My head hurt. Ugh. Could I heal myself? I hope so.
"I think birdboy was telling the truth." A male said.
"I still want to kill her." A female growled.
"I don't want to get on her daddy's bad side." The same male said. "Besides the freaky eyes and that aura of darkness really have me convinced."
"We're probably going to have to keep her unconscious. I'll get a hold of her and let her know we have Kalona's daughter."
I blinked and the room came into sharp focus. My hands were tied behind me and I was starting to panic, just a bit.
"Dammit, bitch is awake."
"Do I look like a female dog to you?" I hissed at fat drunk kid's direction.
I looked around expecting to see Stevie Rae tied up somewhere near-by. But no blonde headed mystic of earth anywhere.
"Where's Stevie Rae?" I asked.
I wanted to punch the wicked grin off their faces, or rip them off. One of the two was going to happen.
"Hopefully dead." The boy said.
"We've got her locked up in that tower, frying like hamburger."
Something on their faces made me instantly believe them. No, not Stevie Rae! Dammit! She's too nice to die because of these nasty leeches!
"You filthy disgusting-"
Bitch leader smacked me.
"Shut your mouth!"
Something inside me snapped. I jerked my wrists apart and ropes snapped off. I got into her face as I rose up. I'm not going to say that I didn't enjoy the fear in her eyes when I did.
"Get out of my face." I growled. I imagined her flying backwards. Shadows curled out and yanked her backwards pulling her out of my face.
"Shit." The boy said. He reached out to grab me. I skipped out of his reach. I whirled around and growled at him.
Something really weird happened. My vision suddenly sharpened. A prickling sensation covered my body. My fingers shrunk and my body hunched down. A long plumy black tail stuck out behind me and my ears folded down across my head.
They all looked like they were ready to piss themselves.
Long, sharp fangs jutted over my lower lip as I pulled my lips back in a snarl.
"Get her!" Bitch leader snarled.
A girl lunged at me. I dodged to the side and snapped at her leg. I snagged her jeans and yanked her to the ground.
Someone put their arms around my neck and yanked me away.
I thrashed and growled. My claws slashed across their arms. They yelped and dropped me. I whirled around and snapped at his man parts. I wasn't aiming for it, but it got the desired effect. He stumbled back eyes wide. I'm pretty sure he did piss himself.
There was an explosion over my head. I glared over at bitch leader.
"Don't worry. I won't hit you anywhere that'll kill you, but it'll hurt like hell." Her eyes glowed red.
I growled. "Take your best shot." I hissed at her.
She squeezed off a shot. I dove out of the way. I charged at her. Her hand shook and the barrel spit fire. I moved out of the way as the bullet impaled the ground. I leapt up and took her wrist in my mouth.
She screamed bloody murder. The rich taste of my enemy's blood filled my mouth, gross as that may be. I shook her arm in my grip before tossing her away.
I looked around the room. My nose wrinkled. They were so pathetic.
"You're all pathetic. Acting like you're a predator, but in the presence of a true predator you turning into sniveling carrion eaters." I hissed. I walked over toward the bitch leader. I stopped inches from her face. I saw fear light up in her eyes. "You don't deserve death from me."
I whirled around and charged through the hall. My paws clambered up the ladder and I burst out into the open.
I was confused when I saw a tent set up by a tree and a Hummer. I backed up nervously.
Then I recognized the dark haired man and pale haired woman.
"Erik and Lenobia!" I called out without thinking.
They whirled around and gaped.
"Ra-Raven?" Lenobia asked.
"Yeah, who else would it be?" I said as began padding toward them.
Wait a minute, padding? I looked down and shrieked. I had paws!
"I'm-Ima." I turned around and around. "I have a tail!" I shrieked.Black paws and a black tail. Oh God! I stumbled and toppled over onto my back. I leapt back up in an instant. I looked at them, still with their shocked faces on. "I'm a cat!" Well, no, not a house cat because I'm much bigger than that, but I was a feline.
"I think you're actually a panther." Erik said in a tight voice.
