Tempted (31 page)

“This is definitely where Kalona was in one of my other dreams. Actually, we were on this bench, right there.” I pointed to the picture.

Aphrodite suddenly detached herself from Darius and came to peer over my shoulder. “Damn it! I should have recognized this place. I swear making me human has moroned me.”

“Aphrodite, what is it?” Stark asked, stepping close to me.

“It’s the palace she saw in the second vision she had of my death,” I answered for her. I sighed. “I know this is going to sound stupid, but until now I forgot. I mean, I remember realizing in my dream that it could be the place you’d described where I’d drowned, but when I woke up . . . well . . .” I paused and met Stark’s eyes. “I woke up and I got distracted.” I saw the realization pass through his eyes as he understood he’d been the one to wake me up from the dream—the first time he’d slept with me—when he was just beginning to choose good over evil. “Plus,” I added hastily, “you saw me drowning because I was all alone. That was when everyone was mad at me. I’m not alone anymore, so that vision won’t come true.” I looked from Stark to Aphrodite when she didn’t say anything, and saw that she was staring at Stark.

“You weren’t completely alone in the second death vision I had of you,” Aphrodite said slowly. “I got a glimpse of Stark’s face right before you were killed. He was there.”

“What! That’s bullshit! I’d never let her get hurt,” Stark practically exploded.

“I didn’t say you were responsible. I just said you were there,” Aphrodite said coldly.

“What else did you see?” Heath asked, sitting straight up and looking as warriorlike as Stark ever had.

“Aphrodite had two visions of Zoey being killed,” Damien spoke up. “In one she was decapitated by a Raven Mocker.”

“That almost happened!” Heath blurted. “I was there. She still has the scar.”

“The point is my head
wasn’t
cut off. And now that my brain is working, we’ll be sure I don’t drown. And Aphrodite didn’t see much in either vision.”

“But you’re sure the second death vision happened on San Clemente Island at the site of the High Council?” Lenobia asked.

Aphrodite pointed at the book that was still open on my lap. “There. That’s the palace I saw when she was dying.”

“Okay, so, I’ll just be extra careful,” I said.

“We’ll all have to make sure you are,” Lenobia said.

I sat there trying not to show how claustrophobic I was already feeling. Did that mean no one was ever going to leave me alone?

Stark didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. His body language telegraphed frustration.

“Hang on. I just realized something.” Damien took the
Fledgling Handbook
from me and flipped the page. When he looked at me, his smile was victorious. “I know where Kalona’s island is, and you’re right. It’s not Venice.” He turned the book to face me and said, “Is this where you were in your dream?”

Damien had opened the book to a page that had a bunch of text (that I clearly hadn’t read), and an illustration of part of a pretty island, all hilly and blue-tinged by the color of the sea surrounding it. On the drawing I could see the outline of a castle that was all too familiar.

“That’s it,” I said solemnly. “That’s where I was in my last dream. Where the hell is it?”

“Italy, the island of Capri,” Lenobia answered for him. “It’s the
ancient site of the first Vampyre High Council. It only moved to Venice after 79
A.D.
”

I was glad to see several faces with question marks on them. Damien obviously didn’t have one of them. In his schoolteacher’s voice he said, “Vampyres were the patrons of Pompeii. Vesuvius erupted in August of 79
A.D.
” Everyone was still blinking like big, dumb gold-fish at him, so he sighed and continued. “Capri is an island not far from Pompeii.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember reading somethin’ ’bout that in the history chapter,” Stevie Rae said.

I didn’t remember because I hadn’t ever read the chapter, and by the way Shaunee and Erin were fidgeting, they hadn’t either. Big surprise.

“Okay, that’s interesting, and, yeah, that’s the island. But why would he go there if the High Council hasn’t been there for a bazillion years?” I asked.

“He wants to bring back the ancient ways,” Stark said. “He’s said it over and over.”

“So is he at the palace in San Clemente or Capri?” I said, still confused.

“Twitter says he went in front of the High Council with Neferet just a couple of hours ago. So he’s there now,” Jack said.

