A/N – Chapter five was reposted and is no longer just an author's note. Make sure you check it out before reading chapter six. Thanks and thank you for all the wonderful reviews I have gotten so far!!!

It never failed! Never failed! We hadn't even pulled all the way into the parking lot when I spotted him. Heath was standing outside the store entrance casually leaning with his back against the wall. The moon was shinning down reflecting off his sandy blond-brown hair and making him look almost angelic. Neferet was going to kill me! I got out of the car and approached the door with Darius, Aphrodite, and Marla following a few paces behind me.

"What are you doing here, Heath?" I asked as soon as I reached him.

"You know I'm here to see you babe," he said smiling at me, his cute dimples appearing on his cheeks. I could smell his blood pumping through his veins and it smelt like heaven. I licked my lips involuntarily and then shook myself forcing myself to concentrate on the conversation and not on the blood that was making my mouth water and my pulse race.

"I told you last time, we can't keep doing this," I whispered fiercely between my teeth, trying to stay strong.

"Do you need my assistance, Priestess?" Darius asked coming up behind me.

I breathed a sigh of relief at his arrival. I was less likely to do something stupid with Darius right there. And it was becoming increasingly harder not to do something stupid, especially after the last time I ran into Heath when I had smelt his blood. Heath had cut himself and the scent of his blood hitting the air had nearly driven me insane.

"No, she doesn't need assistance," Heath said never taking his eyes from mine. "I just need to speak to her for a moment."

"You mean you want a moment to try and seduce her," Aphrodite said scowling.

"I don't have to seduce her!" Heath said turning to her his eyes narrowing. "Zoey, and I have a connection."

"It's called an imprint, you dumbass, of course your connected," Aphrodite snarled.

"Look," I said giving Aphrodite a reproachful look, "the point is that this is dangerous, Heath. We're from two different worlds and whether we're imprinted or not this has to end," I said shaking my head and remembering everything I had read. I wasn't about to let Heath lose his life for me. There was just too much at stake.

"Zoey, I don't mind you drinking from me," he argued feebly. "It feels good," he whispered looking into my eyes, "it feels like us again, when things were good between us, before I started drinking." He took a step closer and I felt my heart beat kick up another notch. I could practically see the blood leaping in his veins as it moved under the skin of his neck. It would be so easy to reach out and… "Yes," Heath breathed seeming to hear my thought and I knew he probably could. Our imprint was still strong enough that I knew he could feel my desire and how much I wanted his blood. "Do it," he prompted grabbing my hand gently in his and pressing my fingers to the pulse point of his neck.

"Ah hmm," Darius cleared his throat.

"No," I said pulling my hand from his light grasp, but my voice was weak and I still couldn't take my eyes from his.

"It's time for you to leave human," Darius said firmly.

"I'll leave when Zoey tells me to leave," Heath said not even looking at Darius who I'm sure would have made him think twice about that statement. "You don't want me to leave," he said to me. He brought his hand up cupping my cheek softly. I turned my head towards him allowing my lips to touch his wrist.

"Zoey!" Aphrodite said sharply. "Snap out of it!" she said stepping between us. She then turned to Heath, "Are you trying to get her in trouble?" she asked glaring at him. "Really if you'd stop being such a shithead you'd realize that this is just as dangerous for her as it is you! At least she's thinking about your sorry ass by trying to stay away, but you don't seem to give a fuck about her," Aphrodite said taking a step forward so that Heath was once again backed up against the wall. It had been a while since I had heard Aphrodite really lose it like that. Actually she hadn't been this bad since we were back in the tunnels and I was injured and dying.

"Is it?" he asked me, his eyes growing round as a troubled expression came over her face.

"What do you mean 'is it?'?"Aphrodite asked. "You don't think that if someone saw her drink from you that there might not be some sort of problem? Or that she wouldn't be in a serious amount of trouble with the school considering fledglings aren't supposed to maintain relationships with humans let alone drink from them?" She asked looking as if she were about to beat the poopie out of Heath.

"Aphrodite," I whispered trying to calm her.

"No, he needs to hear this because clearly he's not taking the hint when you tell him," she said taking a quick glance at me and then turning back to him. "Stay the fuck away from her!" She said fiercely and then backed off.

"Zoey," he said looking at me with pleading eyes.

