Текст книги "Hidden"

Автор книги: P. C. Cast

Соавторы: Kristin Cast,P. C. Cast
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Shaylin’s voice cut off my internal hyperventilation. “Look over there,” She’d leaned forward to whisper to me across Aphrodite. She was nodding slightly to the left of our group at a single kid. Surprised, I recognized that kid as Nicole. She was completely by herself and sitting up toward the front of the class, definitely separated from Dallas and his group.

“Colors?” Aphrodite asked her quietly.

“The red’s almost gone,” Shaylin answered just loud enough for me to hear. “And the sandstorm brown stuff is turning gold. It’s really pretty.”

“Huh,” I said.

“Weird,” Aphrodite said.

“Totally dang weird,” Stevie Rae whispered from the other side of me. “And I still don’t like her.”

I was trying to think of something wise to say when Thanatos entered the room. “Merry meet!” she said.

“Merry meet!” we responded.

Thanatos didn’t waste any time, and I was super grateful for that because I was seriously sick of time wasting.

“I cannot ask you to turn in your homework, as I would were this an ordinary school. I am not going to pretend that you haven’t lost your leader, Neferet, and that your lives haven’t been torn asunder.”

Damien tapped quickly on his iPad and lifted it so we could all see: TORN ASUNDER = TORN TO PIECES.

“I want to know who’s responsible for the fire at the stables.” Erin’s question from the back of the room surprised more of the kids than just me. I heard whispers from everywhere. Shaunee’s face had gone blank and pale, and even Thanatos took more than an appropriate teacher hesitation before she responded.

“It seems that it was an unfortunate accident,” Thanatos said.

“Well, I don’t know no accidents that are fortunate.” Dallas’s voice was just short of a sneer.

“Any accidents? Is that what you meant to say?” Thanatos corrected him smoothly.

“Weren’t you an accident? I remember you tellin’ me your momma and daddy said they were only in Dallas for the weekend, and not for baby makin’,” Stevie Rae called back to him.

A bunch of the kids laughed. Thanatos spoke over them. “Sometimes the best things are born from desperate, accidental moments. Wouldn’t you agree with me, Dallas?”

He mumbled something no one could understand. I heard Erin’s breathy, Marilyn Monroe voice whisper to him before he spoke up again. “So, basically, no one’s gonna pay for settin’ the stable fire?”

“It wasn’t set.” Nicole wasn’t talking to him. She was looking at Thanatos and sounding like they were alone in the room. “I already told Lenobia. I was there. It was windy and the lantern blew over. It happened real fast. I was walking to the tack room to put up the brushes and stuff I was using to groom one of the mares. I saw it happen. The wind blew a big gust. The lantern fell—right down in the middle of the big mound of hay bales, and they lit up like Roman candles.” Nicole turned around then and spoke the rest directly to Dallas. “It was an accident. Period. The end.”

“Well, it’s a real nice thing you’re so trustworthy, or people might think you’re lying.” Dallas’s voice was an insult.

“Yes, it is indeed.” Thanatos cut over his sarcasm. “And our Horse Mistress concurs with Nicole’s eyewitness. We are all so pleased no one was killed because of the accident.”

“The barn is a mess, though,” I heard myself filling the awkward silence, doing my best to get us back to some semblance of normal. “So, does that mean our Equestrian Studies classes are cancelled?”

“No, not at all.” Thanatos sent me what I was sure was a grateful look. “Continue with your normally schedule classes. If you have an equestrian class, you may be put to work cleaning and clearing debris, rather than riding, though.” Then she touched her forehead as if she’d just remembered something. “Except for those of you who I need to help me prepare for the open house on Saturday.”

Damien’s hand went up.

“Yes, Damien. What is your question?” Thanatos asked.

“It’s not so much a question. I was just going to volunteer to help in any way I can.”

Thanatos smiled. “I am most appreciative.”

“So, are you talking field trip?” Erin’s voice sounded so weird coming from the back of the room.

