CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Zoey
After the curtain to the Otherworld closed, no one said anything for several long minutes. Everyone was sniffling, even the cops. Detective Marx finally broke the silence. He went to Thanatos and, totally surprising everyone—including Thanatos by the look on her face—Marx pulled her into a giant bear hug.
“Even if I was immortal, I think what I just witnessed would be the most incredible thing I ever saw in my entire life. Thank you for including us,” he said.
The other five officers nodded as they wiped their eyes.
Thanatos smiled and gently extracted herself from his embrace. “You are most welcome, Detective, though it was not me who allowed it. It was Nyx.”
“Then I hope you don’t mind if someday soon, after the business with Neferet is settled, I visit Nyx’s Temple with a gift to leave on her altar. I know it sounds crazy, but after what happened today, I feel really close to your Goddess.”
“It isn’t crazy at all. Nyx and I would welcome your altar gift. You see, Detective Marx, Nyx isn’t just our Goddess. She belongs to anyone who seeks her.” Thanatos’s gaze found me. “Zoey, you may close the circle now.”
I’d almost forgotten that I was still holding the lit spirit candle. While I quickly backtracked, thanking each of the elements in its turn and sending them all away, Grandma took one of the blankets from the pallet inside Thanatos’s tent and gently covered Kalona’s body.
The instant I blew out Stevie Rae’s candle, she went to Rephaim, wrapping her arms around him and holding him. And then Stark was there beside me, holding me and telling me how much he loved me.
“I’ll never leave you. I promise,” he said. “I don’t care about Aurox or Heath or even stupid Erik.” He paused as if he’d just noticed that Erik was standing a few yards away from us beside Shaunee. “Sorry, dude. I didn’t mean anything.”
Erik shrugged. “Not a problem,” he said. But he didn’t even glance at Stark or me. Erik was watching Shaunee with a cute, concerned look.
I took Stark’s face between my hands, telling him, “Don’t worry. I’ll never let you leave me.” Then I kissed him as if we’d just been reunited after an eon.
The wind chose that moment to blow the thunderclouds from the sky, and suddenly we were standing in the pinks and yellows of pre-dawn.
“Uh-oh,” I said. “You and Stevie Rae and Shaylin have to get under cover.”
“We still have seven minutes until dawn,” Stark said. “But you’re right.”
Reluctantly, I stepped out of his arms and went to Thanatos, expecting to have to help her to the tent. But she didn’t look nearly as tired as she had since she’d cast the protective spell. Actually, except for the shadows under her eyes, she looked rejuvenated.
“You look a lot better,” I said.
Thanatos nodded and smiled. “It seems guiding Kalona’s spirit home to the Otherworld had an energy-boosting side effect, for which I am grateful. I am afraid it will not last long, though, so let us be brief—especially as dawn is breaking and our red vampyres and fledgling need to be inside. Detective Marx has agreed to transport Kalona’s body to the House of Night. May I count on you to build his pyre and preside over his immolation?”
“Of course,” I said.
“Shaunee,” Thanatos called her over to us. “I have strength lent to me by Kalona, so I believe it would be safe for you to leave me long enough to return to the House of Night and add your element to Kalona’s pyre, if you can do so quickly. Would you do that for my Warrior?”
“It would be my honor to light Kalona’s pyre,” Shaunee said.
I thought she looked better, too, and I sent a silent but sincere thank-you to Kalona.
“And I will watch over my father’s pyre, from sunrise to sunset,” Rephaim said, wiping his eyes. “But we need to move fast. I’m going to change in six minutes, and that means Stevie Rae is going to burn.”
“What are you going to—” Marx began, then stopped himself, shaking his head. “Never mind. Explain it to me later. My men and I will take care of the big guy’s body. The rest of you can go ahead. We’ll meet you at the House of Night.”
I hugged Grandma. “You showed wisdom in your response to the Goddess,” she said as she let me go. “I am proud of you, u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya.”
“Sylvia, if you and the others need a break, I am quite sure I can manage on my own while you rest,” Thanatos said.
Sister Mary Angela moved up beside Grandma, along with Rabbi Bernstein and Suzanna Grimms. The ladies’ faces were radiant, as if the tears they had all just shed had washed years from them.
