A/N Hey everyone. I just read Awakened and it was amazing. So here is Connected This first chapter is adapted from the last chapter of Awakened. I do not own anything written by the Casts. So this is a spoiler alert. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN AWAKENED, READ THE BOOK BEFORE YOU READ THIS STORY. Oh and this is an alternate to Consumed, which I hope you will also read. Read, relax, and review. Happy Reading!

Two powerful connections. Two beings connected to two heroic High Priestesses. One has turned to Light. Will the other be able to do the same? Will love conquer all? Will Light Triumph over Darkness. Only Nyx knows.

Kalona

Kalona reveled in his newfound connection with Stark. The thought of having access to the mind of Zoey's Oathbound Warrior was almost too incredible for words. He remembered the night he had discovered this strange and new connection. He had been trying to get to Zoey's dreams, to try and persuade her to return to the House of Night. But instead, he received unimaginable pleasure. Sure, he had experienced it indirectly, but it was had been one of the most wonderful sensations he had ever experienced in his entire life: and an experience that was only matched by the pleasure he had experienced with his beautiful Cherokee woman A-ya. After that pleasure, it didn't seem as important to get Zoey back to the House of Night. He hadn't dared to reach try and reach Zoey in her dreams. He decided to soak in the incredible pleasure, just as he soaked in the heat of the golden sun when he flew in a cloudless sky. The decision was made. He would allow Neferet to draw back Zoey Redbird in her own way.

Of course, at the time, it had been necessary for her to return. He needed a distraction. After all, he had been under Neferet's dominion, and he needed a distraction for Neferet while he continued to find a way to break her bonds with him. Of course, thanks to his noble son, Rephaim, he had discovered that Neferet never actually had dominion over his immortal spirit. Seeing as he had given it away. Rephaim had been wise enough to figure out the loophole to his supposed entrapment. Thanks to the Goddess he had been forced to give up a sliver of his immortal spirit to save the god-be-damned Stark.

Kalona's blood boiled at the thought. His immortal power was not something he would give up willingly. He loved his immortal power, but despite that love for power, he had submitted to the goddess, just has he always had, save for one single time, one single act. He had give up a sliver of his immortality to the weak fool that Zoey Redbird loved. Of course, in a way, this new discovery made it all worth it. He now had access to Zoey Redbird's lover, and he would use this connection to his advantage. Yes, he would have something that gave him access to Zoey Redbird in her most vulnerable moments. Oh yes, he relished the gift of this strange new connection, and he would use it against her. He would get revenge.

He scowled at the thought of Zoey Redbird. Had her soul just been shattered as it should have been he wouldn't have had to give away a piece of his soul. Nyx would never have shown up. That foolish Zoey Redbird had done this to him. She should have just accepted him as he had asked. He remembered his veiled courtship of the fledgling. It all had come to nothing. Kalona's immortal blood simmered within his veins. Zoey Redbird had disgraced and rejected him too many times. After all, he had tried everything to get her on his side. But she never fell for it because of her love for Nyx: the Goddess that had spurned him centuries ago. Kalona's wings rustled opened up slightly. He longed to leave this wretched place behind. But no, it was far too late for that. He was tied down by Zoey Redbird and the revenge that he wanted to earn. Although. . .

Ultimately, he supposed that he should thank her. If it had not been for her interference, than he wouldn't have been forced to give up part of his spirit. If that had happened, he would forever be under Neferet's control. Oh yes, he would never be controlled by anyone, much less the Tsi Sigli creature. He was an all-powerful immortal. No one could order him around like a common servant. Neferet had been doing so for too long, and he had grown tired of it quickly. Besides, he had only ever been truly faithful to one single woman, but he had even grown tired of that after centuries waiting for a gift that would never be given to him.

He forced any thoughts of the Goddess out of his mind and they were brought back to Neferet, and her irritating and impossible ways. Oh yes, she had deigned to think that she could enslave him, but thanks to Rephaim, he had realized that he was not in Neferet's control. His blood began to boil again. Rephaim, his beloved and favored son, the one that had been faithful to him for eons had betrayed him for love. Sure, Rephaim hadn't openly betrayed him. No, the foolish Red One, a friend of Zoey's and a new kind of High Priestess had spoken for him.

