Chapter 2

Zoey

Stark and I walked out the room to Aphrodite's room where everyone is or will be there and knocked on the door she answered the door and her expression changed from worried to pissed.

"What the hell are you doing here you're supposed to be at the infirmary," she yelled.

"I woke up and wanted to go to my room," I told her.

"And you didn't call me you ass," she yelled slapping stark on the chest.

"I told him not to, I didn't want everybody crowding around me like I was a science project," I answered for Stark.

"Where's everyone else," Stark asked totally nonchalant about how Aphrodite just called him an ass.

"I don't fricken know, I'm not the nerd herd's babysitter," she said with the same bitchy attitutude.

"I'll go check if there up," Darius called walking up to the door.

"Ok thanks," I said happily.

"Darius honey you don't have to-," Aphrodite started to say but he raised his hand and cut her off.

"Its fine my Lady I don't mind." He kissed her and was out the door.

"Come in then," she said with an attitude obviously annoyed that Darius left. Stark and I went inside and sat on the long couch in her room. "Why did you leave the infirmary," she asked.

"I felt much better and didn't want to stay there," I answered.

"Well you look fine and you tattoos came back," she said with the rest of the annoyance and pissed attitude out of our voice, "but are you sure you are fine enough to be walking around here like nothing happened!"

"Yea I'm sure," I said sounding more sure than I felt.

"Arrow boy if you ever do anything like this again no matter what Zoey says I am going to kick your arrow ass human or not."

"Will do," Stark said with a cocky attitude. Aphrodite narrowed her eyes at him and was sucking air when Damien walked in with Jack close behind him.

"Z!" Damien yelled.

"What," Erin yelled.

"Are you doing here," Shaunee finished.

"I didn't want to stay in the infirmary," I answered.

"But Z you almost died," Damien said.

"And why didn't the asshat call us when you woke up," Erin demanded when Aphrodite looked at Stark with a sarcastic "I told you so" attitude.

"Ditto Twin he didn't call us, my phone didn't ring once did yours Twin," Shaunee said sarcastically.

"Not once Twin," Erin answered.

"You guys," I yelled over their bickering, "he was going to call but I told him not to, like I told Aphrodite I didn't want everybody gathering around me like I was a science project!"

"You still should have called us," the Twins repeated stubbornly at the same time.

"Yea Z you scared us," Damien said softly.

"I'm sorry," I told all of them.

"It's ok, don't be," Damien spoke while narrowing his eyes at the Twins, "we better go see Achlys and see how we are going to convince the council Kalona is evil."

"But isn't she a member of the council to," I said trying not to be ignorant.

"Yea, but she doesn't believe Kalona either," Stark said cutting in the conversation when everyone except me narrowed their eyes at him obviously pissed.

"Then I guess we do have to go see her," I said happy that one of the adult Vampyres was on our side.

"Well we better get going now," Stark said sad by how they were all pissed at him.

Stark and I trailed behind the others and stopped in the long hallway, "We'll catch up," Stark yelled. "Whatever," Aphrodite yelled back.

"Hey I'm sorry about what happened back in Aphrodite's I'm so sorry I should have just let you call them."

"No its ok, I stopped you cause I felt that you were worried and I wanted to tell you don't worry about them they'll get over it.

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Don't stress we'll convince the council that Neferet is an evil bitch and that Kalona is a Fallen Angel," he said nonchalantly about how we are going to do it "'Kay?" "'Kay," I answered back.

"Kalona is not the only thing you're stressing about is it?"

"No, not really," I admitted I mean hey I couldn't lie to him or he'll know (that can sometimes be bullpoopie too).

"What else is it," he asked cutting off my mind babble.

"Us," I whispered as if the hallway was crowded with people but unfortunately he heard me.

"What about us?"

"It's just that back in the Abbey you said we shouldn't be together."

"That's before I realized how much I really care about you."

"So are we together or not?" I said tired of not knowing what's going to happen next.

"I don't know," Stark said softly, "do you want to be together, I mean people already think we're together, and I care about you so much?"

"I care about you too, and I do want to be with you," I said with my heart thumping so loud I was surprised he didn't hear it.

He held out his hand and I took it, and before I could blink he pulled me in his arms and kissed me he put his love and his happiness in it. I kissed him back and put my arms around his shoulders; he wrapped his arms around my waist and pushed me softly against the wall of the long dim hallway. I wanted to say that my impulse (ho-ish one at that) was just because I missed Heath but it wasn't don't get me wrong I missed Heath but I knew he was happy and that all was what really mattered. The truth was I did want to be with Stark and I wanted to kiss him (and him to kiss me) and I guess this kiss was just the kiss of the begging of our real public relationship. A couple of minutes (long ones) later we managed to stop kissing with both of us breathing hard, I giggled and kissed him again then I took his hand and we ran in the direction as the others.

When we got there I saw my group and Achlys talking to another council member. I didn't know her name but she was almost as beautiful as Achlys, she had long light brown hair that went down to her waist and she looked about twenty years old but again she was probably going on her two hundredth year of being alive, I mean Neferet was beautiful but these members of the council were beautiful and drop dead gorgeous.

"What do you think Zoey?" Aphrodite asked ignoring my staring.

"Huh," I asked ignorantly.

Aphrodite took a deep sigh and said, "If we announce that Kalona is not Erebus at the next council meeting?"

"That would be perfect, but did you guys convince the council," I said.

"Yes we did," Damien said, "meet Layna; she's the head of the council."

"Oh, hi," I said lamely.

"Hello Zoey," Layna said and turned back to Achlys, "We'll meet at ten (p.m of course.), Good day ladies," she called walking out of the room.

"Well I'm going back to my room to do some research," Damien said, "I'll go with you Damien," Jack called running up behind him and putting his arm across his shoulder they were gone.

"Let's go back to our room and watch some TV sweetie," Aphrodite told Darius leaving the room shortly after Achlys walked away.

That left me and Stark alone, he pulled me next to him and kissed me softly, "let's go," he said smiling that cocky smile I loved so much. I giggled and let him pull me in the direction of the long hallway. He slowed down and kissed me and I kissed him back (enthusiastically).

"I love you Zoey," he said in between breaths.

"I love you too Stark," I said with my lips still touching his.

He kissed me again and was holding my hand while we ran back to my room giggling.