P.C. Cast - Hidden

“Hey there, Grandma, sorry to be calling you so late. I’m glad you have your phone on silent, though, so I’m not waking you up.” My voice started to shake, but before I could fall totally apart and burst into tears Stark’s strong arm slid around my shoulders. I leaned into him and spoke quickly, hoping I sounded perky and not hysterical. “I don’t know if you saw the news yet, but Thanatos announced that we’re having a big open house and job fair and basically inviting all of Tulsa. It’s a charity for Street Cats, too, and a way to make Neferet look as crazy as she is and us look, well, not crazy,” I added, thinking so there, you hateful hag! “Anyway, it’s this coming Saturday, and Thanatos asked me to ask you if you’d help us coordinate with Sister Mary Angela. I told her I thought you’d be totally cool with that, so call me as soon as you can and I’ll give you the details, ’kay? I love you, Grandma! I really, really love you! Bye.”

Stark took the phone from me and pressed the END call button. Then he pulled me into his arms as I did, indeed, burst into tears. During my shaking and snotting I felt another hand touch my back and recognized the calm presence of earth. Then another hand touched me, and air brushed softly against me. Yet another hand joined the others, and fire warmed me. Spirit, that was already present, settled within me, calming my tears and allowing me to pull back from Stark enough to smile shakily at my friends.

“Thanks, guys. I’m better now,” I said.

“Well, you will be after you blow your nose,” Stark gently kidded as he handed me a balled up tissue from his pocket.

“You’re a mess, Z. That’s for damn sure,” Aphrodite said. She was shaking her head, but she was also standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of my circle—showing solidarity—showing support.

“I am not lying.” I looked from my friends to see that Aurox had stood. He was facing Thanatos. Darius and Kalona had positioned themselves protectively between him and the High Priestess. Aurox turned his head and his eyes met mine. I was shocked to see tears standing in them. He looked almost as devastated as I felt. Then he faced the High Priestess and begged, “Chain me up. Lock me away. I will take whatever punishment you mete out to me, but please, for the sake of Sylvia Redbird, believe me. I am not in league with Neferet. I despise her. I hate that she created me from death and pain. In order to control me, she must have Darkness take over my body and awaken the creature within. High Priestess, you know that is true.”

“From what evidence we have uncovered it would seem that is the truth,” Thanatos said.

“Then listen to me. I give you my oath—Neferet has taken Zoey’s grandmother.”

“You only have this one chance.” I stepped from the circle of my friends and walked over to Aurox. “If you are lying to us. If you have anything to do with Grandma being hurt I will use all five of the elements and all of my Goddess-given powers to destroy you, no matter what you are. No matter who you are. You have my oath on that.”

“Accepted,” he said, bowing his head to me.

“Bound,” Thanatos said. “All beings with spirits have a choice. I hope you are making the correct one, Aurox.”

“I am,” he said.

“Yes, we have your oath on that,” Thanatos said, then she gazed around at the rest of us. “We need to get into Neferet’s penthouse.”

“I can go,” Aurox said.

“No!” Stark, Darius, Kalona, and I yelled together.

“I can get into her damn penthouse,” Aphrodite said. “That bitch believes I’m as big a bitch as she is, and while in some ways that might be semi-true, Neferet measures everyone’s loyalty by her own, which is non-existent. She’s always wanted to use me, and she can’t hear my thoughts. I can get in.”

“She may let you in, but she would never allow you to see whether she has taken Grandma Redbird prisoner,” Aurox said.

“He speaks the truth. She would cloak her prisoner’s presence from Aphrodite,” Thanatos said.

“Not from me. She would never believe it necessary. Neferet will be angry at me for failing to stop the reveal ritual, but she will allow me in at least long enough for me to discover if she holds Grandma Redbird,” Aurox said.

“Or long enough to manipulate you,” Darius said.

“And wake up that thing that sleeps inside you,” Stark added.

“Aurox, you cannot control the beast. Not if Neferet sacrifices to awaken it,” Thanatos said.

“That may be why she captured Zoey’s grandmother,” Darius said, sending me an apologetic look. “Perhaps she needs a greater sacrifice than a Warrior’s cat to regain control of Aurox.”

“No! I, no…” Aurox said brokenly, his shoulders sagged and he put his face in his hands.

All I could do was shake my head back and forth, back and forth. Stark took my hand and squeezed it. “We won’t let that happen. We’re going to get Grandma back.”

“But how?” My words came out between sobs.

“I will go.” Kalona was staring at me as he spoke. “I will not simply enter Neferet’s home. If she is holding Sylvia Redbird prisoner, I will find her and rescue her. Darkness cannot cloak itself from me; we have too long known one another. Neferet thinks herself invulnerable because she has become an immortal, but she has only a child’s experience compared to my vast centuries of power and knowledge. I cannot kill her, but I can steal an old woman from her.”

“Well, maybe. If she lets you in the front door,” Stark said. “Last time I checked, she doesn’t like you much.”

“Neferet loathes me, but that does not change the fact that she desires me.”

“Really? That’s not how it looks to everyone else. Neferet’s moved on,” Stark continued. “Her Consort’s the white bull.”

Kalona smiled sardonically at Stark. “You are young and know little of women.”

I felt Stark bristle and quickly wiped my eyes and my nose and pulled myself together. “You’re going to have to make her believe you’re betraying us to her—that your oath to Thanatos is a fake.”

“Neferet does not know I have sworn to Thanatos,” he said.

“Uh, I think she might,” Shaunee said.

I glanced at her in surprise.

“I’m not saying this to be mean, and I really don’t want to go into details, so I’m asking you to just trust me—but it’s pretty safe to say that whatever Erin knows about us, Dallas knows,” Shaunee said.

“Holy crap!” Stevie Rae said.

“Dallas talks to Neferet,” Rephaim said.

“Huh?” I’d practically forgotten Rephaim was there, and then I felt guilty as hell when he shrugged and explained, “I’m not used to talking a lot. I don’t say much, so people ignore me and then I hear things.”

“I don’t ignore you,” Stevie Rae said, tiptoeing to kiss his cheek.

He smiled at her. “No, never you. But Dallas does. He was near me when his phone rang between classes today. Twice. It was Neferet both times.”

“And I’m about ninety-nine percent sure Erin would tell Dallas anything he wants to know about us,” Shaunee said.

“Erin remained here at the House of Night when the rest of you returned to the depot yesterday,” Thanatos said.

I met Shaylin’s gaze. “Tell her.”

The fledgling didn’t hesitate. “Erin’s colors are different than they used to be. I noticed it a couple of days ago.”

“She’s changing,” Aphrodite said. “Shaylin and I both believe it. That’s why we advised Zoey to let Erin stay when she told Zoey she wanted to.”

“Then I agree with Shaunee. It is very possible that Neferet knows everything Erin knows,” Thanatos said.