“We choose to stay with you on this sacred ground,” said the nun while the ladies nodded their agreement.
“Who could rest after that, anyway?” said Rabbi Bernstein.
“I’ll stay, too, and be sure no one bothers any of you,” Erik said, then added, “If you want me to.”
“We appreciate your protection very much, Erik,” Grandma said.
“Indeed,” Thanatos agreed. She bowed her head to Erik and to each of the four Wise Women. “You have my gratitude. Thank you, all.”
Stevie Rae took Rephaim’s hand, pulling him toward the van so that he couldn’t stand there and watch Marx and his men lifting his dad’s body. Stark, Shaylin, Damien, and I followed her, piling back into the vehicle, while Shaunee got in Erik’s car.
No one spoke. I searched my mind for the right thing to say to Rephaim. Should I tell him I was sorry about his dad? Or congratulate him about his dad? Since everyone else was silent, too, I figured they were all, even Stevie Rae, having a similarly tough time with what to say.
Thankfully, Rephaim saved us all. “I’m happy for Father,” he said softly. “He is back where he always longed to be. Even lately, after he decided to follow Light and swore his oath to Thanatos, there was a loneliness about him that didn’t get any better. Actually, I think it got worse.”
Stevie Rae said, “I think once your daddy was finally able to accept love—your love to start with and then Nyx’s love—once he did that it was like shuttin’ the barn door after the cows were already out.”
“Cows?” Rephaim said. I could hear the smile in his voice.
I turned around, and from where I sat in the front passenger seat, I could see that he was smiling at her. “She means that once he realized he needed love, he didn’t have any more excuses. He had to admit that he really did need Nyx’s love to be happy, even though he was the one who had left her, and not her him.”
Rephaim nodded. “He’s happy now. I felt it. That’s how Nyx soothed my grief. She let me feel his joy.” He smiled and wiped at his eyes again. “And I know I will see him again someday.”
“Are you sure you’re not immortal?” Shaylin asked. “Your aura looks an awful lot like his did.”
“I’m sure,” he said, putting his arm around Stevie Rae. “I’m just a boy who is lucky enough to be a lot like his father.” Rephaim met my gaze. “Zoey, do what Thanatos asked. Make Father’s pyre quickly so that Shaunee can light it and return to the Council Oak Tree.”
“You know it’ll be hard for the school to gather, especially if today is as sunny as it looks like it’s going to be,” I said.
“The school doesn’t need to bear witness. I will be there. I will watch over Father.”
I nodded and blinked fast, keeping myself from bawling.
Stark pulled through the entrance of the House of Night and just had time to park the Hummer under the covered parking attached to the building, when Rephaim kissed Stevie Rae quickly and said, “I love you.” He looked at the rest of us and said, “It really isn’t as bad as it sounds.” Then he pushed open the car door.
His feet didn’t even hit the ground. His scream pierced our ears, making everyone except Stevie Rae jump. The scream changed to the cry of a raven, and a huge black bird exploded from inside Rephaim’s clothes, big wings sweeping the air as he soared out of the covered parking and into the morning sky to circle the House of Night.
“That was awesome,” Stark said, squinting and using his hand to shield his eyes against the dawn, but still trying to follow Rephaim’s flight.
“Yeah, he tells me it doesn’t hurt that bad,” Stevie Rae said, squinting alongside Stark. “I don’t believe it, but I love him for tryin’ to make me believe it.”
“Hey, you guys need to get inside and go to bed,” I said, herding along Stark and Stevie Rae and Shaylin.
“Not unless you’re coming, too,” Stark protested around a giant yawn.
“I’m coming, but first I’m going to fill in Darius and Aphrodite, and have him get Travis and some of the other humans to start building Kalona’s pyre. Shaunee needs to get back to Thanatos before her burst of energy runs out,” I said.
“I’ll help,” Damien said. “I’ll tell Travis and Lenobia what’s happened.”
“And I’ll supervise the humans building the pyre,” Shaunee said. “Well, first I’ll go get a hoodie and some sunglasses.”
“But I can—” I stopped Stark’s protest with a kiss and then whispered against his lips, “Please sleep so that you can stay strong and be safe. I’m not as strong as Nyx. I couldn’t lose you.”
Stark paused, and then, pulling me into his arms, he gave in.
