Awakened

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Neferet

Her body ached, but Neferet didn’t mind. The truth was, she enjoyed the pain. She drew in a deep breath, automatically pulling to her the remnants of the white bull’s power that slithered in the shadows forming in the gloaming of predawn. Darkness strengthened her. Neferet ignored the gore that covered her skin. She stood.

The bull had left her on the balcony of her penthouse suite. Kalona was not within. But that mattered little to her. She didn’t want him anymore because after tonight she wouldn’t need him.

Neferet faced north, the direction allied with the element earth. She raised her arms and began weaving her fingers through the air, combing invisible, powerful, ancient threads of magick and Darkness. Then, in a voice devoid of all emotion, Neferet spoke the incantation as the bull had instructed her.

From earth and blood you have been born

A pact with Darkness I have sworn

Filled with power you’ll hear only my voice

Your life is mine; you have no choice

Complete the bull’s pledge this night

And always, always revel in his terrible Dark light!

The Tsi Sgili flung the inferno of Darkness that had swarmed to her hands down before her. It hit the stone balcony floor and pillar-like erupted up, swirling, writhing, changing …

Neferet watched, mesmerized, as the Vessel took form, its body coalescing from the pillar of brilliance that reminded her so much of the white bull’s pearl-colored coat. Finally it stood there—he stood before her. Neferet shook her head in wonder.

He was beautiful, an utterly gorgeous young male. Tall, and strong, and perfectly formed. The average person would see no hint of Darkness about him. The skin that covered his mighty muscles was smooth and blemish-free. His hair was long and thick and the blond of summer wheat. His features were perfect—he was flawless in his façade.

“Kneel to me, and I will give you your name.”

The Vessel obeyed instantly, dropping to one knee before her.

Neferet smiled and put her blood-spattered hand on the top of his silky blond head. “I shall call you Aurox, after the ancient bulls of old.”

“Yes, mistress. I am Aurox,” the Vessel said.

Neferet began to laugh and laugh and laugh, not caring that hysteria and madness tinged her voice, not caring that she left Aurox kneeling on the stone rooftop awaiting her next command, and not caring that as she walked away the Vessel watched her with eyes that glistened and glowed with an ancient, special light like moonstones illuminated from within …

Zoey

“Yeah, I know Nyx forgave him and turned him into a kid. Kinda, ’cause I don’t know about you, but I don’t know any other kid who turns into a bird during the day.” Stark sounded super tired, but not super tired enough to stop worrying.

“That’s his consequence for all the bad stuff he’s done,” I told Stark, curling up against him and trying to ignore the Jessica Alba poster on the wall. Stark and I had taken over Dallas’s room in the tunnels under the depot. I’d done some elemental zapping, and everyone had done a lot of good old-fashioned cleaning. We still had quite a way to go, but at least the place was habitable and a Neferet-Free Zone.

“Right, but it’s still weird that up until just a little while ago he was Kalona’s favorite son, and a Raven Mocker,” Stark continued.

“Hey, I’m not disagreeing with you. It’s weird for me, too, but I trust Stevie Rae and she loves him.” I squinched up my face, making Stark smile. “Even before he got rid of that beak and those feathers. Jeesh, eew. I gotta get the whole story from her.” I paused, thinking. “I wonder what’s happening right now between them.”

“Not much. The sun just came up. He’s a bird. Hey, did Stevie Rae say she was going to put him in a cage, or what?”

I smacked him. “She didn’t say anything like that and you know it!”

“Makes sense to me.” Stark yawned hugely. “But whatever she does, you’ll have to wait till sunset to hear about it.”

“Past your bedtime, little boy?” I asked, grinning up at him.

“Little boy? Are you sassing me, girl?”

“Sassing?” I giggled. “Yeah, of course. Heehees!”

“Come here, wumman!”

Stark started to tickle me like crazy and I tried to retaliate by pulling the hairs on his arms. He yelped (like a little girl) and then the whole thing turned into a wrestling match where I, somehow, ended up being pinned.

“Do you give?” Stark asked me. With one hand he had both of my wrists and was holding my arms over my head, tickling my ear with his panting breath.

“No way; you’re not the boss of me.” I struggled (futilely). Okay, so I admit I didn’t struggle very hard. I mean, he was pressed against me and totally not hurting me—like Stark would ever hurt me—and he was super hot, and I loved him. “Actually, I’m going easy on you. All I have to do is call my mega cool element powers and your cute butt will be kicked.”

“Cute, huh? You think my butt is cute?”

“Maybe,” I told him, trying not to smile. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t call the elements to kick it.”

“Well then I better keep your mouth busy so you can’t do that,” he said.

When he started kissing me I thought about what a strange and wonderful thing it was that something so simple, just a kiss, could make me feel so much. His lips against mine were soft, and an amazing contrast to his hard body. As he kept kissing me I quit thinking about how wonderful it was because he made me stop thinking. All I did was feel: his body, my body, our pleasure.

So I hadn’t really been thinking about the fact that he was still holding my arms by my wrists, trapped over my head. I didn’t think about it when his free hand slid up the extra-large Superman T-shirt I was using as pj’s. I still didn’t think about it when his hand moved from under my shirt to the top of my panties. I only started to think about it when his kiss changed. It went from soft and deep to hard. Too hard. It was like he’d suddenly become starving, and I was the meal that ended his famine.

I tried to pull my wrists from his hand, but his grip was solid.

I turned my head and his lips left my mouth to make a hot trail down my neck. I was trying to get my head together—trying to figure out what was bothering me so much—when he bit me. Hard.

The bite wasn’t like before, like our first time on Skye. Then it had been something we’d shared. Something we both had wanted. This time he was rough and possessive and it was definitely not something we were sharing.

“Ouch!” I jerked my wrists and managed to break one hand free of his hold. With it I shoved at his shoulder. “Stark, that hurt.”

He moaned and ground his body against me, like I hadn’t spoken or pushed him. I felt his teeth against my skin again and this time I yelled and, with my emotions as well as my body I shoved harder at him—channeling lots of Seriously! You’re hurting me!

He lifted himself up on his elbows and his gaze met mine. For a flash that lasted less than a second, I saw something within his eyes that made my soul shiver. I flinched back, Stark blinked, and looked at me with a total question mark that turned into shock. Instantly he let go of my wrist.

“Shit! I’m so sorry, Zoey. Jesus, I’m sorry! Are you hurt?”

He was patting my body down a little frantically and I batted away his hands, frowning at him. “What do you mean, am I hurt? What the heck’s wrong with you? That was way too rough.”

Stark wiped a hand down his face. “I didn’t realize—I don’t know why—” He broke off, took a deep breath, and started again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was hurting you.”

“You bit me.”