A/N: Here comes the turning point! I am very excited about this chapter, so read, relax, and review! Happy Reading!

Kalona

"You will do it my way?" asked Rephaim, his voice reflecting a tone of disbelief.

"Within reason," Kalona replied. "Although I must give you my input, especially if your way is inefficient."

"Well, I can already tell you that she will not give you another chance based on a favor to Stevie Rae and me. I have already asked her, and she flat out denied my request."

Kalona bowed his head. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"I don't know. She wont be persuaded to take you back. At least not by me."

"I have tried countless times. She won't comply, despite our connection."

Kalona's words suddenly inspired Rephaim. "Stevie Rae and I have a connection," he said softly, mostly to himself.

Kalona heard him anyway. "Make your point, my son," said Kalona impatiently.

"Our connection is what brought us together. But in only brought us together because of the time we spent alone together. We really bonded. We fell in love, and the rest is history of course." Rephaim smiled slightly at the thought.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" asked Kalona, sounding rather intrigued.

"Take her away so you can spend some time alone with her. You have gone to her in her dreams, but that clearly is not enough. Take her away, allow her to get to know the man you could be, rather than the man you are. It worked with Stevie Rae, I see no reason why it wouldn't work on Zoey."

"You didn't want to fall in love with her, nor did you want her to fall in love with you. Besides, Zoey Redbird and your Stevie Rae are very different."

"How would you know, father. I have seen them together. I know them both, even if I only know Zoey on the most basic level. These young women are incredibly strong and wise for their youth. They are dedicated to the Goddess. Yet, they can be convinced of anything if for the right reasons. I might not have intended to fall in love with Stevie Rae, but it happened, and by some miracle she learned to love me, despite all that I was. Isolation brought that on. I believe it will work in a similar way with Zoey."

Kalona, while not fully convinced, smiled. "Perhaps you are right, my son. If I could have Zoey to myself for a few weeks, I believe I could get her to commit to me. I could make her mine."

"Father, you can't make Zoey Redbird do anything. She has her free will, and incredible strength to back it up. Besides, if you force her to love you, she never truly will."

Kalona scowled at his son. "I never said anything about love. Love is a fool's dream."

Rephaim shook his head. "I used to believe that too, father. That was one of the first lessons you taught me, but now look at what I have. I have love, and undeniable love. You must see this, for that love somehow convinced you to let me betray you."

"You know nothing of my reasons for giving you a choice to betray me," said Kalona.

"Do you, father? Can you honestly sit here and tell me why you allowed me to betray you."

Kalona scowled again. "I do not need to explain myself to you."

Kalona's retort confirmed Rephaim's suspicions. "Fine, do not tell me why you released me, but before I help you, before we make a plan to convince Zoey to accept you, you must tell me why you want Zoey. I know the reasons you have hidden behind, but you must tell me the real, genuine reason."

Kalona's amber eyes narrowed. Rephaim knew that this would be difficult for his father. It had been difficult for him to discover why he wanted Stevie Rae. Of course, when he finally did, he was finally given humanity and love. He wanted the same for his father. He was still loyal to Kalona, even if he didn't want to be.

Kalona couldn't believe the request his so n had made. Kalona was not obligated to open up to his son. He shouldn't' have to beg for his help. He shouldn't have to expose himself. Rephaim had been unquestionably loyal to him for centuries, and now love had changed everything.

Love. He still loved Nyx, and he wanted her forgiveness. Zoey was the key. Zoey was the closest person he had on this earth to Nyx. Perhaps if she learned to love him, Nyx would finally forgive him. Yes, he was using Zoey to get to Nyx, but beyond that, no matter how much he tried to deny it, she was the only person since Nyx, since A-ya, who made him feel. Even though he didn't know what those feelings were, he wanted to discover what they were. The only way he would get to was to open up to his son, which as absolutely ridiculous, however is seemed that the only way to get him to comply. So against every instinct he confessed this truth to Rephaim.

Rephaim

Rephaim's eyes widened, despite the fact that his father was only revealing what he already suspected.

The connection between the father and son was restored, despite all that had happened.

"You will help me?"

Rephaim nodded. His reasons were honorable enough, and he had promised to do things his way. "I shall lure Zoey Redbird outside and you shall whisk her away with you. Let her see the man you could be if she chose you. But father, you cannot force her into anything, or she will never be yours."

"You lure her outside and I shall deal with the rest. This act is not against your foolish goddess?" asked Kalona with a mocking tone.

