Zoey is in love with Stark? That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life,” Erin said.

“Well, except for the whole graduated driver’s license law thing in Oklahoma, Twin. Let’s get serious. That’s the stupidest thing we’ve ever heard of in our entire lives,” Shaunee said.

“True. Besides that, though. And, Aphrodite, we say: You. Have. Lost. Your. Damn. Mind,” Erin said.