That unpuffed Heath. Look, Im not putting her in danger by coming here. I just wanted to be sure she was okay. I tried to call a couple of times, but cell service is messed up.
Heath, its not me being in danger by you being here that Im worried about. Its you being in danger, I said, giving Erik a hard you-should-shut-up-now look.
Yeah, I already know about those nasty fledgling kids who tried to chomp on me last time we were here. I dont remember real well everything that happened, but I remembered enough to bring this. He reached into the pocket of his camo Carhartt and came out with a dangerous-looking black, snubbed-nose gun. Its my dads, he said proudly. I even have extra clips of ammo with me. I figured if they tried to eat me again, I could shoot whatever you couldnt zap.
Heath, do not tell me youre carrying a loaded gun in your pocket, I said.
Zo, I have the safety on and the first bullet in the clip is empty. Im not a total moron.
Erik snorted sarcastically. Heath narrowed his eyes at him.
I spoke quickly into the testosterone-filled air before they started banging on their chests. The fledglings dont eat people anymore, Heath, so youre not going to have to shoot anyone. When I said I was worried about you being safe, I meant because of the Raven Mockers.
And she answered your question. Now whats this about gang stuff going on?
Heath shrugged. Its all over the news. Course, the electricity keeps going out and the stupid cable has been knocked out all day, along with the cell service being sucky. But they say that some gang went nuts last night about midnight, some kind of New Years initiation thing. Chera Kimiko on Fox News called it a bloodbath. Cops were late in responding cause of the storm. Some people were killed in midtown, which is freaking everyone cause midtown isnt exactly gang central, so a bunch of rich white folks have lost their minds. Last time I watched the news they were yelling about calling in the National Guard, even though the cops are saying everything is under control. He paused and I could practically see the wheels in his head turning. Hey, midtown! Thats where the House of Night is. Heath looked from me to Erik and then back to me. So it wasnt gang bullshit. It was those raven thingies.
Brilliant, Erik muttered.
Yes, it was really the Raven Mockers. They started the attack when we were escaping from the House of Night, I said before he and Erik could snipe at each other again. The news didnt say anything at all about weird creatures attacking people?
Nope. They said a gang attacked people. Killed some of them by slitting their throats. Is that what those Raven Mockers do?
I remembered how one had attacked me at the House of Night, almost making one of Aphrodites two death visions for me come true by trying to cut my throatand that was before they got their physical bodies all the way back. I shivered. Yeah, that seems to be what they do, but I really dont know much about them. Grandma knows more, but they made her get in a car accident.
Ah, Zo, Grandma was in an accident? Damn! Im so sorry. Is she gonna be okay? Heath was genuinely upset. He was a big favorite of Grandmas and had gone out to her lavender farm with me more times than I could count.
Shes going to be okay. She has to be, I said firmly. The Benedictine nuns are taking care of her in the basement under their abbey over there at Lewis and Twenty-first.
Basement? Nuns? Huh? Shouldnt she be in the hospital?
She was before Kalona rose and the Raven Mockers got their nasty part-human, part-bird bodies back.
His face squidged up. Part human, part bird? That sounds creepy.
Its worse than you can imagine, and theyre big, too. And mean. Okay, Heath, you have to listen to me. Kalona is an immortal, a fallen angel.
By fallen you mean that hes not a good guy anymore and doesnt float around with wings playing a harp?
He has wings. Big black ones, Erik said. But hes not a good guy, and everything we know about him says hes always been evil.
No, he hasnt. Okay, my mouth said that, but I really hadnt meant it to.
Both guys gawked at me. I smiled nervously.
Well, uh, according to my grandma, Kalona used to be an angel, so I guess I just figured that he used to be a good guy. I mean, a long time ago.
I think we should just assume hes evil. Totally evil, Erik said.
A bunch of people were hurt last night. I dont know how many killed, but it was bad. If this Kalona guy is behind it, Id say hes evil, Heath said.
Okay, yeah, well, you guys are probably right, I said. What the hell was the matter with me? I knew better than just about anyone how evil Kalona was! Id felt his dark power. I knew Neferet was all mixed up with him, so mixed up with him that shed decided to turn her back on Nyx. Okay, all of that definitely spelled E-V-I-L.
