A/N Okay yeah I know that this takes place after the 5th book Hunted and there is a 6th book out called Tempted, but I wrote this before the 6th one came out and personally, for those of you who actually like Heath, you'll like this story MUCH better.... anyway I'll stop me babbling now and let you enjoy the story. ;)

Chapter 1

After following Sister Mary Angela into the abbey we sat down in for some hot chocolate. It was really nice to relax after all that's happened. Then again I'll need to rewind a lot more after we return to the House of Night. I had a lot of questions so I started to ask my first. "Darius what are they going to do about the House of Night?"

He took a deep breath, and sighed "Priestess I honestly do not know. They will have to find a new High Priestess to replace Shekinah and another vampyre to replace Neferet. The problem is you were the High Priestess in training but you are still only a third former fledgling."

Great more to deal with! "Do you know if we will be needed? I would really love to just unwind for a week."

"Me too y'all, I am so beat!" Stevie Ray chimed in and we all punctuated her sentence with large yawns.

"I'm afraid Priestesses that we must return to the House of Night before anything can happen. The Council must know the whole story to provide adequate judgment."

"You're right Darius," I sighed, and turned to Sister Mary Angela, "Thank-you so much for all your help Sister. I'm afraid we must leave and settle some more things."

"It's alright dear, go ahead. Remember to be careful and settle what you need to do."

We all hugged and said our goodbyes. Then I turned to Damien "I think if you want you could convince Darius to take you back in the car if you'd rather not take Persephone back."

Damien looked relieved; he nodded and then waddled over to Darius, I guess he still wasn't used to riding. I politely reminded everyone we needed to leave and headed back out to Persephone. Her presence was always calming to me and I definitely needed to calm down. Slowly I patted her mane, thinking about the day. Then someone came out, it was Erik, great just what I needed.

"We need to talk Z.," he said.

"I know," I said keeping my hand on Persephone's mane and without turning to face him, "but if it's about our personal life can it wait?" I pleaded; another fight with Erik was the last thing I needed.

"This isn't about us it's about what's going to happen next." My confused silence was his cue to continue on. "I think you should be the next High Priestess for the House of Night."

Now that shocked me. But I wasn't sure what shocked me more: the fact that Erik was talking to me, that he didn't want to talk about our personal life, or that he thought I could be a High Priestess. I just stood there for a second, looking anywhere but at Erik. "What me? Why, I mean after all that's happened why do you think I could handle it?"

He looked me strait in my eyes and said "You're the most gifted fledgling in the history of all vampyres and fledglings. If anyone has what it takes to be a High Priestess, you do."

I sighed he was right, but right now I just wanted to be normal fledgling. "But how can I be the next High Priestess when I'm not even a full vampyre yet?"

"You've been gifted by Nyx. You don't need to be a full vampyre to be a good High Priestess. It's your destiny, being as you're so connected to Nyx!" he finished exasperatedly.

"You're right. I just... I wish that someone could fill in until I am a full vampyre. I was marked less than a year ago! I just want to have some time to be normal. I'm not even past my third former year!"

He walked over and placed one comforting hand on my shoulder, and used his other to lift my face so I was looking into his eyes. He then said, "I know." His dreamy eyes turned sad for me.

"We'd better get back to the school and let them decide." he nodded.

I walked over to the abbey and rounded up the gang. The Twins and I took the horses back while everyone else piled into the car. On the way back to the school at our cautious pace I let Persephone lead herself back to the school while I thought about what had happened in the past few months. I had been marked be the Goddess Nyx herself, imprinted on my human ex, become the first fledgling to have a filled-in Mark, be the first fledgling to have an expanded Mark, I was seduced by a lying bastard which broke my imprint with Heath, tricked into giving up my virginity, alienated from my friends reunited with my friends, became friends with Aphrodite saw my best friend die then come back to life, and so much more. Darius's voice interrupted my inner babbling. "Priestess we are almost at the House of Night, I suggest you prepare what you will tell the students and professors."

"Right, thanks."

He nodded and closed the window he was talking out of. But his comment reminded me I had no clue what I was going to say when we got back to the school. I think saying something like "Hey everybody Neferet was a giant liar and played you all. Kalona was really a fallen angel from a Cherokee Legend and wasn't Erebus on Earth. You all were tricked but now you're safe because I saved you!" didn't really seem the way to go.

