Hunted hon-5 Read online

  “Yeah, me, too, I’ll try to call Sister Mary Angela in a sec and check on Grandma.” My words were coming easier now. I studied Erik as we talked. He seemed so nice and normal, just his usual good-guy self. Had I been overreacting about his kiss? Had what happened with Loren made me too sensitive? Realizing there was a bunch of dead air between us and Erik was starting to give me a questioning look, I said quickly, “So, where is Darius?”

  “I relieved him early. I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep, and I figured he’s going to need the extra rest since he’s basically our entire army.”

  “Was Aphrodite still trashed?”

  “She was passed out. Darius carried her out of here. She’s going to have a killer hangover when she wakes up.” He sounded pleased at the prospect. “He was going to Dallas’s room to sleep. He hasn’t been gone long, so maybe you won’t even have to wake him up.”

  “Well, I really just wanted directions to Damien and Jack. I couldn’t sleep, either, so I thought I’d relieve them and let the Twins rest.”

  “Oh, that’s easy. I can tell you how to find them. They’re not far from the entrance up into the depot we took before.”

  “Good, I don’t really want to bother Darius if he’s actually resting. You’re right. Our army needs to get some sleep.” I paused and then added, in a way-too-nonchalant tone, “Hey, you didn’t notice anything, uh, weird in the tunnels on the way up here, did you?”

  “Weird? Like what?”

  I didn’t want to say blackness, because, well, they were tunnels and for them to be dark wasn’t weird. Plus, as I’d already imagined, I could hear Erik reminding me of how much the bats had freaked me out. So I blurted, “Like the lanterns suddenly going out.”

  He shrugged and shook his head. “Nope, but that’s really not all that weird. I’m sure the red fledglings have to refill their oil pretty often, and I would bet that recent events have messed up their schedule for that.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense.” And it did. So, just for that little moment I let myself feel a sense of relief that even then I knew deep down wasn’t real, and grinned at Erik. He smiled back at me and there we were, grinning at each other. I reminded myself that Erik really was a great boyfriend. I’d been glad that he and I were back together. I was still glad we were back together, wasn’t I? Couldn’t I just stay glad and not let the good things we had between us be messed up because I was freaked that he was going to want more from me than I could give him right now?

  Farther to the back of my mind I shoved the memory of the kiss Stark and I had shared and Kalona’s nightmare visit and how he’d made me feel things no guy had ever come close to making me feel.

  I stood up so abruptly I almost knocked the chair over. “I gotta call Sister Mary Angela!”

  Erik gave me an odd look, but only said, “Okay, walk a little way over there, but don’t get too close to the door. If anyone’s hanging around outside I don’t want them to hear you.”

  I nodded and gave him what I hoped didn’t look like a guilty smile. Then I walked a little ways through the basement, which, I noticed, also wasn’t as disgusting now as it had been last time I’d been down here. Stevie Rae and her group had obviously done a lot of cleaning and throwing away of the street people’s stuff that had been littering the place before. And, happily, it didn’t smell like urine anymore, which was a definite improvement.

  I pressed Sister Mary Angela’s number and mentally crossed my fingers while it said it was calling…calling…and then it actually rang, once, twice, three times…My stomach was just starting to hurt when she answered. The connection was really crappy, but at least I could understand her.

  “Oh, Zoey! I’m so glad you called,” said Sister Mary Angela.

  “Sister, are you okay? Is Grandma?”

  “She’s fine…all fine. We’re…” She was definitely breaking up now.

  “Sister, I can’t hear you very well. Where are you? Is Grandma conscious?”

  “Grand…is conscious. We’re under the abbey, but…” There was static and then suddenly I could hear her clearly. “Are you influencing the weather, Zoey?”

  “Me? No! What about Grandma? Are you guys safe in the abbey basement?”

  “…fine. Not to worry, we…”

  And the line went dead.

  “Hell! This connection sucks so much!” I paced a short path of frustration while I tried to call her back. Nothing. I had service, but the screen kept saying that it was a lost call. I tried several more times before I saw that, not only was I not getting her back, but my phone was getting ready to die. “Hell!” I repeated.

  “What did she say?” Erik had come up behind me.

  “Not much, ’cause I lost the connection and can’t get it back. But I did manage to hear her say that she’s okay and Grandma’s okay. I even think she’s finally conscious.”

  “That’s really good news! Don’t worry; everything’s going to be fine. The nuns have your grandma safe underground, right?”