Hang on. I almost forgot about this. Erik hurried back to his chair and Heath and I followed him. From the shadow beside it, he pulled out the ginormic boom box radio-cassette-CD monstrosity. Let me see if I can get anything in. He messed with the enormous silver knobs, and pretty soon a very staticky Channel 8 came on. The announcer was being all serious and talking quickly.
To repeat our special report on the gang violence in midtown Tulsa last night, Tulsa P.D. reiterates that the city is safe and the problem under control. To quote the chief of police, It was an initiation ritual by a new gang that calls itself Mockers. Leaders of the gang have been arrested and the streets of midtown Tulsa are, once again, safe for our citizens. The newsman continued,
We have one more community announcement: All House of Night staff and students have been recalled to the school due to the impending weather. Again, all House of Night staff and students have been asked to return to school. Stay tuned for updates. We return you to our scheduled programming.
There was no gang in midtown last night, I said. Thats the most ridiculous thing Ive ever heard!
She fixed it. She manipulated the press and probably the public, too, Erik said, looking grim.
Is the she that High Priestess who messed with my mind? Heath asked me.
No, Erik said.
Yes, I said at the same time. I frowned at Erik. He needs to know the truth to protect himself.
The less he knows, the better it is for him, Erik insisted.
No, see, thats what I thought before, and thats why everyone was so mad at me. Thats also why I made some major mistakes. I looked from Erik to Heath. If I hadnt kept so many secrets and had trusted my friends to handle themselves, I might have talked more and messed up less.
Erik sighed. Okay, I see your point. He looked at Heath. Her name is Neferet. Shes the High Priestess at the House of Night. Shes powerful. Very powerful. And shes psychic.
Yeah, I already know she can do stuff with her mind. Thats how she messed with me. She made me forget chunks of things that happened. Ive just started to remember them.
Does it make your head hurt? I asked him, remembering the pain Id had to work through when Id broken the memory blocks Neferet had put in my mind.
Yeah. It hurts, but its getting a lot better. He smiled his familiar, forgiving smile and my heart squeezed.
Neferet is also some kind of queen for Kalona, Erik continued.
So shes bad news all the way around, Heath said.
Bad news and dangerous. Dont forget that, I said. Also, Kalona cant stand to be underground. He couldnt before he was imprisoned in the earth by Cherokee women, and now that hes escaped, my guess is hes going to be even leerier of the earth. So remember, youre safe underground.
What about the Raven Mockers?
I shook my head. We just dont know. None have come down here, but that doesnt mean much. I thought about the darkness in the tunnels below and the bad feeling it was giving me, but I didnt know what the hell it actually was: Red fledglings? Raven Mockers? Some other faceless thing that Kalona was sending against us? Or was it as simple as my imagination? The only thing I knew for sure was that Id sound like an idiot crying wolf if I babbled a bunch of maybes, which meant, for the time being, I kept my mouth shut.
Well, its Saturday, but we dont have school because its still winter break until Wednesday, and if this ice storm hits as hard as they say its going to, we might be out for the whole week, Heath was saying. It should be easy to keep safe, even if the Raven Mockers attack again and their attack moves from midtown Tulsa to Broken Arrow.
My stomach felt hollow. And they might. Neferet knows Im from Broken Arrow, and she knows there are still people I care about there.
So she might send the Raven Mockers to Broken Arrow just to mess you up? Heath said.
I nodded. Especially when my group and I ignore the call to return to school.
But wait, Zo. You have to be at school around a bunch of vamps or you and all the rest of the fledglings will get sick, right?
Im here, Erik spoke up. And so is another full vampyre. Not to mention Stevie Rae.
Isnt she all gross and undead? Heath said.
Not anymore, I said. Shes Changed into a different kind of vamp, one with red tattoos. And all of the gross fledglings that tried to eat youwell, theyre red fledglings now, and arent so gross.
Huh, Heath said. Well, Im glad your BFFs okay.
Me, too. I smiled.
So are three adult vamps enough to keep you guys from getting sick? Heath asked.
