Author's Note: I'm sorry for the long wait. I hope I still have readers out there, and I'm really trying to not have these long waits between chapters; I'm trying to do better. Updates are supposed to be monthly, we'll see how that goes. Anyway, please enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the House of Night series, or its' characters. They belong to PC and Kristin Cast. I also do not own the Sweep series, or its' characters. They belong to Cate Tiernan. All I have is this story/plot line.


~ Chapter Seven ~

The Warehouse

Damien scanned the room, his brown eyes studying every inch of space and person. Dallas and Nicole stalked around to each group, keeping a close eye on all of them. They weren't being that subtle; he was sure Dallas purposely walked into Rephaim a few minutes ago. The raven mockers were still, black, menacing shadows along the wall, as opposing as ever.

He moved his legs around so they wouldn't get cramped and leaned back against the wall. His eyes moved over to the doorway, where Kalona and Selene were standing, talking in fervent whispers. Since he and Hunter were sitting closer to the door than most of the others, he could understand mostly all of what they were saying.

"I did what I did to regain control of the situation," Kalona defended his actions from earlier. "You were losing them."

"I had them well in hand," Selene argued, crossing her arms over her chest. "You need to reign in your temper. Remember, Giomanach stays alive, no matter who else is sacrificed. It's part of the deal."

"As long as you remember," Kalona compromised, leaning his hand against the door frame. "The Red One and my son are off limits as well."

Selene leaned in closer, not taking lightly to his threats. "Careful, or someone might think you're going soft," she hissed at him.

"I'll show you how soft I am when I snap your son's neck," Kalona threatened.

Selene's eyes flashed red with anger. "Stay away from my son!" she seethed. Then, she pushed past him, stalking across the room.

Hunter had been listening, too, and now sat back, letting this news sink in. Damien leaned forward on his legs again, his hands sliding down his face and then clasping together in his lap. "We're not going to survive much longer if they both keep battling like this."

"No, we're not," Hunter reluctantly agreed, sighing. He lifted his right leg and hooked his hands behind his knee. "At least, you won't."

Damien cocked his head at Hunter, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Selene said Giomanach stays alive. That's my coven name," Hunter explained, looking at the floor.

Damien nodded absently. He was in full thinking mode now. "Why are you, Stevie Rae, and Rephaim being saved?" he questioned.

"I don't know," Hunter mumbled, pinching the concrete floor. Then, he picked his head up and looked Damien squarely in the eye. "But I won't allow myself to be saved while everyone else dies."

They bent their heads together, and began to hatch a plan.

xXx

"So, that's it, then? We're going to die," Erin whispered, shuddering closer to Robbie. They had also overheard Kalona and Selene's conversation, since they were sitting on the other side of the doorway. Robbie pulled his arm out of her grip and half-turned so that he was facing her directly.

"I promise you I'll get you out of here," Robbie told her. "I won't let you die in here."

Erin smiled gratefully at him and took his hand, squeezing it tightly. "And promise me that, when all this is over, you'll take me out on a date?" she asked him, leaning closer to him, so that it seemed like they were in their own private bubble.

Robbie gulped, wishing he didn't have to deal with right now, especially considering the situation they were in. But if they did make it out of here alive, Robbie couldn't lead her on anymore. "Listen, you're a sweet girl," Robbie started off and Erin's face started to fall. "But I'm in love with someone else." He glanced over to where Bree sat.

Slowly, Erin pulled her hand away from Robbie's and followed his gaze. "Her?" she asked, doubtfully. Erin scrutinized Bree through narrowed eyes. "She doesn't seem like your type." She turned back to Robbie. "Next time, you might want to clue a girl in that your off the market. Do I look like Aphrodite? Hell no." Erin slid away from Robbie, crossing her arms across her chest.

Robbie just sat there with his mouth slightly open, dumbfounded. He had been trying to let her down gently, but she made it seem like he had come on to her. Robbie glanced up at Bree again and saw that she was watching him. She gave him a smile and he returned it, wishing he could give her so much more.

xXx

Kalona and Selene had been talking furiously over by the door, neither one of them looked happy. Maybe we'll be lucky and they'll kill each other, Aphrodite thought, smirking. Then, Selene walked across the room to address Dallas and Nicole, and Kalona left the room. Aphrodite pulled her legs up to her chest, stretching her arms out on top of her knees. She flexed her hands examining her nails, pretending she didn't give a damn. She looked through her lashes out at the rest of the room. Mostly all the hostages were in panic mode. Someone had to keep a level head, or they might as well crush all hope right now.