Rephaim closed his eyes. "I do not know, but the reasons for doing so are for love, for forgiveness. The methods might not be favorable, but as long as you do not use force, I suspect that she will not interfere."

"You do not fear losing the love of your Stevie Rae?" asked Kalona.

"I do," sad Rephaim, "I will keep this a secret until your plan succeeds. But if it does not succeed in a timely manner, and if you do not do things in an honorable fashion, you must swear to let me take her home and realize that you will not ever convince her to be yours."

Kalona's blood boiled. "I will get her to be mine no matter what. It is not up to you to set a time limit. That is insolence," he roared.

Rephaim stood, and with the goddess giving him strength, he said, "If you don't do this my way, then I won't help you. Goodbye father, I now see what you are willing to do for love, and if you are not willing to do it honorably, I have no wish to help you with your endeavor." He started to walk towards the tunnels feeling extremely proud of himself that he had just done the right thing.

His father's call stopped his progress, and Rephaim was surprised by the desperation in his voice. "Wait."

Rephaim turned around and realized that his father was completely vulnerable.

"I will do it your way, but you must start tonight. I want her tonight."

"Father, wait out here in the shadows. I will go get Zoey and lure her out here so you can take her away. But father, understand this, if she does not agree to be with you by the next full moon I will come and rescue her. That gives you a month's time. Use it well."

"Very well," said Kalona, "make haste my son." Kalona backed away into the safety of the shadows.

Rephaim turned away and murmured a silent prayer to the goddess. However, her answer came, as she appeared as the small blond child appeared at his side. Rephaim do you really believe that Kalona could love my beloved daughter?

"I do," said Rephaim. "Love can save anyone."

Nyx smiled up at him. Then I shall give you this chance. I shall give your father this chance. The child giggled and danced off into the night. Rephaim watched her progress until she disappeared. Then he turned and entered the depot so he could set their plan in motion.

Rephaim walked down the empty passageways and wondered where everyone was. He could not be caught. He had to keep the plan a secret from Stevie Rae, well for a little while. No one was there to see him, he guessed that the girls were in the group showers and the guys were watching something on the HD T.V. that the blond prophetess had brought in only yesterday. Rephaim walked around the maze of tunnels and then found Zoey's room. He pushed back the shimmering ebony curtain that made her dead-end of a tunnel room private.

Zoey was on her bed reading a thick hardcover book. She was alone and Rephaim was extremely relieved that Stark was not with her. "Zoey, I heard a strange noise when I was walking near the depot. I think you should investigate."

Zoey looked up at him, looking vaguely interested. "What kind of noise?"

"Strange, I don't know, but it could be something sent by Neferet. If it is, I have no means to stop it. I think you must check it out."

"Okay," said Zoey slowly, "Should I get the others?"

"No," said Rephaim quickly, "It doesn't seem that serious, just strange. It could be nothing, but as we have no guard, right now I think it is better to be safe than sorry."

Zoey got up and followed Rephaim out of her room. They quickly ran to the steel ladder that led to the depot. "I will stand guard. May the goddess be with you."

Zoey

I gripped the rungs of the steel ladder and climbed into the basement of the depot. I couldn't understand Rephaim's strange behavior. I had a strange feeling about it, but there was no way that I was going to let anyone be hurt by something outside of these tunnels. I fully intended to reorganize and assign guard duty after tonight. But for now, Rephaim was guarding the entrance.

Still, I called the elements to me. "Spirit, please come to me, strengthen me against whatever threat might be out there." I felt the powerful element, the one I was closest to, fill and strengthen my body. I pushed open the door to face whatever danger might be out there.

The full moon hung high in the dark sky. A slight breeze caressed my face. I scanned the area for some sort of danger. There was nothing that I could see, and the first thought that crossed my mind was that Rephaim had lured me out here on purpose. But why? Why would Rephaim want to do that? He was supposed to be on our side.

"Fire, come to me," I said softly. My palms heated up and I was ready to sizzle anything that might try and attack me.

I waited for one moment, but when nothing attacked me, I decided to go back and confront Rephaim. Since nothing had happened, maybe he had heard something strange. Maybe he wasn't moving against me. I was probably just being unreasonable. Maybe I was just letting suspicion cloud my judgment.

Anyway, I turned back totally ready to go back to the safe haven of the tunnels. Kay, it was a nasty have, but neither Neferet nor Kalona had access to the net5work of underground tunnels, and that was good enough for me.