“I suppose some of what I need can be considered a field trip, as it will require you to leave campus. Erin, are you volunteering to help?”

“If it means gettin’ out of class, then you have more volunteers than Erin,” Dallas said.

I couldn’t even shoot Stevie Rae or Aphrodite a sideways look, but from the edge of my vision I was sure I saw Stevie Rae crossing her fingers.

“Dallas, I can use your assistance. I spent many of the sunlight hours today googling charity events in Tulsa. It seems one of the most successful fund-raisers is called An Evening of Wine and Roses. It benefits the Tulsa Garden Center. It seems the Center strings myriads of lights around the Rose Gardens and then has an after-dusk wine tasting and dinner. And that, my interesting young red vampyre, is perfect for you.”

“Perfect? I don’t like wine much,” he said.

I heard Aphrodite snort, but I kept my eyes straight ahead and tried not to even breathe. I knew what Thanatos was setting up, and I hoped like hell it would work.

“No, you mistake me,” Thanatos said. “I simply wish to use their lighting template as one for our open house. Dallas, think of how lovely our campus would be if ropes of electric bulbs were wrapped around our ancient oak trees.”

“Lots of electricity would be good. I’ve been sayin’ for a while now that this school needs an update on its electricity. It’s not, like, 1960. We need real lights here. Our eyes can handle it.” Dallas sounded cocky, as per usual.

“Well, I am agreeing with you, if only temporarily,” Thanatos said, smiling at him. Again, I marveled at her massive acting skills. Then she turned her attention to Erin. “Erin, as it seems you would work well partnered with Dallas, may I count on you to help guide the decorations for the open house? We do, of course, need exquisite lighting, but we also need tables, covered with fine linens, scattered throughout the central grounds. Can you handle the responsibility of coordinating with local humans, as well as Dallas’s electrical expertise, to get this done?”

“I was born to decorate and shop. Give me the school’s gold card and I’m on it,” Erin said.

“You will have a generous budget,” Thanatos assured her. “Especially as the open house is only a few days away. Time is of the essence.”

“If I have money I’m good at deadlines,” Erin said, sounding totally up Thanatos’s butt.

Right on cue Aphrodite waved her hand. “Uh, hello.” She sounded bored and bitchy. Even more than usual.

“You have a question, Aphrodite?” Thanatos called on her.

“More like an intelligent statement. If you’re going to put someone in charge of getting the accouterments together for a charity event, you should go to the expert: moi. I was teethed on what the middle class so barbarically calls party planning.”

Thanatos’s smile and tone were patronizing. “I am quite certain you were, but Erin and Dallas have already volunteered. I do have a job for you, though. I would like you to take a quick trip off campus and speak with your parents about attending the open house. From your comments to the press yesterday, I assume I can count on their support.”

“Yeah, whatever. I’ll talk to them.” Aphrodite was doing an awesome job playing her part. She sounded pissed and absolutely annoyed that Thanatos hadn’t fired Erin and put her in charge—which was exactly what we’d wanted. If Erin (and by association, Dallas) believed they were doing something important, and the rest of us were either annoyed or just puttering around, they’d be smug. They’d be obnoxious. They’d be totally distracted and not reporting anything to Neferet except that Thanatos was depending on them and giving them lots of responsibilities. Step one was definitely going according to Plan.

Damien’s hand went up, straight and strong. When Thanatos called on him he practically gushed, “Could I please go with Aphrodite? I’ve always wanted to see the inside workings of city politics.”

“Barf,” Aphrodite said.

“Yes, you may,” Thanatos said.

It was my hand’s turn to go up. I’d prepared for this, but still it was hard to keep my voice steady. “Um, I’ve called Grandma about the open house and selling her lavender stuff, but she hasn’t answered her phone yet.”

“Did you leave your grandmother a message?” Thanatos asked.

