Stark
Stark opened his eyes. However, he still felt incredibly tired and groggy. He suspected that the sun still hadn't set. He silently thanked the Goddess that he was deep within the Tulsa tunnels. There was no possible way the sunlight could reach him: reach him and burn him.
He absentmindedly ran his fingers ran through the veil of ebony. They traced the sapphire tattoos of her bare back: the intricate patterns that he had memorized over the past weeks. Her skin felt so good against his. Stark smiled. He was still somewhat in shock that Zoey, the love of his life, was finally his. He looked down. His eyes were closed, and her chest was rising and falling slowly. She had a content smile on her beautiful face. She looked like an angel, or perhaps she even looked like Nyx herself.
He thought of how lucky he was to have Zoey sleeping with him, wrapped in his arms. He was incredibly lucky, but despite all that, something had gone completely wrong last night.
Despite the fact that he was still kind of out of it, Stark started to remember the crazy shit that had happened last night. Literally, the shit had hit the fan. Their kiss had begun slow and gentle. Stark had thought that it was going to be like their times on Skye, perfect and peaceful, another half an hour of wonderful and complete bliss. Her skin was warm against his, she just felt so damn good. Their arms had wrapped around each other to form and intricate and binding design, like a Celtic Knot, and just as the remarkable sapphire tattoos that graced Zoey's wonderfully smooth alabaster skin.
Their passion for one another was both mutual and beautiful. They were completely and irrevocably in love. Why then had something suddenly gone wrong? What had he done to screw everything up? The glorious moments of shared passions and mutual pleasure had turned into a frightening and painful experience. Well at least it had been painful for Zoey, but it was most frightening to Stark. He hated the thought that he had actually hurt Zoey without meaning to.
Something had definitely come over him after a moment of tenderness. It was as if some otherworldly force had taken control of his body. He remembered everything getting hard, and his actions becoming rough. It almost seemed as if there was same dark and malevolent force willing him to take Zoey in a totally disgusting fashion. At first, it didn't seem like such a big issue. Stark had thought that he was just getting a little too excited. Which of course was easy to do when he was with Zoey. But no, it was something much more than that.
In moments he had transformed from a Red Vampyre to an insatiable beast. His animal instincts demanded that he ravage the exquisite creature that lay beside him. His grip on her body became firm and stone-like. He ignored her soft cry of pain. He ignored her when she told him to stop. The insatiable beast within him would not be satisfied. After moments of ferocity the dark and savage beast within his soul had retreated, almost as quickly as it had come. He lay beside his lady.
The apologies of course had poured out from his lips, shining with some of her blood. He thanked the goddess that Zoey was totally forgiving. However, Stark could not deny that the experience had scared the hell out of him as well. Despite the fear, they both had managed to find a peaceful sleep.
Now Stark lay awake, still holding Zoey in his arms. His fear had returned once more. Stark tried to refocus on the memory. He tried to remember his feelings and the awful and powerful force that had instantaneously seized his body, soul, and mind. However, he didn't have to think too long.
Darkness.
The single word haunted him like the worst imaginable nightmare. Even though Zoey refused to believe it, Stark knew that deep down within his soul, a tiny fragment of Darkness remained. Darkness, after all, never fully released what it had once possessed. Stark knew that he had been reborn as a creature of Darkness. Despite his love for Zoey and the Goddess. Despite the fact that he was now dedicated to the path of Light.
He could still see the awful white bull in the darkest corner of his mind. The bull's terrible eyes had been watching him ever since he had died and undied. It was scary, and even though ninety-nine percent of the time he did not dwell on Darkness, he could not deny its existence within his soul.
Still, what the hell had happened? In the months that he had rededicated himself to Zoey and Nyx, the tiny fragment of Darkness had never once influenced his decisions. He shouldn't have ignored the first time this had happened. He should have been more mindful of the Darkness within his soul.
Even though Stark had defeated his evil self in the Otherworld: the incredible cocky, dishonest, and evil Stark that sadly reminded him so much of Kalona, he still felt haunted by his essence. Mostly he was able to forget about this haunting, especially when he was with Zoey. But had he really and truly defeated him? Of course he had, otherwise he never would have made it into Nyx's realm. He never would have saved Zoey. He never would have fought off Kalona. He never would have died.