Lynette
“You should be resting,” said the Asian healer with the geometrical tattoos whose name Lynette had learned was Margareta. “Are you in pain?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m just not used to sleeping during the day,” Lynette assured the vampyre. She was standing at the window and had pushed aside the heavy black curtain so she could watch a group of people piling logs and wooden planks in the center of the campus green. “Margareta, do you know what they are building out there?”
The healer moved forward a little, glancing out the window, but she didn’t get close enough to have the bright morning light actually touch her. “I do know,” she said. “They are building a pyre.”
“A pyre?” Lynette stomach heaved. “Did someone die?”
“Someone was killed,” she said.
“Who?”
Margareta studied her and then shrugged. “I see no harm in telling you. Kalona was killed.”
“By her?” Lynette could hardly force her voice above a whisper. “Did Neferet kill him?”
Margareta nodded.
“Oh, God! He was supposed to be immortal.”
“Apparently not,” the healer said.
Lynette stumbled to her bed, collapsing there as her knees gave way. “Did she break the spell? Is she out of the Mayo?”
“No, the spell holds. For now. Are you quite sure you don’t want me to give you something to help you sleep?”
Numbly, Lynette shook her head. “No. I’m fine. Really. Fine. I—I just need some time alone to think.” She met the healer’s watchful gaze and added, “Kalona saved me. It’s a shock to think that he’s dead.”
“It is for us all as well,” Margareta said. “I will leave you to your thoughts, then. As you know, I will just be down the hall. If you have need of me, just press the red button on your bed.”
“I will. Thank you, Margareta.”
When the vampyre was gone, Lynette’s mind began to race. Neferet had managed to kill an immortal while she was trapped inside the Mayo! It would be worse, so much worse, if she escaped. Lynette shook herself mentally and made the correction in her thoughts. Not if she escaped. When she escaped. LaFont’s daughter and the other two girls had said it themselves: it was only a matter of time before the spell their High Priestess cast was broken. And then they would be the lucky ones because Neferet would come after Kalona and her first. With Kalona gone, that leaves only me. Fear made Lynette feel dizzy. An immortal Warrior couldn’t stop her. A protective spell couldn’t stop her. The stone walls of this school and a small group of teenagers and vampyre professors sure as hell couldn’t stop her.
If Lynette remained where she was, she would be on the losing side, and she would be found and possessed by Neferet’s hideous serpents.
No! Lynette forced her breathing to slow, drawing in and out long, strong breaths. She fought back the panic, just as she had every moment she’d spent as Neferet’s captive. No! She corrected herself. I wasn’t Neferet’s captive; I was her employee. Her favorite employee. Her event planner. I was of value to her then. I will be of value to her again.
Quietly and quickly, Lynette went to the small closet where the vampyres had hung her clothes. She changed from the hospital smock into her slacks and sweater. She exchanged her slippers for the attractive black ballet flats she’d worn the night before.
And then she tiptoed down the hallway. She paused at the door to the healer’s office. Lynette could see the back of Margareta’s head. She was studying a large computer screen that was showing the local news. Lynette watched, silent and horrified, as someone’s iPhone caught Kalona’s death. First it had focused on the rooftop balcony, as if waiting for something to happen. The immortal came suddenly into view, hovering with his enormous wings spread, his arms opened wide as he faced the balcony, looking like he was positioning himself to catch something. Or someone, Lynette thought the first time the video played through. And then she heard several cracks, one right after another, and Kalona’s body was hurled backward. Shots, Lynette realized. Neferet shot him! The camera followed Kalona’s fall. He tumbled end over end, landing on his back—broken and bloody—in the middle of the street where not long before he had led her from the Mayo.
Lynette couldn’t make herself move until she’d watched the video play again. Then, as Margareta tapped replay once more, Lynette made her legs move. She held her breath until she was through the exit door and had closed it quietly behind her.
Even then she didn’t pause. She knew she was on the third floor of the building at the edge of campus. She knew the way off campus as she had been very much awake and aware when the detective and Kalona had driven her there. She’d also seen the long line of cars that filled the school’s parking lot to overflowing, so that people had had to park over the curb up and down Utica Street.