“But I’ll bet his base is on Capri,” Stark said.

“So it looks like we’ll be making a trip to Italy,” Damien said.

“I hope you peasants have your passports in order,” Aphrodite said.

“Oh, don’t be so hateful, Aphrodite,” Stevie Rae said. “You know all fledglings get passports as soon as they’re Marked. It’s part of the whole ‘I’m an emancipated teen’ thing.”

“Good thing I have a passport,” Heath said. “Even though I’m not Marked.”

To stop myself from yelling
“You’re not going—you’ll get killed for sure”
at Heath and embarrassing the bejesus outta him, I made myself focus on logistics. “Anyone know how we’re getting to Italy?”

“First class, I hope,” Aphrodite muttered.

“That will be the easy part. We’ll simply take the House of Night’s jet,” Lenobia said. “Or rather, you and your group will. I’ll authorize it, but I won’t be going.”

“You won’t go with us?” My stomach dropped. Lenobia was wise and so well thought of in the vamp community that even Shekinah had respected her. We needed her to go with us. I needed her to go with us!

“She can’t,” Jack said. We looked at him in surprise. “She has to stay here with Dragon and be sure the school doesn’t go completely over to the Dark Side, ’cause whatever it is Kalona can do, he’s still doing it even though he’s not here.”

Lenobia smiled at Jack. “You’re absolutely right. I can’t leave the House of Night right now.” Her gaze went around the room, touching on each of us and finally coming to rest on me. “You can lead them. You’ve been leading them. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”

But I’ve messed up! More than once! And I don’t even know if I can trust myself around Kalona!
I wanted to shriek. Instead, I tried to speak in my grown-up voice. “But someone has to tell the High Council what’s really going on with Neferet and Kalona. I can’t do that. I’m just a fledgling.”

“No, Zoey, you’re our High Priestess, the first fledgling High Priestess, and they will listen to you because Nyx is with you. It’s obvious to me. It was obvious to Shekinah. It will be obvious to them, as well.”

I wasn’t so sure, but everyone was giving me big smiles of encouragement, which really just made me want to barf my guts up. Rather than puking or my second choice, bursting into tears, I said, “When do we leave?”

“As soon as possible,” Lenobia said. “We have no idea how much damage Kalona is doing right now. Think of the disaster he wrought here in only a matter of days.”

“It’s almost dawn. We’re going to have to wait for the sun to set.” Stark’s voice was tight with frustration. “Because I would imagine now that the ice storm is over, the sun will actually be visible, and that means Stevie Rae and I will fry getting to the plane.”

“You leave here at sunset,” Lenobia said. “Until then, pack, eat, and rest. I’ll take care of the arrangements.”

“I don’t think Zoey should stay on San Clemente Island,” Stark said. He turned to Darius for support. “Don’t you agree it’s a bad idea for her to stay exactly where Aphrodite saw her drowning?”

“Stark, she also saw me getting decapitated right here in Tulsa. It didn’t happen, though, because my friends didn’t turn their backs on me.
Where
I am isn’t as important as the fact that I know I’m in danger, and I’m surrounded by people who have my back.”

“But she saw me with you! If I can’t protect you, who can?”

“I can,” Darius said.

“Air can, too,” Damien said.

“Fire can kick some butt,” Shaunee said.

“I got water, and I’m sure as hell not letting Zoey drown,” Erin said indignantly.

“Earth will always protect Zoey,” Stevie Rae said, though her expressive eyes seemed sad.

“I’m annoyingly human, but I’m still mean. If someone gets by Darius, you, and the nerd of herd, they’ll have to go through me, too,” said Aphrodite.

“Add one more annoying to that human, fledgling, and vamp soup,” Heath said.

“See,” I told Stark as I blinked hard to keep the tears that had filled my eyes from overflowing. “It’s not all on you. We’re in this together.”

