“That was crazy as hell. I—I don’t know what happened,” she said. Then she really looked at him and her confused expression cleared. “Oh, hey! It’s you.”
He blinked in surprise. “Hi, Shaunee. Good to see you again.” Kevin made a show of looking around the statue. “No twin in sight?” he teased.
Instead of the grin he’d been hoping for, Shaunee’s shoulders slumped. “No. No twin.”
“Hey, I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I was just kidding around. I didn’t mean anything.”
She sighed. “It’s okay.”
“Are you okay?”
He watched her begin to say yeah and brush him off, and then her expression changed, and he saw tears fill her beautiful brown eyes. She shook her head. “No. Not really.”
He gestured at the bench. “Wanta talk about it?” When she hesitated he added, “My grandma, Sylvia Redbird, you’ve seen her around, right?”
She nodded. “Hard to miss a human hanging out at a House of Night, so yeah. I’ve seen her.”
“She says I’m a good listener. And I don’t really have anywhere to be—at least not until dawn in sixty-three minutes.”
“It’s weird that you red vamps always know when sunrise and sunset are, but I do like a boy who quotes his grandma. So, yeah. I think I do wanta talk.”
They went to the bench and sat, and Kevin offered her a drink from the half-empty water bottle, which she took with a smile of thanks. He hadn’t made up that G-ma thought he was a good listener, and Kev knew that a big part of listening was really hearing what was being said, which took patience. Kevin clasped his hands in his lap and waited patiently for Shaunee to speak.
It didn’t take long. She sipped the water again and said, “So, you do remember Erin, my twin, right?”
He thought about the last time he’d seen Erin and the show she’d put on with Dallas at the dorm with a vodka luge and wet T-shirt contest. “Uh, yeah. She’s pretty hard to forget.”
Shaunee glanced at him sharply. “Don’t look like that. Most of that slutty Barbie thing she does is an act. She’s insecure and thinks the only way people will like her is if she’s a party girl. Under all of that, she’s really funny and smart.”
“Okay, sorry. You’re right. I don’t know her, and it’s not my business to judge her. So, what’s up?”
“I’m not sure. You remember last time we talked I said I was trying to get her to understand that we can still be besties, even if we’re not together all the time and we don’t agree about everything?”
He nodded.
“The last couple days she’s been disappearing. A lot. It shouldn’t be weird because she’s really into Dallas.”
Kevin snorted.
“What?”
“Okay, him I do know. He’s a douchebag. Seriously.”
She sighed and nodded. “I know. I didn’t say anything when they first hooked up because she never stays with one guy long. ‘Love ’em and leave ’em—unless they’re millionaires’ is her motto. Or it was. But not since Dallas. I wouldn’t worry about it, well, except that I agree with you that he’s a total bag of balls, but she’s stopped talking to me. And that is Weird with a capital W.”
“Aren’t you two roommates?”
“Yep. But she’s been sleeping with Dallas. So, tonight when she didn’t answer my texts I went to his room and the guy who lives next door said that he’s staying at the depot, which means that’s where Erin is too.” She shifted on the bench so she faced him. “That depot is nasty. I mean, seriously and totally disgusting.” Then her eyes widened, and she pressed a hand over her mouth before saying, “Shit! Of course, you know that because you used to live there. Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay,” he assured her quickly. “And you’re right. The tunnels are totally disgusting. Are you sure she’s staying there? I can’t imagine any girl doing that.”
“That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking. And, no, I don’t know for sure that she’s there, but she’s definitely not here—and neither is Dallas. I’m worried about her, but I can’t tell whether that’s stupid or not.”
“I don’t think it’s ever stupid to be worried about a friend.”
She met his gaze. “But?”
He shrugged. “But maybe she has fallen for Dallas. People do weird things for love.”
Shaunee snorted. “Or lust.”
“True. Could she have Imprinted with him? That’d explain why she wants to be with him, even in those nasty tunnels.”