Lynette reached the ground-level door and paused, solidifying her plan. If she was questioned on her way out, she would say that she had decided to go home, that her adult daughter needed her. People weren’t being kept as prisoners at the House of Night. As long as Lynette was not recognized, she would be free to come and go.
If she was recognized and stopped—what then?
Then they will have to keep me prisoner, and they have no reason to do so. It’s a House of Night, but it’s still America. I’m still free!
But by the time Lynette reached the big iron gates, she realized she had no need to worry about being stopped or questioned. There was no one patrolling the walls of the school. All of their attention was turned inward.
It was a little over three miles from the House of Night to the Mayo Hotel. Lynette walked. As she walked, she cleared her mind and then ordered her thoughts, focusing only on what had been most important to her for more than twenty years—making her business successful.
I am going to finish the job I started. I am going to finish the job I started. I am going to finish the job I started …
By the time Lynette reached West Fifth Street, her intent was solidly set. She walked calmly, not hurrying, taking in the roadblock and the uniformed officers who leaned against their cars, drinking coffee and talking to one another. There were other civilians in the vicinity. They wore lanyards, and Lynette recognized a few of them as reporters from the local networks. She remained calm, and she kept walking, settling comfortably into the role she’d played countless times over the past two decades. Lynette faded into the background. It was a unique and important talent. She had learned years ago that if one was to be a success in the event-planning business, one must have the ability to blend with the decorations—to stay out of the pictures—to keep the focus on the bride and not on oneself.
It worked for Lynette then as it had so many times before—right up until the Mayo was in view and she slipped quietly past the final police car in the roadblock. A uniformed officer was standing beside the car obviously trying to calm down a plump blond woman who was crying hysterically and clutching the hand of a tall, balding man.
“We have to know if our daughter is okay!” the bald man was shouting at the officer over the woman’s crying. “Kylee Jackson is her name. She’s the Mayo’s receptionist.”
“Please let us go see her!” the woman sobbed.
“Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, you have to stay back. Please, I understand how upset you must be, but we have a task force at the downtown station that is handling all of the inquiries of the victims’ families.”
“They aren’t telling us shit!” Mr. Jackson said.
“They’re telling you everything—”
Holding her breath, Lynette began to sneak past the distracted officer.
“Hey, hang on there! You gotta stay back behind the cars,” the officer called to her. “No one’s allowed past here.”
Lynette turned and smiled at him. “Oh, no problem officer. I just wanted to thank you. You’re doing an excellent job in a very difficult situation. I appreciate your service, as do Mr. and Mrs. Jackson.” He returned her smile. The moment his shoulders relaxed and he turned back to the couple, Lynette sprinted away. Her blood pumped so loudly in her ears she couldn’t hear what the officer was shouting at her. Just run. Run as if your life depends upon it, she told herself.
The buildings seemed to whiz past her as Lynette ran, expecting any moment to be tackled—or even shot. Not expecting to make it.
When she reached the shrouded Mayo, Lynette was too shocked to hesitate. She hurled herself against the door, paying no heed to the fetid, bloody curtain that had become the building’s skin.
“Goddess! Let me in! Neferet, please! I’ve come back to you!” She pounded her fists against the slick surface of the door.
“Lady, get back here!” The cop had caught up with her and lunged forward to grab her arm.
The wall of flame blazed, setting him afire.
Horrified, Lynette watched him stagger back, screaming in agony as other officers, who had been physically restraining the Jacksons from following her, took off their jackets and tried to smother the flames.
With the sound of a bandage being torn from a fresh wound, the black curtain parted and the door to the Mayo opened.
Lynette bolted inside, gasping and trying to catch her breath.
“How dare you leave me!”
Neferet was standing on the landing between the floor-level ballroom and the mezzanine. The black serpents writhed all around her feet, covering the white marble of the landing and making it look as if it were alive with them.
With the single-minded intensity she had been practicing for the two hours it had taken her to walk there, Lynette went to the middle of the ballroom and knelt, bowing her head.
“Forgive me, Goddess. I was wrong. I should have never left unless you said my job was finished and you no longer needed me.”
“You let him take you away! You betrayed me!”
“Forgive me, Goddess. Not because I deserve it, but because you deserve better.”
“I deserved your loyalty!” Neferet battered Lynette with words as she glided down from the landing.