“Yeah, I did.” I let out a long breath. “And I guess it’s not really a surprise that she has her phone off, seeing as we just did the reveal ritual about my mom and all.” It was okay for my voice to be shaky then, and I was seriously glad because I was having a hard time keeping it together. “So, do you want me to drive out to her farm and talk to her?”

“Well, perhaps, in the next day or so,” Thanatos said, waving her hand dismissively. “But I don’t think that’s necessary right now. Where I need you today is with me at Street Cats. I would very much like an introduction to the head of the organization, Sister Mary Angela. We are already confident of your grandmother’s support, so coordinating with Street Cats is a better use of your time, Zoey.”

“Okay, yeah, I can do that,” I said.

“Can I go with you guys to Street Cats?” Shaylin spoke up without lifting her hand. “I’d really like a cat to choose me.”

Thanatos smiled. “Of course, young fledgling.” She turned her sharp gaze to Stevie Rae. “High Priestess, I need you to coordinate with your biological mother. You mentioned her baked goods during our television interview. Well, I believe we will need more than one mother’s cookie baking skills to sate Tulsa’s appetite come Saturday.”

“I could ask my momma to get the PTA moms involved. They bake like crazy for the Henrietta Hens booster club.”

“Then I will count on you to coordinate our refreshments,” Thanatos said. “So, to recap—those of you I have named leaders: Dallas, Erin, Aphrodite, Zoey, and Stevie Rae—divide up the fledglings most close to you and delegate tasks. Dallas, you strike me as a Warrior in your own right, so you may stand guard over your group. Zoey, Aphrodite, and Stevie Rae, you may include your Warriors when you travel off campus as you see fit. I will trust in your judgment. Be safe and inconspicuous, which means cover your Marks and do not wear any part of our school uniform. We do not need additional human/vampyre tension or attention from the public.

“In addition, do not feel you must meet here for class between now and Monday. Those I’ve named leaders should come by this room to give me updates and, of course, ask for assistance should you need it. Today I will go with Aphrodite to meet the mayor, then be assured I will return to the House of Night and remain on campus, available to you as always.

“Let us not wait until the bell has released you. You, my special students, do not need to follow the rules so closely. I know you have the good of the school in your hearts. So, go forth with your tasks. I bid you merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.”

Just like that, Thanatos got rid of Dallas and Erin and their group of gawkers and spies. They believed nothing more than that Thanatos was a gullible High Priestess they could manipulate, and they were being given a bunch of responsibility for the school’s open house, which, I was sure, they were going to put their heads together with Neferet to totally mess up.

We, on the other hand, were going to save Grandma and kick Neferet’s unsuspecting ass. Then we’d have time to fix whatever mess Dallas and Erin and their gang had made of open house. Or at least that was our Plan.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Aurox

Waiting in the tower of the depot building gave Aurox a chance to relax. It was strange, but ever since he’d been given the responsibility of rescuing Grandma Redbird, the chaos and tumult in his mind had quieted. He was on the right path. He knew it. And when the elements reached within him and strengthened him so that his will controlled the beast, Aurox had been elated.

“I am more than a shell fashioned from Darkness.” The words bounced from the stone walls of the tower. Aurox smiled. He wished he could shout them from the top of the Mayo. “I will,” he promised himself aloud. “When Grandma Redbird is free and safe, I will shout that I have chosen Light over Darkness.” Right now it made him feel good just to speak the words, even though he was the only one who heard them.

Unless the Goddess was listening …

Aurox glanced up at the night sky. It was clear, and even though the depot was in the heart of downtown, an abundance of stars was visible, as well as a thin, bright sliver of a moon.

“The crescent. Your symbol,” Aurox spoke to the moon. “Nyx, if you can hear me I want to thank you. You must have something to do with the fact that I can choose to be more than what created me. Darkness would not have given me this choice—it had to be you. So, thank you. And I would appreciate it if you strengthened Grandma Redbird. Help her hang on until I get there and rescue her.” Feeling confident and happy, Aurox leaned against the rounded side of the stone tower, closed his eyes, and with a smile still on his face, fell into a deep sleep.