  I nodded, feeling stupidly close to tears that were really more because of frustration than fear for Grandma. I completely trusted Sister Mary Angela, so if she said Grandma was okay, then I believed her. “It’s hard not knowing what’s going on. Not just with Grandma, but with everything out there.” I jerked my thumb up at the outside world.

  Erik stepped up beside me and his warm hand closed over mine. He turned me so that I was facing him, and then with his thumb he gently traced the new tattoos that covered my palm. “Hey, we’ll get through this. Nyx is at work here, remember? Just look at your hands to see proof of her favor. Yeah, our group is small, but we’re strong and we know we’re on the right side.”

  Just then my phone made the little chime that said I had a text message. “Oh, good. Maybe this is Sister Mary Angela.” I flipped open the phone and stared at the message, not really getting it.

  All fledglings and vampyres are to return to the House of Night immediately.

  “What the hell?” I said, still staring at my phone’s screen.

  “Let me see,” Erik said. I flipped the phone so he could read it. He nodded slowly, as if the text confirmed something he’d already thought about. “It’s Neferet. And even though it’s sounding like one of those schoolwide text broadcasts, I’d bet she’s talking directly to us.”

  “Are you sure it’s her?”

  “Yeah, I recognize her number.”

  “She gave you her phone number?” I tried not to sound as annoyed as that made me feel, but I doubt I was very successful.

  Erik shrugged. “Yeah, she gave it to me before I left for Europe. Said if I ever needed anything I could call her.”

  I snorted.

  Erik smiled. “Are you jealous?”

  “No!” I lied. “She’s just such a manipulative bitch that it makes me mad.”

  “Well, she’s definitely into some bad shit with Kalona.”

  “Yeah, that’s for sure, and we’re not going back to the House of Night. At least not right now.”

  “I think you’re right about that. We need to find out more about what’s happened above before we make our next move. Plus, if your instincts are telling you we need to stay clear of the school, then that’s what we should do.”

  I looked up at him. He smiled reassuringly down at me and brushed a strand of my hair back from my face. His eyes were warm and kind, not sex crazed and possessive. Jeesh, I had to get a grip on myself. Erik made me feel safe. He believed what he was saying. He believed in me.

  “Thank you,” I said. “Thanks for still believing in me.”

  “I’ll always believe in you, Zoey,” he said. “Always.” Erik wrapped me in his arms and kissed me.

  The door to the outside was wrenched open, letting in the murky light of a stormy afternoon and a blast of frigid air. Erik whirled, pushing me behind him. I felt a heart-thundering rush of pure fear.

  “Get below! Get Darius!” Erik shouted as he moved forward to face the figure silhouetted against the gra
y upper world.

  I had started to run back to the basement ladder when Heath’s voice stopped me.

  “Hey, is that you, Zo?”

  CHAPTER 10

  “Heath!” I hurried toward him, practically shouting my relief that it was him and not a terrifying Raven Mocker or worse, an ancient immortal with eyes like the night sky and a voice like a forbidden secret.

  “Heath?” Erik didn’t sound nearly as pleased. He grabbed my arm so I couldn’t run past him. He frowned, still managing to stay protectively in front of me. “You mean your human boyfriend?”

  “Ex-boyfriend,” Heath and I said at the same time.

  “Hey, aren’t you that Erik guy? Zo’s fledgling ex-boyfriend?” Heath said. He ignored the three stairs that emptied into the basement and jumped lightly down, looking every inch (and I do mean at least six feet tall with kinda curly, sandy, blond-brown hair and the cutest eyes and guy dimples you have every seen) the star quarterback he was. Yes, I’ll admit it freely, my high school boyfriend was a cliché, but at least he was an adorable one.

  “Boyfriend.” Erik’s voice was flint. “Not ex. Just like vampyre, not fledgling.”

  “Oh. I’d say congrats on the makeup with Zo and on not drowning in your own blood, but that would pretty much be bullshit ’cause I wouldn’t mean it. Know what I mean, dude?” He talked as he walked around Erik to snag my wrist, but before he could pull me into a big hug he glanced down and saw the new tattoos covering my palms. “Whoa! Now that is majorly cool! So, your goddess is still takin’ care of you?”

  “Yeah, she is,” I said.

  “I’m glad,” he said and pulled me into the hug I’d been expecting. “Damn, I’ve been worried about you!” Then he held me at arm’s length and checked me out. “You all in once piece?”

