Betrayed (House of Night #2)(22)

"No!" The word was an eerie, whispering explosion of sound. "Can--can I help you?" I asked, trying to peer into the shad ows and see who was sitting there. I thought I could see light-colored hair, and maybe hands covering a face .. . "The water! The water is so cold and deep. Can't get out .. . can't get out." She took her hands from her face then and looked up at me, but I already knew who it was. I'd recognized her voice. And I also recognized what was happening to her. I forced myself to ap proach her calmly. She stared up at me. Her face was covered with tears. "Come on, Aphrodite. You're having a vision. I need to get you to Neferet."

"No!" she gasped. "No! Don't take me to her. She won't listen to me. She--she doesn't believe me anymore." I remembered what Neferet had said earlier about Nyx with drawing her gifts from Aphrodite. Why should I even mess with her at all? Who knew what was going on with Aphrodite? She was probably making some pathetic play for attention, and I didn't have time for this crap. "Fine. Let's say I don't believe you either," I told her. "Stay here and have your vision or whatever. I have other things to worry about." I turned to head into the stable, and her hand snaked out, grabbing my wrist. "You have to stay!" she said through chattering teeth. Obvi ously, she was having difficulty talking. "You have to hear the vi sion!"

"No, I do not." I pried her viselike fingers from my wrist. "Whatever's going on, it's about you--not me. You deal with it." This time when I turned I walked away more quickly.

But not quick enough. Her next words felt like she'd sliced them through me. "You have to listen to me. If you don't your grandma will die."

Chapter Nine

"What in the hell are you talking about!" I rounded on her. She was gasping in weird little panting breaths, and her eyes were starting to flutter. Even in the darkness I could see the whites in them beginning to show. I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Tell me what you see!" Clearly trying to control herself she nodded with a jerky little movement. "I will," she panted. "Just stay with me " I sat beside her on the bench and let her grab my hand, not caring that she was squeezing so hard it felt like she was going to break something--not caring that she was my enemy and some one I'd never trust--not caring about anything except the fact that Grandma might be in trouble. "I'm not going anywhere," I said grimly. Then I remembered how Neferet had prompted her. "Tell me what you see, Aphrodite."

"Water! It's awful ... so brown and so cold. It's all confusion .. . can't--can't get the door of the Saturn open ..." I felt a horrible jolt. Grandma has a Saturn! She bought it be cause it was one of those ultra-safe cars that were supposed to be able to survive anything. "But where's the car, Aphrodite? What water is it in?"

"Arkansas River," she panted. "The bridge--it collapsed." Aphrodite sobbed, sounding terrified. "I saw the car in front of me fall and hit the barge. It's on fire! Those little boys ... the ones who were trying to get truck drivers to honk as they passed .. . they're in the car." I swallowed hard. "Okay, what bridge? When?" Aphrodite's whole body suddenly tensed. "I can't get out! I can't get out! The water, it's ..." She made a horrible noise that I swear sounded like she was being choked, and then she slumped back against the bench, her hand going limp in mine. "Aphrodite!" I shook her. "You have to wake up. You have to tell me more about what you saw!" Slowly, her eyelids moved. This time I didn't see the whites of her rolled back eyeballs, and when she opened them they looked like normal eyes. Aphrodite abruptly let go of my hand and shak ily pushed her hair out of her face. I noticed it was damp, and that she was covered with sweat. She blinked a couple more times be fore meeting my eyes. Her gaze was steady, but I couldn't read anything except exhaustion in her expression or her voice. "Good, you stayed," she said. "Tell me what you saw. What happened to my grandma?"

"The bridge her car's on collapses and she crashes into the river and drowns," she said flatly.

"No. No, that won't happen. Tell me what bridge. When. How. I'll stop it." Aphrodite's lips curled up in the hint of a smile. "Oh, you mean you suddenly believe my visions?" Fear for Grandma was like a boiling pain inside me. I grabbed her arm and stood up, pulling her up with me. "Let's go." She tried to jerk away from me, but she was too weak, I held on to her easily. "Where?"

"To Neferet, of course. She'll figure this crap out, and you'll damn sure talk to her."

"No!" she almost screamed. "I won't tell her. I swear I won't. No matter what, I'll say I don't remember anything except water and a bridge."

"Neferet will get this out of you."

"No she won't! She'll be able to tell that I'm lying, that I'm hid ing something, but she won't be able to tell what. If you take me to her, your grandma will die." I felt so sick I'd started to tremble. "What do you want, Aphrodite? Do you want to be leader of the Dark Daughters again? Fine. Take it back. Just tell me about my grandma." A look of raw pain passed over Aphrodite's pale face. "You can't give it back to me, Neferet has to."

"Then what do you want?"

"I just want you to listen to me so that you know that Nyx hasn't abandoned me. I want you to believe that my visions are still real." She stared into my eyes. Her voice was low and strained. "And I want you to owe me. Someday you're going to be a power ful High Priestess, more powerful even than Neferet. Someday I may need protection, and that's when you owing me will come in handy." I wanted to say that there was no way I could protect her from Neferet. Not now--maybe not ever. And I wouldn't want to. Aphrodite was messed up, and I'd already witnessed how selfish and hateful she could be. I didn't want to owe her; I didn't want anything to do with her. I also didn't have any choice. "Fine. I won't take you to Neferet. Now what did you see?"