A/N Here is the rewritten version of chapter four! Read, relax and review.

Stevie Rae

Stevie Rae slid her hand into Rephaim's, looked over at him and said, "Well, I guess we should probably get out of this room at some point today. Even though we left the House of Night, it's still High School, and the Twins are going to need someone to gossip about, and there's a good chance it could be us if we are not careful." Stevie Rae laughed dismissively.

Rephaim gave her an odd look. Then Stevie Rae remembered that he might not realize whom exactly she was talking about. "The Twins are Erin and Shaunee," said Stevie Rae.

Rephaim continued giving her a strange look. "They don't look alike at all."

Stevie Rae smiled as she wondered how she would explain this. It struck her that it was going to take a lot of adjusting, and in Rephaim's case, a lot of explaining. "Well they aren't biological Twins. They are soul twins. Anyway, you will understand after spending some time with everyone. They finish each other's sentences."

Rephaim squeezed her hand. "I'll take your word for it. But I think it will be awhile until your friends get used to me. If they ever do."

Stevie Rae turned and gave Rephaim a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry. My friends are some of the best people in the world. They will accept anyone with enough time. Especially if they're as sweet as sugar."

Rephaim looked down at his bare feet. "They didn't accept my father," he mumbled.

However, Stevie Rae heard him anyway. "Your daddy isn't really a nice guy. He's been on the wrong path for way longer than you have. Anyway you are way different than your daddy. You chose Nyx's path. You chose love. Why did you bring up Kalona anyway?"

"No reason," said Rephaim, speaking in a tone that was barely audible. "It doesn't matter. I just though things could have been different if – "

"If what?"

"I do not want to say it. You might get angry with me."

"Rephaim," said Stevie Rae, turning towards him. "You can tell me anything. You got to know that."

"No, you will get angry with me. I don't want to upset you. Can't we just talk about this later?"

Stevie Rae was suspicious, however, she could tell that Rephaim was overly sensitive about this topic. She couldn't really blame him. He had basically just lost his father, and even though Kalona was a class a jerk, he was Still Rephaim's daddy. It had to be hard. So Stevie Rae squeezed his hand in hers. It was her way of apologizing for upsetting Rephaim, because she could tell that he didn't want does discuss anything at all anymore.

Rephaim slid his arm around her waist in a caress that was so filled with love that even words couldn't match it. Stevie Rae knew that Rephaim was mad at her, and that made her ridiculously happy, because she was certain that she had dared to tread on dangerous waters. Yet, Rephaim had forgiven her for her invading curiosity.

She couldn't help but smile. Apparently, the smile was stupid looking, because as she walked out of the room, hand in hand with Rephaim, they ran right into Aphrodite.

She raised one of her perfectly shaped blond eyebrows before throwing out a snide remark. "Oh, hey Honky-Tonk, Birdie Boy," she said, then she focused more on Stevie Rae, "You do know that these tunnels are totally nasty. Luckily for us, I have my mom's gold card to make this place livable. Anyway, I have a lot of remodeling to do." Then she turned to Rephaim, smiling only slightly to show that what she was about to say was a joke. "Rephaim, try not to get feathers all over the place. m'kay?"

Stevie Rae rolled her eyes as Aphrodite flounced away. Darius appeared a moment later, rolling a luggage cart piled with boxes. They were heading for Aphrodite's room, and Stevie Rae knew that Aphrodite's gold card was probably still hot from being swiped about a hundred times. As Darius passed he shot them both and apologetic look before heading after Aphrodite.

Once they were both out of earshot, Rephaim glanced at Stevie Rae. "Is she always so vile?" he asked.

Stevie Rae smiled slightly. "Kind of. But you get used to it, and on the rare occasion, she can actually be really nice."

Rephaim didn't seem convinced. "I suppose I'll believe it when I see it."

The next person they ran into was Kramisha.

She looked at them and said, "Oh, hey lovebirds," she smiled at her use of the word 'lovebirds' and then said, "Zoey's lookin' for you. She says we all need to get together and talk about this crazy plan to open up a new House of Night. So lets go. We're all meeting in the main tunnel. Oh you can come to Rephaim."

The three of them wandered along the empty winding tunnels until they reached the main one, with a high ceiling. Zoey, along with Stark, Damien, the Twins, Darius, Aphrodite, and the good Red Fledglings were all sitting around. The fledglings had gathered an array of mismatched chairs, which they had thrown together in a circle. Each of them had claimed a chair and there were a few empty ones.