“Yes,” Lynette said. She didn’t lift her head. She squeezed her eyes closed so that she couldn’t see the serpents that slithered around her. “And you have it. I have returned to you of my own volition.”
“And why would you do that?”
“I came back because I left a job undone, and in the entire time I have been in business I have never done that. I don’t intend to start now,” Lynette said truthfully.
“We shall see about that!”
Lynette felt the violation as Neferet’s mind probed hers. She trembled, holding her breath until the Goddess’s will departed, leaving a pounding ache in her temples.
“You did return of your own will. You do want to complete your job.”
Lynette was relieved enough at the surprise in Neferet’s voice that she opened her eyes, though she did not lift her head.
“Please forgive me and allow me to finish what I started for you,” she said.
“Do not think you fool me! I feel your loyalty. I also feel that it is based in fear and is self-serving.”
“I don’t deny that, Goddess. Since the moment I offered my services to you, I have not denied that.”
“No, you control your fear and use your selfish nature to my benefit. Or you did until you betrayed me.” Neferet’s voice had softened.
“I still do,” Lynette said. “I passed through the wall of fire without being burned. I have no ill intent whatsoever.”
Lynette could see that the Goddess was pacing because the terrible serpents crawled back and forth, shadowing her every movement.
Finally, Neferet halted, so close to Lynette that she could see her bare feet. “Look at me,” she commanded.
Lynette lifted her head and met her Goddess’s gaze without flinching.
“Everything you have said is true, but tell me why I shouldn’t command one of my children to possess you. You would still have the ability to perform your duties for me, and I would not have to worry about you running off again. It seems a good solution to your recent history of questionable loyalty.”
Lynette drew a deep breath, forcing down the panic that threatened to choke her. With the pretense of calm, she said not what she had intended, not what she had practiced over and over again until the thought consumed her. Instead Lynette spoke the small, silent thing that she had kept buried beneath her single-mindedness. “Because I believe you truly care about me and you know how badly I am frightened of being possessed by one of your children. Goddess, I can prove my loyalty to you with the information I bring. I’ve been inside the House of Night. I’ve listened to Zoey and Aphrodite and Stevie Rae. They said the protective barrier is draining Thanatos. That the more it has to work, the faster it will drain her, until finally she won’t be able to keep it up at all.”
Neferet’s face went utterly blank. Then slowly, the Goddess bent and placed both of her hands on Lynette’s cheeks, cupping her face.
Lynette froze, unable to think. Unable to move.
Neferet kissed her softly but fully on the mouth.
“Rise, Lynette, my dear one. And take your place by my side where you belong and where you will remain until your too-brief mortal life comes to an end. And know when that happens, your Goddess will eternally mourn your loss.”
Neferet helped Lynette stand, and even steadied her as she stumbled.
“Kylee! My dear Lynette and I are going up to the balcony to enjoy the sunset. Bring us my favorite wine and something nourishing to eat.” Neferet paused. “A fortifying stew? Would that replenish your strength?”
Feeling utterly detached from any reality she’d ever known before, Lynette nodded. “Yes, please, Goddess.”
“You heard her, Kylee! Lynette wants stew! Get it for her. And check with Tony about my chocolate cake as well. Chocolate goes so well with my favorite red wine.”
As Kybot scampered away, Neferet led Lynette up to her penthouse, speaking sweetly and softly to her the entire way.
“My dear, you said you were at the House of Night. Were they cruel to you?”
“No, they weren’t cruel. They didn’t trust me, though.”
“Did you actually see Thanatos upholding the spell?”
“No, I just saw the mayor’s daughter, Aphrodite, and the healers,” she told the Goddess.
“Those wretched creatures aren’t true vampyre healers. They are mere assistants. Did you know that one of my abilities is that of a healer?”
“No,” Lynette said with genuine surprise. “I wasn’t aware of that.”
“Yes, my dear Lynette. Rest assured that if one of them dared harm you, I could heal you.”
“Thank you, Goddess.”
“I would imagine Detective Marx had many questions for you.”
Lynette ignored the chill that began working its way down her spine and answered the Goddess with complete honesty. “He did. He wanted to know how many people were inside your Temple.”
“And did you tell him, my dear?”
“Yes,” Lynette said without hesitation. “I told him. I also told him how devoted your servants are to you.”
