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  That terrified Aphrodite.

  The next scene followed so quickly that Aphrodite felt vertigo-ish dizziness.

  From Z’s perspective Aphrodite watched herself being led, handcuffed, into a prison cell. Right before the iron door slammed, shutting her into the claustrophobic solitary confinement cell, Zoey’s shoulders slumped. The anger that had filled her so powerfully and completely had been snuffed out. Utterly devastated, and filled with self-loathing, Zoey watched the iron door shut as if it sealed her tomb. Then the young High Priestess, and Aphrodite’s best friend, went to the corner of the cell, slid down the wall, hugged her knees to her chest, and began rocking back and forth, back and forth. Three words repeated over and over through Zoey’s mind: I deserve this. I deserve this. I deserve this. I deserve this…

  Zoey had no hope left.

  And then Aphrodite was yanked from Z’s point of view again and found herself hovering over the center of a great cathedral. Nauseated, she looked down to see that the parishioners were dead. All of them. Each of their throats were slashed and their bodies had been sucked dry of blood.

  A triumphant voice repeated three words over and over through Aphrodite’s mind: I deserve this. I deserve this. I deserve this. I deserve this…

  With great power come great responsibilities

  Weigh the pleasure of leadership and luxury with the sword Damocles

  When she believes the ancient is the key to all her needs

  Then is when all will tumble down; then is when Light bleeds and bleeds…

  The piece of poetry repeated through Aphrodite’s mind as the final disturbing scene dissipated and her spirit exploded back into her blind, pain-filled body.

  “Darius!” she gasped, choking for air and pressing her hands against her closed, bleeding eyes.

  “I’m here! You are safe!” he said. “I’ll send for Zoey and—”

  “No!” with the last of her strength she told him. “Don’t let Z know. Don’t let anyone know. ”

  “I will do as you say, my beauty. Rest. I will always keep you safe. ”

  Then Aphrodite allowed herself to pass out.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Zoey

  “I never thought I’d wish school wouldn’t have been canceled,” I said, while I paced restlessly back and forth across the dorm room floor. “I don’t know what the hell Thanatos was thinking. Going to class today would at least give us something to do. And tomorrow is Saturday. We do not need a long weekend. ”

  Stark rolled over in bed, looking tousled and only half awake. He smiled his cute, cocky grin at me and did look totally cute and cocky, which wasn’t a bad thing. “If you come back to bed I’ll give you something to do. ”

  Still, I was too worried to be in the mood, so I batted my eyes innocently and in a clueless voice asked, “You’ll give me and the entire school something to do? That’s ambitious, even for you, Stark. ”

  “You know that’s not what I meant! Way to kill a mood, Z. ”

  I paused in my pacing long enough to laugh and give him a quick kiss. “Sorry, I slept crappily. I kept having nightmares about Dallas and his disgusting friends planting pieces of the mayor’s bloody clothing in Thanatos’s desk, and Lenobia’s barn, and even Erik’s drama classroom. Then after the cops arrested all of them, Neferet swooped back here and said she’d be happy to do her old job again, and bring in a bunch of new teachers. In my dream Neferet was a big, black leech, and our new teachers were all giant spiders. ” I shivered. “Eesh, I hate leeches. And spiders. ”

  “Come here. ” Stark patted the bed beside him.

  I sighed, but I sat. When he started kneading my shoulders I felt some of my tension begin to fade. “You always know how to make me feel better. ”

  “Yep, and I always will. Just sit here for a little while and let me work on those knots in your shoulders, and try not to overthink everything for a few minutes. ”

  “I don’t overthink. I prepare. ” I meant to sound tough and High Priestess-like, but there was no way on earth I could sound like that when he was giving me a seriously excellent shoulder rub.

  “You overthink. And we are going to have plenty to do today. We’re going to go to the cafeteria and eat breakfast with our friends, and then we have to be sure all of our fledglings have rooms—especially our red fledglings. Z, we gotta be careful about where those kids spend the daylight hours. I’m with you in thinking Dallas is up to some shit, and I don’t want any of us hurt because he’s a mean little asshole. ”

  “He seriously has anger control issues,” I said. I tried to pull away from Stark so that I could think better, but he tugged me back down beside him and kept working on my shoulders.