Stevie Rae led Rephaim over to a pair of mismatching blue chairs. They sat down and waited for something to happen.

Zoey

"So we all agree that living at the House of Night right now isn't an option. Neferet has everyone eating out of the palm of her hands."

"Not only that, but her little charade has made you, and all of us look like a bunch of miscreants who have turned on Nyx." Damien still sounded incredibly sad. Who could blame him though? He had lost the love of his life, and then he had lost his home, all because of Neferet. But he still had us, and as long as we all stuck together, I had a feeling that we would be able to uncover Neferet and her nefarious deeds.

I looked over at him. "Well, Damien, we will uncover Neferet. Now we have another reason to hate her."

We all sat in silence for a moment. The silence was to acknowledge the murder of Jack. I still couldn't believe he was gone. Jack was probably the most adorable person on the face of the planet. Neferet slaughtered him in cold-blood, all for selfish reason. I hated her now more than ever, and everyone else did too. This made exposing her even more important. Of course, Neferet's web of lies was so tightly woven and flawless, that I didn't see how we would be able to destroy hit without time and proper planning.

"We need to knock that pretentious bitch off her high horse. I think that Z's little rebellious stunt will be able to do it. If we can actually manage to start our own House of Night. But honestly who would come here? It's really nasty down here. I bet it will take a couple months of remodeling. But there is only so much that a gold card can do."

"Well then you better get started," said Erin.

"Only don't touch our room without our approval. Your sense of style is questionable at best," added Shaunee.

Aphrodite scowled at the Twins. "You're just jealous because you're Gap and I'm Couture. "

"Remodeling aside," said Damien, waving his hand to dismiss the quarrel, "we need to figure out what we're going to do."

"Well for now, I think we should just lie low for a little bit. Neferet's not a very good actress, and I'll bet that she's pretty pissed off that we got away from her again," I said.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Zoey. We all needed that." Aphrodite sighed. "What we really need to do is figure something out. I'll remodel while we are lying low. Damien can do some research about what it takes to start a school, I guess the Twins can help me, and Zoey, just try not to do anything that will get you killed."

We all laughed softly. I can tell that the Twins are annoyed with Aphrodite's bossy takeover. Damien was just glad to have something to do so he can be distracted every so often, and me; well unfortunately, I have to agree that I need to lie low, because Neferet probably really does want to kill me. Oh Goddess, how did I always manage to get myself into these messes.

I look around d the tunnels. I guessed that Aphrodite would need more help than the Twins to pull off an Extreme Makeover Tunnel Edition, but whatever. I knew that I would be helping, because I definitely needed something to do while I was lying low and while Stark could help out with that, I couldn't just spend the next few weeks sleeping around. I mean I am definitely not a nasty ho. Even Aphrodite isn't. My stomach clenched. I thought of the first time I had seen Aphrodite with Erik. She was nasty sometimes, but I really didn't think that she was a ho.

"I guess I'll try not to die," I say, frowning at Aphrodite. "There's no way that I want to screw with Neferet right now. She is totally psycho."

"Thanks again, Captain Obvious," said Aphrodite with a winning smile. "Well, Darius and I have a lot of unpacking to do. A girl can only get so much done in a day, and this Extreme Makeover Tunnel Edition is going to take a lot of days. Probably even months." Aphrodite got up, and held out one of her perfectly manicured hands, which Darius took immediately. Then he smiled at each of us, and followed Aphrodite to the room that they were going to share.

"Well we all know what sort of unpacking she's going to do," said Shaunee, laughing.

Erin shot her a devious little grin. "I have to admit that I'm a little bit jealous. I wish that we were lucky enough to have some hot guys with us."

"There is always the Red Fledglings," replied Shaunee.

The couple of Red Fledglings caught the Twins eyes. They all laughed and ran off together.

I was left alone with Damien, Stark, Rephaim and Stevie Rae, and a couple of the other Red Fledglings. But the Red Fledglings, along with Kramisha, didn't stay long. They all left the big tunnel for their own rooms.

Stevie Rae and Rephaim stood up. Stevie Rae shot me a smile. "Well, Zoey, I guess Rephaim and I will leave you and Stark alone. See you guys later." They left for their room too.

Damien stood up "I guess I'll go start looking up some stuff about starting up a House of Night. Thank Goddess I have my Sociology book." Damien smiled and then he left.