The cloud that had been beginning to form in Neferet’s emerald eyes cleared and she smiled fondly at Lynette. “And he didn’t like hearing that.”
“No. Neither did Aphrodite or Kalona.”
That made Neferet laugh with wicked-sounding glee.
By this time, they had reached the penthouse balcony. Neferet motioned for Lynette to sit at one of two barstools placed around a tall bistro table. On the table was a handgun, one of those dangerous-looking things that people in the movies tended to wave around a lot. Lynette shivered. She was a native Oklahoman, but she hated guns.
The Goddess sat beside her and leaned toward her intimately. “Did you know that today I killed Kalona?”
Lynette nodded. “Yes, I saw it on the news.”
Neferet’s smile was radiant. “Someone filmed it? How fabulous! Oh, and that reminds me, Lynette, when we are free of this place, I want you to hire the best camera crew my endless money can buy. I simply must have an accurate video record of my reign.”
“Yes, Goddess.” Lynette said.
“Hmm, yes. Hire someone to film it, but I will want you to edit the film. It must be the correct version of accurate. Do you understand my meaning?”
“Of course I do,” Lynette said as she gained confidence and slid back into her familiar role. “I wouldn’t allow anything distasteful or unattractive to make the edit cut.”
“Oh, speaking of distasteful and unattractive. I referred to your list while you were taking your small sabbatical. I’m afraid you’ll find I have a few less supplicants than when you left. I think you’ll be pleased to know that I began with those you listed as unattractive and untalented.”
Lynette hesitated only a moment. Then she nodded her head. “Well, Goddess, if you had to begin somewhere, that is where I would have advised.”
“You are so wise, my dear Lynette.”
Kylee hurried in, carrying a silver tray holding two large slices of a delicious-looking chocolate cake decorated with delicate white flowers, a bottle of red wine, and two crystal goblets. Lynette noticed immediately that Kybot’s usually expressionless face looked worried.
“Ah, there you are, Kylee. I was beginning to wonder if you’d lost your way. I trust Tony is busily preparing Lynette’s stew?”
“Yes, Goddess, he is. But there is a problem with the wine.”
Neferet frowned. She looked at the bottle and her frown deepened. “Kylee, this isn’t my favorite.”
“Goddess, we are out of your favorite,” Kylee said in a rush.
“Out of my favorite? How can that be?”
“Goddess, you drank it all, and we cannot leave to go to the liquor store, nor are they allowing us to receive shipments. And Tony sends his sincere apologies, but he wanted you to know that we are running short of supplies in the kitchen as well.” Kylee place the tray on the table and stood trembling, obviously waiting for Neferet to explode in rage. Lynette braced herself, expecting the same.
The Goddess proved them both wrong. Instead of exploding, she spoke calmly. “Pour this wine for Lynette and me. It will do for now. And then tell Tony that I have heard his concerns.”
Kylee’s hand trembled as she did as Neferet commanded. After the girl had left, Neferet lifted the goblet, swirling it and studying it as if it might contain the answer to a great mystery. The Goddess sniffed delicately and then took a sip. She grimaced only slightly.
“It is exceedingly average, but drinkable,” she said. “Go on, my dear. Try it and give me your opinion.”
Lynette went through the motions of swirling the wine, sniffing, and sipping. “I agree with you, Goddess. It isn’t your usual, but it will do.”
“Yes, it will do,” Neferet said, staring down at a spot in the center of the balcony as she swirled the wine and continued to sip.
Lynette knew when to stay silent. She averted her eyes from the Goddess and drank her own wine. Which was, actually, very good.
“Lynette, my dear, if I said to you, The more something is desired, the dearer the sacrifice must be made to attain it, how would you interpret that?”
Lynette’s lack of food mixed with the rich red wine, and she was just tipsy enough to blurt, “That’s easy. It’s why I’m here right now. Nothing and no one means more to me than being successful and surviving. I’ve sacrificed everything in my life for those two things. And it has been worth it.”
“Nothing and no one…” the Goddess mused. Then a long, slow smile lifted Neferet’s lush lips. “After listening to you and an associate of mine, I have just realized how I can break Thanatos’s spell. Now, let us eat cake while we plan the most spectacular event Tulsa has ever witnessed!”