Tempted

herself.

“Dang it! I hate that I’m messin’ this up!” she yelled at herself. She hadn’t meant to screw things up royally, but it seemed like she was diggin’ through a pile of shit that just kept getting deeper and deeper no matter how fast she shoveled.

Zoey wasn’t a moron. She knew something was wrong. That was obvious, but how could Stevie Rae even start to tell her? There was just so much to explain. He was just so much to explain. And she’d never meant for any of it to happen. Especially not the Raven Mocker part. Dang it! Before she’d discovered him almost dead, she wouldn’t have even thought it was possible. Had someone told her about him before, she would have laughed and said, “Nope, that ain’t gonna happen!”

But it was possible because it had happened. He had happened.

As Stevie Rae prowled around the silent abbey grounds looking for pain-in-the-butt Erik, who might very well discover this last, most terrible secret and really throw a wrench in the dang tractor motor, she tried to figure out just how the hell she’d gotten herself into such a gawd-awful mess. Why had she saved him? Why hadn’t she just hollered for Dallas and the rest of ’em, and had them finish it?

That had even been what he’d said he wanted before he passed out.

But he’d spoken. He’d sounded so human. And she hadn’t been able to kill him.

“Erik!” Where the heck was he? “Erik, come here!” She paused her internal battle and called into the night. Night? Stevie Rae squinted to the east and swore she could see the darkness there beginning to turn the ripe plum color of predawn. “Erik! Time to report in!” Stevie Rae yelled for the third time. She stopped and peered around the silent abbey grounds.

Stevie Rae’s gaze slid over to the green house that had been turned into a temporary stable for the horses Z and the rest of the gang had ridden in their escape from the House of Night. But it wasn’t so much the green house that drew her gaze. It was the innocent-looking equipment shed next to it that she couldn’t quit staring at. The shed appeared totally normal—just an add-on building with no windows. The door hadn’t even been locked. She should know. She’d been inside it not too long ago.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Did you see something over there?”

“Oh, shit!” Stevie Rae jumped and spun around, heart hammering so hard in her chest she almost couldn’t breathe. “Erik! You scared the bejesus right outta me! Would you make some dang noise or somethin’ before you bust up on someone like that?”

“Sorry, Stevie Rae, but you were calling me.”

Stevie Rae brushed a blond curl back behind her ear and tried to ignore the fact that her hand was shaking. She was just seriously no good at this sneaking-around-and-hiding-things-from-your-friends stuff. But she lifted her chin and forced her nerves to settle down, and the easiest way to do that was to take a chomp out of pain-in-the- butt Erik.

Stevie Rae narrowed her eyes at him. “Yeah, I was callin’ you because you’re supposed to be inside with everyone else. What the heck are ya still doin’ out here, anyway? You’re worrying Zoey—like she needs any more stress from you right now?”

“Zoey was looking for me?”

With an effort, Stevie Rae didn’t roll her eyes at Erik. He was sooooo annoying. He acted like Mr. Perfect Boyfriend part of the time, and then would suddenly change up and be an arrogant jerk. She was gonna have to tell Z about him—that was if Z would still listen to her. The two of them hadn’t exactly been very close lately. Too many secrets… too many issues sitting squarely between them…

“Stevie Rae! Pay attention. Did you say Zoey was looking for me?”

Stevie Rae did roll her eyes then. “You’re supposed to be inside. Heath and Dallas and the rest of the kids are. Zoey knows that. She wanted to know where the heck you were and why you’re not where you’re supposed to be.”

“If she was that worried she could have come out here herself.”

“I didn’t say she was worried!” Stevie Rae snapped, exasperated with Erik’s self-absorption. “And Z has way too much on her plate to be out here babysittin’ you.”

“I don’t need a damn babysitter.”

“Really? Then why did I have to come get you?”

“I don’t know, why did you? I was on my way inside. I just wanted to do one more sweep of the perimeter. I thought it’d be smart to go over what Heath was supposed to check. You know humans can’t see shit at night.”

“Johnny B isn’t a human and he was with Heath.” Stevie Rae sighed. “Just go on inside. Get something to eat and some dry clothes. One of the nuns will tell you where you’re sleepin’. I’ll take one more check around the grounds before the sun comes up,” Stevie Rae said.

“If the sun comes up,” Erik said, squinting up at the sky.

Stevie Rae followed his gaze, and with a sense of gawd-how-clueless-could-I-be, realized it was raining again, only the temperature was still on that line between freeze and non-freeze, so the sky was, once again, spitting ice.

“This crappy weather is not what we need,” Stevie Rae muttered.

“Well, at least it’ll help cover the blood from those Raven Mockers,” Erik said.

Stevie Rae’s gaze went quickly to Erik’s face. Shit! She hadn’t even thought about the blood! Had they tracked blood into the shed? Talk about leaving a glaring path that screamed Here I am! She realized Erik was expecting her to say something. “Yeah, um, you’re right. Maybe I’ll try to kick around some ice and broken branches and stuff to cover up the blood from those three birds,” she said with forced nonchalance.

“Probably a good idea in case some humans actually go outside during the day. Want some help?”

“No,” she answered too quickly, and then made herself shrug. “What with my super red vamp skills and all it’ll just take me a second. Not a big deal.”

“Well, okay then.” Erik started to walk away, but hesitated. “Hey, you might want to give some extra attention to the blood marks at the edge of the tree line by the condos next door and the road. It was pretty nasty down there.”

“Okay, yeah, I know the place.” She sure did.

“Oh, and, where did you say Zoey was?”

“Uh, Erik, I don’t believe I said.”

Erik frowned, waited, and when Stevie Rae just continued to look at him, finally asked, “Well? Where is she?”

“Last time I saw her she was talkin’ to Heath and Sister Mary Angela in the hall outside the basement. But my guess is by now she’s checked on Stark and is in bed. She looked tired as hell.”

“Stark…” Erik muttered something unintelligible after the kid’s name, and turned back toward the abbey.

“Erik!” Stevie Rae called while she silently cussed herself out ’cause it was stupid for her to have mentioned Heath or Stark. She waited until he looked over his shoulder at her and then said, “As Z’s BFF, let me give ya a little piece of advice: she’s been through too much today to want to deal with boyfriend issues. If she’s with Heath it’s because she’s making sure he’s okay—not because she’s all lovey-dovey with him. Same goes for Stark.”

“And?” Erik said, his face expressionless.

“And that means you should get something to eat, change your clothes, and take your butt to bed without trackin’ her down and buggin’ her.”

“She and I are together, Stevie Rae. We’re going out. So how could her boyfriend caring enough about her to want to be with her be considered ‘buggin’ her’?”

Stevie Rae suppressed a smile. Zoey was going to eat him for breakfast, spit him out, and go on about her day. She shrugged. “Whatever. I’m just givin’ ya a little advice, that’s all.”

“Yeah, well, later.” Erik turned and stomped off to the abbey.

“For a smart guy, he sure makes some stupid choices,” Stevie Rae said softly as she watched his broad back disappear. “’Course me sayin’ that about him is what my mama would say was a hog callin’ a skunk stinky.”

Sighing, Stevie Rae’s gaze moved reluctantly down to the row of big trash bins half camouflaged by their placement next to the nuns’ carport. She averted her eyes, not wanting to think about the terrible crumpled bodies that had been dumped there. “With the trash.” She said the words slowly, as if they each held their own weight.