Shaunee’s look brightened. “That would make sense. And she wouldn’t want to tell me ’cause she knows I’d be pissed. Dallas is an ass. She can do way better.”
“And she knows how you feel about him?”
“Uh, yeah. Of course. We’re twins. We usually tell each other everything.”
“So, maybe it’s as simple as the fact that she knows you don’t like her new boyfriend, and she’s avoiding you because of it,” he said.
Shaunee’s smile lit up the night. “And if you’re right, then I’ll use this to show her that we can be different and still be friends. Kevin, you’re not just a good listener, you’re a good figure-it-outer too.”
“Thanks. Glad I could help you talk it through. Hey, uh, have you eaten yet? I was going to go to the dorm and put my stuff there, but I really should eat something before sunrise.”
Shaunee’s bright, intelligent gaze trapped him. “I thought you were living in Aphrodite’s suite.”
“I was, but recently I’ve realized that’s not helping me move forward.” He shrugged and smiled. “So, it’s time for a change.”
“You’re moving into the dorm?”
He nodded. “Yup.”
“Kev, I do believe I’d like to go to dinner with you.”
“Really?”
“If you’re planning on being around me much, you’ll learn real quick that I do not say things I don’t mean.”
“Good.” He met her gaze. “Because I like being around you.”
“Good,” she said. “Now, would you stand by while I try to light another match? I already asked Nyx to keep an eye on Erin, and I’d like to finish the prayer with that tea light I poured in spell class especially to invoke the Goddess’s aid.”
“Sure!” Kevin said. They walked back to the statue. “I have an idea. This time when you light the match think about controlling the flame. Focus on the fact that you need just a little heat—just a little light—and not a blaze.”
She raised her brows. “That’s right! I forgot that you have an affinity for all five elements.”
“Shaunee, if that flame listens to you, then you have an affinity for one of them as well.”
She blinked in shock. “Oh, shit! Seriously?”
“Seriously. Give it a try.”
Her hand shook a little, but she closed her eyes and exhaled. Kevin watched her face relax and her shoulders loosen.
“Just a little flame this time. We’re only lighting a candle, not a bonfire—for goddess’s sake.” Shaunee didn’t have to strike the match against the rough side of the box. It burst into a happy little flame that danced around on the end of the piece of wood. Her gaze flew to his. “Did you see that?”
He grinned. “I did! Now, think about that little flame lighting your candle.”
“Okay, little firefly. How about we do a small burn, baby burn?” Shaunee began reaching toward the tea light that still waited at the foot of Nyx, and she was several inches away from it when the flame jumped from the match to the wick, where it continued to burn cheerily.
“You did it!” he said.
She turned to him, grinning and pressing her hand against her chest like her heart might beat out of it. “Holy shit! Kev, do I have a fire affinity?”
“Yes, Shaunee, you absolutely do.”
“Ohmygoddess
, yes!” She threw her arms around him as she laughed happily. “I have a fire affinity!” Then she stepped back quickly. “Sorry. I just—”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m glad I was here to see that.” He met her gaze, thinking, And I’m really glad you hugged me.
“Huh,” she said, looking extremely pleased with herself. “I need tacos. And ice cream.”
“After you, fire girl.” Kevin made a sweeping, gallant gesture.
“I also like a boy with manners,” she said as she walked past him, giving him a sexy smile over her shoulder.
“That’s two likes so far. Let’s see how many more I can rack up at dinner.”
“Watch yourself,” she said as he retrieved his duffel bag and caught up to her.
“Not when I have someone as beautiful as you to watch,” he said.
She laughed—a full-throated, joyous sound that was completely infectious. And Kevin decided right then that he was going to work at making her laugh more often.