"Looks like it's going to have to be me," Aphrodite muttered, sighing.

Kalona came back into the room, pulling Sky by her hair. He yanked her back over to Aphrodite and shoved her to the floor. Sky caught herself on her hands and knees, looking up at Kalona with fear and hatred in her eyes.

Kalona opened his mouth and spoke to Aphrodite. "Try to keep her in line this time, darling," he advised.

"I'm not taking responsibility for anyone," Aphrodite replied smoothly, staring straight at Kalona.

"Just try, darling," Kalona cocked his head, smiling. Then, he walked away.

"Are you always this cool and detached?" Sky said, rhetorically. She sat back, pulling her legs out from under her. Her eyes were still adjusting from being in the dark, then being back in light again.

"This situation warrants it," Aphrodite replied back, watching Kalona sit down in his chair. "So,...where did they take you?"

"Uhhh," Sky started, looking at Aphrodite curiously, then forward again. "To this small, dark closet at the end of the hall. Why?"

"Were there any other doors?" Aphrodite asked, ignoring Sky's question.

"There was one right before the closet they put me in," Sky told her, sitting against the wall beside Aphrodite and stretching her legs out in front of her. "I think it led to another room."

"Were there any other doors leading outside, besides the one we came in through?" Aphrodite asked again.

"Yeah, there was one out the back, I believe," Sky answered. She turned her head to look at the other girl. "What are you doing?"

Aphrodite arched a perfect blond brow, like it was obvious. "We need to know the lay of the land if we're going to escape," she whispered.

xXx

Alisa started to stir, and Shaunee forced herself to focus on the helpless girl in front of her and not on the two quarreling leaders. The younger girl's eyes fluttered open seeming to register her surroundings for the first time since she'd been stabbed. She stared up at Shaunee in confusion, wondering why this strange girl was holding on to her. It's okay, Shaunee mouthed. She wasn't sure how much Alisa could remember about what happened to her, but she didn't want the younger girl to be scared, just in case. It was in everyone's best interest if she stayed calm. Alisa's eyes widened as feeling returned to her. Then, all of a sudden, Alisa bolted upright, screaming out in pain.

"It's okay, Alisa, it's okay," Shaunee tried to calm the upset girl.

Darius leaned over and gently tried to push her back down by her shoulders. "Alisa, I know you're scared, but I need you to lie back down," he said, in a quiet but firm voice. "or you're going to make it worse."

"It hurts," Alisa whispered, letting Darius lay her back down. Tears leaked out the corner of her eyes and dropped down her face. "Make it stop, please, make it stop. It hurts."

"I will, I promise," Darius told her, brushing her black hair out of her face.

"Darius," Shaunee breathed.

At the sound of alarm in Shaunee's voice, Darius looked down at Alisa's stab wounds. They were bleeding faster than they were before. Acting fast, Darius placed pressure on Alisa's stomach and Shaunee, not needing to be told what to do, did the same to Alisa's lower back. Alisa grunted at the sudden intense pressure on her body.

Darius looked up at Selene, who had moved closer during Alisa's initial scream. "We need a first aid kit!" Darius said, his temper flaring.

"But you seem to have everything well in hand," Selene replied, her blank expression unchanging.

Darius bit back a sharp retort and instead said, "If we can't give her proper treatment, then she's going to bleed to death." He'd lowered his voice, so Alisa wouldn't hear him and get scared. "She needs that first aid kit."

"No."

At the same time, Kalona spoke up from his chair. "Nicole, go fetch the first aid kit from the office for the good doctor," he told the red fledgling. Selene snapped her head around to glare at Kalona. Kalona replied smoothly, "I'm curious to see how the doctor thinks he can save the young witch with a bunch of band-aids and aspirin."

Nicole left the room and returned a moment later carrying a red plastic first aid kit. The fledgling thrusted it toward Darius, but Selene snatched it before he could take it.

"Say thank you," Selene requested of him, holding the box at bay. "Because this will be the last generous act I give to anyone." She directed the last part to the whole room.