Kalona growled. Love was for fools.

Kalona remembered the impudent child's foolish words.

"You used to know about honor and loyalty and maybe even love. "

Yes, it was true. Kalona used to know about those silly and foolish things. Honor, he used to have a sense of honor. He used to be able to do the right thing. But what good was doing the right thing when all it brought you was pain? Loyalty: he used to be loyal to Nyx. He would have done anything to please her. But what did it matter? She never returned the favor. Love: he used to know about love. He had loved Nyx, the stunningly beautiful and powerful goddess, and later he had love A-ya, the amazingly gorgeous Cherokee woman. But what good was it if all women did was banish and trap him? His mind drifted back to Zoey Redbird, would she liberate or entomb him? Probably the latter, because she was too infatuated with Nyx. He focused. No, all of those things had been lost due to his banishment and fall from Nyx's sacred realm. These concepts were foolish and weak. At a time they had made him foolish and weak. After his fall, he had sworn to himself that he would never, ever grow weak again. He had kept that Oath by seeking the incredible powers of Darkness. Only two had been able to weaken him, and even then the weakness was slight.

Despite the fact that both Neferet and Zoey had weakened him, Kalona would never truly be weak. He was an ancient and powerful immortal. He had long been allied with the infinitely powerful Darkness, the brilliantly white bull. Kalona remembered the beast, and wished he didn't. That beast had stopped serving his needs at the moment. The bull had turned all of his attentions on the mad Tsi Sigli woman. No, Kalona did not like sharing his power. He hated to admit it to himself, but honestly, Neferet was starting to become so powerful that if she continued down this path, one day she would be more powerful than he. The very idea was unthinkable, and it made him terribly angry.

The anger brought him back to Rephaim and his betrayal: a betrayal that had been caused by the Red High Priestess.

More of Stevie Rae's words came to him. "You have to free him, Kalona. You have to let him make his own choice between staying with you or changing his path."

Kalona's blood boiled at the thought. A mere mortal had no business telling him what he had to do. He had much more power than a foolish Red High Priestess. But then Kalona had seen the way his son looked at the Red One. He loved her indeed, which was something Kalona really couldn't understand anymore. After all, his son was not a human. He was not a man. He could never love and be with Stevie Rae in the way that he wanted to. They would always be separated by the fact that his son was a monster. Stevie Rae was a vampyre. They could not have a real relationship. Besides, why would she want to be with his son? He hated love. It caused too many problems. He had lost the capacity for such foolish emotions.

However, he remembered Stevie Rae's final words, the words that had somehow made him decide to grant Rephaim the choice, and they floated back into his mind. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and believe with everything inside of me that somewhere deep inside you is still a tiny sliver of Nyx's Warrior, and that Kalona, the one who protected the Goddess, would do the right thing. Please be that Kalona again, if only for a second."

Kalona scowled again and clenched his fists. He had allowed himself to be convinced to do the right thing by a foolish young High Priestess and a son that believed in a fool's dream: love. Just the thought made him want to cry out with incredible rage. Yet, against all odds, the words of a foolish young girl had sparked something deep within the darkest chambers of his heart. Perhaps there was a sliver of the being he used to be. He highly doubted it, but maybe there was. Maybe that's why he had given his favored son the choice: the choice to betray him.

He snarled softly. His son had taken the opportunity without hesitation. Rephaim was in love with Stevie Rae. He was in love with Zoey Redbird's closest ally. Kalona had denounced Rephaim as his son. Then, free of any further bonds, he had fled to the darkest part of Oklahoma that he could find. For some reason, he had decided to stay in this place. But it was not for Neferet. No. He hated the insane Tsi Sigli woman.

He was so incredibly grateful that he was no longer connected with the woman. Of course, she was now Immortal, and she had a powerful connection with Darkness that he had not sensed for centuries. But what did that matter? She was done ordering him about. He never had to submit to her again. He also would never agree to submit to anyone else, especially another woman. Still, there was something that was tying him down to Tulsa. He thought it was revenge, but upon further reflection maybe it was something else, something infinitely more meaningful. Perhaps it was . . . no, that was impossible. It couldn't be that.