I was just about to open the depot door, but then I heard something rustle in the trees that were about thirty feet behind me. I held on to Fire and Spirit. They strengthened me as I turned to face whatever was lurking behind me. It was definitely ridiculous that I had to face danger every time I came out here. I was seventeen and I had to face things that no one had to face, demon bird creatures, fallen High Priestesses, and winged immortals. Well, I had beaten each of them at least once, and whatever was lurking in the trees I would beat again.

I ran towards the enormous tree and braced myself for some kind of attack.

Then he stepped out of the shadows. He took me in his arms and pressed me firmly against his body. His icy heat burned me. I tried to break his grip on me, but it was like iron, unbreakable.

"I am not letting you go this time, Zoey. However, I have proposition for you. If you allow me to tae you away for a month, if you give me this chance, then I shall cut you a deal." His voice was dark and seductive.

I scowled up at the unimaginably beautiful face. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

He smiled and quickly kissed my forehead. Then his gorgeous amber eyes locked with mine, the intensity of his burning gaze practically made me melt into his arms. "I think you are, my little Zoey. However, I do offer you something worth your while. If in a month's time you do not fall in love with me, then I shall release you, and I will never pursue you again."

What the hell? Was Kalona on crack? He must be. I scowled at him and then realized that my bad feeling about Rephaim was being confirmed. It all made sense. Rephaim had begged me to give his father a second chance, and the moment I denied him he came up with a plan to make med give him what he wanted. Rephaim was still loyal to his father. He lured me out there. Now I understood why he didn't want me to get the others. He had purposely led me into this trap.

"So if I go with you, all I have to do is wait a month and you will let me go and you will never threaten my friends or me ever again? You will never try and force me to be with you?"

Kalona smiled down at me and then he kissed me deeply. I shuddered and leaned into his body. He tightened his grip on me. Why was it that every time Kalona kissed me I wanted to do whatever he said? He broke the kiss and smiled triumphantly down at me. "Give me a month of your time, and I guarantee that you will not want me to leave you alone."

"You are pretty confident for someone who had to trick me to get me here."

"Sometimes people need a push in the right direction. You are incredibly stubborn my dear Zoey. So do we have an agreement?"

I looked at him; I couldn't believe how cocky he was. However, I knew that I was irrevocably in love with Stark, and no amount of time with Kalona would change that, no matter what kind of passion and pleasure I felt when Kalona kissed me. "Okay, I'll go with you, but first, did you ask Rephaim to lure me up here?" I had to know, for Stevie Rae's sake.

"Yes, but it doesn't matter. My son was acting for your Goddess. But I do not want to speak of him. It is time for us to leave. Hold on tight, my Zoey."

I highly doubted that Rephaim was acing for Nyx, but how was I to know. I made a note to try and imagine why Nyx would want me to be with Kalona later. It seemed highly improbable that she did, but Nyx worked in mysterious way, and Kalona had mentioned the word love. Was I supposed to fall in love with Kalona? Was he supposed to fall in love with me? These were questions to be answered later.

Kalona's enormous midnight ebony wings unfurled and he held me tightly in his arms. Despite my better instincts, I clung to him as he propelled himself into the air. I watched downtown Tulsa unfold like a map below us. It was kind of amazing, everything was so small, lights from lamp posts and buildings twinkled like little stars below.

A cold wind blew over me and I suddenly was really upset that I was wearing nothing but Juicy skinny jeans and a thin, lacy, black camisole. The cold was so intense that I pressed myself against Kalona's bare chest and allowed his icy heat to warm my body.

I stopped shaking and realized that I was flying. It was so strange and scary. Kalona could drop me and kill me at any time. But his iron grip kept me safe from a totally unpleasant death. I tried not to look down because it was really freaky being up so incredibly high. The view had ceased to be beautiful. So I looked up instead and took in the twinkling stars and the full moon.

After about ten minutes, Kalona dove down into the middle of a forest. There was a clearing, and in the clearing stood a beautiful and luxurious penthouse. Had he made it just for this purpose? Was it even possible? I looked up at him. There was no expression on his handsome and perfect face, which puzzled me.

In a moment, his feet touched the roof of the penthouse. He set me down and held me close. Then he smiled down at me and kissed me, a shot of icy passion shot through my body. After he broke the kiss, I was kind of disappointed. Part of me wanted to keep kissing him. Luckily that part was way smaller than the part of me that was irrevocably in love with Stark. "I'll show you to your room," he said slowly.