"Thank you," Darius muttered as Selene handed him the first aid kit. He placed the kit on the floor and opened it. Darius tried not to make too loud an objection, knowing it would be futile, when he saw the sparse supplies inside. Shaunee watched him carefully the whole time. Having to make do, Darius pulled out some gauze and medical tape.

"We're going to have to act fast," Darius instructed Shaunee. "When I says so, I need you remove my jacket from the wound. What she really needs is stitches, but I'll do my best with the gauze. Whatever you do, make sure you keep pressure to that other wound." Shaunee nodded as she understood.

When Darius said, Shaunee removed the coat and he secured the gauze tightly with the medical tape. Then, he added more gauze on top. Alisa grunted again as her stomach was pulled tight. Like a well-oiled machine, Shaunee and Darius did the same thing to the other wound. Afterwards, they were able to move Alisa to her back, so that she could be more comfortable.

"So, that's it, then?" Shaunee asked Darius, as he put everything back in the first aid kit. "She's going to be okay now?"

Darius sighed. "I wish I could say she will be," he said truthfully. "But I just don't know." He sat back and stared down at Alisa. Shaunee looked down at Alisa, who was staring up at her with pain and fear in her eyes.

xXx

Bree and Stevie Rae watched Shaunee and Darius attend to Alisa. It was sickening how Selene and Kalona were barely allowing Alisa to get proper care. Bree sighed, her head falling into her hands. She sighed again, and pushed her hand through her hair.

"This is my fault," Bree said, without taking her eyes off Alisa.

Stevie Rae opened her mouth to disagree, but Bree blundered on. "Alisa and Mary K shouldn't be here. Robbie and I should have went looking for Morgan by ourselves. I shouldn't have brought them along."

"You couldn't have known this was going to happen," Stevie Rae tried to tell her in a whispery tone, though she could feel Kalona's amber eyes on her.

"Still, I should have insisted they stay at the house," Bree whispered, leaning her chin in her palm and tracing figure eights on the floor.

They both jumped when Kalona joined their whispered conversation. "Don't be so hard on yourself, we all can't be telepathic," he reassured Bree, with a smile. Bree kept her eyes down on the floor. Kalona reached out to stroke Stevie Rae's blond curls, but Stevie Rae slapped his hand away. Kalona grabbed her hand just as fast, bringing it to his mouth and locking his eyes on hers. Rephaim jerked in his spot.

"I'd be careful of who you slap around," Kalona warned her, still smiling. "Not everybody is as tolerant as me." He kissed the back of Stevie Rae's hand and then allowed her to take her hand back.

Rephaim leaned over as far as he could, to whisper to Stevie Rae. "You alright?" he asked.

She nodded, a grateful smile on her lips. Rephaim reached his hand out to her, and she took it in hers, squeezing his hand. "I lo-" he started to say, before Kalona pushed their hands apart with his foot.

"Shush." Kalona ordered. "That's enough of that."

Stevie Rae smiled at Rephaim, then her attention was pulled back to Alisa. The smell of the blood was just too strong. Bree moved closer to her and leaned in to whisper, almost inaudibly.

"Good job," Bree praised, and Stevie Rae was confused for a second. Then, Bree finished, "Though, next time, aim for his face."

xXx

"I hope it's quick," Mary K murmured, mostly to herself. She sat on the other side of Kalona, her legs pulled up to her chest. Her eyes never left Alisa, or what she could see of her.

"What?" Jack looked at her quickly, from his place next to her.

"When they kill me," Mary K elaborated in a whisper. She rested her chin on her knees. "Whey they do it, I hope they do it quickly and don't drag it out like they're doing to Alisa."

"Hey, don't talk like that," Jack said to her, touching her arm gently.

"Well, it's true, isn't it," Mary K replied, looking at him. "I already have six demerits, four more and I'm dead." Her voice wavered at the end, but no tears came this time. It seemed like she was all out of them.

"Shh," Kalona shushed them, his amber eyes staring forward.

Mary K flinched and they both lapsed into silence. She drew lazy circles on her ankle with her finger. Jack shifted beside her until he was facing her directly. Mary K didn't look at him, she just kept looking down at her shoes.

"You're not going to die, alright?" Jack whispered. When she stayed quiet, he continued, "We're going to find a way to get out of here. You'll get to see you mom and dad again. No one's gonna die."