Stark’s gaze held mine, and I could see how tortured he was. To have an oath-bound High Priestess be killed was every warrior’s nightmare. Just the mention that Aphrodite had seen him there, and then seen me being killed anyway, had been enough to completely shake Stark’s confidence.

“It really will be okay. I promise,” I said.

He nodded and then looked away, like he couldn’t bear to meet my gaze any longer.

“All right. Let’s get busy. Pack light. You won’t have time to carry around a bunch of baggage. Each of you take a book bag with your essentials,” Lenobia said. I saw Aphrodite blanch in horror and had to cough to hide a giggle. “I’ll meet you in the cafeteria at sunset.” She started to leave, then paused at the door. “Zoey, be sure you’re not sleeping alone. Let’s keep Kalona out of your head as much as possible. We don’t want him to have any idea you’re coming after him.”

I swallowed hard, but nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

“Blessed be,” she said.

“Blessed be,” we all chimed in, even Heath.

Lenobia closed the door, and no one said anything for a few moments. I think we were all a little stunned and hadn’t quite grasped the fact that we were actually going to Italy to speak before the Vampyre High Council. Or at least I was going to speak. Ah, hell.
I was going to have to speak in front of the Vampyre High Council.
Or maybe I’d get up there, in front of all those old, powerful vamps and have raging diarrhea and poo myself. Yep. That would certainly
make an impression on the Council. “Unique” would be just one of the words they’d call me.

Jack’s question stopped my semi-hysterical mind babble. “What are we gonna do with Duchess and the cats?”

I looked down at Nala, purring away beside me, and said, “Uh-oh.”

“We can’t take them,” Stark said. “There’s no way.” Then sounding more like himself he added, “They’re gonna be pissed when we get back, though. Especially those cats. Cats can carry a grudge.”

Aphrodite snorted. “You’re telling me. Have you met my cat? Speaking of, I’m going to go spend some quality time with her while I grab something to eat and pack.” She gave Darius a coy smile. “If you’d like to get in on that quality time, you’re invited.”

“I don’t have to be asked twice,” he said. “Blessed be, Priestess,” he told me before taking her hand heading to her room to do Goddess-was-the-only-one-who-wanted-to-know what.

“We better get our stuff taken care of, too,” Damien said.

“I can’t believe we’re supposed to take
one
book bag of clothes. Where are all my shoes going to go?” Jack asked.

“I think we’re only supposed to take one pair of shoes,” Heath said helpfully.

Jack was still gasping in horror as he and Damien left.

That left me with Stark and Heath and Stevie Rae. Before things could get mega-awkward, Stark surprised me by saying, “Heath, would you sleep with Zoey?”

“Hey, man, as far as I’m concerned, I’d like to
always
sleep with Zoey.”

I punched his arm, but he still grinned like a dork.

“What are you going to do?” I asked Stark.

He wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I want to check the perimeter before dawn, and I’ll see if Lenobia needs help settling things. Then I’ll get something to eat.”

“Where are you going to sleep?”

“In the dark.” He turned to me, bowed formally with his right fist over his chest. “Blessed be, my lady.” Before I could say anything else to him, he left.

I was stunned silent.

“He’s freaked ’cause of Aphrodite’s vision,” Stevie Rae said, getting off my bed and going to rummage through the drawers that used to be hers before she died and un-died. I was glad I’d made Neferet and the vamps give me some of her stuff back, so she actually had things to rummage through.

“Don’t let Stark hurt your feelings, Zo,” Heath said. “He’s pissed at himself, not at you.”

“Heath, I appreciate you wanting to make me feel better, but it’s just too weird to have you be on Stark’s side.”

“Hey, I’m on your side, baby!” He bumped me with his shoulder, and then stretched all long and obvious before reaching an arm around me.

“Uh, Heath, could you do me a big ol’ favor?” Stevie Rae asked.

“Sure!”

“Could you go down to the kitchen—that’s through the common room and to the right—and try to scare up somethin’ for us to eat? They always have a bunch of sandwich stuff in the fridges. You can search for chips, but the closest you’ll come is probably pretzels or those good-for-you baked chips.”