Aurox wasn’t used to dreaming. He rarely remembered anything from his sleeping hours. So the fishing dream was unusual from the very beginning.

Aurox had never fished, but the dock he sat on seemed familiar. The placid lake was topaz blue and tucked within a beautiful grove of ancient looking trees. He’d never held a fishing pole before, but this one felt right in his hands. Aurox reeled it in and then let fly. The bobber plunked out in the lake with a satisfying sound. He sighed and gazed lazily down at the mirror-like water—and felt a sickening jolt of shock.

Aurox’s face didn’t look back at him.

Another boy’s face did. He had messy, sand-colored brown hair, and blue eyes that were wide with the surprise Aurox was feeling.

He lifted his hand and it touched the face.

“This is not me,” he told the inaccurate reflection, and felt the jolt of shock again. It was his voice, but it was inside the wrong body! “It is a dream. Simply an image of my sleeping mind.” Aurox just needed to awaken. But he couldn’t stop staring.

And then the reflection opened its mouth and Aurox heard himself speaking words over which he had no control. “Hey, get a clue. You only borrowed my choice and my goodness. It’s not your own.”

Dread filled Aurox. This boy—this body was speaking truth. In the reflection Aurox watched his head shake back and forth, back and forth, denying what his heart told him.

“No, I chose Light over Darkness. I made the choice!”

“Guess again, dude. I made the choice, you just coat-tailed. So ya can’t afford to relax, especially if you’re gonna rescue Zo’s grandma.”

“Zo.” Aurox frowned. “I’m not supposed to call her that.”

“Well, no shit Sherlock. That’s ’cause I used to call her Zo. Anyway, I’m just givin’ you a heads-up. Don’t be so cocky. It’s just not gonna be that easy for you. I’m doin’ my best, but there’s gonna come a time when you’ll actually have to step up to the plate.”

Then a fish took Aurox’s line, rippling the water, disturbing its mirrored surface, and fragmenting the dream.

Aurox’s eyes opened. He gasped and sat straight up. He was breathing hard. His heart was racing—so much so that he felt the beast within him stir. Aurox got to his feet and paced off his anxiety.

He looked up at the sky. The silver crescent had moved. Aurox checked the watch Stark had let him borrow. It was almost 10 P.M. Thanatos would be back for him at any moment. He needed to get himself together and make his way down to the front of the old depot building. He needed to find his confidence again and get ready to confront Neferet and Darkness.

Aurox climbed up the rusted metal ladder and then dropped from the tower to the roof of the depot. From there he hurried to the side stairs. He would be waiting as Thanatos had asked him. She was counting on him. Zoey was counting on him. They were all counting on him.

He would prove they had been right to trust him with Grandma Redbird’s life.

“It was a dream. Nothing more,” Aurox spoke to the empty night. His voice was reassuring, but his heart hurt as ghost-like doubt slipped within it.

Zoey

“There he is, waiting over there under the darkest part of the overhang, just like Thanatos told him to.” I pointed to the Gotham City–looking entrance of the abandoned depot. Aurox was in the shadows, but his super blond hair, and moonstone-colored eyes didn’t exactly keep him camouflaged. Stark pulled close to him and Thanatos opened the back door of one of the school’s many SUVs, motioning for him to get in.

“This is not everyone,” Aurox said after shutting the door and glancing around the interior.

“Uh, no, of course not,” I said, thinking he sounded really nervous. “Thanatos pretended to split us up and send us on different errands so that Neferet wouldn’t hear anything that would make her suspicious. Remember?”

“Oh, yes. Yes.” He paused and then added, “Merry meet, Thanatos.”

“Merry meet, Aurox. Do not be concerned. The rest of our group is joining us across the street from the Mayo.”

“Are you okay? You’re looking kinda pale.” Shaylin spoke up from the backseat.