Wait. His thoughts flashed back to Kalona. He remembered the ebony and bloodstained spear that the immortal had used to kill him. After that there were moments that he couldn't remember. He made a note to ask Zoey about them later.
But then he remembered the lips that had touched his. He imagined that they were Zoey's. But they were not. They belonged to Kalona, and they had breathed in a sliver of his spirit back into his body.
Kalona was forced to save me! Somehow this is that assholes fault.
Stark scowled up at the ceiling. Had Kalona found someway to control him through the sliver of his spirit that resided in his body? No. Stark shook his head. The idea was fucking crazy and ridiculous. Besides if Kalona somehow was able to control his body, he would have known it. Also, Kalona would have tried to kill Zoey. The thought scared the hell out of Stark. He knew that he could never kill Zoey no matter what dark force lurked inside of him, be it Kalona or the pearly whit bull himself. He was her Warrior, her Guardian, and, as he looked down at his queens naked body he smiled, her lover. Nothing could ever turn him away from Zoey. He would be with her for life.
The more he thought about it, the more ludicrous the idea seemed. There was no way in hell that Kalona could control him. After all, the sliver of his immortal spirit wasn't used to possess, but to preserve. Yes, now that he thought about it, there was no way that he needed to get Zoey all worried over nothing. After all, whatever had happened last night was some freak incident. It didn't mean anything.
After all, that fucking asshole would never be able to get near Zoey again. And even if he tried, Stark knew he would always protect his lady. A Guardian always protected his Queen. Besides that, Zoey would never choose Kalona over him. Kalona was an evil bastard who deserved to be trapped in the earth. If there was one thing Stark knew, it was that Zoey's love for him was unbreakable. They had proved it over the past few weeks. They were bonded by something way more than some weird connection deep within Zoey's soul: the connection that Kalona claimed he had on Z.
Stark's laughter was hollow as he looked up at the roughly cut stone bricks that made up the tunnel ceiling. His arms tightened around Zoey and he was able to push all thoughts of Kalona from his mind. After all, he had won everything, and Kalona had lost.
Kalona
The immortal dreamed of Zoey Redbird when he fell asleep. But it was unlike any experience he had ever had, and it was not as good as he thought it would be.
They had met there before, on the rooftop of the ancient castle that had long ago housed the High Council of all vampyres.
Kalona looked around and took in the incredible beauty of the ancient and powerful place. The stone fountain, which housed the glorious statue of a naked woman with hands raised above her head. Her eyes turned up to the brilliantly blue sky. The statue was a representation of Nyx. Her palms faced upwards toward the endless sky. Sparkling water flowed around the marble form. The representation of his once beloved Goddess stirred up the old feelings of passion that had been locked away deep within his heart. He snarled softly and pushed the Goddess from his mind.
He closed his eyes and breathed in the smell of citrus. Lush fruit trees, with boughs overflowing with oranges, lemons, and limes surrounded him. The scent filled his nose and lungs, and he was lost in the intoxicatingly fresh scent.
After a moment, his other senses started to take in everything. He could hear the slight wind blowing through the trees. He could hear the distant chirping of birds. Their song was sickeningly sweet. He felt the chill of the breeze brush across his bare chest and the feeling of warm sun on his bare chest. Then he heard footsteps.
He opened his eyes and started looking in every direction, trying to find the owner of the distant footsteps. He spread his feet apart, and felt the cold solidity of rough stone beneath them. It gave him comfort and strength. He opened his palm and whispered some indiscernible words. Tendrils of Darkness writhed and wriggled around a beam of solid air. The air turned black and the obsidian spear materialized. The point was incredibly sharp and diamond hard. It could easily slaughter anyone who dared to sneak up on him.
Kalona grasped the spear tightly in his right hand and braced himself for an attack. The footsteps were graceful and light. They were getting closer. Kalona hardly dared to breathe as he listened intently for the oncoming stranger. He would not be surprised, least of all not in his own dreams.
