Zoey

Sunday sucked as bad as Saturday had. Later I looked back and realized that when Erin and Shaunee split was when the whole thing started to unravel. It was weird what the two of them not speaking did to the rest of us. It was like them being pissed at each other unbalanced everyone.

"I don't know about you, but the brain-sharers are driving me crazy."

Aphrodite plopped down beside me where I was sitting on the curb that edged the old circle driveway entrance to the depot. I sighed and thought so much for taking a second and trying to be by myself. I scooted over to give her more room.

"Yeah, I know. It's weird them not always being together, and now Shaunee looks like she's ready to burst into tears all the time and Erin's all silent and pouting. It's super crazy down there."

"Fire and ice," Aphrodite mumbled.

My brows shot up. "You know, you may be right."

"I do not know when you're going to get a fucking clue and realize that I'm right mostly all the time. " Aphrodite pulled a little jeweled emery board from her Coach purse and started to file her nails. "I don't know what else that damn stupid poem means, but part of it is definitely about the brain-sharers."

"Why are you filing your nails?"

She shot me a WTF look. "Because this stupid town doesn't have enough all-night spas. Well, except for the scary ones and I just want my nails done, not my vagina. I don't want the HIV either, for that matter."

"Aphrodite, you make no sense at all sometimes."

"You are welcome for broadening your horizons. Anyway, as I was saying, what are you going to do about Tweedledee and Tweedledumber?"

"Uh, nothing. They're girlfriends. Sometimes girlfriends get mad at each other. They're gonna have to figure out a way to make up by themselves."

"Seriously? That's all you have?"

"Well, Aphrodite, what the hell do you expect me to do?"

"Did you just curse? Isn't 'hell '"-she air quoted-"a curse word?"

"How 'bout you go straight there and see?" I narrowed my eyes at her. "And for the zill ionth time- there's nothing wrong with not having a potty mouth! "

"Yelling and cursing. Next thing I know snowballs will be flying through H E double toothpicks."

"You. Are. Hateful," I said.

"Thank you. But seriously. What are you going to do about the Twins?"

"Give them space!" I didn't mean to shout but the echo off the stone building told me otherwise. I took a deep breath and tried to stop feeling like I wanted to smother Aphrodite. "I can't be responsible every time one of my friends has issues with another of my friends. That doesn't even make sense."

"It's in a stupid but prophetic poem," she said, filing her nails.

"I still don't see how that makes me-"

I shut up as a big black Lincoln Town Car pulled through the circle entrance and stopped in front of Aphrodite and me. While we watched with unattractively open mouths, a Son of Erebus Warrior got out of the driver's seat, ignored us completely, and opened the back door of the car.

Long and lean and dressed in dark blue velvet, Thanatos took the Warrior's hand and gracefully emerged. She smiled at us and nodded acknowledgment when we bowed to her, but her attention was clearly on the depot building.

"What a lovely example of 1930s Art Deco workmanship," she said, her gaze taking in the scope of the front of the depot. "I mourned the passing of rail travel. When it finally matured it was a wonderfully relaxing way to move across this great country. Actually, it still is today. Sad that there are so few modern rail routes from which to choose. You should have visited a depot in the forties-tragedy, hope, despair, and courage all concentrated into one vibrant, living space." She continued to gaze lovingly at the old building. "Not like the horrid airports of today. They've been bleached of all romance and soul and life, especially since the tragedy of nine-eleven. So sad ... so sad..."

"Uh, Thanatos, can I help you with something?" I finally asked after it became obvious that she was going to stand like, forever, and just stare at the depot.

She motioned for the Warrior to get back in the car. "Wait for me across the street in the parking garage. I will be along shortly." He bowed to her and drove away. She faced Aphrodite and me. "Ladies, I believe it is time for a change."

"A change of what?" I asked.

"Apparently a change of our entrance," Aphrodite said dryly. "Kalona came up here. Thanatos is up here. We need to put out some kind of welcome mat 'cause the whole enter-through-the-nappy basement thing is not working for us."

"Strangely put, but I think true," Thanatos said. "Which is one reason why I have, in the name of the Vampyre High Council, purchased this building for you."

I blinked in surprise and tried to formulate an appropriate response when Aphrodite said, "I hope that means renovation."

"It does," Thanatos said.

"Wait," I said. "We're not a House of Night. Why would the High Council get involved in where we're living?"