Then he released every part of me but my hand, which he maintained a firm grip. I followed him through the sliding glass door, through an elegant master bedroom, down a staircase, and through a sparkling kitchen, and finally to a doorway at the end of a wide hallway. He pushed open the door to reveal an elegant room. The large bed was draped with a thick, lavender comforter that reminded me of my grandma's guest bedroom. The walls were painted a similar shade; the thick dark carpet was soft against my bare feet. Over in the corner there was a desk, a dresser and a full-length mirror. There was a closet on the other side of the bed, which I hoped was filled with clothes, because I had brought nothing else, and I didn't want to wear the same clothes for a month. That would be a nightmare. I turned and looked up at Kalona. "It's wonderful," I said, and then I thanked him for the first time ever.

He looked down at me. "You are pleased?"

"Yes, I love the room. Thank you," I said, not believing that I had repeated the words.

"You're welcome," he said, sounding genuinely happy for once. I wondered if this breach of character would ever happen again.

I turned away from him and walked towards the bed. I sat on the edge and looked over at a bookcase loaded with all sorts of books. At least I wouldn't be bored. However, upon looking around the room I realized that I didn't have my purse, which meant I didn't have my wallet, or cell phone or anything. This was a problem. However, I couldn't ask Kalona permission to retrieve them. He wouldn't let me go for an entire month. So I would be cut off from my friends and from Stark for an entire month. The thought was scary as hell. However, all I had to do was survive it and Kalona would never again be a threat to my friends or me.

I looked up at the winged immortal. His eyes were fixed on mine. He was not smiling, but had an odd look on his face. I couldn't tell what it was. Then he took a few steps towards the bed and sat down beside me. He draped his arm around my bare shoulders. "This will be your home for the next month. If there is anything you need all you have to do is ask. I can give you whatever you want. I can give you the world, if only you let me."

"I don't want the world. I want my freedom."

"You will have it in a month if that's what you desire, but I highly doubt it."

"I don't like guys who are cocky," I said. "You are sounding way too arrogant for my taste."

He gave me a playful smile, which was totally surprising. "Perhaps your tastes will change." Then he kissed leaned down and kissed me. My arms went around his neck, and his went around my waist. In a moment, he pulled me on top of him as he deepened our kiss. His wings folded around me, and I was caught in a double embrace. I pressed myself against him and he kissed me again, and a third time, and a forth time.

It took me a few moments to realize that what I was doing was totally wrong. I suddenly broke out of his double embrace. At first Kalona looked surprised, then angry. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"It's what I'm not going to do that matters. I love Stark, and no amount of time spent with you will ever change that."

"Stark," he practically spat out the name as if it pained him to say it. "What could you possibly see in him that I do not have?"

"He love me, and he loves Nyx. You might love Nyx somewhere deep down, but you have forgotten that love. I would bet that you do not believe in love anymore. I would bet that you could never love me the way Stark does."

Kalona smiled down at me. "I will take that wager, and I shall be the victor. Your heart is the prize, and I shall earn it or steal it in our time together. If it comes to it, I shall do the latter. But for now, I will leave you alone. You are welcome to whatever you want in this house, Zoey. For I built it for you, to fit your comforts and desires, as well as my own. You know where to find me when you finally come to your senses." He kissed me on the forehead and just as he was about to walk through the door he turned and said, "Oh, and if you try to escape, there will be major consequences. Do not be a fool. Keep your word, Zoey, and no harm will ever come to you while I am around." Then he went back and kissed me so deeply and so passionately that it left me weak at the knees. I toppled over onto the soft black carpet. Kalona walked out of the room, threw back his head and laughed. Then he slammed the door.

Why was it that whenever Kalona chose to kiss me so deeply and so passionately that I would fall to the floor, trembling and weak kneed, while he simply walked away laughing. It had happened twice now, and I had a feeling it would be happening again. Treating me like this was a sport for Kalona. When he kissed me like that he made me question everything I know. What was worse was that his laughter showed that he was well aware of the turmoil he was causing in my heart. I knew that Kalona wouldn't be playing fair in the next month. I had to keep my defenses up. There was no way in hell that I was going to give Kalona the satisfaction of falling in love with him.

As I sat there, still weak from our kiss, I knew that the next month would be a battle. And for my friend's sakes, Stark's sake, and my own, it was a battle that I needed to win.