P.C. Cast - Burned

“Kalona’s dead?” Aphrodite couldn’t stop herself from blurting.

Instead of answering her, Neferet turned to look up at the entrance to the Chamber. Standing there were four Council Warriors carrying between them a litter that sagged with the weight of its occupant. One black wing spilled over the side of the litter and dragged on the floor.

“Bring him forward!” Neferet commanded.

Slowly, they descended the steps until they laid the litter on the floor in front of the dais. Stark and Darius automatically moved together to stand between Zoey’s body and Kalona.

“Of course he isn’t dead. He is Erebus, an immortal,” Neferet began in her familiar, haughty voice, but then she broke, and on a sob said, “He isn’t dead, but as you can all see, he’s gone !”

Almost as if she couldn’t control herself, Aphrodite stood and approached Kalona. Darius was beside her in an instant.

“No. Do not touch him,” he warned.

“Whether we call him Erebus or not, it is obvious that this being is an ancient immortal. Because of the power in his blood, the Prophetess will not be able to enter his body, even if his spirit is not present. He doesn’t hold the same danger for her Zoey does, Warrior,” Thanatos said.

“I’m okay. Let me try and see what I can find out,” Aphrodite told Darius.

“I’m right here with you. I’m not going to let go of you,” he said, taking her hand and walking with her to Kalona.

Aphrodite could feel the tension radiating through her Warrior’s body, but she drew three more long, deep breaths and concentrated on Kalona. Hesitating for only an instant, Aphrodite reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, just as she’d done for Zoey. His skin was so cold to the touch that she had to force herself not to pull away. Instead, Aphrodite closed her eyes. Nyx? One more time, please. Just let me know something . . . anything to help all of us. Then Aphrodite’s silent prayer finished with the thought that solidified her bond with the Goddess and finally made her truly a Prophetess in her own right. Please use me as a tool to help fight the darkness and to follow your path.

Her palm warmed, but Aphrodite didn’t need to sink into him to tell Kalona was gone. Darkness told her—and with a jolt she realized she should think of it as a capital D. This was a thing in its own right—an entity vast and powerful and living. It was everywhere. It encompassed the immortal’s entire body. Aphrodite got a very clear image of an inky web, like that spun by a swollen, invisible spider. Its sticky black threads were woven all around his body—holding it—caressing it—binding it tightly, as if in a twisted version of safekeeping because it was obvious the immortal’s body was imprisoned—just as obvious as the fact that what was inside of his body was complete emptiness.

Aphrodite gasped and took her hand quickly from his skin, rubbing it against her thigh as if the black web had tainted her, too. She fell against Darius as her knees gave way.

“It’s just like the inside of Zoey,” she said, as her Warrior lifted her in his arms, purposefully not disclosing that Kalona’s body was basically being held hostage. “He’s not here anymore, either.”

“Zo, you have to wake up. Please! Wake up and talk to me.”

The guy’s voice was nice. I knew he was cute before I opened my eyes. Then I did open my eyes and smiled up at him ’cause I had definitely been right. He was, as my BFF Kayla would say, “a hottie covered with awesome sauce.” Okay, yum! Even though my head was kinda fuzzy, I felt warm and happy. My smile turned into a grin. “I’m awake. Who are you?”

“Zoey, stop playing around. It’s not funny.”

The kid frowned down at me, and I realized all of a sudden that I was lying across his lap in his arms. I sat up fast and scooted a little away from him. I mean, yeah, he was super cute and all, but being in some stranger’s lap was pretty much outside my comfort zone.

“Uh, I’m not trying to be funny.”

His cute face went all still and shocked. “Zo, are you telling me you really don’t know who I am?”

“Okay, look. You know I don’t know who you are. Even though I know it sounds like you know me.” I paused, confused by all the “knows.”

“Zoey, do you know who you are?”

I blinked. “That’s a silly question. Of course I know who I am. I’m Zoey.” It’s a good thing the kid was cute because obviously he wasn’t the brightest Crayola in the pack.

“Do you know where you are?” His voice was gentle, almost hesitant.

I looked around. We were sitting on some really nice soft grass beside a dock that led out to a lake that looked like glass in the gorgeous morning sunlight.

Sunlight?

That was wrong.

Something was wrong.

I swallowed hard and met the guy’s gentle brown eyes. “Tell me your name.”

“Heath. I’m Heath. You know me, Zo. You’ll always know me.”

I did know him.

Flashes of him blinked through my memory like fast-forwarded DVDs: Heath telling me my hacked-off hair looked cute in third grade—Heath saving me from that giant spider that fell on me in front of the entire sixth grade—Heath kissing me for the first time after the football game in eighth grade—Heath drinking too much and pissing me off—me Imprinting with Heath . . . and then Imprinting again, and finally me watching as Heath—

“Oh, Goddess!” My memories coalesced and I remembered. I remembered.

“Zo”—he pulled me back into his arms—“it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“How is it going to be okay?” I sobbed. “You’re dead!”

“Zo, babe, it’s just what happens. I wasn’t really scared, and it didn’t even hurt too much.” He rocked me slowly and patted my back as he spoke to me in his calm, familiar voice.

“But I remember! I remember!” I couldn’t stop myself from unattractively snot crying. “Kalona killed you. I saw it. Oh, Heath, I tried to stop him. I really, really did.”

“Shhh, babe, shhh. I know you did. There was nothing you could have done. I called you to me, and you came. You did good, Zo. You did good. Now you have to go back and stand up to him and Neferet. Neferet killed those two vamps from your school, that drama teacher you had and that other guy.”

“Loren Blake?” Shock was drying my tears, and I wiped my face. Heath, as usual, pulled a wad of Kleenex out of his jeans pocket. I stared at them for a second and then surprised both of us by cracking up. “You brought nasty used Kleenex to heaven? Seriously?” I giggled.

He looked offended. “Zo. They so aren’t used. Well, at least not much.”

I shook my head at him and gingerly took the wad, wiping my face.

“Blow your nose, too. You have snot. You always have snot when you cry. That’s why I always have Kleenex.”

“Oh, be quiet! I don’t cry that much,” I said, momentarily forgetting he was dead and all.

“Yeah, but when you do, you snot a lot, so I need to be prepared.”

I stared at him as reality smacked me again. “Then what happens when you’re not there to give me snot rags?” A sob escaped from my throat. “And—and not there to remind me what home is like, what love is like? What being human is like?” I was bawling again, big-time.

“Oh, Zo. You’ll figure that all out on your own. You have lots of time. You’re a big-deal vamp High Priestess. Remember?”

“I don’t want to be,” I told him with complete honesty. “I want to be Zoey and be here with you.”

“That’s just part of you. Hey, maybe it’s part of you that needs to grow up.” He spoke gently in a voice that sounded suddenly too old and wise for my Heath.