Loved (House of Night Other World #1)(99)

“I end with earth’s offering, the rowan. I return it to earth, blessed by the elements, and infused with power. May it grow strong and long—so mighty that it can withstand any negative influence.” Just like I’d done the night before, I pressed end of the stick wand into the ground, planting it firmly.

There was no explosion like last time. There was only a great exhale, as if the earth herself had drawn a deep, reviving breath.

At the base of the rowan, the ground opened. It wasn’t a giant hole. It wasn’t really a hole at all. It was more like a shifting of the earth and the forming of the absence of something. The nonhole expanded, sucking into it the rock and the pyramid—and the athame. And as those magickally infused items disappeared, the rowan began to grow.

This time it wasn’t twisted. This time it grew tall and sturdy and straight.

I stood and faced my brother. He took both of my hands in his. We held tight to one another.

“Promise me something?” he asked.

“Anything.”

“Reach out to your Kevin. He doesn’t know how to reach out to you. He’s just a kid, you know. But he misses you, even though he’ll probably never admit it. Be his big sister, ’kay?”

Tears were falling silently down my face and mixing with the snow until I couldn’t tell which was soaking my shirt.

“I promise. And promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“You’ll be careful. Really careful, and not just stupid-young-boy-hero careful.” He stared to answer me, but I cut him off. “And promise me if you get into a really bad spot, you’ll gather all this stuff again and get your butt to Woodward Park with four people who can help you cast a circle, and you’ll come back here.”

He smiled through his own tears. “That’s two somethings, not one.”

“Just say you promise.”

“I promise.”

We came together then and I hugged him like I never wanted to let him go.

And I didn’t. I didn’t ever want to let my little brother go.

“I love you.” We spoke the words at the same time and then, as we came apart, laughing through tears, we said, “Jinx!”

“I think I beat you to it. Again,” he said.

“Not a chance,” I said.

“You’re a sore loser. But I love you anyway. Take care of yourself, Zo. And take care of that other me, too.”

Kevin stepped into the hole and disappeared.





30


Zoey


Closing the circle was anticlimactic. We did it quietly. Slowly. And then, surrounded by my friends, I went back to the House of Night. Without my little brother.

No one said much of anything. Aphrodite snuggled close to Darius, and I heard her crying softly. Darius held her gently, smoothing her hair and murmuring to her.

Stark asked Shaunee to drive again, then he pulled me onto his lap and held me like I was a little girl while I snot-cried all over his shirt.

He didn’t seem to mind at all.

“I’m going to take a bath,” I said when we kicked off our snow boots and trudged through the front door of the school.

My friends each took turns hugging me. They didn’t say anything. They didn’t have to. When Stark and I were alone, he smoothed my dark hair back from my face and kissed my damp cheek. “A bath’s a good idea. I’ll go by the dining hall and grab us some snacks. Do you feel like anything in particular?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“How about some of that lavender tea you like?”

I nodded absently. “That sounds nice. Thanks.”

It seemed like a long walk to my suite of rooms. I wanted to avoid everyone, and thought I had. But when I rubbed the tears out of my eyes and really looked around I saw that every student—fledgling or human—and every vampyre I passed stopped and silently, respectfully, placed their hands over their hearts and bowed their heads to me.

I was a snotty mess by the time I got to my room.

I meant to lounge in a hot bath for hours. Maybe even days. But once I was submerged it seemed pointless. I got out, piled my hair on top of my head, and put on my comfiest pair of old, ratty sweatpants and one of Stark’s oversized T-shirts.

He was waiting in front of our fireplace, and when I came to him, he pulled me into his arms again and kissed me on top of my head.

“Would you please come with me?”

“Stark, I’m not hungry. I swear.”

“We’re not going to the dining hall. There’s something you need to see.”

“Can’t it wait?” I felt exhausted. The last thing I wanted to do was to go anywhere that didn’t involve my bed.

“Nope. It can’t wait. Come on. Please. For me?”

I sighed. I knew Stark could feel everything I did—which meant I knew I was making him miserable. So, I gave in. I owed it to him.

“Okay, but is it going to take long?”

“That depends on you.”

He held my hand and we walked slowly back through the school that I’d made my own. When we got to the back door—the one that opened to the sidewalk that led to the student dorms, I stopped.

I looked down at my pink bunny slippers. “I don’t have my snow boots on. You should’ve told me we were going outside.”