"Because we're special and cool and they don't want us to exist in a dirty hovel," Aphrodite said.

"Or because they want to control where we live and what we do," I said.

Thanatos raised her brows. "You speak with the command of a High Priestess."

"I'm not really one," I assured her. "I'm still a fledgling. Stevie Rae is the High Priestess here."

"And where is she?"

"She's with Rephaim. It'll be light soon and she likes to be with him before he changes into a bird," I said bluntly.

"And what are you?"

I frowned. "You know as much as I do about what I am. You know Stark was gifted with a Guardian Sword in the Otherworld, which means that to some extent I'm a Queen because he's my Warrior and Guardian."

"Why all the questions? I thought you were on our side," Aphrodite said.

"I'm on the side of truth," Thanatos said.

"You know Neferet is a lying bitch," Aphrodite said. "We told you that on San Clemente Island when Z was in LaLa Land."

"She means the Otherworld." I rolled my eyes at Aphrodite.

"Yeah, right, the Otherworld. Whatever," she said. "But we told you the real deal about Neferet then, and you acted like you believed us. You even helped us figure out the Skye stuff with Stark. So, what's up with you now?"

There was a super big pause, which meant there was time enough for me to wonder if Aphrodite and I had gone too far. I mean, Thanatos was a powerful, ancient vampyre, a member of the High Council whose Goddess-given affinity was death. It probably was a bad idea to question her, let alone piss her off.

"I believe what you told me when Zoey's soul was shattered was what you, all of you, thought was the truth," Thanatos finally said.

"I'm back, and we're not in Italy, but the truth hasn't changed. Neferet hasn't changed," I said.

"And yet she insists that she has been forgiven by Nyx who gifted her with Aurox as a sign of divine favor," Thanatos said.

"That's bull poopie," I said. "Neferet hasn't changed and Aurox is no gift from Nyx."

"I do believe Neferet is hiding a truth," Thanatos said.

"That's one way of putting it," I said.

"But not the way we'd put it," Aphrodite said.

"We don't mean to be disrespectful," I added. "It's just that we've faced off against Neferet for a while now, and we've seen things that she's been careful to keep from the High Council and, really, most vampyres in general."

"But when we try to out her no one believes us because we're kids," Aphrodite said. "And a messed-up group of reject kids at that." I raised my brows at Aphrodite and she amended, "Well, not me. I'm talking about the rest of you guys."

"That is part of the reason I'm here," Thanatos said. "To be the eyes and ears of the High Council."

"So, what exactly does it mean that the High Council has bought this building?" I asked.

"Hopefully it means I can give my mom's gold card a rest and some of us-as in those who don't need to crawl into a coffin when the sun rises-

can have decent rooms up here once this building is renovated," Aphrodite said.

"It does mean that. It also means that this could become a legitimate House of Night on its own, without any ties to the original Tulsa House of Night," Thanatos explained. "The Council believes it might be wise to have a red fledgling House of Night that remains, for the most part, separate from the original."

"Okay, no. That's exactly why BA hasn't built two high schools. It'd be just too much rivalry in one district," I said. "Hating on Union and Jenks is good enough for us-and BA needs to do that with a combined front."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Aphrodite asked.

"Broken Arrow-Union-Jenks," I said. "High schools. Too many in one town just sucks."

"Were you student council president or did you hold some other socially unacceptable position? Tulsa has like a zill ion high schools and hell has not frozen over yet," Aphrodite said. "Having too many bussed kids to one school is just moronic and allows the white trash to slither in. Ugh. Just ugh."

Thankfully, Thanatos stepped between the two of us. "Human teenage standards have never governed vampyre fledgling law. Tulsa is a middle point in the nation. It could definitely support a second House of Night. Our numbers are growing, especially with the inrush of the red fledglings, which have been discovered in other areas as well as here."

"There are other red fledglings? I mean, besides just ours?" I said.

"Yes."

"But have any been Marked red, or have they all died and then un-died and turned red?" Aphrodite asked before I could give her a shut up look.

"Yours is the only red fledgling on record to date as having been Marked red," Thanatos said.

"So you know about Shaylin?" I asked, holding my breath.

"Yes. Neferet announced that she was blind before she had been Marked, and that now she has sight. She extrapolated that the poor child was broken, so she didn't need to die to receive the red Markings."

I wanted to stand up for Shaylin and say she wasn't broken, that she was special, but my gut told me to continue to keep my mouth shut about her True Sight.

