"My beauty time for you to wake up now," Darius's voice murmured. He was close. She could feel his breath tickling her ear. Groaning in annoyance at the thought of another day. She rolled over and buried her head into the pillow. "Aphrodite you need to get up. Zoey has called a meeting." Darius whispered still but this time shook her slightly.
"Have the nerd herd never heard of a lie in?" She complained as she pushed her self up and rested on her elbows. Her long sunshine blonde hair was hiding her face.
Darius chuckled huskily and brushed her hair away from her eyes. "We don't have time for a lie in when the world is in danger," he reminded her.
"Yeah I know but its just…I miss being able to just walk around the school and know its my home and not some evil base for Kalona and his flock of bird brains." She admitted as she turned her head to place a gentle kiss onto Darius's palm as he cupped her cheek.
"I know. Everything will be safe again, I promise you." He reassured and planted a loving kiss onto her lips.
Smiling into it as she wrapped her arms around her warrior's neck, Aphrodite smiled. "Hm…can I not tempt you to lying with me a while longer" she purred.
Darius shook his head laughing and pulled back "No time for that." He told her and got up to get ready.
Aphrodite grinned and climbed out of the so-called "bed" and began to get ready. She liked how Darius and her were going slow. She knew that he didn't expect anything from her and that just made her feel special.
"Knock knock!" Erin's voice chimed as she pushed back the curtain and strolled into the room with her "twin" Shawnee.
"What do you want dorkamese twins?" Aphrodite demanded with a roll of her eyes as she zipped up her brand new red leather boots.
"Oh twin is you thinking what I'm thinking?" Shawnee asked Erin.
"I think I am twin," Erin pondered.
The both of them saying in sink "Cute!" as they gestured to the boots.
Aphrodite smiled proudly and turned her leg at a new angle to show off the boots. "Well I have to hand it to you two nerds but you have got good taste in shoes" she told them.
"We could say the same for you" Shawnee commented.
"Yeah hag from hell" Erin added.
Aphrodite flicked her hair and looked away as if she was pissed off but deep down she was feeling like apart of the gang. God she never thought she would be happy to be seen with the nerd herd.
…
"Don't push me Eric!" Stevie Rae snapped in a cold tone that was nothing like her normal self. "Didn't your mama ever teach you manners?" she demanded as she stomped a foot like a little huffy child.
"Stevie Rae calm down!" Eric said raising his hands in surrender.
"Calm down? CALM DOWN? How can I when your constantly trying to start a fight with Heath because him and Z' are close? Goddess you two boys are a pain in the hoot!" she bellowed and stepped up into Eric's face. Standing up on her tiptoes. "Things are bad enough on Z' right now and we don't need y'all makin it worse!" she told him sternly.
"OK I'm sorry" Eric mumbled with a roll of his eyes.
Growling lowly. Stevie Rae screamed in frustration and turned on her heals storming from the room and down a side tunnel. She was in such a fowl mood tonight and no one was allowed to make it worse. Her small hands balled into tight fists at her side.
"Trouble bumpkin?" Aphrodite asked. She had been walking up the tunnel Stevie Rae was currently making her way down and heard the whole thing.
"Back off you hateful hag from hell!" Stevie Rae snarled.
"Goddess sorry I was only asking" Aphrodite rolled her eyes over dramatically and flicked her hair in that classic bitchy way of hers.
Sighing, Stevie Rae pinched the bridge of her nose as she composed her thoughts and self-control. "Your right. I'm sorry Aphrodite."
"What's up with you anyway?" Aphrodite demanded.
"Eric"
"Oh let me guess he is crying about how Zoey isn't paying enough attention to him?"
"Something like that"
"Goddess. I am glad I got out when I did" Aphrodite admitted and quickly added "Now I have got a real man."
"Yuck. Y'all gonna make me sick" Stevie Rae acted out throwing up.
"Oh grow up Bumpkin" Aphrodite snapped. The cheery okie kid was starting to get on her last nerve.
"Fine. I will see y'all later" Stevie Rae shrugged and turned beginning walk away from her. Her blonde curls bouncing from the movement.
"Wait! You seen Zoey?" Aphrodite called as she watched her walk away.
"She is in the kitchen I think!" Stevie Rae called back, her voice trailing off as she turned a corner.
…
"Oh my goddess!" Jack squeaked clapping his hands.
"Save me now" Aphrodite grumbled under her breath as she sat down on the battered old sofa that the red fledglings had brought into the tunnels in their attempt at making the place more like a home.
"I can't believe it thank-you Stark!" Jack cheered as he walked over and carefully lent over the injured warrior/red vampire. Giving him and gentle hug.
"Don't sweat it kid" Stark reassured as he sucked in a deep breath to stop himself from wincing.
"Oops sorry" Jack apologised quickly looking a little sheepish.
Stark simply reassured him with a lopsided cocky grin.
"Ooh gay love!" Erin chimed as her and her dorkamese twin Shawnee entered the room.
"They would be so cute!" Shawnee added.
"Damien should be worried!" Erin teased and the pair erupted into a fit of laughter.
"I am not worried about anything. Unlike you two I am in a stable relationship" Damien told the pair flatly as he smiled lovingly at Jack and placed his arm over Jacks shoulder.
Jack grinned looking like a love sick puppy and lent his head on Damien's shoulder whispering the words "I love you" which Damien returned with affection.
"God could you two get any camper?" Aphrodite quizzed as she raised an eyebrow.
"Now my beauty be nice," Darius told her as he swiftly entered the room and took a seat next to her.
