Tempted

“Yeah, well, ‘fascinating’ isn’t the word I’d use.”

The warrior smiled. “You have not been bound to her long, have you?”

“No. Just a few days.”

“It gets better—and worse.”

“Thanks. I think.” Stark blew out a long breath. Even though Zoey made him crazy, he knew he could never walk away from her again. He was her Warrior. His place, no matter how tough it got, was by her side.

The warrior laughed. “The suite you seek is in the north wing of the palace. Go left here, take the first staircase on your right. On the second floor, that entire suite of rooms has been allotted to your group. You will find your friends there.”

“Thanks again.” Stark started in the direction the warrior had sent him, walking quickly. He had an itchy feeling on the back of his neck. He hated it when he got that feeling. It meant something was going wrong, and that meant it was a stupid time for him to get pissed at Zoey.

It was just so damn hard. He felt her attraction for Kalona! Why the hell couldn’t she see that the guy was bad? There was nothing in him left to save—there probably had never been anything worth saving inside him.

Stark had to convince her that he was right. And to do that he had to stop letting his feelings for her mess with his head. Zoey was a smart girl. He’d talk to her. Calmly. She’d listen to him. From the first time they’d met, before they’d been anything together, she’d listened to him. He knew he could get her to listen again.

Stark climbed the stairs three at a time. The first door to his left was partially open, and he could see into a rich-looking room that had a couple of those couches that were too little and a bunch of uncomfortable chairs—all done up in golds and creams. Like that wouldn’t get dirty? He heard the murmur of voices and was just opening the door farther when Zoey’s emotions smacked him like a tidal wave.

Fear! Anger! Confusion!

What was going through her head was such a jumbled mess that he couldn’t sort out anything except the basest of feelings.

“Stark? What is it?” Darius was there in front of him.

“Zoey!” he managed to rasp. “She’s in trouble!” And then the force of it literally made him stagger. He would have fallen had Darius not grabbed him.

“Get a hold of yourself! Where is she?” Darius had him by his shoulders and was shaking him.

Stark looked up to see the worried faces of Zoey’s friends all staring at him. He shook his head, trying to think through the terror in his mind. “I can’t—I’m—”

“You must! Do not try to think. Just let your instincts take over. A Warrior can always find his lady. Always.”

His body was trembling, but Stark nodded, turned, drew three deep breaths and then said one word, “Zoey!”

Her name seemed to echo in the air around him. He concentrated on it—not on the chaos in his mind. He thought only, Zoey Redbird, my lady.

And like the words had become a lifeline, they began pulling him forward.

Stark ran.

He could feel Darius and the others at his back. He vaguely saw the surprised look on the warrior’s face he’d so recently spoken to, but he ignored everything. He thought only of Zoey and let the strength of his oath draw him to her.

It felt like he was flying. He didn’t remember finding the path along the labyrinth, but later he did remember the crunching of stones under his feet as he pulled away from even Darius in his oath-driven speed.

Still he was too late.

If Stark lived for five hundred years he would never forget what he saw when he burst around the corner of the path and into the little clearing. The sight would forever be burned into his soul.

Kalona and Heath were farthest away from him. The two of them were standing in front of the outer wall that enclosed the island and shielded it from the eyes of Venetian humans.

Zoey was closer to him. Just a few yards away, but like him she, too, was running. Stark watched her lift her hands. At the same moment she commanded, “Spirit! Come to me!” Kalona lifted his hands, too, cupping Heath’s face almost as if he were caressing him.

Then in one swift, unstoppable movement, the fallen immortal twisted Heath’s head, cleanly breaking his neck and killing him instantly.

In a voice torn from her soul, and so filled with anguish Stark hardly recognized her, Zoey screamed, “No!” and threw the glowing ball of spirit at Kalona.

Kalona dropped Heath and whirled around to face her, his expression utterly shocked. The power of the element hit him, hurling him into the air and throwing him over the wall and into the ocean where, with a cry of despair, Kalona’s enormous wings lifted him from the water and carried him up and into the cold night.

But Stark didn’t give a shit about Kalona or even Heath. It was Zoey he ran to. She lay crumpled on the ground not far from Heath’s body. She was facedown, and Stark knew the terrible truth before he reached her. Still, he dropped to his knees and rolled her gently over. Her eyes were open and staring, but vacant.

Except for the sapphire outline of a normal fledgling’s Mark, all of her tattoos were gone.

Darius reached them first. He dropped beside Zoey, feeling for a pulse.

“She lives,” Darius said. Then he processed what he saw and gasped, “Goddess! Her tattoos.” He touched Zoey’s face gently. “I don’t understand.” Shaking his head in confusion, his gaze lit on Heath. “Is the boy—”

“He’s dead,” Stark said, amazed his voice sounded so normal when everything inside him was screaming.

Aphrodite and Damien ran up.

“Oh, Goddess!” Aphrodite said, crouching beside Zoey’s head. “Her tattoos!”

“Zoey!” Damien cried.

Stark heard Jack and the Twins join them. They were crying. But all he could do was pull her more tightly into his arms and hold her close. He had to protect her. He had to.

It was Aphrodite whose voice finally penetrated his grief and got through to him.

“Stark! We have to get Zoey back to the palace. Someone there can help her. She’s still alive.”

Stark met Aphrodite’s gaze. “Her body breathes for right now, but that’s it.”

“What are you talking about? She’s still alive,” Aphrodite repeated stubbornly.

“Zoey saw Kalona kill Heath and she called spirit to try to stop him, but she was too late to save him.” Just like I was too late to save her, Stark’s mind shrieked. But in the calm voice of a stranger, he continued explaining. “When she threw spirit at Kalona, Zoey knew she was too late, and her soul shattered. I know because I’m bound to her soul and I felt it shatter. Zoey’s not here anymore. This is just her empty shell.”

Then James Stark, Zoey Redbird’s Warrior, bowed his head and began to cry.

EPILOGUE

Zoey

I breathed a long, contented sigh. Peace… Seriously, I couldn’t remember ever feeling so stress-free. Goddess, it was a gorgeous day. The sun was amazing—all golden and glowy in a sky so birthday-cake-icing blue that it should have hurt my eyes. But it didn’t.

Which was kinda weird. Bright sunlight should hurt my eyes.

Huh.

Oh, well. Whatever.

The meadow was totally beautiful. It reminded me of something. I started to try to remember, but decided I didn’t want to think that hard. The day was too pretty to think. I just wanted to breathe in the sweet summer air and breathe out all the stupid tension that had been coiled like a slinky inside my body.

The grass was waving around my legs softly, like delicate feathers.

Feathers.