"Zoey, there is no reason to hide anything from someone who is seeking the truth, unless you prefer lies and deceit," Thanatos surprised me by saying.

I met her gaze. "I don't prefer lies and deceit, but one big thing Neferet has taught me is to be careful about who I trust." And then, because my gut continued to talk to me I said the rest of what was on my mind. "I hear Neferet has a new Consort. Have you heard anything about that?"

"I have not. Zoey, are you confusing Aurox for her Consort? Whether he is or is not a gift from Nyx, Neferet has given no indication that she is romantically involved with him; he seems simply her servant."

"I'm not talking about Aurox," I kept on, even though just saying his name made my stomach feel weird. "I'm talking about the white bull." Thanatos looked absolutely and utterly shocked. "Zoey, the worship of the white and black bulls is an ancient one, and its popularity died out centuries ago. I only have a rudimentary understanding of that religion and its past, but I can tell you that no Priestess of Nyx has ever given herself to the white bull. What you are saying would be an abomination, and it is a grave accusation." As she spoke Thanatos had become paler and paler, until finally she was so disturbed that the air around her lifted her hair and blew with agitated little gusts.

An air affinity as well as an affinity for death-that's interesting, I thought. "I'm not accusing," I said aloud. "I'm just asking you if you've heard anything about it."

"No! The High Council, as well as the vampyre community, believe Kalona, the creature Neferet convinced was Erebus on Earth, was and still is her Consort, though he has been banished from her side for one hundred years." Aphrodite snorted. "That's bullshit. He was here with her because he thought she had control of his soul. Something got messed up, though, in the Land of the Crazy and Neferet lost control of Kalona." I thought she was going to blurt the rest of the news about Kalona hanging around wanting to truce with us to destroy Neferet, but instead Aphrodite said something smarter. "Uh, would you answer a quick question for me?" Looking shell-shocked, Thanatos nodded.

"Okay, let's say Aurox isn't a gift from Nyx and is instead, I dunno, say, something super evil the white bull and Neferet cooked up together because they're being way inappropriate. What kind of cooking would create something like him?"

"A great sacrifice," Thanatos said.

"You mean Neferet would have to have killed someone specifically for the creation of Aurox?" Aphrodite asked.

"Yes, though I shudder at the thought of such psychopathic behavior."

"Yeah, so do we," Aphrodite said, meeting my eyes with a sad, but knowing look. "Too many people around us have died recently."

"Yeah," I echoed, feeling super sick. "Too many."

Aurox

The girl's attention came as a surprise. He was going on his nightly rounds, as per Neferet's standing command, especially assuring no Raven Mockers breached the boundary of the House of Night, when he passed close by the female dormitory building. She was standing under one of the big trees and as he drew close, she stepped directly into his path.

"Hi there." Her smile was silky. "I'm Becca. We haven't met yet, but I've been checking you out."

"hello, Becca." Curious, he allowed her to halt him. She wasn't beautiful or unusual as were some of the other fledglings, as was Zoey, his mind whispered, but he shied away from the thought. This Becca fledgling had an all ure about her, and her body language, how she cocked her hip and tossed back her long blond hair, said she found him pleasing. "I am Aurox."

She laughed and licked her slick pink lips. "Yeah, I know who you are. Like I said, I've been checking you out."

"And what is it you have learned from checking me out?" He repeated her words.

She stepped closer to him and tossed back her hair again. "That you can handle yourself in a fight, and that's a good thing these days." She touched him then, drawing a pink painted fingernail down his chest, and that is when her emotions hit him. He could feel her desire. It was mixed with desperation and a little meanness as well. Aurox breathed deeply, inhaling the intoxicating scent of lust tinged with cruelty. A shudder of anticipation went through him as the power within began to build.

"Oooh, you're hard." Becca laughed softly, moving even closer. "Your muscles, I mean." Her desire amplified as her breasts rubbed against his chest while she leaned in to him, licked his neck, and then bit him-not hard enough to draw blood, but also not gently enough to be purely playful.

It pleased the bull within him, and the creature stirred.

"Do you like pain?" Aurox asked as he ran his hands roughly down her back. Then he dipped his head so that his teeth found the soft curve of her neck. He bit, purposefully drawing blood, though he cared less than nothing for the taste of her. "Do you like pain?" He repeated the question with her blood in his mouth, even though he could feel the answer in the rush of lust that shuddered through her.