I sighed, "It's for the best, Heath. I know it seems harsh, but there is just too much at stake and…" I stopped as a flicker of fear moved through me. It wasn't my own fear and I wasn't even sure I had really felt it. It was more in the air around me. I turned around and felt my heart stop, "Where's Marla?" I asked looking around frantically.

Darius and Aphrodite spun around with me. No one had even heard her sneak away!

"Shit," Aphrodite said scanning the parking lot and then once again rounding on Heath, "once again you show up where you're not supposed to be and bring hell down us," she said her eyes narrowing.

"Aphrodite now is not the time!" I said still looking in every direction for any sign of Marla. I could still feel the fear moving around me and it was starting to freak me out as well. "We have to find her!" I said turning back to them.

"We don't even know which way she went," Aphrodite said irritably, but I could tell she was just as freaked. Marla seemed to have just disappeared.

"Look why don't we split up," I said trying to think. "We'll cover more ground a lot faster that way and…"

"Priestess, I do not think any of us going off alone is wise right now," Darius said his face expressionless.

"I'll go with, Zoey," Heath said.

"You've got to be kidding," Aphrodite snarled her eyes turning dangerous.

"Look, I can help find her," Heath said looking annoyed. "It's partly my fault that she was able to sneak away," He said softly.

"You're damn right it is!" Aphrodite growled at him.

"Look we don't have time for this!" I said glaring at her. "We have to find Marla and right now this is the best plan we have. I'll go with Heath," I said grabbing his hand and heading around the back of the store. My first day as a mentor and I'd already lost my fledgling. I turned the corner heading into the service entrance, checking anywhere she could have been, though none of it made any sense. She wouldn't have snuck away just to stay around here.

Heath moved silently by my side his eyes roaming the streets. Where was she? I kept walking, moving passed the stores and through the streets. I was starting to get panicked. Where could she possibly have gone?

My cell phone rang making me jump at the unexpected noise. I quickly pulled it out and flipped it open.

"Find her?" Aphrodite's voice asked from the other end.

"No," I said stopping and glancing quickly to my left. My mouth parted slightly as I caught sight of Marla standing still as statue on the sidewalk a few yards away staring out onto the fairgrounds. I took a step towards her and stopped as a strange silver shimmer caught my eye. I shook my head and then sighed, it was just the way the moonlight was hitting her hair.

"Zoey?" Aphrodite questioned at my silence.

"I think I found her," I said softly. "We're just down the street, near the fairground." "We'll pick you up," Aphrodite said as I flipped my phone shut.

I looked at Heath and then jogged over to where Marla was standing. She didn't even turn as I approached her; her eyes were still focused out onto the dark grounds, her face expressionless.

"Marla," I said touching her arm gently. She shivered at my touch, but still didn't move. Her breath was coming in quick gasps and I could hear her heart beat racing. She was scared. "Marla," I said again shaking her softly.

"They're out there," she whispered still staring straight ahead.

"Who's out there?" I asked looking around and seeing nothing, but my skin was crawling and my gut was telling me there was definitely danger close by. I turned her so that she was facing me and put one of my hands on each of her shoulders, "Marla, who's out there?!" I asked again feeling as though her fear was becoming my own.

"They're not going to go away," she said trembling beneath my hands that were still holding her shoulders firmly.

"Marla, who…" I began again, but covered my eyes as headlights blinded my visions. Darius turned down the lights as he approached in the hummer and I looked back at Marla. "Marla," I said looking into eyes. She gazed back at me her eyes pleading and I pulled her into my arms as the first tear fell from her eyes.

"Is she ok?" Aphrodite asked as she and Darius got out of the car.

I looked around us still holding Marla close. My stomach was still turning in anticipation as chills swept up and down my spine. "We have to get her back to the school," I said my eyes darting around in the darkness.

"Did something happen?" Darius asked noticing my edgy behavior and began searching night as well.

I looked up at him meeting his eyes, "I don't think so, but something is definitely not right." He nodded at me seeming to sense it as well as he pulled Aphrodite nearer to him.

"Heath, you need to get home," I said giving him a stern look as we climbed back into the hummer.

"Are you going to be ok," he asked concerned.

"Yes, just get home," I told him keeping Marla tucked against me as Darius shut the door and climbed into the driver's seat. I looked down, she was still shaking, but she was already falling asleep.