The footsteps stopped after another moment. He heard another breathing and knew that whoever was here was standing only feet behind him. But they were not attacking. Kalona readied the spear in his hand and whirled around.
The woman before him was so breathtaking that he couldn't help but drop his spear. He heard the soft sound of stone hitting stone. But it didn't matter. It was if his prayers had been answered. Everything he wanted, at the current time, had just appeared.
She stood before him, completely naked and utterly exquisite. He couldn't help but stare as his eyes wandered across her body, examining every intricate design of the sapphire tattoos that decorated her milky skin. The gorgeous marks of his beloved Goddess.
He took a step forward.
She matched his movements.
They continued the slow approach, matching each other move for move. They raised their hands towards one another, and came within and inch of touching each other. Kalona's heart was thumping wildly in his chest. It confused him. He had never felt anything like this before. Well not for centuries. In fact, no woman had made him feel since Nyx and A-ya. No one save for Zoey Redbird.
Kalona simply couldn't help himself. His prayers had been answered in the magical Realm of Dreams. He inched closer to the exotically beautiful woman before him. She looked different tonight, everything about her beauty was clearer, and he couldn't help but notice how her ivory skin sparkled in the golden sunlight that they were basking in at this very moment.
However, just has his hands came an inch within her waist, he stopped. A sudden fear gripped his heart. He suddenly felt if he touched her, she would fade away into nothing. It was as if she was a spectral form, one that could not be touched, could not be held. This theory terrorized his mind, and he did not touch her, even though a forbidden desire was pulsing through his body.
It was at that moment that he knew that he had not invaded Zoey Redbird's dreams. No. Whatever was happening was due to the machinations of his desperate desires, and his own darkest dreams. He looked at the woman before him, not daring to meet her eyes; for fear that this, too, would trigger her disappearance. It didn't seem fair that there was something preventing from taking whet he desired, even in his own dreams. It made him angry. The emotion was familiar and somewhat soothing.
Had Nyx brought this on to punish him? No, the thought was absolutely ludicrous. Nyx would not waste her time torturing him. She was not that kind of Goddess. She did not revel in the suffering of others as his new master did.
The white bull entered his mind; he saw its shining pearl coat in the milky, flawless, ethereal skin of the woman he dared not to touch. Its blood red eyes formed at either side of her naval. Kalona moaned slightly.
"What do you want here now, my master?" he said softly enough so that the woman who may be an apparition of sorts could not hear him.
Take her now, Kalona. Take what belongs to you.
"She will disappear, master."
Do not be a coward. Take her now!
The bulls red eyes disappeared and Kalona shuddered out of pure anger and terror. The bull had no right to order him around. What did the bull want with Zoey Redbird anyway? There was nothing that the bull stood to gain. What really caused his blood to boil was the fact that Darkness had dared appear in his dreams. Darkness did not like the Realm of Dreams; it was too closely connected with Nyx's Realm. It was too closely connected with Light.
Kalona looked back at the perfect form before him. She was breathing softly. She dared not to speak. Perhaps Kalona was going mad within his own dreams. He could not touch her; he could not look into her eyes. She would not speak to him, and he would not speak to her due to the fact that he was afraid of losing her.
Was he going mad? Why was he experiencing this torture? It was absolutely unbearable. Kalona longed to touch the woman before him. He longed to trace the patterns of her tattoos.
This awful feeling. Would he ever be rid of feeling? It was one of the only things that made him weak. Feelings disgusted him. He wished to banish him from his heart, but he had a feeling that as long as Zoey Redbird walked this earth, and he prayed that it would be for a very long time, he would be haunted by feelings.
However, if he had feelings, what would stop him from having Zoey Redbird as well?
