Awakened

recognize it; just like I’ll always choose Light over it.”

“Really?” Neferet’s smile was smug. “And that’s what you’re doing when you choose this creature? Choosing Light? Raven Mockers were created in anger and violence and hatred. They live for death and destruction. This one killed Anastasia Lankford. How can that be mistaken for Light and the Path of the Goddess?”

“It was wrong.” Rephaim wasn’t speaking to Neferet. He was looking directly at Stevie Rae. “What I was before I knew you was wrong. Then you found me and pulled me from a dark place.” I held my breath as the Raven Mocker slowly, gently, touched Stevie Rae’s cheek, wiping a tear away. “You showed me kindness and for a little while I glimpsed happiness. That is enough for me. Release me, Stevie Rae, my Red One. Let them exact their vengeance upon me. Perhaps Nyx will take pity on my spirit and allow me to enter her realm where someday I will see you again.”

Stevie Rae shook her head. “No. I can’t. I won’t. If I’m yours then you’re mine, too. I’m not gonna let you go without a fight.”

“Does that mean you’ll fight your friends for him?” I shouted at her, feeling like everything was spinning out of control.

Calmly, Stevie Rae looked at me. I saw the answer in her eyes before she spoke in a sad but firm voice. “If I have to, I will.” And then she said the one thing—the only thing—that finally made sense of the whole crazy mess, and it changed everything for me. “Zoey, you would have fought anyone to protect me when I was filled with Darkness, even when you didn’t know for sure if I’d ever be myself again. He’s already Changed, Z. He’s turned from Darkness. How can I do any less for him?”

“That thing killed my mate!” Dragon bellowed.

“For that, as well as for a multitude of other offenses, he must die,” Neferet said. “Stevie Rae, if you choose to stand with the creature, then you choose to stand against the House of Night, and you will deserve to perish with him.”

“Okay, no. Hang on,” I said. “Sometimes things aren’t just black and white, and there’s more than one right answer. Dragon, I know this is terrible for you, but let’s all just take a breath and step back for a second. You can’t really be talking about killing Stevie Rae.”

“If she stands with Darkness she deserves the same fate as the creature,” Neferet said.

“Oh, please. You just admitted that you stood with Darkness, and Zoey forgave you for it,” Aphrodite said. “I’m not saying that I’m cool with this whole birdboy/Stevie Rae weirdness, but how can it be okay for you to get forgiveness, but not okay for those two?”

“Because I no longer am under the influence of Darkness, which was personified by this creature’s father,” Neferet said smoothly. “I am not allied with him anymore. Let’s ask the creature if he can say the same.” She looked at the Raven Mocker. “Rephaim, will you swear that you are no longer your father’s son? That you no longer are allied with him?”

This time Rephaim did answer Neferet directly. “Only my father can free me from his service.”

I could see the smugness in Neferet’s face. “And have you asked Kalona to free you from him?”

“I have not.” Rephaim looked from Neferet to Stevie Rae. “Please understand.”

“I do. I promise you I do,” she told him. Then she shouted at Neferet. “He hasn’t asked Kalona to free him because he doesn’t want to betray his daddy!”

“His reasons for choosing Darkness are not important,” Neferet said.

“Actually, I think they are,” I said. “And another thing, we’re talking about Kalona like he’s here. Isn’t he supposed to have been banished from your side?”

Neferet turned her cold green eyes on me. “The immortal is no longer at my side.”

“But it’s sounding like he’s here in Tulsa. If he’s banished, what is he doing here? Uh, Rephaim,” I tripped over his name. It was super weird to be talking to the scary creature like he was an ordinary guy. “Is your dad in Tulsa?”

“I-I cannot speak of my father,” the Raven Mocker said haltingly.

“I’m not asking you to say anything bad or even tell us where exactly he is,” I said.

I was surprised to be able to see the anguish in his red-tinged eyes. “I am sorry. I cannot.”

“See! He will not speak against Kalona; he will not stand against Kalona,” Neferet’s voice shot out. “And because the Raven Mocker is here, we know that Kalona is either in Tulsa already, or on his way. So when he attacks this school, as he surely will, you will, again, be by his side fighting against us.”

Rephaim turned his scarlet gaze to Stevie Rae. In a voice filled with despair he said, “I will not harm you, but he is my father and I—”

Neferet cut in, “Dragon Lankford, as High Priestess of this House of Night I command you to protect it. Kill this vile Raven Mocker and anyone who would stand with him.”

I saw Neferet raise her hand and flick her wrist toward Stevie Rae. The green glowy bubble that had been surrounding her and the Raven Mocker shivered, and Stevie Rae groaned. Her face went real white, and she put her hand to her stomach like she was going to be sick.

“Stevie Rae?” I started to go to her, but Stark grabbed my hand, holding me back.

“Neferet’s using Darkness,” he said. “You can’t get between her and Stevie Rae—it’ll cut you down.”

“Darkness?” Neferet’s voice sounded swollen with power. “I’m not using Darkness. I’m using the righteous vengeance of a goddess. Only that could let me break this barrier. Now, Dragon! Show this creature the consequence for standing against my House of Night!”

Stevie Rae groaned again, and dropped to her knees. The green glow vanished. Rephaim was bending over Stevie Rae, so his back was completely exposed and vulnerable to Dragon’s sword.

I raised the hand Stark wasn’t clutching, but what was I going to do? Attack Dragon? To save the Raven Mocker who had killed his mate? I was frozen. I wouldn’t let Dragon hurt Stevie Rae, but he wasn’t attacking her— he was attacking our enemy, an enemy my BFF had Imprinted with. It was like watching one of those slasher movies and waiting for the throat-cutting, dismembering, totally gross carnage to start, only this was for real.

There was a great whooshing sound, like a controlled gale, and Kalona dropped from the sky, landing between his son and Dragon. He had that terrible black spear in his hand, the one he’d materialized in the Otherworld, and with it he deflected the Sword Master’s blow with such force that he knocked Dragon to his knees.

The Sons of Erebus leaped into action. More than a dozen of them rushed to defend their Sword Master. Kalona was a deadly blur, but even he was struggling to handle so many Warriors at once.

“Rephaim! Son!” Kalona called to him. “To me! Defend me!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Stevie Rae

“You can’t kill anyone!” Stevie Rae cried as Rephaim picked up a fallen Son of Erebus’s sword.

He looked at her and whispered, “Force Kalona to go against Neferet’s wishes. It is the only way to end this.” Then he ran to do his father’s bidding.

Force Kalona to go against Neferet? What is Rephaim talking about? Isn’t Kalona under her control? Stevie Rae struggled to stand up, but those terrible black threads had not just sliced through her earth shield, they had also drained her. She felt weak and light-headed and wanted to puke her guts out.

Then Zoey was there, crouching beside her, and Stark was standing guard in front of the two of them, positioning himself between them and the bloody battle between the Sons of Erebus and Kalona and Rephaim. Stevie Rae looked up just in time to see a giant sword materialize in his hand. She grabbed Zoey’s wrist.

“Don’t let Stark hurt Rephaim!” Stevie Rae begged her BFF. Zoey met her eyes. “Please,” she told her. “Please trust me.”

Zoey nodded once, then called to her Warrior. “Don’t hurt Rephaim.”

Stark turned his head, though he didn’t take his eyes from the battle. “I’ll damn sure hurt him if he attacks