A/N
Sorry for not updating sooner! I've just started high school and I have a ton of work, but I'm doing the best I can. I won't give up on any of my stories, just please bear with me if the chapters are updated a little farther apart than what you would like.
Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically…
-IloveZimandNny16: OMG I heart ice age and I was laughing so hard when I read that part of your review!
-inquiete: now that you mention it, I guess she could ask Grandma Redbird, and I may have to throw that in there. However, it's a shame she never gets the chance to…
-MrsPamelaScissorhands: Thanks!
-Guest: Thanks for being into the story! Here's your new chapter!
You guys rock! Thanks for your support, and I hope I don't let you down! Also, I'm already more than halfway done with the next chapter, so expect an update soon! I actually planned on writing the next two chapters as one, but it ended up being far too long. Therefore, you get two chapters that will (hopefully) be posted soon after the other. Btw, sorry that this is a looooong AN.
Disclaimer: Hello? Do I look or sound or write like the goddesses known as P.C. and Kristen Cast? No. That's stupid. If I owned HON or the characters or the plot, this would be in a bookstore, not on a website. And if I owned any aspect of HON, there would have been more Stephaim in Hidden. In case I haven't made myself clear, I DO NOT OWN ANY PART OF HON! IT ALL BELONGS TO P.C. AND KRISTEN CAST!
~Smiley
Chapter Four: Rephaim dropped Stevie Rae back at the House of Night
Aphrodite
"Crap," Aphrodite gasped as her vision went red. She had been drinking her breakfast in the girls' common room with Zoey and Stark, and, of course, her handsome warrior, wondering where the hell Stevie Rae was (Zoey had informed them that her roommate had, in fact, not returned that evening) when she fell away from reality. Well, it was more like someone had pushed the fast forward button on reality and she was the lucky one who got carried away with it.
She was having trouble seeing much of anything. It was dark, and even though she was wrapped in comfortable blankets, whoever Aphrodite was at this moment was scared to death.
"Quickly, a-qua-da-nv-do. Drink before they realize you've awakened," a deep, male voice said. Aphrodite felt comforted by the voice, but not by the words. Aphrodite couldn't help feeling she had heard this voice somewhere before…
Aqwada-what? Aphrodite thought.
"Where am I?" Aphrodite heard herself ask, but her voice was not her own. She would recognize that twang anywhere…
"Please, Stevie Rae, drink first! You must heal! Quickly, before they come in here—" The guy's voice was hushed but his tone was urgent.
"Rephaim, where am I?" Stevie Rae interrupted. Oh shit! The birdboy again? Aphrodite thought.
"I'll tell you once you are healed!" the guy, who was apparently Rephaim, insisted, and all of a sudden the room was filled with the scent of his blood. He must have slashed his wrist with his beak or something.
Aphrodite could feel Stevie Rae's bloodlust, but her will was stronger than her instinct. "Rephaim, what the hell is going on?" she asked, trying to ignore his offered wrist and failing miserably.
"Please, Stevie Rae. Heal before they do you more harm," Rephaim answered, his voice so emotional even Aphrodite, the self-proclaimed Best Bitch, could hear his heart breaking.
WTF? Aphrodite thought.
"Rephaim—" Stevie Rae was silenced by a hand over her mouth. The second his blood hit her tongue, she leaned into him and grabbed his wrist, holding him there. Aphrodite heard his moan as she drank from him, and she couldn't help but feel out of place. Hell, she did not want to see—or rather, hear, because she couldn't exactly see much of anything—this little interaction.
However, Aphrodite could tell one thing for certain: Stevie Rae and Rephaim were imprinted.
Stevie Rae
It hadn't been five minutes, and already she was on the verge of running after him.
It had been absolute stress the second she had set foot back on the campus. Rephaim gave her one last parting hug before he flew off, but he didn't say a word. Stevie Rae hadn't either. Actions sometimes speak louder than words, and she heard the message loud and clear.
The second the dark, moonless sky had swallowed him, Kramisha popped outta the shadows, waving purple notebook paper in her face.
"Crap, Kramisha. Another one?" Stevie Rae asked, trying and failing to swallow the lump of fear lodged in her throat.
"Hells yes. And don't you's even think 'bout tellin' me you don't know shit," Kramisha said.