  “No, you sit here. We need to talk about stressful stuff, but you gotta learn to relax. The best way I can keep you from stressing totally out is to keep rubbing your shoulders. ”

  “You may have to keep doing that for the next several days. ”

  “That’s cool with me,” he said, and kissed my neck, making me shiver—this time in pleasure.

  “Well, good. That makes me almost look forward to the next several days,” I said.

  “Glad to hear it. And since I’ve got you in a receptive mood, I want you to promise me something. ”

  “What?” I instantly began to tense up again.

  “Stop it. ” He kneaded my shoulders harder, causing me to melt under his strong hands. “You know I’d never ask you to promise me anything awful. All I want is for you to keep our circle out of Erin’s funeral. ”

  “Why? I figured it would be a nice thing to do—maybe even a way Shaunee can have closure. Shaylin’s already shown an affinity for water, so it’s not like there would be a big empty space where Erin used to be. ”

  “Yeah, well, that was my first thought, too. But that was canceled out by all the hateful crap Dallas said to us last night. ”

  “You think he’d cause a fight at Erin’s funeral? That’s low, even for him. ”

  “He wants to fight, that’s for sure, but causing one at the funeral would only get him and his friends in big trouble with Thanatos, and I don’t think he’s ready to be in that much trouble yet. But here’s what I was thinking about—you heard him talking about how Erin didn’t want anything to do with you or your circle, right?”

  “Yeah, right. ”

  “Z, think about it, even when Erin joined the circle it didn’t look to me like she was doing it because she was feeling sorry she’d been such a bitch. What I heard her say was that she didn’t want Aphrodite standing in for her. ”

  “Yeah, that’s what she said,” I admitted.

  “Did her attitude change after I got Dallas out of there? Did she apologize to you, or Shaunee, for the shitty way she’d been treating you guys?”

  “No. When she saw the spiders she agreed with me that they’re disgusting and said disgusting things have to go. ”

  “Z, I don’t like talking bad about a dead kid, and that’s not what I’m meaning to do, but I think it is important to remember that Erin had changed sides before she died, even though she knew that Neferet and Dallas had chosen Darkness over Light. ”

  “Yeah, that’s true. But it feels wrong to hold that against her now. I mean, Thanatos saw Nyx welcome her to the Otherworld. If the Goddess can forgive her, can’t we?”

  “I think there’s a big difference between forgiving her and making her into something she wasn’t just because she’s dead. I might be wrong, but it doesn’t seem healthy to have our group, especially Shaunee, idolizing her. ”

  “Yeah, I get what you’re saying, and my gut’s telling me you’re right. ”

  “See what I mean about not wanting your circle to make a big show at her funeral?”

  “I do. Okay, I’m going to talk to Shaunee and be sure her closure comes from knowing Erin is in the Otherworld and at peace with Nyx. I don’t see why Thanatos wouldn’t be cool wit
h leading her funeral. ”

  “We need to focus on moving forward—not on looking back,” he said.

  “Good point. Which reminds me, I better check on Aphrodite and make sure she’s okay, too. The mayor was a crappy dad, but he was her dad. She’s gonna be messed up by this death. ”

  “Z, Aphrodite was messed up before his death. ”

  I smacked his leg. “She can be hateful, but she’s still my friend. ”

  “And why she is, is a mystery to me. ”

  “Hey, Aphrodite is one of us, and we’re going to need to stand together and be strong for whatever nastiness Neferet is cooking up. ”

  “I know. I was just mostly kidding. Aphrodite’s a bitch, but she’s our bitch,” he said.

  I laughed. “Exactly. ”

  “Okay, I think you’re noodle-like enough. ” Stark squeezed my shoulders one last time, and then kissed me on my neck. “I’m starving. Let’s go get some breakfast and then deal with whatever crazy the day brings. ”