Thinking of women, however, his thoughts were drawn back to the fateful night in which he bedded Neferet for the last time, the wonderful night that he had discovered an odd connection with the god-be-damned Red Vampyre Stark. Oh yes, he had meant to reach Zoey. But instead, he had reached her lover instead. Reaching her lover had not only granted him incredible joy, but it had also given him real pleasure, the kind of pleasure that Neferet could not give him: the kind of pleasure that only A-ya could give to him. He had been deprived of that wonderful pleasure for centuries.

He remembered that fateful night with stunningly clear detail.

It had begun with thoughts of Zoey.

Her gorgeous and endless onyx eyes, that reminded him so much of Nyx.

The lush mouth that he wanted to caress and kiss.

The stunningly gorgeous Cherokee features that reminded him so much of the ancient Cherokee maid who had been created to love and entrap him.

He ordered his spirit to find Zoey Redbird, to use the connection that tied their spirits together as one. The connection he used to believe would ultimately bring Zoey Redbird to his side, but had failed to do so. He had entered the fortress of Skye, and he had succeeded in finding Zoey's room.

Zoey's flawless ruby lips had smiled up at him. He stared down at her, licking his lips slightly from desire. He didn't move or breathe. But then his senses returned to him. He felt her warm body pressing up against his own, her incredible warmth smothered his own icy heat.. He felt his arms snake around her lovely and exquisite naked body, caressing every single inch as they did.

She caressed his face, lightly tracing his lips with a single, graceful finger. He felt his hips lift automatically towards hers and she moaned slightly with pleasure. The pleasure had exploded over him, as well.

"I love you too Stark," she said softly. Her eyes fluttered gently as she leaned in and kissed him deeply. The pleasure was so intense and unexpected. The new connection severed, and Kalona's spirit returned to his immortal body.

Kalona remembered his dark and wild laughter. The sliver of immortality that Kalona had given to Stark had forged a strange new connection. Now he not only had a connection with Zoey, but he also had one with Stark. The discovery had proved to be endlessly hilarious. It had brought him a surge of incredible joy that could not be explained.

Kalona also remembered how the Tsi Sigli woman had come for him, outraged that he was not already in her bed. He remembered the naked and beautiful body: but it was not Neferet's that he was thinking of. However, the Tsi Sigli's harsh voice had dragged him back to reality. "Why are you not awaiting me in my bed?"

Kalona remembered laughing and following Neferet back into the suite. He had long ago stopped getting pleasure from being with Neferet. No, she had gotten the idea that it was her job to dominate instead of his. He had grown weary of the Tsi Sigli woman, and he was no longer benefitting from bedding her. In fact, he never remembered a time that he had truly benefited from sharing a bed with her.

But, he did remember closing his eyes and visualizing a woman who would actually give him pleasure. Neferet's shrieks of pleasure gave him great joy. The auburn hair was replaced with a veil of ebony. The emerald eyes turned to onyx. Kalona had pleasured Neferet over and over again, all the while thinking of Zoey Redbird.

Kalona smiled again. He had no real feelings for Zoey Redbird, except for the remnants of the ancient bond of their spirits. However, the thought of pretending to pleasure Zoey Redbird had given him great joy that he couldn't possibly put into words. But now he had a new idea. He would use his connection to Stark. Oh yes, he would use it to invade on moments of intimacy. He would get pleasure from this breach of privacy. Oh yes. It would be wonderful. Kalona thought of his strange connection and urged his spirit to find Stark once more. He had a feeling that at this late hour of the night, Zoey and her lover would be doing intimate and remarkable things. For some odd reason, Kalona wanted to live vicariously through Stark. He wanted to be the one to make Zoey Redbird cry out in pleasure, just as he had been able to do with Neferet time and time again.

Kalona looked up at the dark sky and smiled as his spirit left his body once again. He followed the connection to the tunnels in the Tulsa underground. So, this was Zoey's romantic retreat. Oh he could have done so much better, yes. But that didn't matter. He was living vicariously, and this would have to do for now.

He saw Zoey lying next to him. Moments later all of his other senses returned. He heard Stark say, "well I better keep your mouth busy so you can't do that."