Stark put his arm around me. "Zoey, how but we spend some quality time together. You know you want to."

I smiled. If anything could distract me from my troubles, it was alone time with Stark. "Let's go," I said. Then I kissed him right on the lips. We both laughed and ran towards our room hand in hand.

Rephaim

"Okay, tell me what is on your mind. I know you are still upset about your daddy. But we really need to talk about it. If we are going to be in a relationship we need to be honest with each other. You know you can tell me anything."

Rephaim was sitting next to Stevie Rae on the bed. He felt terrible. They had only really been together for a day and she had already upset her. Rephaim knew that he would need to start being honest, but it was difficult. He was not good at being honest. His father hadn't given him the gift of honest. Rephaim had become a master of manipulation. He could most definitely bring on fear. However, honesty was a foreign skill to him. He looked at Stevie Rae and saw the hurt in her eyes. He couldn't bear it. So he decided that even though he might upset her more, he would be honest with her. "Promise me that you would be angry with me if I tell you what is on my mind."

Stevie Rae smiled and scooted closer to him. He could feel the warmth radiating from her soft skin. It filled him with confidence and her words also helped him. "Rephaim, I love you. You can tell me anything, and honestly, nothing is worse than lies. I have come close to losing so much because of dishonesty. I don't want the same thing to happen to you. Yu have to start acting right now Rephaim. I know it's not easy, but you have me to help you. Take the first step, and be the guy I know you can be."

Stevie Rae's speech reminded him so much of what he had told her father. He had complied, and Rephaim would as well. "I just wish Zoey Redbird had accepted my father. Things would be so much easier if she had accepted him."

Stevie Rae pulled away from him. "You can't be serious. Your daddy doesn't love Zoey. He's also really, really evil. Besides, why would Zoey be with someone who doesn't really love her."

"My father knew that he wanted to be with Zoey the moment he saw her on his resurrection day. He has spoken of her often. He thinks of her often. He wanted her to accept him."

"Wanting someone isn't the same as loving someone," said Stevie Rae wisely. "Before I say what is also on my mind, I need you to promise that you won't be upset with me. I don't like to see you in pain and I definitely don't want to be the one to cause that pain."

Rephaim brought his hand up and traced the scarlet tattoos that framed Stevie Rae's eyes. The flowers were beautiful, just as Stevie Rae was beautiful. His hand cupped her chin in a tender caress. His lips brushed hers. It felt so good to kiss her. He couldn't be upset with her. He was sure of this. However, he had a feeling that this conversation would continue to be about his father and his flaws. Rephaim wondered if he could bear to listen to Stevie Rae trash his father. He sighed and decided that he would have to. "Tell me whatever you wish, Stevie Rae."

"I don't think that your daddy's capable of love. Zoey's my best friend. I want her to be with someone who she loves, and who she loves in return. Your daddy doesn't love her. I don't even know if he can."

"My father doesn't believe in love anymore, but he seemed to believe that he could love her. He always said how much he reminded her of Nyx and of A-ya."

"Zoey reminds Kalona of Nyx? But he fell from Nyx. Why would he want to be with someone who is a constant reminder of what he lost? It must be hard. I can't imagine the pain of falling from Nyx's Realm."

"He believes that one day, Zoey could prove to be Nyx's reincarnate. Your friend is very powerful."

"Is power all that matters to your daddy, because there are so many great things that can come from a relationship? If he only wants Zoey because of her affinities, well than she will never accept him."

"It's not just her power. Zoey Redbird and my father are bonded. She is the modern reincarnation of A-ya."

Stevie Rae

A-ya. Stevie Rae recognized the name. She knew that it was because of A-ya that Zoey was so drawn to Kalona. But Nyx had given the gift of free will to all of her children. Kalona was as wrong as man boobs. He was morally bankrupt. He enjoyed hurting people just for the fun of it. Stevie Rae couldn't stand that the guy she loved was the son of such an evil jerk.

Sure, he was unnaturally gorgeous, but evil always was.

Anyway, Zoey might be the reincarnation of A-ya, but she had free will. She would always choose love and the Goddess. Still, Stevie Rae knew that she needed to make Rephaim understand that his father was broken beyond repair. Or at the very least, she had to see if Rephaim was serious about his father having some redeemable quality. After all, he had released Rephaim, and even though Stevie Rae hated admitting it, but she owed Kalona a lot.

