P.C. Cast - Hidden

Stevie Rae gave him a big smile. “Yep, I’m the first Red Vampyre High Priestess. Cool, isn’t it?”

“Your tattoo is certainly pretty,” Adam said, looking more curious than uncomfortable.

“Thank you!” Stevie Rae gushed. “This here’s James Stark. He’s the first Red Vampyre Warrior. His tattoo is awesome, too.”

Stark put his hand out. “Nice to meet ya. And you don’t have to tell me my tattoo is pretty.”

Adam’s face lost some of its color, but he shook Stark’s hand. His smile seemed genuine—nervous, but genuine.

“Hi,” I chimed in, shaking his hand. “I’m Zoey.”

Adam’s gaze quickly shifted from the full tattoo on my face, to the V-neck of my T-shirt and the glimpse of tattooing across my collarbone, down to my palm, which was also covered in the same filigree tattoo. “I didn’t know vampyres were getting additional tattooing done. Is your artist here in Tulsa?”

I grinned. “Yeah, sometimes. But mostly she’s in the Otherworld.” I could see he was trying to process what I’d just said, so I took the opportunity to blurt, “Hey, you said you don’t have a girlfriend, but how about a boyfriend?”

“Um, no, I don’t have a boyfriend, either. At least not currently.” Adam glanced at Damien, who met his gaze.

Success! was what I was thinking when Aphrodite snorted and said, “Oh, for shit’s sake, this isn’t The Bachelorette. I’m Aphrodite LaFont. Yes, the mayor is my father. Whoop-dee-fucking-do.” She wrapped her arm through Darius’s. “And this is my Warrior, Darius.”

Adam’s cute brow went up as he took in Aphrodite’s school sweater, with the sixth former insignia of the three Fates sewn over her left breast pocket. “Are human beings allowed to attend the House of Night?”

“Aphrodite is a Prophetess of Nyx, a fact proven by the bond she has with Darius, who is a Son of Erebus Warrior and Oath Sworn as her protector.” Thanatos was speaking from the shadows as she walked gracefully toward us. I thought her timing was excellent, as was her entrance. She looked tall and powerful, ageless and classically beautiful. Her voice was pleasant and informative, as if she lectured human reporters every day. “I know the inner workings of our society are not common knowledge, but I believe most humans are aware that a Warrior cannot bond to a human with an oath of protection.”

“Actually, even though this interview is last minute, I did have time to do some general research, and that is one fact I did uncover.”

“That Aphrodite is a Prophetess of Nyx, and is attending school here, as are several red fledglings and vampyres, will be one of the topics of our interview. Although it appears that interview has already begun.” Thanatos emerged fully from the shadows, nodding toward the cameraman who was holding up the camera and definitely had been filming us, even though none of us had been paying any attention to him. “I am Thanatos, the new High Priestess of the Tulsa House of Night. Merry meet, Adam Paluka. You are welcome at our school.”

“M-merry meet.” Adam only bobbled a little. “I didn’t mean to offend by filming early.”

Thanatos smiled. “You did not offend us. We invited you here. I am pleased that the interview has begun without formalities. Shall we remain out here, under the beautiful Tulsa night sky, and continue?”

“Sure,” Adam said after a nod from the cameraman. “The gaslights are actually good lighting. If you give us a sec, we can use a boom mic and get as many of your group on tape as you’d like.”

“That sounds lovely. Zoey, Aphrodite, Stevie Rae, Stark, and Damien, please stay for the interview. Darius, would you, Shaunee and Erin, be sure the gathered fledglings have returned to their dormitories? Tonight has been a difficult one for our school.” Darius bowed to Aphrodite and Thanatos, then he and Shaunee walked off together. Erin headed in the opposite direction.

“You said tonight has been difficult for your school. What do you mean by that?”

“With your pulse on the news, I am sure you are aware we recently had a fire on campus,” Thanatos said.

“We did get that report at Fox. Something about your stables?” he prompted.

“Indeed, an unfortunate, though not entirely surprising accident.” Thanatos gestured at the large copper lamps that hung in decorative beauty around us. “Gaslight and candlelight are kinder on our eyes than electric bulbs. As you already observed, it has a lovely ambiance, but it is living flame and sometimes volatile. A lantern was left lit and unattended in the barn. It was a windy evening. A gust blew the lantern over on a hay bale, setting the stables afire.”

“I hope no one was hurt.” I thought Adam looked authentically concerned.

“Our Horse Mistress and a fledgling had some minor smoke inhalation damage, and the human in our employ as a stable manager suffered burns, mostly on his hands. He will recover fully. I must tell you for the record that our Travis Foster is something of a hero. He made sure all of the horses escaped.”

“Travis Foster is a human?”

“Completely, and a valued employee and friend.”

“Fascinating,” Adam said. His gaze shifted around. I could see when his eyes lit on the distant pyre, which had smoldered down to an orange glow. “Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think that burning pile is part of the stables. During my research I read that vampyres burn their dead on pyres. Have I chosen a bad time for this interview?” He asked the question in a considerate tone of voice, but I could see the curiosity that was bright in his eyes.

“You are not wrong. That is the remnants of a funeral pyre. We have, indeed, suffered a grave loss at the House of Night that had nothing to do with the stable fire. Our Sword Master, Dragon Lankford, was recently killed in a tragic accident on a lavender farm that adjoins the national preserve known as the Tall Grass Prairie.” I closed my mouth, wondering how the heck Thanatos was going to turn Dragon’s murder into a “tragic accident” that could be explained to the human public. “A large male bison escaped the confines of the preserve. Several of us were completing a lovely cleansing ritual at the lavender farm, and the beast must have been confused by the sage smoke and our circle. The creature attacked us. Our Sword Master protected our fledglings, losing his life doing so.”

“That’s terrible! I’m so sorry.” Adam looked upset. Actually, we all looked upset, which was hiding our shock at Thanatos’s big, giant lie.

“Thank you, Adam. Though it was a horrible accident and a terrible loss to our House, our Sword Master died as he lived, an honorable Warrior who protected our young ones. Because of him no one else was harmed, and the ritual was even completed. We shall all remember Dragon Lankford’s bravery for centuries to come.” She dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief she’d pulled from within her sleeve. It was a really moving moment. Adam stood there, looking empathetic, as the cameraman swiveled the lens from Dragon’s pyre to focus on Thanatos’s grief and her very human struggle to pull herself together.

It was really well staged. She made me wonder how many acting classes the High Priestess of Death had taken when she was a fledgling.

Thanatos finished wiping her eyes and drew a deep breath. “And to answer your other question, no, this is not a bad time for our interview. We invited you, remember? We are happy to welcome you to the House of Night, even during our sadness. So, let us officially begin. Is here by the bench a good place?” Thanatos gestured at one of the long stone benches that lined the entranceway to the school lobby. During a regular school day, kids would be clustered around them, doing homework, flirting, and gossiping. Tonight they were completely empty.