Awakened (House of Night #8)(31)

"I'm the one who's supposed to have the super psychic abilities." He said it with a kidding tone, but at the same time Stark gave a little mental push and slipped around just on the outskirts of her psyche--not close enough to her real thoughts to piss her off with his eavesdropping, but just near enough to be sure that she really did feel safe and happy.

"Want to know something?" she asked, with a hesitant tone to her voice.

Stark propped himself up on his elbow and grinned down at her. "Are you kidding, Z? I want to know everything."

"Stop it--I'm being serious."

"Me, too!" She gave him a look and he kissed her on the forehead. "Okay, fine. I'm being serious. What is it?"

"I, um, really like it when you touch me." Stark's brows went up and he had to struggle not to break into a giant grin. "Well, that's good." He watched her cheeks get pink and a little grin slipped through. "I'm guessing that's real good."

Zoey chewed her lip. "Do you like it?"

Stark couldn't help laughing then. "You're kidding, right?"

"No. Dead. Serious. I mean, how am I supposed to know? I'm not exactly experienced--not like you are."

Her cheeks were flaming by that time and he thought she looked mega uncomfortable, which put a damper on his laughter. The last thing he wanted to do was to embarrass her or make her feel weird about what was happening between them.

"Hey." He cupped her flushed cheek. "Being with you is beyond awesome. And, Zoey, you're wrong. You' re more experienced than me about love."

When she started to speak he pressed his finger against her lips. "No, let me say this. Yeah, I've had sex before. But I've never been in love. Never until you. You're my first, and you're going to be my last."

She smiled up at him with such love and trust that he thought his heart would beat out of his chest. It was only Zoey--it would always be only Zoey for him.

"Would you make love to me again?" she whispered.

As her answer Stark held her even closer and began a long, slow kiss. His last thought before everything went wrong was, I've never been this happy in my life ...

Chapter Eleven

Kalona

He could feel Neferet getting near and he steeled himself, schooling his expression and cloaking the hatred he had begun to feel for her with a careful demeanor of expectation and accommodation. Kalona would bide his time. If there was one thing the immortal understood, it was the power of patience.

"Neferet approaches," he told Rephaim. His son was standing before one of the several large sets of glass doors that opened onto the huge balcony that was the predominate feature of the penthouse loft the Tsi Sgili had purchased. Penthouse meant all the opulence Neferet craved and the privacy and rooftop access he required.

"Has she Imprinted with you?"

Rephaim's question brought Kalona's thoughts up short. "Imprinted? Neferet and I? What an odd question for you to ask me."

Rephaim turned from the downtown Tulsa panorama to look at his father. "You can sense her approach. I assume she's tasted of your blood and you've Imprinted."

"No one tastes of an immortal's blood."

The elevator doors chimed just before they opened and Kalona turned in time to see Neferet stride across the gleaming marble floor. She moved gracefully, with a sweeping glide those who were less informed would believe vampyric. Kalona knew differently. He understood her movement had changed, shifted, evolved--just as she had changed, shifted, and finally evolved into a being much more than vampyre.

"My Queen," he said, bowing respectfully to her. Neferet's smile was dangerously beautiful. Serpentine, she wrapped one arm around his shoulder and exerted more pressure than was necessary. Obediently, Kalona bent so that she could press her lips to his. He let his mind go blank.

His body alone responded, deepening the kiss, letting her tongue slither into his mouth. As abruptly as she had begun it, Neferet ended the embrace. Glancing over his shoulder she said,

"Rephaim, I thought you were dead." "Wounded, not dead. I healed and awaited my father's return," Rephaim said.

Kalona thought that though his son's words were proper and respectful, there was something about his tone that was off, though it had always been difficult to read Rephaim as the visage of a beast tended to mask any human emotion he had. If, indeed, he had any emotion that could be classified as human.

"I learned that you have allowed yourself to be spotted by fledglings from Tulsa's House of Night."

"Darkness called. I responded. That there were fledglings there was inconsequential to me," Rephaim said.

"Not just fledglings--Stevie Rae was there, too. She saw you."

"As I said before, those beings are inconsequential to me."

"Still, it was a mistake for you to allow anyone to know you're here, and I do not tolerate mistakes," Neferet said.

Kalona saw her eyes begin to take on a reddish hue. Anger stirred within him. That he was in bondage to Neferet was bad enough--that his favorite son could be chastised and harangued by her was intolerable.

"Actually, my Queen, it could work in our favor that they are aware Rephaim remained in Tulsa. I am supposed to be banished from your side, so I cannot be seen here. If the local House of Night rabble hears rumors of a winged being, they will assume a Raven Mocker stalks the night and there will be no thought of me."