Burned

something called Darkness—that’s evil with a capital D. It’s how she’s using the power of the Tsi Sgili. She managed to trap Kalona with it right after Zoey wounded his soul—it’s the only time his body is weak enough to be vulnerable.”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s how the Cherokee imprisoned him last time.” Stevie Rae avoided the question by using the only part of the truth she could ever tell anyone. “A-ya messed up his spirit with emotions he wasn’t used to feeling, and the old women used his weakness to trap him.”

“That does make sense. So now Neferet’s got him all tied up and soulless. Why? She’s his super nasty lover. Why wouldn’t she want him here with her? The two of them could have taken off together and not been caught for killing Heath.”

“Yeah, except for two things: she would have looked guilty, so the High Council would have been forced to act against her, and she wouldn’t have been one hundred percent sure Zoey is going to die.”

“What the hell? The Council says she has a week, but then Z will be dead.”

“Not true. If her soul returns to her body, Z won’t die. Neferet knows that, so she—”

“She trapped Kalona’s body and told him to follow Z to the Other-world and make sure she doesn’t get back to her body,” Aphrodite finished for her. “That fucking figures! But it doesn’t feel right. Kalona’s totally obsessed with Z. I don’t think he wants her to die.”

“Yeah, but what if the only way to get his body back is to kill Zoey?”

Aphrodite’s voice hardened. “Then he’ll kill her. Stevie Rae, what the hell are we going to do?”

“We have to figure out a way to protect Z and help her get back to her body, and no, I don’t know how we’re gonna do that.” She hesitated and, crossing her fingers behind her back against the semi-lie, added, “Today the earth helped me find out some pretty weird stuff about Kalona. Seems he used to be Nyx’s Warrior. So, he used to be one of the good guys. Then something happened in the Otherworld, and the Goddess banished him, and that’s when he fell to earth.”

“Which means he knows the Otherworld a hell of a lot better than any of us,” Aphrodite said glumly.

“Yeah. Dang it! What we need is a Warrior for Zoey in the Other-world who can stand up against Kalona and get Z back to her body.”

Aphrodite felt a little zap of understanding at Stevie Rae’s words. “But she already has a Warrior.”

“Stark’s in this world. Not the Otherworld.”

“But a Warrior and his Priestess are connected by a bond that is all about spirit and oaths and dedication. I know! I have it with Darius.” Aphrodite’s voice was getting more and more excited as she reasoned it through. “And you can’t tell me that my Warrior wouldn’t follow me straight into the mouth of hell to protect me. All we need to do is to get Stark’s soul to the Otherworld so he can protect Z there, just like he does here.” And it might save him, too, she added silently to herself.

“I don’t know, Aphrodite. Stark has to be pretty messed-up after losing Zoey and all.”

“That’s the point. He has to save himself by saving her.”

“But that doesn’t work. I’ve been remembering somethin’ from The Fledgling Handbook 101. There was that whole big story in there about a High Priestess and her Warrior who died when her soul was shattered and he went after her into the Otherworld.”

“Please, dork. It’s in the 101 handbook because it’s meant to scare the crap out of retarded third formers, like you, so that hot young fledglings stay away from sexy Sons of Erebus Warriors. The stupid thing was probably written by some dried-up old hag of a High Priestess who hadn’t had sex in, like, a hundred years. Literally. Stark needs to follow Zoey to the Otherworld, kick Kalona’s spirit’s ass, and then bring her back here.”

“It has to be more complicated than that.”

“Probably, but whatever. We’ll figure it out.”

“How?”

Aphrodite paused, thinking of Thanatos and her wise, dark eyes. “I might know someone who can at least point us in the right direction.”

“Don’t let Neferet know you’re onto her,” Stevie Rae cautioned.

“I’m not stupid, stupid,” Aphrodite said. “Leave this whole thing in my extremely capable and well-manicured hands. I’ll call you later with an update. Bye!” She hit the red END CALL button before Stevie Rae could nag her anymore. And, smiling slyly, headed back into the Council Chamber.

Chapter 9

Stark

The longer he stayed in the same room as Neferet, the hotter Stark’s anger burned. And that was good. He could think through anger. He couldn’t think through the grief. Goddess! The unbearable grief of losing his Priestess . . . his Zoey . . .

“So we are in agreement then,” Neferet said. “I will take my consort’s body to Capri. There I can watch over him until the time when—”

It finally registered with Stark what the bitch was saying, and he rounded on her, only stopped short from launching himself at the evil hag by Darius’s ironlike grip on his arm.

“You can’t let her escape with him!” Stark yelled at Duantia, the Leader of the High Council. “Kalona killed Heath; I saw it. Zoey saw it. That’s what made this happen to her.” He gestured at Zoey’s soulless body without looking down at her. He couldn’t look at her.

“Escape?” Neferet scoffed. “I’ve already agreed to be escorted by a group of Sons of Erebus Warriors, and to make regular reports to the Council regarding Erebus’s state of consciousness. After all, my consort isn’t a criminal. It isn’t against our laws for a Warrior to kill a human if he’s in the service of the Goddess.”

Stark ignored Neferet and concentrated on Duantia. “Don’t let her go. Don’t let her take him. He did more than kill a human guy, and they aren’t in the service of Nyx.”

“Lies propagated by a jealous teenager, who had so little control over herself that her eternal soul has been shattered!” Neferet snapped.

“You fucking bitch!” Stark lunged for Neferet, who didn’t so much as flinch. Instead, she lifted one elegant hand and pointed it, palm outward, at Stark. As he struggled to free himself from Darius’s hold, Stark thought he saw black smoke begin materializing around Neferet’s fingers.

“Stop it, Stark, you total moron!”

Suddenly, Aphrodite was there right in front of him. Stark knew she was Zoey’s friend, but if Darius hadn’t had a vise-like hold on him, he wouldn’t have hesitated to knock her aside to get to Neferet.

“Stark!” Aphrodite yelled at him. “You’re not helping Zoey!” Then the blonde did something that totally shocked him, and by Darius’s sharp intake of breath, she shocked her Warrior, too. She took his face between her smooth palms and forced him to stare into her eyes, whispering words that changed his life. “I know how to help Zoey.”

“You see how uncontrollable he is! If my consort’s body remains here, who knows what this undisciplined child could do to it?” Neferet spewed her poison as Stark kept his eyes locked with Aphrodite’s.

“Do you swear?” Stark whispered urgently back to her. “You’re not just talking