Of course in perfect timing The Twins who had been oddly quiet chimed in "Why don't you just tell them that Neferet is gone and that you can't say anything until you can have a meeting with the Council?"

"Yea so you don't have people jumping down your throat calling you a liar until you can tell the whole story."

"That's a great idea guys! Thanks, I just hope it works." just as I said that the nerves finally kicked in.

"It will won't it, Twin?"

"Of course it will Twin!"

I smiled the Twins weren't actually twins but everyone called them the Twins because their soul sisters. Generally the way they are always so chill rubs off on me, right now is no exception. With Persephone's calming personality, and the Twins plan my nerves were already receding.

It seemed that all too soon we were at the school gates. With a deep breath we entered. It was only slightly relieving to see that the Raven Mockers no longer surrounded the school. Before meeting the whole school to explain their high Priestess was gone, we went off in search of Dragon, his wife and Lenobia. They were our allies and we all needed to know what happened.

Luckily we found them before anything found us. They were hiding out in the Temple of Nyx. Apparently the sacred temple kept them safe because it dispelled anyone who was under Kalona's spell.

Lenobia was the first to reach us having sensed the presence of her horses. Her expression softened a little seeing everyone including her horses was okay. "Well.... what happened?" the anxiety in her voice was evident. If Neferet came back and knew that she was part of the revolt, she would surely be killed and her horses would have something ghastly done to them as well.

"It went... well." the hesitation in my voice caused her to worry so I launched into the whole story. I waited a few moments for the story to sink in then I asked, "What happened here while we were out?"

At first none of them wanted to answer at first then Dragon took a deep breath and began to explain, "At first the diversion went according to plan. When Kalona and Neferet left we got worried. The Raven Mockers started running around and attacking anything that moved. We tried to get the students either into their dorms or in here where the Temple's deep spiritual powers kept the Raven Mockers at bay. No one believed us but once they came out and were attacked they ran inside and took heed to our warnings to stay there. We've been in here since, just a little while ago all the Raven Mockers disappeared and then you came back. We weren't sure what had possibly happened."

"Well now that all of us are filled in on what happened we can decide on the appropriate action. Priestess what do you think we should do?" Darius asked, although he called most females "priestess" out of respect because he's a Son of Erebus, but I knew he was talking to me.

With one question all eyes gravitated towards me. I took a deep breath and said, "Well I think that the students should attend class like normal except for Vamp. Soc. because it's teacher is gone." everyone nodded their heads in agreement so I carried on, "unless anyone here wants to teach the class." everyone shock their heads "no".

After tearing her eyes off Darius long enough to speak Aphrodite asked, "What do we tell the students?"

"I think y'all should stick to what the Twins said to do."

I turned sharply to Stevie Ray, "You say that like you're not staying Stevie Ray. Now that Neferet is gone the Red Fledglings should come out of hiding and attend classes here at the House of Night."

"Z that's a really nice offer but the tunnels are our homes, there were we feel most comfortable." then she smiled her Stevie Ray I-know-I'm-not-telling-you-everything-but-please-don't-point-that-out-because-it's-for-everyone-else's-own-good smiles. With a skeptical look I nodded and relief washed into her eyes.

"So we'll tell the students that Neferet is gone and that we can't say anything until we can have a meeting with the Council?" I proposed to get away from the topic of Stevie Ray.

There was a collective nod from my friends and allies, but what really made me believe I was doing the right thing was a gut feeling that screamed, "Yes, this is what Nyx thinks you should do!"

"Priestess, there is one more thing to decide."

Thrown off guard by Stark calling me "Priestess" I turned to him. Generally only Darius calls me that but since Stark pledged himself to me I guess I should have expected that "Yeah Stark, what is it?" I asked trying to keep the confusion out of my voice.

"How are you going to get a meeting with the Council?"

My heart sank, I hadn't thought about that at all. I guess I hoped they would just have this gut instinct that something has happen and come over. Then they would have a meeting were we would give our part in it all and then they would decide what to do. "Well.... I...uh, I didn't really think about that." I admitted.

Thankfully Erik came to my aid by pointing and saying, "I think that's one thing we won't have to worry about."

Confused I looked over to where he was pointing. Streaming across the lawn of the school was the Council. They were headed straight towards us. Some looked angry, others confused, some sad and most of all some of the members were happy. I guess Nyx gave them the same gut feeling that I got when I was around Neferet. She was bad news, having turned her back on Nyx; Neferet didn't deserve to stay a High Priestess. Sadly Nyx never took away one of her gifts and it was through her gift of freewill Neferet turned her back on her Goddess.

