P.C. Cast - Burned

“You know about this stuff?” Stevie Rae asked.

In what seemed like an unconscious movement, one of Lenobia’s hands lifted to touch the back of her neck. “I know a little of Darkness, and as Mistress of Horses, I know more than a little about beasts.”

Sapphire swabbed at the cut that snaked around Stevie Rae’s waist, making her wince. “Ah, crap, that hurts!” She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to focus through the pain. When she opened them, she saw that Lenobia was studying her with an expression she couldn’t read, but before she could form the right question, the Horse Mistress asked one of her own.

“What was the Raven Mocker doing there? You said it didn’t attack you, but it certainly wouldn’t have any reason to attack Darkness.”

“ ’Cause they on the same side,” Kramisha added, nodding thoughtfully.

“I don’t know about sides and all, but the bad bull attacked the Raven Mocker.” Stevie Rae drew a deep breath, and continued, “Actually, the Raven Mocker showin’ up was what saved me. He just kinda fell from the sky and distracted the bull long enough for me to draw power from the earth so I could call up the good bull.” Stevie Rae couldn’t help smiling as she talked about that amazing beast. “I’d never seen anything like him before. He was so beautiful and kind and so, so wise. He went after the white bull, and both of them disappeared. Then Dallas was able to get inside the circle to me, and the Raven Mocker flew away.”

“But what you’re saying is that before the Raven Mocker got there, the white bull drank your blood?” Lenobia said.

Stevie Rae had to suppress another shudder of remembered revulsion. “Yeah. He said I owed him payment because he answered my question. That’s probably why my blood smells weird, ’cause you can still smell him on me, and let me tell you, he reeked. And that’s also why I need to make that phone call. The bull did answer my question, and I gotta talk to Aphrodite.”

“You might as well let her call. She don’t need them stitches anyway. Her cuts are closing up already,” Kramisha said, pointing to the first slashes Darkness had made around her ankles.

Stevie Rae glanced down, but she knew what she’d see before she looked. She’d already felt it—Rephaim’s blood was spreading its warmth and strength throughout her body, causing her torn flesh to begin drawing together and repair itself.

“That’s incredibly unusual. And much like the rapid rate at which you healed from your burn wounds,” Sapphire said.

Stevie Rae made herself meet the vampyre nurse’s gaze. “I’m a red vampyre High Priestess. There’s never been anyone like me before, so I guess we can say I’m setting the learning curve for all of us. We must heal fast.” She flipped the edge of the sheet over her body and then held her hand out to Kramisha. “I need your phone now.”

Without another word, Kramisha walked over to where she’d dropped her purse, dug out her cell phone, and gave it to Stevie Rae. “Aphrodite’s listed under the B’s.”

Stevie Rae punched in the number. Aphrodite picked up on the third ring.

“Yes, it is too damn early to call, and no, I do not care about whatever stupid poem you just wrote, Kramisha.”

“It’s me.”

Aphrodite’s sarcastic tone instantly changed. “What happened?”

“Did you know the white bull’s bad and the black bull’s good?”

“Yeah. Didn’t I tell you that part?” Aphrodite said.

“No, which really sucked ’cause I called the white bull to my circle.”

“Uh-oh. That’s seriously not good. What happened?”

“Not good? Try understatement of the dang decade, Aphrodite. It was bad. Really, really bad.” Stevie Rae wanted to tell Lenobia and Sapphire and even Kramisha to go away so she could talk to Aphrodite in private, and then maybe have a really good breakdown and bawl her eyes out; but she knew they needed to hear what she had to say. Sadly, bad stuff didn’t go away just because it was ignored. “Aphrodite, it’s evil like nothing I’ve seen before. It makes Neferet look like a trick-or-treat kid.” She ignored Sapphire’s indignant snort and kept talking quickly. “And it’s powerful beyond belief. I couldn’t fight it. I don’t think anything can fight it except the other bull.”

“So how did you get away from it?” Aphrodite paused for half a heartbeat, and then added, “You are away from it, aren’t you? You’re not all under its spell so that you’re being used like a sock puppet for evil with a bumpkin accent, right?”

“That’s just silly, Aphrodite.”

“Still, say something to prove you’re really you.”

“You called me a retard last time we talked. More than once. And said I was asstarded, which is not even a word. I’m still tellin’ you that’s not nice.”

“Fine. It’s you. So how did you get away from the bull?”

“I managed to call up the good bull, and he is as really, really good as the other one is bad. He fought it, and they both disappeared.”

“So you didn’t learn anything?”

“Yeah, I did.” Stevie Rae squinted while she concentrated hard, wanting to be sure she remembered word for word what the white bull had said. “I asked how Stark could get to Zoey so that he can protect her while she gets herself together and comes back here. This is what the bull said: ‘The Warrior must look to his blood to discover the bridge to enter the Isle of Women, and then he must defeat himself to enter the arena. Only by acknowledging one before the other will he join his Priestess. After he joins her, it is her choice and not his whether she returns.’ ”

“He said Isle of Women? Are you sure about that?”

“Yeah, I’m positive. That’s exactly what he said.”

“Good. Okay. Uh, hang on, I’m writing this all down so I don’t forget any of it.”

Stevie Rae could hear Aphrodite scribbling on a piece of paper. When she was done, her voice was filled with excitement. “This means we are on the right track! But how the hell does Stark find a bridge by looking at blood? And what does that stuff about him having to defeat himself mean?”

Stevie Rae sighed. A massive headache had started to throb between her temples. “I don’t have a clue, but getting that answer almost killed me, so it has to mean somethin’ important.”

“Then Stark better figure it out.” Aphrodite hesitated before saying, “If the black bull is so super good, why don’t you just call it back again and—”

“No!” Stevie Rae spoke with such force she caused everyone in the room to jump. “Never again. And you shouldn’t let anyone else conjure either of those bulls. The price is too much.”

“What do you mean, the price is too much?” Aphrodite said.

“I mean they’re too powerful. They can’t be controlled, whether they’re good or bad. Aphrodite, there’re some things that weren’t meant to be messed with, and those bulls are part of those things. Plus, I’m not so sure one can be called up without the other eventually showing up, and believe me, you don’t want to ever, ever meet that white bull.”

“Okay, okay—relax. I get what you’re saying, and I can tell you I have a kinda creepy feeling just talking about those bulls. I think you’re right. Don’t stress. No one’s gonna do anything except try to help Stark find a blood bridge to the Isle of Skye.”

“Aphrodite, I don’t think it’s a blood bridge. That doesn’t even sound right.” Stevie Rae rubbed her face and was surprised to see that her hand was shaking.

“Enough for now,” Lenobia whispered. “You’re strong, but you’re not immortal.”

Stevie Rae’s gaze shot to hers, but she saw nothing in the Horse Mistress’s gray eyes except concern.