Kalona pushed the question out of his head. This was the madness settling in. He did not want Zoey Redbird. She was not Nyx. She was not the Goddess he had loved for centuries. The very Goddess that he still loved deep within his heart, she who would never, ever love him. Zoey Redbird was the reincarnation of his maiden A-ya, the very same one who was created to love and entrap him. The Cherokee woman who had also earned his love. But she was the modern version of A-ya. She had rejected him. She did not want his love anymore, or at least what he called love. He wondered if he was even capable of the emotion
Yet there she stood before him, waiting to be taken. The smile on her rose red lips was warm and inviting. Kalona knew that he could do it right now. He knew that it would be easy. But the ease of possessing a woman within his dreams was pathetic. There was no sport in the action at all. It was not real. It was definitely not satisfying. Besides that, the ease of taking Zoey Redbird in this realm did not overshadow the fear that was gripping Kalona's heart: the fear that he would lose the ethereal apparition if he dared to move any closer. His desires were torturing him. She was the untouchable beauty: just like Nyx.
This had to be the work of the Goddess! It was some sort of alternate damnation.
The voices exploded from deep within his head.
It is your choices that have brought this upon you. They are what continue to punish you and make you suffer, my Warrior.
My love, I was created to save you from humanity. You are safe within the Earth; you can be at ease here in my arms. Your insatiable lust shall be banished.
I will never abandon my Goddess. I will always choose love.
Kalona threw back his head and bellowed a wordless scream of terrible anger into the sky above. The golden sun, a flawless sphere hung above him. It's light blinded him momentarily. His eyes stung with hot tears of anger. He looked down at his feet. This madness was unbearable.
There was one thing that could soothe him, and he pushed the fear out of his mind. These were his dreams, and they would not torture him. Even if it was not reality, he would not lose what he most desired. He would take what he deserved, even if it could never happen in the real world.
Kalona dared to touch her skin.
A mix of fire and ice exploded through his body. Hot waves and cold tides mixed together as they washed over his entire body. Zoey Redbird began to melt away. Kalona looked into the endless onyx eyes before she disappeared. There was sadness deep within. He heard his name in the distance as she disappeared from his touch. This was unbearable.
Kalona's painful and desperate creams reverberated off the stone of the massive and ancient castle.
The sky had suddenly become black. There was no moon in the sky.
Kalona took three great steps over to the jagged edge of the castle tower. He looked down. The perfect and peaceful blue waters of the ocean had turned the deepest navy, a shade so intense it was almost black. Waves crashed against the stone of the castle and the building began to shake. Kalona heard the smack of water against stone over and over again. A tempest was raging below him, just as a tempest of emotion was raging within his heart. Kalona looked around him, and the lush fruit trees began to collapse and writhe like horrid snakes on the stone floor of the castle rooftop. The deep brown bark turned black, as if ferocious embers had burned the trees. The fountain collapsed.
The Goddess toppled over and Kalona ran to catch the marble. It too had begun to turn to obsidian. The representation of the goddess began to crumble. Her stone eyes were cold and emotionless, just as they were on the terrible day when she banished him from her realm.
The obsidian shattered and cut his hands. Blood dripped from his torn palms. The scarlet blood turned ebony. The rough stone turned black too, and suddenly everything faded into darkness. Kalona hung suspended in the infinite darkness. He had left the ancient place of the Vampyre Council. He was alone and there were no pleasant experiences to keep him company. He was alone in the bone-chilling cold of a dark abyss. This was no dream. It was a nightmare.
Then a blinding light erupted from the darkness. A creature formed from the light. Its eyes glowed the color of fresh blood. Its pearl coat shined with a gleam on undeniable menace. The bull was terrifying and beautiful.
Kalona fell to his knees and raised his head to meet the eyes of his master.
Kalona, you did not obey. No one has ever disobeyed me, yet you dare, even in dreams.
"No," said Kalona, but the word had absolutely no meaning whatsoever. The bull roared its ancient frustrations.
Then suffer my heartless one.
The incredible pain exploded across his body. Kalona looked down. Deep lacerations covered his naked skin, crisscrossing in a bloody design that matched tattoos of a Red Vampyre.
Kalona could hear the deafening laughter of Darkness. It shook him to his core.
Then Darkness began to feed on the blood that pored from Kalona's deep lacerations.
Kalona screamed in agony, and for once in his existence began to beg for everything to end.
The nightmare ended.
