Awakened

was no Darkness about him. He was incredible—like the night sky, or the earth.”

“The earth…” Dragon seemed to be thinking aloud. “If the bull reminds you of your element, perhaps that is enough for the two of you to remain connected.”

“But we know he’s good,” Kramisha said. “They’s no mystery ’bout that. The poems can’t be talkin’ ’bout him.”

“So?” Stevie Rae couldn’t hide her irritation. Kramisha was like a dang dog with a soup bone. She just wouldn’t leave it alone.

“So, the poem, ’specially the last one, is all about trusting the truth. We already know he’s good. You can trust the black bull. Why do you need a poem to tell you that?”

“Kramisha, like I tried to tell you before, I do not know.”

“I just don’t think they’s talkin’ ’bout the black bull,” Kramisha said.

“What else could they be talkin’ about? I don’t know any other beasts.” Stevie Rae said the words fast, as if speed could take away the lie.

“You said Dallas has an unusual new affinity, and that he has seemed to go mad. Is that correct?” Dragon asked.

“Yeah, basically,” Stevie Rae said.

“The beast reference could be symbolic of Dallas. The poem might mean that you need to trust the humanity that is still within him,” Dragon said.

“I don’t know about that,” Stevie Rae said. “He was one hot mess and super crazy last time I saw him. I mean he was saying some seriously weird stuff about that Raven Mocker he saw.”

“Council Meeting is being called to session!” Lenobia’s voice drifted down the hallway from the open door to the Council Chamber.

“Do you mind if I keep this?” Dragon lifted the piece of paper as they started down the hall. “I’ll copy it, and then return it to you, but I’d like a chance to study and consider the poetry more thoroughly.”

“Yeah, that’s okay with me,” Stevie Rae said.

“Well, I’m glad we got your brain workin’ on this, Dragon,” Kramisha said.

“Me, too,” Stevie Rae said, trying to sound like she was telling the truth.

Dragon paused. “I won’t share this with everybody, only those vampyres I believe could help us understand the poetry’s meaning. I understand your wish for privacy.”

“I’ll tell Zoey about it as soon as she gets back tomorrow,” Stevie Rae said.

Dragon frowned. “I do think you should share the poetry with Zoey, but sadly, she will not be returning to the House of Night tomorrow.”

“What? Why not?”

“Apparently Stark isn’t well enough to travel, so Sgiach has given them permission to remain on Skye indefinitely.”

“Did Zoey tell you that?” Stevie Rae couldn’t believe her BFF had called Dragon and not her. What was Z thinking?

“No, she and Stark spoke with Jack.”

“Oh, the Celebration Ritual.” Stevie Rae nodded in understanding. Z hadn’t been keeping anything from her. Jack had been uber-exuberant about the Ritual he’d appointed himself in charge of music, food, and decorations for—he’d probably called her with an entire list of questions like: What’s your favorite color? and Doritos or Ruffles?

“Gay boy is majorly obsessed. I bet he lost his damn mind when he found out Z ain’t comin’ home tomorrow.”

“Actually, he’s using the extra time to keep practicing that song he wants to sing, and he’s decorating,” Dragon said.

“Goddess help us,” Kramisha said. “If he tries to hang rainbows and unicorns everywhere and make all of us wear them feather boas—again—I’m just gonna say ‘ah hell no.’ ”

“Origami swords,” Dragon said.

“Excuse me?” Stevie Rae was sure she couldn’t have heard him right.

Dragon chuckled. “Jack came by the Field House and borrowed a claymore so he could have a real example to work from. In honor of Stark, he’s going to use origami swords hung with fishing line. He said they’ll look like the song.”

“ ’Cause they’ll be defying gravity.” Stevie Rae couldn’t help giggling. She did heart her some Jack. He was just too cute for words.

“I hope he don’t do them in pink paper. That just ain’t right.”

They’d reached the door to the Council Chamber, and before they entered the already full room, Stevie Rae heard Dragon say, “Not pink. Purple. I saw him carrying a ream of purple paper.”

Stevie Rae was still grinning when Lenobia called the Council Meeting to order. In the days that followed, she would remember her grin and wish she could hold on to the image of Jack making purple swords out of paper and singing “Defying Gravity,” eternally looking on the bright side of life, eternally sweet, eternally happy, and, most important, eternally safe.

CHAPTER SIX

Jack

“Duch, what is it, beautiful girl? Why are you acting so psycho today?” Jack pulled the pile of purple origami papers from under the blond Lab and put them up out of dog-butt reach on the wooden stool he was using as an outside table and sword stand. The big dog huffed, thumped her tail on the ground, and scooted closer to Jack. He sighed and gave her a loving but exasperated look. “You don’t have to be attached to my side. Everything’s fine. I’m just decorating.”

“She is being more than a little codependent today,” Damien said, folding his legs and sitting on the grass beside Jack.

Jack stopped working on the paper sword he’d been folding into shape and stroked Duchess’s soft head. “Do you think she can sense that S-T-A-R-K is still not feeling one hundred percent? Do you think she knows he’s not coming back tomorrow?”

“Well, maybe. She is extraordinarily intelligent, but my guess is she’s more worried about you climbing up there than Stark being tired and tardy.”

Jack fluttered his fingers at the eight-foot ladder that sat open and ready not far from them. “Oh, there’s nothing for Duch or you to be worried about. That ladder is perfectly safe. It even has an extra hold-it-open latch that makes it totally steady.”

“I don’t know. It’s awful high up there.” Damien gave the top rungs of the ladder a wary look.

“Nah, it’s not so bad. Plus, it’s not like I’m climbing up to the top—or at least not much. This poor tree has limbs that are hangy-downy now. You know, ever since he burst up from under it.” Jack said the last sentence in a stage whisper.

Damien cleared his throat and gave the big oak they were sitting under the same wary glance he’d shot the ladder. “Okay, don’t get mad, but I really need to talk to you about choosing this particular spot for Zoey’s Celebration Ritual.”

Jack held up his hand, palm out, in the universal stop signal. “I already know people are going to have issues with this location. I’ve just decided that my reasons for it are better than the reasons against it.”

“Honey, you always have the best intentions,” Damien took Jack’s hand and held it in both of his. “But I think this time you need to consider that you might be the only one who can see anything positive about this place. Professor Nolan and Loren Blake were killed here. Kalona escaped from the earth, ripped open the ground, and split the tree right here. It just doesn’t feel very celebratory to me.”

Jack’s free hand covered Damien’s. “This is a place of power, right?”

“Correct,” Damien said.