Stevie Rae had always been someone to always try and do the right thing. If there was some way that Kalona could be helped, she owed it to Rephaim to help him out. Besides, Nyx would want her former Warrior to be helped, if that was at all possible.

"Zoey isn't really A-ya. Even though she knows she had a bond with your daddy, she is always going to pick Nyx. Just like you did. Besides, after everything your father did to you, why would you want him to be with Zoey? Why do you wish that Zoey had accepted him?"

"Stevie Rae, I have you. It was because I had you that I was able to choose the path of the Goddess. I chose love and Light because of you. Did it ever occur to any of you that Zoey could help my father do the same? He used to be devoted to the Goddess. What makes you think that things cant return to how they used to be?"

Stevie Rae heard the deep sorrow in his voice. She felt guilty for condemning his father. After all, Rephaim wasn't completely crazy. Kalona used to protect the Goddess. Maybe he could be made to serve her again. Still, the odds seemed pretty slim, and she couldn't help but express her concerns. "But you and your father are very different. You are part human. It wasn't your choice to be evil, you were born into it. Kalona made his choice to fall."

"He fell out of love. If love saved me, it can save my father. Stevie Rae, I want you to promise me something."

Stevie Rae hesitated before saying, "I don't know Rephaim. I think it depends on what it is."

"Please, Stevie Rae. I want you to at least try to do what I ask. It is very important to me."

Stevie Rae could hear the hurt in his voice. She didn't want to cause him any more pain. So all she could do was to agree to at least hear him out. She would have to decide what to do after he heard his request. "Fine, tell me."

"I want you to try and convince Zoey to give my father a chance. I know my father has disowned me, and even though it hurts, I know that what I gained from crossing my father is worth it. But I can't help but feel guilty. I want to help my father get what he desires, or at least get a chance to try."

What? This was crazy talk. Zoey would never give Kalona a chance. No. This was an impossible feat. "I can't promise you that."

"Please," he said with a tone of urgency, "at least mention it to her. It is of utmost importance."

"Why do you care so much for Kalona? He disowned you." That had come out wrong. Stevie Rae knew it as soon as it came out.

Rephaim looked down at his feet. "He is still my father," he said softly.

Stevie Rae suddenly threw her arms around him. "I'm sorry for what I said. I will at least mention it to Zoey. But I doubt that she will want to."

"All that matters is that you try," said Rephaim.

Despite her discomfort wit this entire messed up idea, Stevie Rae agreed. Then they sealed the agreement with a kiss.

Kalona

Kalona sat on the large bed of the penthouse he had created. His amber eyes were focused on the ebony of the ceiling. He was still thinking of Zoey Redbird's eyes. They reminded him so much of his beloved Goddess.

Nyx. The world exploded in his mind. He thought of his fall from her realm, of the weakness he felt, the weakness he vowed never to feel again. He thought of her last words to him. He had loved her too much. He had been obsessed with her.

Now his obsession took a new form.

Zoey Redbird. She was the perfect specimen. She was as beautiful as A-ya and she would be as powerful as the great Goddess herself.

Zoey Redbird. Her name, like music, swelled in his mind.

No. He mustn't torture himself with thoughts of the fledgling girl.

However, he couldn't help himself. The thick veil of ebony. He pictured running his hands through the mass of soft, flowing, tresses. Her flawless pale skin, as white and pure as a dove. The intricate etchings of sapphire that Marked her as one of Nyx's beloved children. The perfect curves of her body and the way he imagined how perfectly she could fit into his arms, how there bodies could become one in moments of passion. Her eyes, deep and endless as the sky. He pictured the way that her eyes would be filled with longing and even love.

Kalona's tongue slid over his dry lips as he continued to think of Zoey Redbird. His body tightened as he remembered the experience of vicariously making love to her.

Eventually, it all became too much. Kalona swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His feet brushed the soft nylon of the carpet. He pushed himself off of the bed and walked to the set of glass double doors that led to the roof of the penthouse. He flung one of them open with such force that for a moment he feared the door might shatter. However, it didn't. Kalona steeped onto the roof and looked up to the shining silver moon that hung in the dark night sky. These things did not draw his thoughts to the vampyre fledgling.

All he could think of was the glorious sensation of flight. His midnight ebony wings began to spread apart. I light breeze whistled through his plumes. The breeze caressed his skin and he felt some form of comfort. He tilted his head up to the midnight sky basked in the glorious silver light. A small smile crossed over his face. He flung his arms out and bared his chest to the moon. His body tightened. The sensation drove his thoughts to Zoey Redbird.