I wailed, but it wasn't human. It was panther-ish. I wailed again.
"I can't be a panther! I don't even know how I changed!" I said. I rubbed my ears. They were round and fuzzy!
"Come on. We need to get Stevie Rae back to the House of Night. We'll figure how you changed there."
Muscles instantly relaxed. Stevie Rae was safe. I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt bad that I couldn't help them put Stevie Rae in the Hummer. I hoped neatly into the Hummer with her. My heart tightened. She looked a little over done, but she was still breathing.
She blinked at me like she was confused.
"Raven?"
"Sorta." I said. I curled up around her. She reached out and ran her fingers through my fur.
I had fur. Ohhhh. I'm going to have a mental breakdown.
A goofy smile light up her face. "You're so soft." She rubbed her face against my fur and curled her fingers in it.
I'm soft! Oh God why!
Her phone chimed. She frowned at her pocket before wriggling it out of her pocket. Zoey flashed on the screen.
She looked really scared.
"Going to get that? I kinda can't." I glanced at my paws.
She hit the green speak button.
"Hi."
I heard angry squawking on the other end. My ears flickered with discomfort. I laid my head down on my paws.
Paws, I had frickin' paws!
"It was a cat!" I heard Stevie Rae say. I looked at her. "A great big, fat calico cat yowling on the roof. I started to leave and, like the totally uncoordinated noncheerleader type I am, I fell and bonked my head so hard I passed out. You would not believe all the blood. Totally scary."
A sound of disappointment came from my chest. It sounded like a moan.
She shot me a look.
I mean, I understand why she shouldn't mention Rephaim, but why would she lie about what happened to her? Those kids trapped her there. I mean, I don't think she should be keeping it a secret what they were willing to do.
I gave her a look before setting my head back on my paws. I blinked slowly. I was getting…kinda sleepy.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
There was some green hazy…thing floating in front of me. And there was splashing water.
I blinked. I looked around. I was surrounded by hedges with jutting brick walkway under my feet.
Feet! I have feet!
I twirled around in a circle. And I had hands and hair, not fur!
I cried out happily and it was human sounding! I wanted to sob I was soooo happy!
"So, little human, you now have a story to tell my Zoey." A familiar voice said.
I turned and my heart froze. I could see Kalona and Heath. Wait, what? Heath went to Italy with Zoey and the gang to confront Neferet and Kalona while they were trying to seduce the vampyre high council. How did I get here?
"She's not your Zoey." Heath said. His back was straight as he marched toward Kalona.
"Heath, what the hell are you doing?" I asked. Kalona had a weird look in his eye.
Something kicked me in the stomach. Kalona was going to kill Heath. Period, no hesitation or second guessing.
"Heath get out of here!" I yelled. I ran up to him and got in between him and Kalona. Somehow Heath passed right through me.
What. The. Hell.
"Ah, but she is." Kalona said.
"Heath, run you ninny!" I tried to grasp his shoulders, but my hands passed right through him.
Okay, something's majorly wrong here.
"Nah, you don't know my girl." Heath said.
"Running, as in moving your legs forward quickly!" I told him.
"Your girl's soul belongs to me and I will not allow Neferet or you or anyone to change that." Kalona started walking towards him.
"Heath move your ass!" I screamed at him.
"What is that expression the vampyres use?" Kalona said. "I believe it is 'curiosity killed the cat.' It seems particularly applicable to this situation." He said. His hands reached up towards Heath's face.
"Heath!" I screamed. I went up to my father and tried to kick his shin, but my foot passed through his leg.
"Spirit! Come to me!"
I whirled around and saw Zoey lifting her hands with a ball of spiritual energy sizzling on them. I turned back and saw Kalona twist Heath's head around. My mouth opened, but no sound came out.
"No!" Zoey screamed.
Kalona dropped Heath and whirled around. His expression was absolute shock. I watched the spirit energy slam into him and lift him up, up and away.
Something like a shock wave shot through me. I turned. I watched four different balls of light shoot out from Zoey's body and up into the clouds.