I craned my head around. “What kind of pale? Is his aura changing?”

“No, his aura’s the same. I meant pale, pale. His face is really white,” Shaylin said.

“I am fine,” Aurox said firmly. “Just anxious to get this done.”

“As are we,” Thanatos said. “Calm yourself and save this tension for the battle.”

Aurox nodded and went silent. I chewed on my lip, thinking about Grandma, and staring out the window. Thankfully, the Mayo wasn’t far from the depot. Stark pulled off Fifth Street and parked in the rear of the Oneok Plaza. Another dark SUV was already there. Darius, Aphrodite, Shaunee, and Damien climbed out. Shaunee and Damien were holding their element candles. Aphrodite was holding on to Darius with one hand, and a super thick geometry textbook with her other.

“Geometry? Really? That was best choice for our pretend study session?” I realized I was doing some nervous babbling, but I seriously hated geometry.

“Pretend is the key word. We aren’t really going to study. We’re just pretending to study, retard.”

“Yeah, okay, fine,” I said. “I know we’re not really studying. I’m just nervous as hell and worried about Grandma.”

“Which is completely understandable.” Damien hugged me. “That’s why we’re here. We’re going to get her back.” He looked at Aurox. “Are you ready?”

Aurox nodded. I didn’t think he looked ready, but then again I probably didn’t look ready, either, so I tried not to judge. Shaylin and I were pulling our element candles from our purses when Kalona, silent as the night itself, dropped from the sky.

“What news from the school?” Thanatos asked the winged immortal.

“Dallas and Erin have fragmented the red fledglings. They sow dissention, even within their own kind. They will have to be dealt with when this is over.”

“Agreed,” Thanatos said. “But the plan worked.”

“It did. They are so busy lording the responsibility you have given them over the other students that they care nothing about what Zoey and you, or any of the rest of us, are doing,” Kalona said.

“Erin’s making a big mistake,” Shaunee said quietly.

“I’m glad she’s making it without you,” Damien said.

“We’re all glad of that,” I agreed.

My Bug pulled up then, and Stevie Rae and Rephaim got out. “Sorry, y’all,” she said, hurrying to us with her green candle. “Erin and Dallas were in a car behind me, so I had to pretend to start drivin’ to Henrietta. Jeeze Louise, I was worried they were gonna follow me all the way, but then they turned off the highway and I realized they were just goin’ to Garbee’s lighting store.” She paused and gave me a look. “You okay, Z? You’re remindin’ me of a deer in the headlights.”

I blinked and realized I’d been staring at her. “It’s just so weird to see you without your tattoos.”

Stevie Rae lifted her hand and touched her forehead, careful not to smudge off the heavy makeup concealer that covered her beautiful vampyre Mark. “Yeah, looks weird to me, too. All you guys do.”

“But we’re less noticeable, and that’s the point tonight,” Stark said.

I understood and agreed that we all needed to keep a low profile—hell, even Kalona was wearing a long leather duster that, in the dark, actually mostly hid his giant wings. But it didn’t change the fact that minus our Marks we looked strange and ordinary. Too ordinary. Tonight we needed to be powerful and confident and extraordinary. I tried to focus on the positive and believe we’d all be okay, but the truth was my stomach hurt and I was struggling not to cry.

No. I’m not crying. Weak little girls cry. Leaders act. For Grandma’s sake, if not for my own, I am going to act.

“Hey, your Mark is inside. That can’t ever be covered or lost or forgotten,” Stark said, obviously feeling my tension.

“Thanks for reminding me,” I said, touching his temporarily tattoo-free face gently.

“Let us all remember. Our power lies not in the trappings of our kind, but within, through our choices and the gifts given to us by our Goddess,” Thanatos said. “And so, we shall begin. The first step tonight is the opening of our circle and the casting of a spell of protection. Once I have set the spell in motion, our circle will be cloaked. As long as the circle remains unbroken, each of the five of you will be safe. Human eyes will not see you. Human hands cannot harm you. But before and after the setting of the spell, you will all be vulnerable.”