We waited with baited breath for the Council to reach us. When they were a few yards away one started to talk. "Where are Shekinah and Neferet?" they demanded.

"We'd rather not discuss that out here and not knowing your names will make it terribly awkward to discuss the situation at hand." Darius bravely and politely spoke up.

When the Council member replied it almost hissed "Fine!"

So our two groups headed towards the teachers dorm together to a room that could accommodate such a large group of people. Nobody spoke as we walked but I could tell a lot of the members had fallen for Neferet's allusions.

Finally we reached an appropriate room. Another member who sounded friendlier told us to enter. When we entered the large room I was immediately surrounded by the whole of both groups, my friends and the council. I swallowed nervously, "Well I guess now is a good time to start introduction," tentatively I paused then continued on "I'm Zoey Redbird but my friends all call me Z."

Another angry member hissed, "We know who you are!" I swallowed and continued my introductions determined to be the polite group. Someone gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and then every face in the room except for mine and Aphrodite's went pale. It only took me a second to guess that Nyx had appeared to come to my rescue and it was her hand on my shoulder. My guess was proved correct when pretty much every person in the room brought their hands over their heart and bowed down in the traditional, respectful, vampyre salute. Before they even had the chance to straighten up Nyx's powerful voice rang though the room, "My dearest Priestesses do not feel negatively against Zoey Redbird. She has been my eyes and ears on Earth. She is not the deceitful one. Neferet had turned her back on me and succumbed to Kalona. The thing that rose from the ground was not Erebus on Earth but Kalona, a fallen angel from a Cherokee legend. Zoey and her friends were clever enough to not only see though his lies, but to figure out how to rid him from our site even if it was temporary." as Nyx paused in her speech I looked around at the crowd. The expressions ranged from disgust, to pride, and embarrassment. "Many of you have wondered how a fledgling could have done all that Zoey has done. It is because I have gifted her, yes I gave her an affinity for all five elements," many gasped, "I also gave her friends affinities as well. I choose to expand her Mark farther than any other vampyre or fledgling in our history because she is special to me. That's why her Mark is filled already and her Mark is expanded all over her body. Zoey show them."
At the last part of her sentence Nyx's voice sounded sweet and motherly which compelled me to reveal all of my Marks. Starting with the ones on my hands I showed the crowd, and then I revealed the new Marks covering my scar, my friends hadn't even known about those. Next I revealed the tattoos around my waist lifting my shirt so the vampires and my friends could see they traveled up my back to my neck and lastly I looked up to reveal the expanded Mark on my face. The crowd gasped as I felt the familiar burning sensation run down my legs. Nyx smiled and said, "Go ahead and show them."

With a deep breath I lifted the legs of my pants to reveal the newest of my tattoos. A line of intricate spirals and swirls ran up my legs meeting the line around my hips. Everyone in the room including my friends and I gasped at the tattoos. A burning sensation starting creeping down from my shoulders to the marks on my hands as new tattoos appeared. Next the tattoos on my legs expanded down to my feet.

Nyx smiled proudly and what she said next no one expected to hear for years "Congratulations Zoey Redbird you are now a full-fledged vampyre." everyone was shocked including me. But that was nothing compared to what she said next "Zoey Redbird I want you to do a few more things for me," I nodded numbly and she continued on, "first I want you to take over for Shekinah, it is sad we lost her too early but even vampyres die eventually. Next I want you to reform the system of high priestesses, much like you did with the Dark Daughters. While doing that I want you incorporate red vampires," she nodded to Stevie Ray and Stark, "as well as Aphrodite." she smiled meekly.

"For now I'll leave you, I know that is a lot to comprehend but I will see you soon I hope you enjoy the Purification Ceremony." and with that the Goddess Nyx left, leaving everyone shocked. Darius' sense returned first, after clearing his throat he said, "I believe we have a Purification Ceremony to get to."

With that every one returned and looked at me. Thankfully Lenobia volunteered to perform the ceremony. Honestly I don't really remember much after that, Lenobia pulled me away from the crowd and performed the ceremony. I was only half conscious through it, and right after it ended I passed out. The last thing I remember strong hands carrying me to my room. Then my memory is completely blank.