"Zoey!" I screamed as she crumbled to the ground.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
I jerked awake. I was still in the Hummer, but everyone else was gone. I opened my mouth a bit and inhaled the air. Their scents were dull. They haven't been here for a while.
What was that? That was really creepy. I couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't just a dream. It was way too realistic and not to mention dreams I've had that are pretty real looking have a goddess or dead person. As far as I know Kalona, Heath, and Zoey weren't dead.
No, wait. Heath was killed and Zoey…I don't know what happened to Zoey.
I leaped out of the vehicle and into the stable.
"Lenobia?" I called out. Light shone through the stable windows, but only through the west windows. So it was sunset-ish. How long had I been out?
"Raven, what is it?" Snap jogged up to me with Hecate close behind her.
"I had a really creepy dream, only I don't think it was a dream."
Snap sat down and slowly curled her tail around her paws like she was trying to figure out what words she was going to use.
"I felt that your spirit was missing."
I swayed. "What?"
"Your spirit was missing. When your mother and the others communicated with you I felt your spirit was missing as well." She looked start at me. "But this was different. Your spirit wasn't called away, you left your body, you astral projected."
I blinked.
"Astral projecting is the process in which your spirit leaves the body while you're in a trance or while you sleep. Your body still lives, but it's unoccupied by your conscious."
"So…so that means…what I saw-"
"Whatever you witnessed did happen."
I swayed. Heath was dead, my father killed him. But what happened to Zoey?
"I saw…well, I saw Zoey throw a ball of spiritual energy and after it hit Kalona there were four balls of light that shot from her body."
Hecate backed up and her ears folded back. Snap's eyes widened.
"What?" My stomach sunk till the point I was sure it was no longer in my body.
"It sounds like her soul has been shattered."
My heart skipped a beat. Shattered. Soul. Those words shouldn't be together, that could only mean something really bad.
"I have to find Lenobia." I said. I inhaled the air deeply into my mouth. I was able to pick out Lenobia's scent. I dashed up the stairs into her private area. Unfortunately, her door was shut.
I growled and tried to turn the door knob, but they weren't made for creatures with paws.
I hissed and began scratching at the door.
"Lenobia! Lenobia!" I called out.
The door opened and Lenobia stood in the doorway looking a little dazed.
"Raven?"
"Lenobia, something really bad has happened. To Zoey."
I'll give Lenobia a lot of credit, she didn't freak out like I thought she would I told her I astral projected, but as I told her what I witnessed her face started to become more and more pale. She brushed past me. I followed after her.
She got into the Hummer and came out again with a cell phone in her hand. Her eyes widened. She hit the screen and pressed it against her ear.
"Erce what-" She got really quiet and pale and her eyes kept getting bigger and shinier.
"No no no no no." I kept shaking my head back and forth. This was bad, this was bad.
"I see. I'll tell her friends."
No, just don't. You can keep it to yourself.
"Her soul is shattered right." I said.
Lenobia nodded. "Yes. Her soul shattered, in a matter of days…she'll be dead."
"What? Dead?" I asked.
"A shattered soul…no one can recover from that." She blinked tears away.
"But her body is alive, right now?"
Lenobia nodded. "Raven, you need to understand, Zoey is going to die. No one can survive a shattered soul. Zoey is lost to us."
"But I astral projected. Surely we can bring her soul back to her body." I said. Hello, I was still alive. Couldn't I astral project to where she was and bring her back?
"When you astral project only your spirit leaves your body, the part of soul that contains your conscious. Zoey's soul is completely gone."
"But her body is still alive." I said. "There's still a chance we can save her."
Lenobia gave me a sad look like she pitied my optimistic attitude. "I need to go tell Stevie Rae." She walked past me.
I looked at Snap. "Can we save her?"
"It's never been done before." She said. Then she looked at me with a strange intensity. "But, those whose souls had shattered never had a half-immortal willing to help them."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Angry Sigh! I'm really impatiently waiting for the next book. WHO'S CAT DIES? That's all I'm worried about right now.
You know the drill if you read please review! Thank you bunches!