The little hairs on my forearms were standing up and I had to breathe deeply to keep from freaking totally out. I kept sneaking little glances at Aurox. He had hardly said anything since we picked him up. In my mind, I pictured the Goddess as I’d last seen her—lush and wise and strong—and prayed silently: Please, Goddess, let him be ready for this!

“Shaunee, the front of the Mayo faces south. Though it is winter, there are bistro tables outside the entrance. That is where you will position yourself with your candle. Darius, you will join Shaunee. Protect her,” Thanatos said.

“I will, High Priestess,” Darius said solemnly. “I will also be close enough to protect Aphrodite and Zoey, if need be.”

“The tables are part of the restaurant. They’re still out there because of smokers,” Aphrodite explained. She reached into her purse, felt around, and tossed Shaunee a pack of cigarettes.

“You smoke?” It seemed silly, but after all we’d been through together the thought that Aphrodite was a smoker shocked me.

“Hell no. Do you know how many wrinkles smoking causes? Hello, beef-jerky-looking skin at thirty. I know about the smoking tables because I’ve been to the Mayo’s restaurant before, so I came prepared.” Aphrodite looked at Shaunee. “While Zoey and I are pretending to study, you can pretend to smoke and pretend Darius is your boyfriend. Again, pretend is an important word here. Keep in mind I can see you through the picture window and I will kill you dead if you pretend too well. Oh, p.s., order the white chili soup. That, you don’t have to pretend to eat. It’s good.”

“Thanks,” Shaunee said. “And even though you’re more than kinda hateful, thanks for the loan of your Warrior.”

“Don’t mention it. Seriously. Ever.”

“Damien,” Thanatos continued, ignoring Aphrodite like the rest of us, “an alley runs the length of the east wall of the Mayo. It’s poorly lit and is where they keep the refuse. You may position yourself there. Stark, you’ll be with Damien. Should anyone attempt to interfere with him before the circle is cast and the protection spell is set, you are to use all of your mind control skills to make him or her begone.”

Stark nodded. “I understand. I won’t let anyone mess with Damien. Just like Darius won’t let anyone mess with my Z.”

“You have my oath on it,” Darius said.

I squeezed Stark’s hand. I knew he hated me being separated from him, but like me, he understood why. The circle had to be protected, and Damien’s air was the first element to be called, so he’d be there—holding a candle—just hanging out in a cold, dark alley, waiting for Thanatos to walk all the way around the block and set the protective spell in place. Damien was going to be a whole lot more vulnerable than I’d be in a nice restaurant pretending to study geometry.

“Stevie Rae, Damien’s alley meets a small servants’ entryway in the very rear of the building, just this side of Fourth Street.”

Stevie Rae nodded to Thanatos. “That’s my north. Rephaim and I will be there.”

Thanatos turned to Shaylin. “Cheyenne is the street that follows the west side of the Mayo. There is no adequate hiding place for you. It is simply a sidewalk beside a building beside a street. Water is the third of the five elements to be called. I will not lie to you. You will be alone until earth and fire complete the circle.”

“No she won’t,” I spoke quickly, thankful for the words my intuition was guiding me to speak. “Nyx will be with her. She’s already given Shaylin awesome gifts—True Sight, an affinity for water, and the mind power ability all red fledglings have.”

“That’s right, Shaylin,” Stevie Rae added. “You haven’t been Marked for long, so you haven’t had much time to practice ’cause, well, we’ve pretty much decided it’s not very nice to poke around in the heads of regular people, but you can do it. If someone tries to bother you, just look at them. Make them meet your eyes, and then tell them what you want them to do while you think about it real hard.”

Shaylin nodded. She didn’t look nervous at all. She looked rock solid. “I’ll think go away, leave me alone, forget you ever saw me! Is that right?

“Yep, sure is.” Stevie Rae smiled. “See, easy-peasy.”