31
Zoey
The professors’ quarters were interesting. Kevin had told me that Aphrodite’s suite had been remodeled—by Aphrodite, of course—and as we’d said goodnight to our Aphrodite I’d peeked into her room and gotten a glimpse of velvet and lots of fancy throw pillows. But the room Stark and I shared was more of a reflection of the rest of this House of Night. Everything in it worked—the fireplace was easy to light. There was a love seat and two chairs in front of it—a kitchenette that included coffee and such—a bedroom with clean linens and a bathroom stocked with necessities, but it lacked personality.
“It’s like their Neferet musta said to make the professors’ quarters livable, but not like home,” Stark said as he and I sipped coffee and ate fried egg sandwiches at sunset.
“That’s how the whole school seems to me,” I said. “I mean, there’s nothing technically wrong with it, but it lacks color, personality, and something else.”
“Happiness,” he added. “That’s what it lacks. Not that it’s surprising that it does. They’ve been under Neferet’s iron thumb and at war.”
I nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s a black-and-white copy of our House of Night.”
“I hope that changes when all of this is over,” Stark said.
“I think it will. Anastasia is a really awesome High Priestess.”
Stark smiled. “It’s so crazy to see her and Dragon again. Good crazy, but still.”
“Yeah, it takes some getting used to. But I think under their leadership, happiness will come back to this Tulsa and this House of Night.”
He reached over and wiped what must have been egg off my lip with his napkin. “I think you’re probably right.”
“Ooooh, I love it when you tell me I’m right,” I grinned at him.
“Well, I—”
Three really loud knocks sounded against the door followed by a muffled curse.
I sighed. “It’s Aphrodite. Come on in!” I shouted.
Aphrodite opened the door rubbing her fist. “It’s far too early for me to be so physical. I need coffee to go.”
“Knocking on a door isn’t physical,” I said. “And I think I saw travel mugs in one of the cabinets. Help yourself.”
“Don’t you have coffee in that overdone suite of yours?” Stark asked.
Aphrodite frowned at him as she walked past us and started rummaging through the cabinets. “Yes, but I make crappy coffee. Z’s is always better.”
“I swear I do nothing special to it,” I said.
“Don’t believe you,” she said over her shoulder as she filled a tall to-go mug. “By the way, it is super weird to be in that other Aphrodite’s room.”
“How so?” I asked, honestly interested in her response. My Other World twin was dead. This Neferet had killed her shortly after she’d been Marked, so there really wasn’t anything of her left at this school, but I was still curious about how much like, or unlike, me she’d been, which also made me curious about Aphrodite’s take on her doppelgänger.
“Well, she did have a nice selection of frozen organic fruit and protein powder, so I could make my smoothie. And her clothes are pretty much my style.”
I checked out the slim-fit Burberry jeans, vintage Rolling Stones T-shirt, leather jacket, and knee-high black suede boots. “So, is that outfit yours or hers?”
“Jeans and jacket are hers. Tee and boots are mine. As one would expect, she had no flat boots.”
I looked at the wedges she was wearing. “Uh, Aphrodite, wedges aren’t flats. Seriously.”
“Like I’ve said before, we’ll agree to disagree on that,” she said, sipping her coffee before she added more sugar. “But these must be her fat jeans. Girlfriend was skinny. I couldn’t get most of her jeans over my butt.” Her blue eyes narrowed at Stark. “And do not say anything, Bow Boy.”
He was laughing but held up his hands in surrender. “Not a chance.”
“Now that I think about it, I do recall her seeming kinda frail, almost like an unfinished version of you.”
She nodded. “I get that. About every third thing in her room was me, something I’d buy or wear or eat or drink, but the rest was just slightly off. It’s really weird. She had a lot of pills stuffed in her bathroom, like enough Xanax to drop an elephant. And the fridge was well stocked in champagne and everything to make an excellent dry martini.”
I told her the simple truth. “She was you without friends.”
Aphrodite shocked me by coming over to where I was sitting at the little counter and hugging me. “Thanks for not letting me fade away like her.”
Her unexpected affection had my throat closing, so all I could do was hug her back and nod.