Do what? Kalona wondered. But it didn't matter. Kalona's vessel began kissing the exquisite young High Priestess. Oh yes, Kalona would enjoy this, for moments, Stark's pleasure would be his. The kiss exploded in a wonderful sensation of pleasure. Kalona smiled at his pleasure, and smiled at Zoey's pleasure. It was the dark and feral smile of the beast within. Kalona felt her pleasure and his. Kalona used their connection to further control Stark's actions. Stark was his puppet, and he enjoyed the domination immensely.

His hand slid up Zoey's extra large superman shirt. It caressed her smooth, supple, and naked skin. His other hand held Zoey's wrists above her head. An intense amount of inexplicable passion rushed through Kalona. His hand skirted the edge of her panties. The kiss deepened, as if Kalona hungered for an ancient kiss from his past. He believed he could get it from Zoey. The incarnate of his beloved Cherokee woman A-ya.

The kiss lasted a long time, and burning desire shot through his body. His mouth moved to Zoey's neck, and he maintained his solid grip on her wrists. He bit down hard, and heard her cry out in pleasure. But the scream of pleasure morphed into one of incredible pain. This only further inspired the beast within, and Kalona began to force Stark to harden his actions.

"Stark, let go," he heard her cry, but Kalona would not be ordered to stop. Not by a woman. Not by Zoey Redbird. Not only that, but his lust was positively insatiable. He moaned and pressed Stark's body against Zoey's. Kalona ignored her painful cry and held his mouth against her luscious skin. He bit down once more and this time tasted blood. Kalona had never really had much of a blood lust, no. He was not a vampyre. But Zoey's blood shot though him like an intoxicating drug. He wanted, no needed, more of it. Kalona moaned in pleasure.

"You're hurting me," Zoey cried, so loudly that the connection shattered.

Kalona's spirit returned to his body. Kalona threw his hands up to the ebony sky and laughed with joy. Never had he experienced such a pleasure. It had nearly matched the pleasure of being with A-ya. Not completely, because he had acted vicariously, but Kalona decided from that moment on that one day he would pleasure Zoey Redbird for real. He would taste her wonderfully alluring blood. It didn't matter if he loved her, which he most definitely didn't. Love was a fools dream, and he would not allow it to interfere with what he wanted, no needed, to make his.

It suddenly didn't matter that Zoey Redbird had constantly rejected him. In fact, that only fueled his desire to make her his own for all eternity.

Kalona relished the incredible power he had felt in vicariously making love to Zoey. He loved the domination he felt, and he would continue to feel it. He would get what he wanted. He would use the connection that he had with Stark. Oh yes. He would bide his time until he figured out how he could lure Zoey to his side, once and for all.

If it were the last thing he did, he would make love to Zoey Redbird for real. And he would love every single moment of it. Kalona threw back his head and laughed with endless mirth.

Zoey

"What the hell were you doing, Stark?"

Stark's gorgeous eyes were filled with an intense worry. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I was hurting you. I thought you would like it. I'm sorry, Zoey, babe, please forgive me."

I smiled, and I was totally weirded out by Stark's strange behavior. "Seriously, Stark, you bit me really hard. You hurt me, and you wouldn't let go of me when I told you to. Why is that?"

"I don't know, Z. I love you so much, and I would never really hurt you, I would never let anything hurt you. I love you so much Zoey. Please stop looking at me like that."

"You love me that much, huh? Then why were you hurting me? What the hell?"

"I'm sorry, Z," Stark moaned, "It's just that I love you so much and you turn me on so much."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "So you love me so much that you couldn't even control yourself. That's wrong, Stark. What the hell?"

"Zoey, stop talking like that. I am your Warrior and your Guardian. It is my job to always protect you from anything that will hurt you. I will never, ever hurt you. I love you too much. You have to believe that Zo," he said urgently.

I suddenly pressed my fingers to his lips. "Shhhh," I said softly. I really couldn't stay mad at him. I was totally in love with him. "It's okay. Of course you would never hurt me. It's been a long day, and you are really tired. Let's just get some sleep and agree that there will be no biting when we make love."

Stark smiled and kissed me deeply. Against my lips he whispered, "I can deal with that. I love you, Zoey. Goodnight."