“I will watch out for you as well,” Kalona said.

“No! Shaylin can handle herself. We all can. You’re not supposed to take your eyes from the top of the Mayo and the balcony of Neferet’s penthouse. The second you see Grandma, swoop in and save her. That’s your only job tonight,” I said.

“Not true, young Priestess,” Thanatos cut in. “Kalona is my Warrior, and as such he has a responsibility to protect our fledglings, as well as me.” She walked to Kalona. “Shadow me as I cast the circle and set the spell. Watch over our people. Be sure that the stage is set for what we mean to accomplish tonight.” Thanatos’s gaze shifted to me and then to where Aurox stood at the edge of our group. “Until the circle is cast, you are not to enter Neferet’s lair.”

“I will wait until I feel the infilling of the elements,” Aurox said.

“Remember, Aurox, without the strength of the elements, you have no way to control the beast, and it will emerge when Neferet realizes you have come for her prisoner,” Thanatos said.

“I will remember,” he said.

“And I will be sure your circle is cast,” Kalona said. “From the sky I will watch over you. I will watch over all of you.” The winged immortal turned his cold amber gaze to Aurox. “You realize I cannot help you. You will have to battle your way from Neferet’s lair.”

I felt a little start of surprise. I’d been so focused on getting Grandma safe that I hadn’t even considered what was going to happen to Aurox afterward.

“Wait, can’t you carry both of them out of there?” I asked Kalona.

“Safely? No. There are some limits to my immortal strength,” Kalona said. “Aurox, if I drop you from the sky will you be killed?”

It was so bizarre, listening to Kalona question Aurox about falling from the sky like he was asking him if he liked ham and swiss, or turkey and swiss better.

Aurox made a restless movement with his shoulders. “I believe that would depend upon whether the beast within me has manifested or not. The beast is much more difficult to destroy than am I.”

“When Grandma is safe, we’ll recall our elements.” Now I was sounding as bizarrely calm as the two of them. “Aurox, let the beast take over enough for it to help you fight your way out of there.”

“Do you believe that is possible?” Thanatos asked him.

“Perhaps. I think it will depend a great deal upon Neferet. I–I have not considered getting out, only getting in,” Aurox said.

“I agree with Zoey. Use the beast. Neferet needed a sacrifice to control it before. She will need to do so again, and we will have taken her sacrifice,” Thanatos said. “It can get you to safety. When you come to yourself again, make your way back to the House of Night.”

Aurox’s face seemed to brighten. “To stay? I’ll be able to go to school there?”

“That is a question too great for me to answer alone. The High Council must decide your fate,” Thanatos said.

I held my breath, waiting for Aurox to bail out—to realize that he was basically on a suicide mission, to tell us all to go to hell in a handbasket, and take off.

He didn’t do any of those things. Instead, he met my eyes and said, “I have a question for you.”

“Okay, what?”

“What does it mean to be coat-tailing on someone?”

I couldn’t have been more surprised if Aurox had crouched down and given birth to a litter of kittens. For a second, I couldn’t even think of an answer, and then I blurted, “It means that you haven’t earned what you’ve been given, but that someone else has, so you’re riding his coattails and getting credit that way.”

Aurox’s face was an emotionless mask. He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. We were all staring at him, but he didn’t say a word. He just stood there, breathing and looking like an almost-statue.

“Okay, so, who are you coat-tailing?” Stark’s voice cut the silence.

Aurox turned his moonstone eyes on my Warrior. “No one. No one at all, and tonight I will prove that.” Then his gaze found mine again. “When I feel the presence of the elements I will go to Neferet. When Grandma is safe, do as you said. Withdraw the elements. Then flee. I will not chance harming any of you, and I cannot be certain that I can retain any control over the beast. Tell Grandma that I said her sanctuary is more important than mine.” His eyes swept our group as he said, “Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.” Aurox walked away from us, jogging quickly across the street, and disappeared within the front doors of the Mayo.