"I like it all," Becca moaned. "Come on. Let me take a little taste. Be my Consort-be my man." Aurox didn't think to stop her. He didn't think at all. He only felt: lust intensified by a mean, desperate spirit. Aurox let it take him over. He ground against her, closed his eyes, and gave himself to her saying words that came from deep within his subconscious-that were so instinctive and automatic that thinking and understanding had nothing to do with them. "Yes, Zo. Bite me."

"You asshole! Zoey? I'll show you some shit that will make Zoey Redbird look tame." Becca bit him. Hard. He felt the sharp pain and the warmth of his pooling blood. Then her mouth pressed against the fresh wound on his neck-but only for an instant. He felt the change in her as soon as she tasted his blood. Her anger and lust dissipated, and was replaced by raw fear.

"Oh, Goddess! No, that's not right!" Becca tried to pull away from him, but Aurox lifted her, took two strides, and backed her against the tree.

"Wait, no!" Becca insisted, trying to keep her voice steady even though her fear washed over and through him, feeding him, changing him. "Stop!

You don't taste right!"

The creature within him pulsed and flexed, questing to be freed to pill age and tear. He snorted and the bull echoed within the sound.

"Seriously, stop! I don't want to be with someone who's all into Zoey!"

Zoey ...

The name echoed within him, extinguishing the bull as water on fire.

"What's going on here?"

At the sound of Dragon Lankford's voice, Aurox stepped back, releasing Becca. The girl slumped against the tree and stared fearfully up at Aurox.

"Aurox? Becca? Is there a problem between you two?" Dragon asked.

"No, only a slight misunderstanding. I believed the fledgling understood what it was she desired," Aurox said, facing the Sword Master and ignoring Becca. "I was incorrect."

She scurried out from the tree and moved to put Dragon between herself and him-her fear quickly replaced by confidence and anger. "I know what I don't want, and that's yet another guy who's hung up on Zoey Redbird. Here's hoping you have a thing for standing in line, 'cause there's a whole list of guys who got there before you."

"Becca, there is no reason to be crude. You know vampyres believe in freedom to choose and mutual desire. If the desire is not mutual, then choose to walk away gracefully," Dragon said firmly.

"Sounds good to me," Becca said to Dragon and then sneered in Aurox's direction. "Good f-ing bye to you, jerk." She stomped away.

"Aurox," Dragon began slowly. "Vampyre society is open to the many different roads that lead to desire and the fulfillment of passion, but you need to know that some of those roads should not be taken unless there is clear consent from all involved and a certain, deeper level of experience." Dragon's sigh made him sound old and tired. "Do you understand what it is I'm trying to explain to you?"

"I do," Aurox said. "The fledgling, Becca, has a mean spirit."

"Does she? I suppose I haven't noticed."

"I do not believe Zoey Redbird has a mean spirit," he said.

Dragon's brows lifted. "No, I do not believe she does, either. You do know that Neferet and Zoey don't get along, don't you?" Aurox met his gaze. "They are enemies."

Dragon's gaze did not waver. "You could describe them as such, yes, though I wish circumstances were otherwise."

"You are not a foll ower of Neferet's," Aurox said.

The Sword Master's expression froze and his tired but open countenance shut down. "I follow myself and no one else."

"Not Nyx?"

"I won't stand against the Goddess, but I also won't stand for anyone except myself. The dragon is the only path left to me." Aurox studied him. His emotions were veiled. The vampyre gave off nothing-not anger, not despair, not fear. Nothing. It was a puzzlement.

Perhaps it was that puzzlement that had him speaking of the mystery within himself. "I said Zoey's name instead of Becca's." Dragon's brows went up again, and his expression said he was mildly amused. "Well, Aurox, women-mean-spirited or not-do not like it when you're with one of them and speak another's name."

"But I do not know why I did it."

Dragon shrugged. "Zoey must have been on your mind."

"I did not realize it."

"Sometimes we don't."

"So, it is normal?" Aurox asked.

"Over more than one hundred years the one consistent thing I have found is that there really is no normal when it comes to women," Dragon said.

"Sword Master, may I ask a favor of you?"

"You may," he said.

"Do not repeat any of what happened here tonight to Neferet."

"I keep my own counsel, boy. You should remember to keep yours, too." The Sword Master clapped him on the shoulder and walked away, leaving Aurox confused, troubled, and as always, alone.