I smiled and kissed him back. "I love you too, and you are the best Guardian ever."

Stark smiled. "That's because you are the best High Priestess ever. Listen, Z, I'm sorry I was so rough. I guess I am tired. It's probably because of the sleep issues."

"I know. I have been sleeping with you," I said.

Stark smiled slowly. "You aren't going to tell me to go to therapy with Dragon are you?"

"No," I said, "Dragon is totally different. I hope he doesn't turn away from Nyx. He was so angry with Rephaim, even though Nyx told him to forgive him."

"None of the teachers came with us. You know that Lenobia is behind us, but someone has to stay and protect everyone from Neferet. Anyway, if someone threatened or killed you, I would definitely be really pissed off."

"I guess it would be like me forgiving Kalona for killing Heath," I said absentmindedly.

"Do you think you could ever forgive him?"

"I really don't know, Stark. I mean, I never really told you this but in the Otherworld when you were, you know, dead, and Nyx showed up, Kalona got really really emotional. He asked for Nyx's forgiveness."

"She didn't give it to him, did she," asked Stark.

"No, she pretty much said the same thing to Kalona that she said to Neferet. It doesn't look good for him, but at least it seemed that he genuinely had some kind of guilt over everything. So maybe one day he will earn her forgiveness. But I seriously doubt that."

"He did set Rephaim free tonight, though, I think that means he is a tiny bit better than Neferet."

I laughed and raised my eyebrows at him again. "Are you serious?"

"Hey, I said only a little tiny bit better," said Stark.

"You know, I've been thinking about that. I don't really know Kalona that much, but for the short time we have known him, he has proved to be a total and selfish jerk. So I have a feeling that Kalona released Rephaim because there was something in it for him. So I think we will have to keep an eye on Rephaim."

"Are you gonna tell that to Stevie Rae," Stark asked.

"Well of course," I said, "but Stevie Rae is in love with him, and she just got him back. So I am going to wait for a little bit."

"Yes, she does love him, and sometimes people can be a bit stupid about who they love. Sometimes they don't see things quite clearly."

"Are you saying that from experience?" I asked, teasing him a little by nudging him a little.

"No, no, no, of course not. I just observe things closely. Anyway, I think we should get to sleep, lie down in my arms wumman," he said, sounding eerily like Seoras.

"You need to stop speaking like Seoras. If you grow a beard like his, I might fire you from you Guardian job."

"No way," said Stark. "I'm sort of signed on for life."

"Fine," I said smiling slightly, "then I will just have to stop kissing you."

"No way," he said. He kissed me deeply. When we broke apart, he said, "I won't grow a beard, lassie. I love you."

"I love you too, Stark. How about you get some sleep. Tonight I will be your Guardian."

Stark squeezed my hand. "Sounds good to me, my love." He kissed me and then his head hit the pillow. There was a smile on his super hot face. I was so lucky to be with such an amazing guy.

"I love you, James Stark," I whispered in his ear.

"I love you too, Zoey Redbird," mumbled Stark in his sleep.

For an hour I sat watching over Stark as he slept peacefully. After that, though, I started to drift off. I really didn't think anything would happen, so maybe it was okay.

The dream was super frightening. I saw Nyx and then, I definitely knew I was dreaming then, my mother. "I'm dead, aren't I," asked Linda. Her voice sounded hollow and scared.

Nyx's voice was calm and soothing. "Yes, you are dead, Linda."

Okay, this was messed up. I wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare, and I tried to, but something stopped me: Nyx's voice.

You must see this, my daughter. You must.

I looked down into the complete Darkness. My mom was with Nyx in what I recognized as the beautiful entrance to Nyx's realm.

I couldn't help myself. I called out to my mother.

Nyx's voice sounded in my head. No, you must bear witness silently.

"So, I guess God is a girl," my mother laughed slightly. "Either that or I am in Hell because of my sins."

"Sins do not matter here in my real," said Nyx softly. "All that matters if you choose Light or Darkness. Which one do you choose, Linda?"

"I don't know. My soul is at balance isn't it? I have made so many mistakes in my life. I think lately I have been on the bad side."

Nyx smiled a radiant smile at my mother. "Are you sorry for your mistakes?"

"Yes, of course I am. I was being totally evil."

