God guys... i'm so sorry for not updating! Believe or not I've had writer's block for this story for a long time. But now that it's almost time for the next book to come out, my mind is once again focusing on House of Night. So, without further ado, I present the fourth chapter!

Zoey

I opened my eyes to find myself back at Grandma's. Nala was curled up on my stomach while Darius was crashed out on a blow up mattress and Aphrodite was in her bed with Malificent. My head hurt and my chest felt like it was going to explode. I coughed. My movement and shaking caused Nala to wake up."Mee-uf-ow," she sneezed and rubbed against my face.

Picking up an extra pillow, I, once again, chucked it at Aphrodite. Aphrodite jumped up and looked at me. Tears glistened in her eyes and she kicked Darius. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Darius smiled softly at me. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a bus," I responded. "My head hurts and my chest wants to explode."

Aphrodite stroked my hair like a mother would a child. "Honey, of course it's going to hurt. Your head got skimmed by the bullet. The wound was deep."

"How long have I been out?"

Darius thought about this. "Two days." My eyes widened. "Link and Caroline are here."

"Where are they now?"

"In my room," Darius said. "Which I should go to right now. Link wanted to see you as soon as you awoke."

Aphrodite and I watched as he strode from the room. As soon as he was gone, Aphrodite turned to me and started crying. "I thought you were going to die!" She cried and threw her arms aroud me.

We cried together until Link and Darius came into the room. "Zoella," Link sighed in relief. "You're okay."

"You can't get rid of me that easily," I smiled.

"Thanatos said that you don't have to go back to school until you're ready."

"I want to go back today."

The three of them just stared at me. "You need time to recover."

My eyes became slits and my jaw clentched. "I want to go back today."

Link held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. Just make sure no one gets too close to you and make sure you take it easy."

"I promise I will."

o.O.o

Everyone just stared at us. I had stitches on my head and a bandage wrapped around it. Stark looked relieved to see me and the others were worried. I kept my hand in Aphrodite's any time I could. All day, my two friends flanked my sides and didn't let anyone get too close. I was practically shaking with fear. They've found me. Kalona has found me and he wants to take me away to marry his son. At one point, Darius, Aphrodite, and I were walking down the hallway when arms wrapped around my waist. I jumped, but when I heard Stark's calming voice, I relaxed.

"Hey, beautiful," he whispered. "How're you feeling?"

"Horrible," I admitted.

Stark's body was sending electric shocks through mine. And it wasn't the bad kind of shocks. I snuggled back into his chest. Aphrodite and Darius tried to rip Stark away, but I cried out in protest. Stark's arms tightened around me. Darius and Aphrodite looked pissed nonetheless, but let me be.

"Please," I implored. "I'll take the blame. Just please don't."

I could tell Stark was confused without even looking at him. Aphrodite and Darius looked sad and a little angry, but accepted. I smiled gratefully at them and hugged Stark's arms.

Stark stayed by my side for the rest of the day. He even wanted to walk me home, but that I had to refuse. No one was allowed to know my home address. He agreed reluctantly. Aphrodite and Darius stood a few feet away while I said my goodbyes. I was smiling at Stark one minute and the next, his lips were on mine. His arms snaked around my waist and my arms wrapped around his neck. Our lips moved in sync while our tongues battled for dominance. My hands tugged on his hair while his arms tightened around my waist. Aphrodite cleared her throat.

"We need to get going," she announced.

I rested my forehead against Stark's. "See you tomorrow."

He gave me one last peck on the lips before turning and sauntering away. Then I returned back to Grandma's with a huge grin on my face. Aphrodite was smiling at me the whole time.

Stevie Rae POV

I grinned as Stark kissed Zoey. They totally are falling for each other. It doesn't matter to Stark that she's obviously hiding something. I barreled into Stark as he walked my way. "That was so cute!" I squealed.

Our group of friends were sitting against the wall of the school waiting for Stark. They laughed when I ran into him. "They would make a cute couple," Erin said.

"Those three are hiding something," Kramisha said.

The other's nodded. I glared at all of them. "Maybe they have a good reason for not telling anyone."

Stark agreed with me. "Yeah, Stevie Rae is right. We have no business snooping around. If they're going to tell us, let them do it in their own time."

"Well said, Stark," Shaunee complimented.

While everyone else talked about what they may be hiding, I pulled Stark aside and we talked about him and Zoey as a couple. This was going to be great. Hopefully, Aphrodite and Darius don't keep Stark away like they did to the rest of us today. That would be sad for the new couple.

Hey guys. Sorry for such a sort chapter. I just wanted to get this in before I went to see City of Bones again. Eeeek! Fluff! I love fluff. Next chapter will be here probably next weekend. Hopefully. I don't know because I have to go to atlantic city for my grandpa's birthday. *rolls eyes* They're trying to mix together mine and his birthday since mine is on the ninth.