Disclaimer: I don't own the 'House of Night'
Chapter Ten: Darkness
Zoey POV
I gazed up at Aphrodite, straight into her beautiful blue eyes, and I whispered back,
"I love you too" She smiled at me before kissing me lovingly on the lips. In that moment I forgot about my Grandma, Kalona, the ever-evil Neferet and how shell-shocked Shekinah was. I mean, damn, she was a good kisser. I hope you mean great her voice whispered in my mind. Of course I do I replied. Her lips left mine and she said aloud,
"Good because we have to get out of here". I nodded before slipping out of her warm, soft arms and turning to my friends. They were all entrapped by Kalona's magnetism. Kalona himself wasn't looking at us; he only had eyes (and hands) for Neferet.
"Spirit, come to me" I whispered quietly. "Help my friends" was all I asked it to do. I felt a rush of pure wonderfulness fill me before it left me and I heard my friends gasp. Kalona's spell was broken and they all looked pretty scared. They came in closer to me but they made sure to not break our circle.
"Shit, that bird-man can pull some pretty freaky mojo" muttered Shaunee looking wiped out.
"I agree with you there twin" whispered Erin. Stevie-Rae was being supported by two of her fledglings but she smiled and Damien just nodded. Shekinah sat on the ground but Lenobia pulled her up and made sure she stayed with us. There was a dead look in Shekinah's eyes and I shuddered when I saw it.
"Okay guys, we gotta get out of here. We need to sneak over to the trapdoor in the east wall then get to the tunnels under the depot, got it?" They all nodded and we set off at a slow pace, instinctively making sure our circle wasn't broken. When I looked back I saw that Erik was still in the trance. I felt a brief moment of guilt for leaving him there but Aphrodite quickly quashed it. Don't you dare feel guilty over that jerk; he doesn't deserve it she whispered mentally. I know but I just can't help myself I replied. Aphrodite growled before quickly grabbing me and kissing me hard on the lips. She then let me go and continued to walk on; her hand firmly gripping mine. Her message was clear, she may as well have just posted a sign above my head saying 'Belongs to Aphrodite; don't mess with it or you will feel my wrath'. I sighed and leaned into her as I walked; was she always going to be difficult? You better believe it! She said in my mind. I'm pretty sure I sent a mental eye roll her way. Anyway, we soon reached the trapdoor and escaped through it quietly. Neferet didn't notice us leave; she was too busy with bird-boy. We escaped into the town and went unnoticed by the raven mockers. They were too busy attacking the townspeople and I think Nyx was helping us out a bit. We reached the depot, cold but alive. As soon as we reached the entrance to the tunnels, I ended the circle and almost collapsed on Aphrodite. I'd never felt this drained before. She caught me on instinct and I felt a wave of alarm though the bond.
"Do not worry Aphrodite. She is merely tired from having used so much of her energy" whispered Shekinah. I'm pretty sure everyone jumped at the sound of her voice; I know I did. Shekinah had stopped leaning on Lenobia so much and now she stood proud and tall. She turned to Stevie-Rae and tenderness filled her voice.
"Come young one, we must help you" The red fledglings helped get Stevie-Rae down the hole and onto the floor of the tunnels. A few of them went ahead to light the way but the majority of them stayed with us. Aphrodite and me waited for everyone to descend before she made me climb down the ladder and then followed closely behind me. She grabbed me again as soon as she reached the tunnel floor.
"Hey Zoey, is Aphrodite your girlfriend?" came Stevie-Rae's rough voice. I just looked at her and nodded. She smiled and closed her eyes.
"I suppose you could've chosen someone worse" she muttered. There were a few coughs of laughter from the group. I'm not allowed to hurt her, am I? asked Aphrodite in a bitchy tone. No you're not. She's my best friend so don't get jealous on me, okay? It was Aphrodite's turn to snort. Jealous, moi? Of the bumpkin? Never! I rolled my eyes and leant against Aphrodite some more; I'll admit I wasn't that weak but I liked her holding onto me and pressing into her like this just felt right. The red fledglings returned and we walked along the tunnels. Shekinah was barking out orders for blood and Lenobia was whispering to Stevie-Rae; reassuring her I think. We quickly reached their living quarters. I had to admit they had a nice setup here. It must have been Aphrodite's gold card at work. Stevie-Rae was carried along to a beaded curtain door and gently pulled through. I detached myself from Aphrodite and followed Stevie-Rae. She was and still is my best friend. And I'll be damned if I was going to let them take an arrow out of her chest and not be there for her.
AN: So folks, I've finished my version of 'Untamed'. It's onto 'Hunted' next! I must admit that I am surprised by the amount of reviews I've had so far; nine chapters and over sixty reviews? I must be doing something right for once. As I said in the previous chapter, what I've done to the storyline will change it immensely. If anybody can think of a few good subplots to add depth to the story then please message me or tell me in a review. I've already come up with a good one though: Venus used to be Aphrodite's roommate, what could've happened between them? Tell me what you think of it!