Aphrodite happily curled up against him and whispered into his ear. "I thought you like me nasty"
Darius gulped harshly then simply chuckled and looked to her with a loving smile. "Let me rephrase. Be nice to your friends."
Aphrodite rolled her eyes and scoffed, doing her best to look pissed as she looked away from Darius and muttered "no friends of mine."
Darius opened his mouth to say something but was caught short as Zoey and her boyfriends (yes plural) entered the room.
"Right guys we need to talk," she told everyone and the whole room fell silent. "The house of night isn't our home any more and rumours have it that everyone is under Kalona's spell."
"Got that right. Him and his bird brains have taken over" Aphrodite intersected.
Zoey and Aphrodite exchanged a long look before Zoey continued, "Any way we don't know what's happening back at campus and I think its best we return to school"
"What!" the twins shrieked in perfect sync. Sometimes that was just scary.
"You got to be kidding Z'" Damien said with a shake of his head and Jack nodding in agreement.
"Zoey is right" Eric whispered from the far corner. Half of his handsome face was hidden in darkness the other side glowing in the candlelight. His tattoos looked glorious as they framed his face.
"I am?" Zoey asked. Zoey looked completely dumbfounded. She hadn't expected Eric to agree with her like that. Mainly because of they're more than dramatic break-up.
"Yes. We need to face them sometime" Eric answered bluntly then looked away from her to stare at the wall.
Aphrodite rolled her eyes over dramatically and said, "Okay count me in"
"And me" Damien added and Jack nodded.
"Us too!" the twins said in sync.
Stevie Rae stepped forward awkwardly. "You know I wish I could come Z' but someone has got to stay here. Besides y'all will be fine," she said softly with a shy smile.
"I understand Stevie Rae. Be careful" Zoey reassured sounding wiser than her years.
"Right then. Lets go" Darius said with a grave expression.
…
"You out did yourself again my love" Neferet murmured as she gazed adoringly up at Kalona, her fiery red hair messy and wind swept. Her thin pale hand rested onto his strong bare chest.
Exhaling heavily as he kept his dark chocolate brown eyes fixed on the wall he simply made an "Mm" sound that meant he wasn't really paying attention to her. To him Neferet was merely sex and a business partner. Nothing more. He might have meant more to her but the feeling wasn't mutual.
"Is something troubling you?" Neferet asked as she brushed her fingertips threw his long dark hair.
"Nothing my beauty" he reassured and made a sudden movement that knocked Neferet back into the bed as he swung his legs over the side and stood up. Spreading his wings and yawning, showing him in all his glory as he slipped on his denim jeans.
"Very well, I will check on the foot soldiers" Neferet muttered as she stood up wrapping the sheet around her and went into the bathroom.
Kalona didn't even so much as glance to Neferet as she left the room. He couldn't careless as to where she might be. Walking slowly over to the doors he gently pushed them open and stepped out onto the balcony. Resting his fingertips on the marble wall as he gazed out at the view before him. The whole of Tulsa covered in a thick layer of snow. The sky shrouded in layers of dark and sinister clouds. Raven mockers patrolling the grounds of the house of night and flying over the city. Somewhere out there was his A-ya, his queen, the only person in the world that he would actually care for and yet she didn't even want him. Sighing at the thought, he bowed his head and looked like a Greek god. A piece of art, everything about him was magnificent.
"Ready my consort!" Neferet called from inside. Knocking Kalona out of his revere. He lifted his head and took in the night scene before him once more before turning and slowly making his way back into the bedroom.
…
"This place is like a ghost town," Jack whispered as if someone might hear him. Well someone could with Raven Mockers patrolling the grounds.
"Guys we need to remember. The house of night isn't our home anymore." Zoey murmured as she and the rest followed Darius along the pathway towards the building that held their dorms.
Walking inside each and everyone of them were surprised by what they saw. Fledglings were gathered around the flats screens, some eating and others sitting on the sofa but not one of them was talking.
"I'm seriously freaked out," Shawnee breathed.
"Ditto twin" Erin added.
Zoey didn't know what to do or say, everything was so different now.
"Dinner time, everyone to the dinning hall!" A older student said as they entered the room then everyone stood up and left the room silently followed by Zoey and her gang.
…
Gliding into the main dinning hall, dressed in a long complimentary green dress. Neferet raised her hands and clapped twice which caused the whole room to fall silent. She was followed in with Kalona taking a place at her side and at his side, his favourite son Rephaim. Two other raven mockers stood of Neferet's other side, merely for protection.
"Professors, Fledglings. Blessed be." Neferet said formally with her old motherly smile. "I am sorry to disturb you but I would like to make an announcement. No one is allowed to leave the grounds of the school. It is not save, we feel that it would be best if you stayed here" she informed them.
"Any one who tries to escape the grounds is putting themselves over into the hands of my sons and I will not take any responsibility for what they do," Kalona added in a voice that was hot like a flame and seductive.
Neferet sneered at her co-workers before her eyes fell upon Zoey and her group gathered at a far corner table. "Do you see what I see?" she hissed to Kalona threw clenched teeth while trying her best not to move her lips.
Kalona's wings fluttered slightly as he followed Neferet's gaze to come into direct eye contact with Zoey. Staring for a long moment he waved a hand and gestured to his son to come to him. Rephaim moved closer to listen to his father. "The red one is alone, all her protection is here. You know what to do" Kalona ordered in a voice that could barely be heard.
Rephaim nodded "Yes father" he left the room after a moment, disappearing out the door.
Neferet looked to Kalona with a smirk of approval then placed a hand onto his bare shoulder and squeezed it.
Kalona wasn't acknowledging her. His eyes were fixed onto Zoey. His A-ya…