Awakened (House of Night #8)(66)

"Thank you." Neferet stepped closer to Jack's fiery pyre, put her head back, and lifted her arms. Unlike me, she didn't amplify her voice. Instead she spoke so softly that none of us could hear her. Her face was tilted just right so that I had a perfect view of it. Her expression was serene and sincere, and I wondered how it was possible that something I was sure was so rotten inside could have such a gorgeous outside.

I think it was because I was staring at her so hard, trying to find the chink in her armor, that I saw all of what happened next.

Neferet's expression changed. Her face was still tilted up, but it was obvious, at least to me, that she'd seen something above us. Then I heard it. It was a kinda familiar sound. I didn't recognize it right away, even though it made the hairs on my arms rise. I didn't look up, though. I kept watching Neferet. Whatever she was looking at was annoying and worrying her. She didn't change her posture or stop speaking her "prayer," but her eyes did dart around as if she was checking to see if anyone else had noticed what she'd seen. I snapped my eyelids shut and hoped that I looked like I was praying, meditating, concentrating--anything but watching her. I gave it a couple of seconds, then slowly opened my eyes.

Neferet definitely wasn't looking at me. She was staring at Stevie Rae, but my BFF wasn't aware of it. Stevie Rae was too busy gawking straight up, too. Only her expression wasn't annoyed or worried--it was radiant, as if she was looking at something that filled her with utter happiness, utter love. Confused, I looked back at Neferet. She was still watching Stevie Rae, and her expression had shifted again. I saw her eyes widen, as if in realization, and then her face was suffused with pleasure, like what she'd just figured out had made her super happy.

I couldn't seem to take my eyes off Neferet, but I was reaching for Stark's hand automatically, as if I knew my world was getting ready to explode when Dragon Lankford's voice was a clarion call that changed everything.

"Raven Mocker above! Professors, get the fledglings under cover! Warriors, to me!" Time started to move in fast-forward then. Stark pushed me behind him while he stared upward. I heard him curse, and I knew it had to be because he didn't have his bow with him.

"I want you to get into Nyx's Temple!" Stark shouted above the sound exploding around us, already moving me in that direction.

Over his shoulder I could see the pandemonium that had broken out. Some of the kids were screaming; professors were calling to their students and trying to reassure them; Sons of Erebus Warriors had weapons drawn, ready for the coming battle.

Everyone was moving except Neferet and Stevie Rae. Neferet was still standing beside Jack's burning pyre--still staring at Stevie Rae and smiling. Stevie Rae looked like she'd been rooted to her spot. She was gazing upward, shaking her head back and forth, back and forth, and she was sobbing.

"No, wait," I told Stark, moving around him so he quit pushing me toward the temple. "I can't go. Stevie Rae is--"

"FALL FROM THE SKY, FOUL BEAST!"

Neferet's shout cut me off. She'd flung her arms up, fingers outstretched like she was trying to grab something out of the air.

"Can you see that?" Stark asked me urgently, staring up at the sky.

"What? See what?"

"Black, sticky, threads of Darkness." He grimaced in horror. "She's using them. And that means she was lying her ass off about asking for forgiveness," he said grimly. "She's definitely still allied with Darkness."

Then there wasn't time to say any more because, with a terrible scream, an enormous Raven Mocker fell from the sky, landing in a heap in the middle of the school grounds. I recognized him right away. It was Rephaim, Kalona's favored son.

"Kill it!" Neferet commanded.

Dragon Lankford didn't need the order. He was already moving. Blade flashing in the firelight, he descended on the Raven Mocker like an avenging god.

"No! Don't hurt him!" Stevie Rae screamed and hurled herself between Dragon and the fallen creature. Her arms were raised, palms outward, and she was glowing green, like her body had suddenly grown iridescent moss. Dragon hit the glowy green barrier and bounced off it like he'd smacked into a giant rubber ball. It was creepy and cool at the same time.

"Ah, hell," I murmured, already moving toward Stevie Rae. I had a bad feeling about what was going on. A really, really bad feeling.

Stark didn't try to stop me. He just said, "Stay close to me and out of that damn bird's reach."

"Why are you protecting this creature, Stevie Rae? Are you in league with it?" Neferet was standing beside Dragon, who had gotten back on his feet and was literally trembling with the effort it took not to rush against Stevie Rae again. Neferet sounded baffled, but her eyes flashed fiercely, like she was a cat and Stevie Rae was her trapped mouse.

Stevie Rae ignored Neferet. She looked at Dragon and said, "He's not here to hurt anyone. I promise."

"Free me, Red One." The Raven Mocker spoke as I finally reached Dragon and Neferet. He, too, had gotten to his feet, which surprised me because it seemed that the fall should have killed him. Actually, the only evidence I could see of him being hurt at all was a gash in his disturbingly human- looking bicep that was just beginning to weep blood. He was backing slowly away from Stevie Rae, but a weird green bubble had formed around them, and it wouldn't let him get very far from her.