No! Kalona ordered himself to clear his mind of the young woman. He would soon be reunited with her, but for now he needed to purge his mind of her presence. His wings unfurled to full length. He bent his knees slightly, preparing to take off.

The wondrous sensation of flight could clear his mind of anything. The glorious freedom of the skies never failed to ease his mind.

He took off with such force that he thought he might have damaged the smooth surface of the rooftop. But he did not look down. His enormous wings pumped through the warm air, carrying him ten, twenty, fifty feet up.

The small forest and all that surrounded it lay below him like a map. The freedom is the closest thing he had felt to happiness for quite some time. His wings beat through the air.

Kalona dove down allowing the breeze to caress every inch of his body. His thick hair was tousled by the wind. The heat was more bearable down here.

After a few moments Kalona found himself flying above the Tulsa House of Night. Had he really flown that fast and far? It seemed unlikely. But he had been lost in the power of his flight. For a few wonderful moments, his head was clear of all significant thought.

But now that he was looking down at the old fashioned buildings of the House of Night, the thoughts reentered his mind. First came Neferet. He was close to her. But that did not matter She did not want him anymore, and he had never wanted her. Kalona allowed himself a smile at the prospect.

But then thoughts of Zoey reentered his mind. He was so close go her. He could go to her right now. However, the thought of Neferet convinced him to do otherwise. He would only go to Zoey in her dreams for now. Kalona had to get away from the temptation. He flew higher and headed back towards the penthouse.

He landed on the rooftop. Then he stomped back towards the bed. Zoey redbird. Why couldn't he rid his mind of her? Why did he constantly dwell on her? He did not like the fact that she made him feel. It was infuriating. He hated the fact that she had eluded him for so long but he would make everything right tonight. Or at least start to make everything right. Oh yes. He would woo her until she was putty in his hands.

All it would take was a dream; tonight's dream would be the spark that would light the fire of his plans.

His plans were ashes, after tonight, a fiery phoenix would be born again from them. A new plan would be born, and this time it would succeed. He only needed the spark. Kalona sat on the edge of the bed and propped his chin on his hands. He continued to stare out at the window and waited for the sun to appear, so he could visit Zoey in her dreams.

-/-

Hours passed and then the sun began to peek out over the horizon.

Kalona went out to the roof once again. He sat on the stone bench and looked out to the sunrise. The rose, scarlet, and gold of the sun filled the sky that was still pretty dark. Kalona waited a few moments before he started to think of Zoey Redbird.

Tendrils of his Darkness appeared. He closed his eyes and focused on the connection that would forever bind him to the young woman. He focused on his powers of Darkness, willed them to come to him. He felt the tendrils coil around his body. Then they began to emit a scarlet light, the color emitted from long burning coal. The connection burned in his mind. Find Zoey Redbird. He thought as he began to focus on the Realm of Dreams.

The connection was like a rope. Kalona followed it blindly through the darkness, thinking of only Zoey as he made his progress.

Zoey

What the hell?

I thought that for once I wouldn't have another vivid dream. I really wanted a peaceful night, free of drama. I had felt so peaceful lying in my bed with Stark's arms around me. I had fallen asleep to the sound of his deep soothing voice, as he whispered sweet nothing into my ears. He was so sweet and amazing. I couldn't help but feel happier than I had in weeks.

However, now I have to make myself aware of everything. So I started to take in the scenery.

I was not on the rooftop of the castle, the place where I had visited so often. No. This was a place of my own creation. I started to take in everything I could but there was so much of it.

I was in a grove. The emerald grass felt lush and wonderful against my bare feet. I could see crystal dewdrops hanging from almost each and every blade of grass. The grove was about fifty yards in diameter and a ring of every kind of tree imaginable surrounded it. Clumps of apple, orange, cherry, lemon and other kinds of lush fruit trees surrounded on half of the circumference. Large and perfect oak trees stood behind me. Tall evergreen pines were scattered between the oak and fruit trees. Inside the ring of trees were patches of gorgeous flowers of every kind. Ruby red roses, violets, lilies, daisy, tulips, and hundreds of other types of flowers that I couldn't even identify. The beauty was so incredible. I thought of the magic of Sgiach's Realm. I thought of the glorious sprites. I suddenly felt that there was magic in the air.