"Please, not right now, Kramisha. I seriously don't think I can handle another one right now." Stevie Rae tried to get out of it.
"Well, that's just too bad. You's a High Priestess, so you's need to get use to having all kinds of stress." Kramisha handed her the paper, and Stevie Rae's traitorous hand closed around it.
What a surprise? It was about her and Rephaim. Again.
It kind of switched point of views in the middle; she was pretty sure the first half was in his and the second have was in hers.
Crap.
"Well?" Kramisha finally asked.
Stevie Rae held back tears and said, "I have no idea what this one is about."
"Bullshit," Kramisha said. "Don't even try that on me, priestess."
Stevie Rae sighed and stared at the ground. She felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Were four poems really necessary?
"Stevie Rae, I don't think you can deal with this all by yourself. Maybe I can help." Kramisha's voice was uncharacteristically soft.
Stevie Rae sighed again. She really did need to talk to someone; why not Kramisha? After all, she had kept quiet about the other three poems…
"Kramisha, I really wanna tell ya, but it's super complicated and I don't even understand most of it myself," she heard herself say.
"Well, then maybe you should talk to yourself and your earth before you talk to me or Zoey or anyone else. And once you've done that, come talk to me," Kramisha said, and smiled at her empathetically.
"Thanks, Kramisha. I think I might just hafta do that," Stevie Rae said, looking up from the ground and smiling back at her, but then she turned and began to leave the campus again.
"No prob. I still have your back, High Priestess!" Kramisha called after her.
I'm gonna have to make her a trophy that says 'World's Best Poet Laureate', Stevie Rae thought as she headed towards…where the heck was she going?
The woods, naturally, Stevie Rae answered her own question. Stevie Rae didn't question her subconscious decision and let her feet carry her wherever they wanted to go…
Kalona
Rephaim had not yet returned when the phone rang.
"Yes?" Kalona answered.
"She's leaving. She returned and left again." Neferet's cold voice informed him. "Go. Immediately."
"As you wish," Kalona answered, and he heard the clicking noise that informed him she had hung up.
"Where is he?" Kalona asked aloud, and as if he had been conjured by his thoughts, Rephaim appeared in the doorway.
"Where is who, Father?" Rephaim asked, cocky his head to the side.
"Never mind. You have returned." Kalona pushed past his son to step out onto the balcony. Rephaim remained in the doorway. "Now we must go."
"Where to?" Rephaim asked from the doorway.
"We will be tracking the Red One tonight. Neferet has ordered her capture."
"But Father, aren't you not under her control? Why are you still taking orders from—"
"I take orders from no one!" Kalona exploded. Then he continued in a much calmer voice. "No, but I intend to use the Red High Priestess for my own means, and Tsi Sgili will not know because she is too busy masquerading as the perfect priestess of the Tulsa House of Night. She will be there more often than she is here, and that is how we will be able to use the Red One for our own means."
"Father, are you sure this is wise? You have said that Nyx is protective of her High Priestesses—"
"Ah, but the goddess also believes in free will, so as long as Stevie Rae is not killed, Nyx will not intervene," Kalona explained, cutting off his son yet again. "Now, let us take to the skies, my son. You will fly north, and I will scan the rest of the city and meet you there. Do you understand?"
"How do you suppose we restrain her?" Rephaim asked.
"We will simply use the tendrils of Darkness to bind her and weaken her until we can carry her back here," Kalona answered as if it were obvious. He waited for his favored son to answer him, and when he did not, he prompted, "Well?"
Rephaim's hesitation was overlooked when he answered, "As you wish, Father."
"Good," Kalona said as the two winged beings launched themselves into a moonless sky.
A/N
Okay, well that's chapter 4! Chapter 5 should be up really soon, and then I'll try to update on some other Fanfics. Hope you enjoyed! And if you have taken the time to read this chapter, please take another second to leave a little review. That would earn you a cookie and another chapter!
Also, I have the next chapter started (5 pages already written) and planned out. You should find out who was calling Stevie Rae, what Rephaim is going to do, meet a new character, someone will make an appearance, and then they're gonna—
No. No more. No more spoilers. You must read the next chapter (and review! =D )to find out. Mwhahahaha!
~Smiley