Nyx's smile didn't fade. "There is a great deal of difference between being evil and being weak. I believe you were being the latter."

"I was weak. I didn't want to be. I screwed up everything that was important to me. My daughter Zoey probably hates me, and now I will never get to make it up to her. I will never be able to it up to her. I will never be able to tell her how much I love her."

Nyx smiled.

My mother's eyes widened. "You are her Goddess, aren't you? You are Nyx."

"I am indeed," she said.

My mother's features brightened. "So Zoey will be here some day?"

"She will be, but I hope that she will not be here for a very, very long time."

My mother smiled and then hesitantly asked a question. "So can I wait here for her?"

I couldn't believe it; my mother really really loved me. A tear fell from my eyes.

"Of course you may," said Nyx. "Welcome to the Otherwold, Linda Redbird. Leave the evil and terror of the world behind, and revel in love. There is always love.

I woke up. Stark's eyes opened too. "What is wrong?"

"My mother, she's dead. She's really dead. But she loved me, she really, really loved me."

"Of course she did," said Stark.

I suddenly started to cry. Stark wrapped his arms around me, and for long and lovely moments I sat and cried in my Guardian's arms. I cried out all the pain and suffering and regret and loss. Until there was only my love for Stark, and his love for me. I knew I would see my mother again some day. My heart was filled with newly restored hope for the future.

-/-

Stevie Rae

Stevie Rae lay awake beside Rephaim. He had fallen asleep, but Stevie Rae remained awake. She drank in his incredible beauty. He was a stunning Cherokee boy. He was like one of Zoey's ancestors. He had dark tanned skin and ebony hair. His eyes were the color of shining onyx. His lips were full and beautiful. At the moment the corners of them were turned up in a peaceful smile. Stevie Rae couldn't help but smile herself. She felt incredibly luck.

Finally after everything they had been through, they could finally be together. Thanks to Nyx, the amazing, wonderful, Goddess. She couldn't help but feel like a kid on Christmas. She had just unwrapped the best pair of cowboy boots and Kenny Chesney's Greatest Hits. No, actually, this was way better. Nyx had given her the guy she loved.

Even though at sunrise he would turn into a raven, the form of the beast within him, he was still here with her. Yes, they would have to work through many, many issues. But that didn't seem to matter. They were finally going to be together. Stevie Rae's smile grew. He was just so darn perfect. What was kind of weird is that he could have been Zoey's brother. Oh well, Stevie Rae could work past the awkwardness of being with someone who looked like her best friend's brother. But as she looked at the beautiful, sleeping Rephaim, she couldn't help but see the resemblance between him and his father. It was only slight: in the strong features and ebony hair. But it was still there.

Kalona. Stevie Rae couldn't figure him out. He was so darn confusing. She remembered begging him to release his son. Kalona had insisted that he had always given Rephaim his love as his son, his favored son. Rephaim had denied that, staking a claim that in a different time, in a different place, it could have been true.

She had seen a spark of something in Kalona's eyes. But it had quickly been replaced with something else: bitterness and reluctance, or something like that.

Stevie Rae also remembered the incredible risk she had taken. She had claimed that there was still a sliver of the old Kalona left way down deep within his heart. By some goddess given miracle, Kalona had actually given Rephaim a choice. He had given away his son after claiming that they could never really have a real relationship. Then he had flown away.

Something about Kalona's piece of advice disturbed her. He had claimed that she would never truly love Rephaim because he was a monster. But of course, he hadn't been there when Nyx arrived. Nyx came and gave a gift that made their relationship a little bit easier. Yes, she would prove Kalona wrong. Besides, even if Nyx hadn't come along, Stevie Rae knew in her heart that she truly loved Rephaim, and she always would. Oh yes, Kalona was so totally wrong. She knew he was Rephaim's daddy and all, but it made her really sad that he didn't really seem to care that much about his own son. But what else could she expect. Kalona was like an alcoholic father, drunk with his own power and Darkness. He was a deadbeat dad, but at least at the end, Kalona had set him free, which showed some sort of promise for the future. Oh well, why was she even thinking about Kalona?

Stevie Rae looked down at Rephaim and her heart was filled with hope for the future.