A slight breeze blew threw the lush trees and flowers. It was warm and comforting. The breeze swirled around me, wrapping me in a cocoon of enjoyable warmth. If I listened closely I could hear the clash of waves against the shore. There must be a beach nearby. I decided that if I ever returned to this place I would explore the shore. But for now, I was lost in the incredible beauty of the grove.

Of course, that peace was disturbed when I felt a really bizarre feeling. Someone was watching me. I pushed myself up into a sitting position. Then I started to look around for the intruder, hoping against hope that it is not who I think it is.

Footsteps. I heard footsteps coming towards me. I turned again and saw someone lurking in the shadows of two enormous oaks. I stood up quickly.

Then I went to the oak trees. "Who's there?" I asked, dreading whatever answer I was going to receive.

"I think you know who it is, Zoey." The voice is deep and dark. I recognized it instantly. My stomach clenched. I couldn't believe that he had entered my dreams.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. I tried to keep my voice from shaking.

Kalona stepped out of the shadows. "I think you know what I am doing her, Zoey."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I stepped back, but Kalona matched my movement with a step in my direction.

"I think you do," he said, his voice taking on a seductive quality that brings back old memories of past dreams. Kalona stepped towards me closed the distance that spirited us. His hands found mine, and I felt his icy heat shoot through my body. My heart started to pound with forbidden feelings. I had to get away. I had to wake up from this dream.

Kalona started to look me over. Most of my sapphire tattoos were showing. I could see that he was tracing the patterns with his amber eyes. Finally his eyes stop roaming. His gaze locks with mine.

I tried to look away, but I couldn't drive myself to do it. I started taking in every single detail and feature. Kalona stood over seven feet tall. He wore nothing but a pair of tight black jeans that hugged his perfect body. His chest his bare as usual, and his muscles are perfectly formed. I couldn't help myself. My eyes lingered on his perfect muscles for a moment. Then I moved up and took in the sight of his gorgeous black wings. They were as dark as ebony. But I could see hints of dark blue and violet within them. My eyes moved up his body His hair was still dark, thick and shaggy, but it was shaggy in a messy and cute way. It took all I had to stop myself from running my fingers through the ebony tresses.

I knew that I probably looked like and idiot as I examined every inch of him, but Kalona said nothing. He seemed to be enjoying the attention. My stomach clenched at the thought. I was giving him something that he wanted, but somehow it didn't seem to matter. All of my good sense was lost at the sight of him.

There was just so much to take in. But I finally decided to settle on his face. It is so perfect that it is nearly impossible to describe. I drank in the perfection of his sharp features and gorgeous amber eyes.

Before I could stop myself, I threw my arms around his neck.

He smiled down at me, and underneath the glint of false happiness I saw something darker. I tried to remind myself that Kalona was totally evil, and despite his gorgeous perfection, I remembered everything that he had done to me, including killing Heath and trying to kill Stark.

Anger boiled up inside of me. I pushed away from him. "Go away," I practically shouted. The birds stopped chirping. The wind stopped blowing. Kalona and I stood alone in the silence.

His expression changed. I could see the anger that started to fill his amber eyes. "Why do you push me away, Zoey?" Kalona tried to mask the anger, but his efforts proved to be transparent.

"You need to leave now," I said, desperately trying to sound stoic and reserved.

He saw through my charade.

"You don't want me to go away," he said. His voice took on a seductive tone. He pulls me back into his arms. "It had been way too long since we have met in the Realm of dreams. I have missed it."

Crap, crap, crap. Kalona started to become the guy that I wanted to be with. His ageless quality transformed him into a guy that looked to be about twenty. He was the perfect age for me. I could be with him. However, I still tried to push away from him. I knew that he really wasn't sweet and sensitive

Kalona gripped my hands tightly in his. "You have missed it to," he said in a conversational tone. "I haven't seen you since the day I released my son."

"You were killing Warriors out of cold-blood. I'm glad that you didn't notice me. I don't need you in my life."

Kalona only smiled at me. "Your denial of the truth only makes me want to prove to you how much you have missed me, A-ya."

The use of the Cherokee name cleared my head. I saw through Kalona's façade. "Get away from me," I screamed.

"No," he said. "I will have you, Zoey. One day you will be mine."

That pissed me off. I finally pushed him away. "Leave me alone. I'm leaving this place. Goodbye Kalona. I can't say that it was nice to see you." Then I focused all my energy on waking up.

I opened my eyes and then I saw Stark. He was smiling in his sleep. I was relieved to remember that the experience in the grove was just a dream.