Kalona's eyes opened. He was lying on the cold earth beneath the trees of some forest in Oklahoma, a place not too far from Tulsa, not too far from Zoey Redbird.
Kalona was glad that the torment was over. Everything had just been a dream. Zoey was real in this world. But even he did not underestimate the unearthly power of dreams. His nightmare had meant something, and even though he didn't fully understand it, he knew that it somehow meant that Zoey Redbird could never be his. But he would prove this wrong. The rest of the dream, well he would work through that later.
Kalona wiped the back of his hand across is forehead to find it drenched with warm sweat. He was still shaking slightly. All he could think at that moment was: I never want to feel this vulnerable again.
Stevie Rae
The sun was about to set when Stevie Rae woke up. She rolled over and saw a beautiful black raven perched on one of her ragged bedposts. An idle thought crossed her mind, and she thought that she definitely needed to get some new furniture. There was a lot to do to make the tunnels inhabitable for everyone.
Stevie Rae glanced back at the raven. Memories came flooding back and she remembered that the guy she was Imprinted with was a part-time beast. It was slightly depressing, but at the same time it was amazing. Rephaim was so darn gorgeous as a Cherokee boy. She couldn't wait until sunset so she could be in Rephaim's arms once again.
Oh thank you Nyx. Stevie Rae thanked Nyx from the bottom of her heart, and she was reminded that the Goddess was the kindest and most forgiving person, or deity or whatever, in the entire world. Stevie Rae knew that in the future she would definitely work twice as hard to serve her goddess. She would be forever in her debt. But that was okay. Stevie Rae loved Nyx with all her heart and she had a lifetime of thanking to do.
Stevie Rae watched the raven for a few moments, waiting anxiously for sunset.
After a few moments she heard footsteps behind her. Stevie Rae looked over her shoulder to see her BFF coming towards her. "Mornin' Z," she said softly, smiling slightly.
Zoey smiled too. "Hey, Stevie Rae. So are you waiting for bird to turn back to boy?"
Stevie Rae shot her friend a look.
Zoey looked down. "I'm sorry, Stevie Rae, it was just a joke."
"I know," she said, "It's just, oh Zoey, what if he doesn't turn back into a human."
Zoey went and sat next to her best friend. "You don't need to worry about that. Nyx doesn't lie, she keeps her promises."
"I know," said Stevie Rae, a tear falling from the corner of her eye, "but what if something goes wrong. I wish the sun would just hurry up and set. I'm so darn nervous, and I don't know why. I have complete faith in Nyx, but I'm just so worried I could cry."
All Zoey could do was hug her best friend as she started to cry.
"Oh Goddess, Stevie Rae," said Aphrodite, coming up behind them. "Bird boy is going to be okay, so put on your big girl panties and get ready to see your bird boy turn into an actual boy."
Stevie Rae looked up at the blond, who was already looking perfect as usual despite the early hour. Stevie Rae rolled her eyes. It just wasn't fair. "Do you have to be so hateful? Aphrodite. It's too darn early for you to be saying' something mean."
Aphrodite did look slightly sorry about what she said, but she shrugged it off with a casual "whatever."
With that, Stevie Rae started to tear up again.
Zoey shot her warning look. But Aphrodite shrugged that off too, because a second later Darius walked up behind her and slid his hand into hers. Luckily, Darius was super sweet and super sensitive. He was usually the one apologizing for the rude crap that Aphrodite said. Besides, even when Aphrodite was trying to be nice, she still needed help in her articulation. Articulation: a word I knew thanks to Damien, heehees. "Our Goddess always keeps her promises, Priestess," he said addressing Stevie Rae.
She looked up and gave him a half smile, and then she wiped a few tears from her eyes. "What if he doesn't turn back? I don't know what I would do!"
Darius gave her a confident smile. "Rephaim will be restored, Stevie Rae. Have faith."
"Thanks, Darius," replied Stevie Rae, still sniffing slightly. Then she looked at Aphrodite. "You are lucky you have such a great guy to apologize for you."
