Destined

most of the fledglings had somehow meandered their way over to us.

“That can’t be a horse,” Stevie Rae said, and even though we were several yards away from the animal, she actually took a step back.

“Holy shit. It’s a dinosaur,” Aphrodite said.

“I’m pretty sure it’s a horse,” I said, studying her. “But it’s a really, really big one.”

“Oh, a Percheron! She’s exquisite!” Lenobia said.

Everyone stared as petite Lenobia walked up to the huge mare with no hesitation whatsoever. Totally dwarfed by the hulking equine, the Horse Mistress lifted her hand, just slightly. The mare watched her for an instant and then dropped her nose, blowing against Lenobia’s palm. Lenobia, grinning like a girl, caressed the mare’s gigantic muzzle and crooned to her, “Oh, you are indeed a bonnie, bonnie girl.” She looked from the horse to the cowboy. The ice in her voice had totally thawed and I thought she was practically gushing. “I have not seen a Percheron since my voyage from France when I was a girl, and that’s more years ago than I care to admit. There was a matched pair of the big beauties on the ship with me. I’ve remembered them fondly and since have been intrigued by draft horses. She’s a lovely dappled gray. I imagine she’ll continue to lighten as she gets older. I can tell that she’s just turned five a month…” Lenobia paused, cocked her head, and stared into the horse’s eye before continuing. “No, she turned five two months ago. She’s belonged to you for her entire life, hasn’t she?”

I saw Travis blink in surprise. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. He cleared his throat. “Well, yes, ma’am.” He paused and reached up to pat Bonnie’s ginormically thick neck like he needed to anchor himself to something to get his sense back. I knew why he was suddenly so messed up. Everyone who had ever watched Lenobia around horses knew why. When she communed with horses Lenobia changed from really pretty to utterly, totally gorgeous, and she was doing some serious communing with the big mare, so she’d turned the full wattage of her horse adoration onto the cowboy. It wasn’t that he was the intended recipient of her super attractiveness, he was just getting the fallout. But it was some serious fallout.

Travis cleared his throat again, moved his hat around, and then said, “Her momma died right after Bonnie was born—freak lightning strike in the middle of a pasture. I bottle-raised her.”

Lenobia turned her gray eyes on the cowboy. She looked surprised, like she’d forgotten he was there. Her horsey adoration blinked off like she’d thrown a switch. “You did a good job. She’s big, easily over eighteen hands. Well muscled. In excellent condition.” Even though what she said was complimentary, her tone sounded more annoyed than nice. It was only when she glanced up and smiled at the mare that her voice and expression shifted back to adoration and true pleasure. “You are a clever girl, aren’t you?” Lenobia said to Bonnie, who was standing without fidgeting, ears flicking all around, gawking at all of us about as much as we were gawking at her. “And you’re confident enough to be well behaved, even in a curious, new environment.” Lenobia looked from the mare to the cowboy and her expression froze over to cool cordiality. She gave one short, decisive nod. “Well then, that is that. You and Bonnie may follow me. I’ll show you where you’ll be stabling—the both of you.”

Lenobia turned and began striding back across the arena. When she reached the halfway point she stopped and addressed all of us. “Fledglings and vampyres, this is Travis Foster. He’ll be working for me. His mare’s name is Bonnie. Show her the respect she deserves as a fine example of the majestic Percheron breed. Warriors, please note her size and the way she carries herself. Her ancestors were warhorses of old.”

I looked at the cowboy and saw him smile and nod at Lenobia’s comment and pat the big mare affectionately before he threw an equally affectionate look the Horse Mistress’s way. Lenobia didn’t look at him at all. Instead she narrowed her eyes and included the entire group of us in her glare. “And now you can all stop staring and get back to work.” Then Lenobia marched from the arena and into the stables without so much as a glance back at Bonnie and Travis, who followed her like they were moths and she was a super shiny light.

“That has interesting possibilities,” Aphrodite said.

“No kidding, that mare is totally cool looking. I mean, big, but still totally cool,” I said.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. “I’m not talking about the horse, Z.”

I was frowning at Aphrodite when Damien hurried up to us. “Zoey, good, there you are. You need to come back to the main building.”

“You mean after sixth hour? It’s almost over,” I said.

“No, honey. I mean now. Your grandma’s here, and I’m pretty sure she’s been crying.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Zoey

My stomach clenched and I felt like I was gonna puke. “Okay, I’m coming,” I told Damien. “But I’d appreciate it if you would come with me.” When he nodded somberly I looked at Stevie Rae and Aphrodite. “You guys, too. ’Kay?”

“’Course we’ll come with you,” Stevie Rae said.

For once Aphrodite didn’t gripe about Stevie Rae answering for her. She just nodded and said, “I’m in.”

I was turning to look for Stark when he was suddenly there beside me. His hand trailed down my arm until our fingers met and threaded together. “Is it about your mom?”

I didn’t trust my voice, so I just nodded.

“Your momma? I thought Damien said your grandma’s here,” Stevie Rae said.

“He did.” Aphrodite spoke before Damien could. She was studying me with a look that made her appear older (and nicer) than she was. “Is it about your mom?” she asked.

Stark glanced at me and I gave another little nod. Then he said, “Zoey’s mom’s dead.”

“Oh, no!” Damien said, tears instantly coming to his eyes.

“Don’t, okay?” I said quickly. “Let’s not do this here. I don’t want everyone watching me.”

Damien pressed his lips together, blinked hard, and nodded.

“Come on, Z. Let’s all go see your grandmomma.” Stevie Rae went to my other side and put her arm through mine. Aphrodite grabbed Damien’s hand, and they followed us from the arena.

All the way there I tried to get myself ready for what Grandma would tell me. I suppose I’d been trying to get myself ready to hear what Grandma would tell me ever since I woke up from my dream visit to the Otherworld where I witnessed Nyx welcoming my mom’s spirit there. The truth that I realized as I entered the main school building and approached the front lounge was that I’d never be ready to hear this news.

Just before we walked through the final set of doors Stark squeezed my hand. “I’m right here, and I love you.”

“I love you, too, Z,” Stevie Rae said.

“Me, too,” Damien said and then he sobbed just a little.

“You can borrow my two-carat diamond stud earrings,” Aphrodite said.

I stopped and looked back at her. “Huh?”

She shrugged. “That’s as close to a declaration of love as you’re gonna get from me.”

I heard Stevie Rae expel a huge sigh and Damien’s forehead squidged as he looked disbelievingly at her.

But I simply said, “Thanks. I’ll take you up on it,” which made Aphrodite frown and mumble, “Goddess, I hate being nice.”

I untangled myself from Stevie Rae and Stark and pushed open the double doors. Grandma was alone in the room and sitting in a wide leather chair. Damien had been right; Grandma had been crying. She looked old and very, very sad. As soon as she saw me she stood up. We met in the middle of the room and clung to each other. When she finally stopped hugging me, Grandma stepped back just far enough to look into my face. She kept her hands on my shoulders. They felt warm and solid and familiar, and somehow that touch made the knot in my stomach bearable.

“Mom’s dead.” I had to say it before she did.

Grandma didn’t look surprised that I’d known. She just nodded and said, “Yes, u-we-tsi-a-ge- ya. Your mother is dead. Did her spirit come to you?”

“In a way. Last night, while I was asleep, Nyx showed me Mom entering the Otherworld.”