Well have to be. Heath, you need to go, Erik said abruptly.
Heath and I looked at him. I realized Id been grinning a lot at Heath and really liking that he and I were talking again.
The ice storm, Erik continued. Its not smart for him to get stuck here, and thats whats going to happen if hes still here when the sun sets. Erik paused and then said, Which is going to happen in about half an hour. How long did it take you to get from Broken Arrow to here?
Heath frowned. Almost two hours. The roads are bad.
It should have only taken him about thirty minutes to get from his place to the depot. Erik was right. Heath had to go home. Not only were we clueless about how much danger we might be in from Kalona, but I wasnt one hundred percent sure Heath would be safe around the red fledglings. Besides my questions about them, the truth was no matter what they were or werent now, Heath was one hundred percent human, with lots of yummy, fresh, warm, sexy, pumping blood (I ignored the fact that my mouth was watering just thinking about it), and I had no idea about their willpower limits.
Eriks right, Heath. You cant get stuck outside tonight, especially this close to midtown. Besides the ice, we dont know whats up with the Raven Mockers.
Heath looked at me like he and I were completely alone. Youre worried about me.
My throat felt dry. This was so not a conversation I wanted to have in front of Erik. Of course I worry about you. Weve been friends a long time. I could feel Eriks eyes on me. I forced myself not to fidget guiltily and added, Friends worry about friends.
Heaths smile was slow and intimate. Friends. Right.
Time for you to go. Erik sounded pissed.
Without looking at Erik, Heath said, Ill go when Zo tells me to.
Its time for you to go, Heath, I said quickly.
Heaths eyes stayed locked with mine for several heartbeats. Fine. Whatever, he said. Then he turned to Erik. So youre a real vamp now, huh?
Yes.
Heath looked him up and down. The two guys were close to the same height. Erik was taller, but Heath was the more muscular of the two. Still, both guys looked like they could handle themselves in a fight. I felt myself tense. Was Heath going to throw a punch at Erik?
People say male vamps are big into protecting their priestesses. Is that right?
Thats right, Erik said.
Good. Then I expect you to be sure Zoey stays safe.
Nothings going to happen to her as long as Im alive, Erik said.
Make sure it doesnt. Heaths voice had lost the charming, easygoing tone with which he usually spoke. It had gone hard and dangerous. Because if you let anything happen to her, Im going to find you, and vampyre or no vampyre, I am going to kick your ass.
CHAPTER 11
I moved quickly, putting myself between the two of them. Stop it! I shouted. I have way too much to worry about right now to also have to pull you two off each other. Jeesh, talk about immature. Both guys kept glaring at each other over my head. I said, stop it! And I smacked their chests. That made them blink and shift their attention to me. Now it was my turn to do the glaring. You know, you two are ridiculous with your puffing up and your testosterone and crap. I mean, I could summon the elements and kick both of your butts.
Heath shuffled his feet and looked embarrassed. Then he grinned at me, like a cute little boy whose mommy had just yelled at him. Sorry, Zo. I forget you have some major mojo going on.
Yeah, sorry, Erik said. I know I dont have anything to worry about with you and him. And he finished with a smirk at Heath.
Heath looked at me like he expected me to say something like well, actually you need to worry way too much, Erik, because I still like Heath, but I didnt. I couldnt. No matter what was going on between Erik and me, Heath was part of my old world, and he fit better in my past than in my present or future. Heath being one hundred percent human meant he was one hundred percent more vulnerable to being seriously hurt if something attacked us.
Okay, Im out of here, Heath said into the awkward silence. He spun around and started to walk toward the door to the outside and was almost there when he paused and looked back at me. But first I really do need to talk to you, Zo. Alone.
Im not going anywhere, Erik said.
No one asked you to, Heath said. Zo, would you come outside with me for a minute?
Hell no, Erik said, moving toward me possessively. Shes not going anywhere with you.
I was frowning up at Erik, about to tell him that he really wasnt the boss of me, when he did something that totally, utterly, and completely pissed me off. He actually grabbed my wrist and jerked me toward him, even though I hadnt taken one step to follow Heath.