Aphrodite gave Darius a look that expressed that she knew that she was way luckier than anyone else knew. But she did feel bad, Stevie Rae was obviously in pain. "Sorry, Stevie Rae. He'll come back," she said. The she shook off the sentimentality and said, "But if he doesn't, you know where to find us. Come on Darius, I am hungry; Let's see if we can round up any thing to eat in this nasty place. Then you can escort me while I max out my mom's gold card." Aphrodite tossed her cascade of flawless blond hair and flounced off into the direction of the makeshift kitchen.
Darius lingered for a moment. "Isn't she wonderful?" he asked, looking back at her.
"Oh sure," said Stevie Rae and Zoey together.
Darius gave them both a warm smile and said, "Stay strong, Stevie Rae. Have faith in our Goddess." Then he turned away to follow Aphrodite.
When he was out of earshot, Zoey smiled at her BFF and said, "Aphrodite may have her wonderful moments, but more often than not, she has her witchy moments."
The two friends laughed for a moment.
It felt good for Stevie Rae to laugh, but the distraction was only momentary. Stevie Rae looked back over at Rephaim. Since she was a Red Vampyre she was more in tune with when the sun would set, and according to her senses, if was only a few short moments away from setting. Stevie Rae's heart started to pound in her chest.
The two girls waited anxiously as they looked at the ebony raven on the bedpost.
Zoey
I looked over at the black bird. I still couldn't believe that Stevie Rae was Imprinted with Kalona's favorite son. Even more than that I couldn't believe that she hadn't told anyone about it. I guess I understood. After everything that Rephaim and Kalona had done, I knew that none of us would really understand. I knew what it was like to keep big important stuff from my friends, so I had a lot of sympathy for my friend.
Now that everything was out in the open things would get easier. Which was a pretty big relief, because my friends and I were going to have to deal with a lot of drama due to the fact that we all packed up and left the House of Night for the tunnels. It was all Neferet's fault, okay maybe not all her fault, it was partially Kalona's too.
But I couldn't, no I wouldn't think of Kalona right now. Sure he had let his son go, but honestly he was still pretty much and evil, creepy jerk.
Thinking about Kalona made me think about Rephaim. I sincerely wanted my best friend to be happy. I mean I found a guy that I loved, and I wanted my best friend to be as happy as I was. But still, I couldn't help but think that there was something suspicious about Kalona letting hi son betray him. It just didn't make sense that Kalona would willingly allow his son to choose the Goddess. But whatever, I couldn't spoil my best friends happiness. She was in love with Rephaim after all, and as far as Nyx was concerned, Rephaim loved Stevie Rae too. So I would let it be for now, but that didn't mean that I wasn't going to be keeping a close watch on Rephaim.
Anyway, the sun was about to rise. I held Stevie Rae's hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry Stevie Rae, he will be restored. Nyx loves you, and she forgave Rephaim."
"Oh Zoey, it means so much to me for you to say that. I thought you would hate me after all the lying I did."
"I could never hate you," I said, "and as for Rephaim, I bet everyone will give him a chance. If you love him and Nyx forgave him, he at least deserves a chance."
Stevie Rae practically tackled me after that. She started crying again and all I could do was hug her back, as she said, "Thank you so much Z! "
"I'll always be here for you," I said truthfully. I totally heart my best friend.
We both stooped talking and looked over at Rephaim.
A ring of light surrounded the raven. It rose up into the air. Wings turned to arms. Bird feet extended and turned into legs. Ebony feathers were replaced with shining pale skin. The remaining feathers morphed into thick and shaggy black hair, and his bird face transmuting into a face built with strong Cherokee features.
He fell onto the bed beside Stevie Rae and me. He didn't speak because Stevie Rae gave him a smothering embrace. "Oh Rephaim, I was so worried you wouldn't change back," she cried.
I looked at Rephaim. It was remarkable how much he resembled his father. But he was better than Kalona, I reminded myself. He had chosen love. He had chosen the Goddess. In the mean time I would set my suspicions aside. I smiled at my best friend and her Consort. Then I said, "Well, I'll leave you two alone. See you later." Then I ducked out of their room before either of them could tell me otherwise. Because honestly, Stevie Rae was too darn polite to tell someone that she wanted alone time.