  “I’m fine,” I said, a little breathlessly. I mean, last time I’d seen Heath he’d been breaking up with me. Plus, I could smell him when he hugged me and he smelled amazing. Like home mixed with my childhood mixed with something that was delicious and exciting and was calling to me from everywhere his skin touched mine. I knew what was calling me—his blood. And that messed with more than my head.

  “Excellent.” Heath let go of my wrist and I took a quick little half step away from him and toward Erik. I saw a flash of pain go through Heath’s eyes, but it was only there for a second before he grinned nonchalantly and shrugged like the hug hadn’t been a big deal because he and I were just friends now. “Yeah, well, I figured you were okay. I mean, I thought even though that blood thing between us broke, I’d still know if something bad happened to you.” He’d said the words “blood thing” with a sexy emphasis that had Erik stirring beside me. “But I needed to see for myself. Plus, I wanted to ask what-the-fuck about the weird call last night?”

  “Call?” Erik said. His eyes were guarded when he looked at me.

  “Yes, call.” I lifted my chin. Erik might be my boyfriend again, but no way was I going to put up with his being all possessive and insanely jealous. The thought flitted through my mind that maybe Erik wouldn’t ever be able to really trust me after what had happened between us, and I’d have to put up with some obsessive jealousy. I’d kinda earned it. But I said in a cool voice, “I called Heath to warn him about the Raven Mockers and tell him to get his family to safety. He and I aren’t together, but that doesn’t mean I want anything bad to happen to him.”

  “Raven Mockers?” Heath asked.

  “What’s going on out there?” Erik asked, his voice all business.

  “Goin’ on? What do ya mean? Like the major storm that’s been goin’ on since about midnight, and has turned into a mess of ice, or the gang bullshit that happened? And what’re Raven Mockers?”

  “Gang bullshit? What do you mean by that?” Erik snapped.

  “No. I’m not sayin’ shit till you answer my question.”

  “Raven Mockers are demonlike creatures from Cherokee legend,” I answered. “Up until about midnight last night, they were only evil spirits, but all that changed when their daddy, an immortal named Kalona, broke free from his prison inside the earth, and is now making his new address the Tulsa House of Night.”

  “You really think it’s a good idea to tell him all that?” Erik said.

  “Hey, why don’t you let Zoey decide what she wants to tell me and what she doesn’t want to tell me?” Heath puffed up like he was dying to take a swing at Erik.

  Erik puffed right back at him. “You’re a human,” he said the word like it was an STD. “You can’t handle the same things we can handle. Try remembering that I had to help save your stupid human ass from a bunch of vamp ghosts just a couple months ago.”

  “Zoey saved me, not you! And I’ve been handling Zoey for about a zillion years longer than you’ve even known her.”

  “Yeah? How often has your stupid human ass put her in danger since she’s been Marked?”

  That unpuffed Heath. “Look, I’m 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, it’s not me being in danger by you being here that I’m worried about. It’s 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 don’t 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. “It’s my dad’s,” 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 couldn’t zap.”

  “Heath, do not tell me you’re carrying a loaded gun in your pocket,” I said.

  “Zo, I have the safety on and the first bullet in the clip is empty. I’m 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 don’t eat people anymore, Heath, so you’re 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 what’s this about gang stuff going on?”

  Heath shrugged. “It’s 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 Year’s 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 isn’t 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! That’s where the House of Night is.” Heath looked from me to Erik and then back to me. “So it wasn’t 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 didn’t 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 Aphrodite’s two death visions for me come true by trying to cut my throat—and 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 don’t know much about them. Grandma knows more, but they made her get in a car accident.”

  “Ah, Zo, Grandma was
in an accident? Damn! I’m so sorry. Is she gonna be okay?” Heath was genuinely upset. He was a big favorite of Grandma’s and had gone out to her lavender farm with me more times than I could count.

  “She’s 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? Shouldn’t 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.”

  “It’s worse than you can imagine, and they’re big, too. And mean. Okay, Heath, you have to listen to me. Kalona is an immortal, a fallen angel.”

  “By ‘fallen’ you mean that he’s not a good guy anymore and doesn’t float around with wings playing a harp?”

  “He has wings. Big black ones,” Erik said. “But he’s not a good guy, and everything we know about him says he’s always been evil.”

  “No, he hasn’t.” Okay, my mouth said that, but I really hadn’t 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 he’s evil. Totally evil,” Erik said.

  “A bunch of people were hurt last night. I don’t know how many killed, but it was bad. If this Kalona guy is behind it, I’d say he’s 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! I’d felt his dark power. I knew Neferet was all mixed up with him, so mixed up with him that she’d 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.