Mary K looked up at him then. She saw her own fear reflected back at her in Jack's blue eyes. "How can you be so sure when you're just as scared as I am?" she asked him, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I have to believe we'll make it out of here," Jack said, sincerely. "Because if I sit here drowning in my fear, I will die, but if I stay calm, I may be able to save myself and others."

Mary K stared at him, admiring his bravery.

"That is very honorable, young fledgling," Kalona said, inserting himself into the conversation. Jack looked up at Kalona and Mary K looked back down at the floor. Kalona spoke the next part louder, so that everybody in the room could hear him. "But didn't you mama teach you never to lie to a lady. There is no hope, you all will die."

"Finally, something we both can agree on," Selene added, with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Stark and Cal

Stark paced back and forth, shifting his bow from one hand to the other. Cal had explained that there were sigils drawn on the steel door, locking it. So, Stark waited impatiently as Cal used his witchy powers to unlock the door.

"Can you at least stand still?" Cal said, with an edge to his voice. "You're distracting me."

"Can you hurry up?" Stark shot at him, but stopped pacing anyway. "Every second we waste up here, is a second Zoey doesn't have. I have to get in there."

Cal sighed and went back to dismantling the sigils. There were a lot of them, and it took most of Cal's energy to concentrate and not make any mistakes. He moved his athame swiftly and surely, breaking apart each sigil until they no longer glowed an iridescent blue. When Cal finally finished the last one, he rolled his head, stretching out his neck.

"Done," Cal announced. He gave the handle a tug, and the steel door lifted open.

They studied the deep dark hole. Stark dropped to his knees, right away feeling around the edges of the door frame. He found the top rung of a metal ladder. He smiled triumphantly. "There's a ladder here," he said out loud to Cal. Without any further words, Stark took hold of the ladder and swung himself around, his feet finding the rungs of the ladder in the dark.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Cal stopped him, before he was halfway through. "You're just going to jump in with both feet, without really knowing what's down there?"

"Zoey's down there," Stark stated, with certainty. "I'm going to get here."

Cal sighed as Stark continued down the ladder, and climbed down after him. The hole was deeper than either of them originally thought and soon Cal couldn't see the opening anymore. They were both shrouded in total darkness.

"Ouch, that's my hand," Stark hissed through the darkness. "Don't be that close."

"Sorry," Cal muttered, stepping back up to a different rung. He waited until he was sure Stark was farther down and then he continued downward. They climbed a little longer and then Cal heard Stark land softly on the ground below. Cal landed beside him.

They stood in what appeared to be a very long hallway, with a faint flickering glow down at the end. Cal took a deep breath. "Well, this is it," he said, glancing at Stark from the corner of his eye. "There's no going back now."

"Yep," Stark replied. Breathing deep, he took out an arrow and hitched it to his bow, preparing for anything. "Let's go."

Cal followed behind Stark, keeping his footsteps light. With his magesight, he could see everything, including Stark, stalking through the dark hallway with his bow and arrow like an ancestral predator. The hall ended in a large, empty room, with a long mahogany table in the center. A lit candelabra sat flickering on the table. At the sight, Cal got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"You may not like this, but," Cal broke the silence as Stark started searching the room. "This is either a trap or they're long gone."

Stark stopped and stared at him. "Zoey is here, I can feel it. She's still here," he told him. Stark looked around just then, an anxious look on his face. "Something's wrong though, I have to find her."

"Then we're about to walk into a trap," Cal stated, as Stark started pacing the room again. "Think about it. They wouldn't leave the girls alone, unprotected." Just as he said that, both Cal and Stark heard a noise come from the opposite hallway. It was two loud croaking sounds.

They looked at each other with the same expression on their faces. "Looks like they're not alone," Stark said. They crept toward the hallway, slowly. This hallway was shorter than the other one, and, soon, it split off into two hallways; one leading left and one leading right. These hallways were relatively well-lit with torches on the wall in even intervals. There were also footsteps down both halls. They heard the croaking sound again, and they knew they were raven mockers.

Cal leaned forward, peering down the right hallway at one raven mocker, who currently had its' back to them. "This just got harder," Cal replied. "How are-"

Before Cal could finish, an arrow flew by his face into the raven mocker's heart through the back. The raven mocker crumpled to the floor. Cal's eyebrows rose in surprise as he turned to look at Stark. "Nice shot," Cal observed, a bit impressed.

