"God, Zoey!" Stark exclaimed angrily. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Why the hell are you going off on me for? I didn't do anything to you!"

Zoey Redbird was sitting in her dorm with a Vernors in her hand. The fizz in the drink was tickling her nose. She had just gotten back from exploring the woods around the Tulsa House of Night. She was a vampire high priestess in-training. Being a high priestess was amazing; well, amazingly boring, when you're not almost getting killed or trying to kill High "Immortal" Bitch Neferet. Kalona is no longer under her control, but is he still a threat?

"ZOEY! Are you even listening anymore? Holy Nyx!" Stark is Zoey's warrior and guardian. He was bound by blood and even more important than that, love.

"No, I'm not! I'm sick of you dogging on me all the time. What the fudge is your problem?"

"My problem is that you went out without me, again! What if Neferet was out there waiting for the perfect chance to get her hands on you out there? You would have been totally vulnerable!"

"Listen! I love you more than anything in the world; but you are completely smothering me! I need room to breathe!"

Zoey stormed out of the room and onto the grounds.

"Zoey, come back!"

But she didn't. She ran with all of her vampire speed. Zoey only stopped when she got into the woods. The only lights she could see were the far off twinkling of the House of Night. However, this was no problem. With her vamp sight she could see perfectly. Then she heard it. Snap, snap. Snap, snap. It was the sound of footsteps on the twiggy forest floor.

"Who's there?"

A somewhat maniacal, frenzied laugh sounded from the trees. "Oh Zoey, is it just me or are you getting more naïve by the second?"

Zoey shuddered unconsciously; she knew that voice. It was Neferet; Zoey could just see her inside the tree line. "Neferet, why are you here?"

"Take one guess. Oh, it wouldn't be to kill you and all your pretty little friends and take back my House of Night, would it? Of course it is!"

Zoey tried to put on her bravest face and talk with confidence, even though she wanted to run and scream like a little girl. "I'm here Neferet. I'm a chosen of Nyx. You turned our back on her. She won't protect you anymore."

"Do you think I need a weakling like Nyx on my side? No! Of course not! I have the white bull on my side. Darkness personified; he was the one who created Nyx."

Without warning, Neferet attacked. She tried to slash at Zoey with long, sharp nails. At the last moment, Zoey invoked Earth to protect her. "Earth, I need your help!" She immediately felt the familiar feel of spring grass on her feet, and the smell of fresh flowers. A wall of earth a foot high shot up in front of Neferet and caused her to trip and fall.

"What can you use against me Nef? Your affinity for cats? Let's see it!" Zoey felt more confident, until Neferet started laughing again.

"I have powers you have never seen, Zoey Redbird!" With that, Neferet stood and raised her arms. She took her nail and cut her finger, then squeezed a drop of blood onto her opposite palm. This drop began to bubble like it was in a hot pan. The red liquid started to multiply until it was a floating ball the size of a grapefruit. She hurled it at Zoey and it formed a cocoon around her. All that was heard was Zoey's screams of pain as the cocoon tightened and Neferet's insane laughter.

TO BE CONTINUED…