She was, of course, the first to recover. She tossed her hair back and said, “We better get down there and see Kev and Other Stark off.”
“He wants to be called James now,” Stark said as we headed to the door.
“Whatever,” Aphrodite said.
We made our way quickly and directly to the foyer of the school. Even though it was just after sunset, the school should have been buzzing with fledgling activity, but this House of Night was strangely quiet. We saw a few fledglings heading to their dining hall. They stared at us but didn’t whisper and gossip like our kids would’ve done.
“It’s depressing here,” said Aphrodite. “I seriously never thought I’d say this, but letting humans mix with our fledglings has really brightened up our House of Night. I mean, most teenagers are a pain in the ass—fledgling or otherwise—but they’re less idiotic when they expand their horizons and are around different types of people.”
“Aren’t you still a teenager?” Stark asked.
“Don’t be a smartass. I’ve always been older than my years. Z, you need to tell your brother to work on making this place less gloomy.”
“Well, I don’t think they’re going to be mixing with humans for a good long while. Gotta end that pesky little thing called the vampyre/human war first,” I said.
She waved that away. “Mere details. That’ll be done for good once we get rid of the Neferets.”
We entered the main school building from the rear and went to the foyer where a young male vampyre directed us to Anastasia’s office. High Priestess Anastasia sat behind a large antique walnut desk. The room was lit by fat vanilla pillar candles that made it smell wonderful. Stevie Rae and Kacie were sitting in the comfy leather chairs in front of the desk. James and Rephaim were standing beside them. I would’ve liked to have gawked at the gorgeous artist renditions of Nyx on Anastasia’s walls, but my attention was pulled from them when everyone looked expectantly at me and then, seeing who wasn’t with me, James muttered, “Where the hell is your brother?”
“Merry meet, High Priestess,” I said first, fisting my hand over my heart and greeting her respectfully before I added, “I thought
Kevin would already be here.”
“Hey there, Z,” Stevie Rae said. “We thought he was havin’ breakfast with you and Stark.”
I opened my mouth to say that I hadn’t seen him when the door opened and in rushed Kevin followed by this world’s version of Shaunee. I had to stop myself from grinning and hugging her, especially as she was still a fledgling, which made her look a lot younger than eighteen.
Kevin fisted his hand quickly over his heart. “Merry meet, High Priestess Anastasia.” As Anastasia greeted him in return, he glanced at me and grinned.
“Kevin, why have you brought this fledgling here?” Anastasia asked, though not unkindly.
“This is Shaunee,” Kevin said.
“Aren’t you a second-year student?” Anastasia asked.
Shaunee looked nervous, but she fisted her hand over her heart and bowed to Anastasia before saying, “I’m a third year, High Priestess.”
“Merry meet, Shaunee. Before this awful war began, I prided myself on knowing all of the fledglings. I plan on being able to say that I know you all again very soon.” Anastasia’s gaze went to Kevin. “And why did you bring this young fledgling to my office?” she asked again.
Kevin smiled and with a jolt I realized that he looked truly happy. “You should tell her,” he said to Shaunee.
Shaunee cleared her throat and then, in a clear voice that was beginning to hold some of the power that her mirror in our world possessed she said, “Kevin helped me discover something that he said you would want to know. I have an affinity for fire.”
Anastasia’s eyes widened in surprise, and then her face lit with a smile as well. “What a lovely blessing Nyx has bestowed upon you—and so unusual in a fledgling. Kevin was correct. This is welcome news today.”
I wanted to cheer and congratulate Shaunee, and one glance at Stevie Rae said she did too, but she only made a small fist pump and mouthed yes!
Anastasia was saying, “Shaunee, who is your mentor?”
“It was Lenobia,” she said softly.
“Oh. Well, then. I shall mentor you myself. Lenobia and I were fast friends. Next week you and I will discuss your classes and be sure that you get plenty of training in rituals and circle-casting. You’ll need to—”
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