"Thanks," Stark nodded. He pulled out another arrow and took out the other raven mocker before it saw what had happened to the first one. They listened for anymore footsteps, but there weren't anymore.

"Ok," Cal began, his hands on his hips. "The girls have to be down on of these hallways, either together or separate. We need to be careful, just in case my mother and whatever minion she has this time is down there, too."

"Alright, you go that way and I'll go this way." Stark pointed Cal to the right hallway and himself to the left.

Stark barely waited for Cal to agree and took off down the left corridor. His feet pounded down the hall, not caring for discretion. Zoey had to be unconscious and that is why he couldn't feel her. He didn't let that panic him, especially when he didn't pass any doors on either his left or right. He was beginning to think that this hallway was just a dead end and he should turn around. Then, a door rose up in front of him at the end of the hall.

"Zoey!" Stark couldn't help the exclamation that vaulted from his mouth. He hit the steel door at full force, realizing a second too late that he had to turn the handle to open it, instead of just barging through it like in the movies. He opened the door and rushed inside.

The light from the hallway torches filtered into the pitch dark room. Stark could see in the dark, so he saw the figure slumped in the chair in the center of the room. "Zoey, I'm here. I'm here," he told her, reassuringly. "I'm going to get you out."

He stepped closer, and the girl stirred, like she was finally coming to. It was then that Stark saw the girl's light brown hair and fair skin. "You're not Zoey," Stark said aloud, his heart deflating.

The girl stirred again, lifting her head a few inches. This had to be the girl Cal was searching for. He dug around in the recesses of his mind for a name. "Morgan?" Stark said, gently, not wanting to startle her.

"Huh?" Morgan mumbled, lifting her head more. She tried to focus her hazel eyes on the stranger in front of her. "Who-" She struggled to ask the question, her full strength has yet to return to her.

"I'm going to get you out of here," Stark reassured her. His eyes wandered down and saw that the evil, tangible tendrils of Darkness had her trapped to the chair. He knelt down slowly, balancing on the balls of his feet. The tendrils were wrapped around her torso and around her calves. Stark followed the tendrils with his eyes all the way to the top right corner of the back of the room, where a bigger billowing mass of Darkness settled. This just got harder.

"Question is: how am I going to get you out?" Stark muttered to himself. He didn't have power over the elements like Zoey did. All he had was his gift of never missing his mark...and his eyes traveled back to the mass of Darkness. Maybe...

Stark wrapped his hand around the smooth wood of his bow. He stood back up and pulled out another arrow. The darkness acted like a living thing. It was powerful, but if he could shoot it, maybe it would recoil only long enough for him to get Morgan out. He planted his feet and aimed his bow, thinking of the spot of darkness that would release its' victims. He released the arrow and it flew through the center of the dark mass.

The darkness reared back, as if injured, its' tendrils unfurling from around Morgan. She slumped forward and would have fallen to the floor had Stark not caught her in his arms. He slipped his arm around her waist to help her up, putting her arm around his shoulders. "C'mon, your boyfriend is waiting for you," Stark encouraged.

"Hunter," Morgan mumbled, too low for Stark to hear.

They got to the door and went through it, closing the door against the darkness. It couldn't stop it, but it was better to think that it could.

"I'm okay, I can walk on my own," Morgan told him, feeling more stronger. She moved out of his grasp. "Who are you? Why did you save me?"

"Because your boyfriend is looking for you and I would hope he'd do the same if he found my girlfriend," Stark replied. "Look, anymore questions can wait. We need to keep moving." He nudged her forward, and they started jogging back down the hall.

"You said my boyfriend, is Hunter..." Morgan started to ask him, before trailing off.

There were two figures running down the opposite hall in front of them. Morgan's eyes widened and her pace slowed. "Cal?..." she whispered, shocked. She stared at Cal disbelievingly as he descended upon them.

Before Stark could respond to her surprise, a shout came from the other figure. "Stark!" That beautiful, melodious voice resonated deep down in his soul.

"Zoey," Stark breathed, increasing his stride. He opened his arms and she fell into them, embracing him tightly. They held on to each other, as if the other would disappear. "You don't know how glad I am to see you."

"I love you," Zoey said, into his shoulder. "I knew you'd come."

"Always. I love you, too," Stark whispered back, lifting her off the floor a little bit. "Always."


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