Betrayed (House of Night #2)(53)

"I--no. I don't know what they are," I said. "They're squares of wet cement. I remembered that you told me you wanted each of the members of the Prefect Council to have an imprint of his or her handprints made so that the fledg ling's handprint will be preserved forever. Tonight six of the seven members of the new Council can do that." I blinked at her. Great. She was finally giving me credit for something, and it was Damien's idea. "Thank you for the pres ent," I said, and then added quickly, "And it was Damien's idea to make handprints, not mine." Her smile was blinding, and when she turned it on Damien I didn't have to look at him to know that he practically wriggled with pleasure. "And what a lovely idea it was, too, Damien." Then she addressed the entire room again. "I am pleased that Nyx has gifted this group so fully. And I say blessed be to all of you, good night!" She dropped to the floor in a graceful curtsy. Then, to the cheers of the fledglings, she rose and made a skirt-flowing, mag nificent exit. Which left me standing in the middle of an un-cast circle feel ing like I was all dressed up with nowhere to go.

Chapter Twenty-One

It took forever to get everyone settled down and in place for the ritual to begin, especially because I couldn't show how I was re ally feeling--which was pissed. Not only would no one under stand, but also no one would believe what I was beginning to see: that there was something dark and wrong about Neferet. And why should anyone understand or believe me? I was, after all, just a kid. No matter what powers Nyx had given me I was totally not in the same league with a High Priestess. Besides that, no one ex cept me had witnessed the little puzzle pieces that were fitting to gether to create such a terrible picture. Aphrodite would understand and believe me. I hated that the thought was true. "Zoey, just let me know whenever you're ready and I'll start the music," Jack called from the back corner of the rec hall where all the audio equipment was kept. Apparently the new kid was a ge nius with electronics, so I'd instantly drafted him to run the mu sic for the ritual. "Okay, just a sec. How about I nod at you when I'm ready?"

"Fine with me!" he said with a grin. I backed up a few feet, realizing that, ironically, I was now standing almost exactly where Neferet had stood not long before. I tried to clear my mind of all the confusion and negatives that were swirling in it. My eyes traveled around the circle. There was a fairly large group of kids present--actually more than I had ex pected to show. They had quieted down, though there was still a general air of excitement in the room. The white candles in their tall glass containers illuminated the circle in a clean, bright light. I could see my four friends standing in their positions, waiting expectantly for me to begin the ritual. I focused on them and the wonderful gifts they had been given, and got ready to nod at Jack. "I thought I'd volunteer my services to you." Loren's deep voice had me jumping and making an unattrac tive little squeaking noise. He was standing behind me in the en tranceway. "Crap, Loren! You scared me so bad I almost peed on myself!" I blurted before I had time to control my dorky mouth. But I was telling the truth, Loren had me clutching my pearls in a total freak-out. Apparently he didn't mind my inability to control my mouth. He gave me a long, slow, sexy smile. "I thought you knew I was here."

"No. I was a little distracted."

"Stressed, I bet." He touched my arm in a gesture that prob ably looked innocent. You know, friendly and professorially sup portive. But felt like a caress, a really warm caress. His widening smile made me wonder about his vamp intuitiveness. If he could read any part of my mind I would just die. "Well, I'm here to help you with that stress." Was he kidding? Just the sight of him made me lose my mind. Stress free around Loren Blake? Not hardly. "Really? How are you going to do that?" I asked with just a hint of a flirty smile, very aware that the entire room was watching us and that the entire room included my boyfriend. "I'll do for you what I do for Neferet." The silence stretched between us as my mind wallowed around in the gutter wondering just exactly what he did for Neferet. Thankfully, he didn't let me wallow too long. "Every High Priestess has a poet who recites ancient verse to evoke the presence of the Muse as she enters into her rituals. To day, I'm offering to recite for a very special High Priestess in training. Plus I believe there are some misconceptions that need to be cleared up." He crossed his fist over his heart in a gesture of respect people often used when they greeted Neferet. Unlike a cool, confident High Priestess, and very much like a dork, I just stood there star ing at him. I mean, I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Misconceptions? As in someone might believe I know what the hell I'm doing? "But I will need your permission," he continued. "I wouldn't want to intrude upon your ritual."

"Oh, no!" Then I realized what he must think my silence and then my blurted oh, no meant, and I got hold of myself. "What I mean is that no, you definitely aren't intruding, and yes, I accept your offer. Graciously," I added, wondering how I had ever felt grown and sexy around this man. His smile made me want to melt in a pool at his feet. "Excel lent. Whenever you're ready, just give me the word and I'll begin your introduction." He glanced over to where Jack was gawking at us. "Mind if I have words with your assistant about the slight alteration in your plans?"

"No," I said, feeling utterly surreal. As Loren walked past me his arm brushed mine intimately. Was I imagining the flirting that was going on between us? I looked at the circle and saw that everyone was staring at me. Reluctantly, I found Erik where he was standing beside Stevie Rae. He smiled at me and winked. Okay, it didn't seem like Erik had noticed anything wrong in Loren's behavior toward me. I glanced at Shaunee and Erin. They were following Loren with hungry eyes. They must have felt me looking at them, because they both managed to pull their gazes from Loren's butt. They waggled their eyebrows at me and grinned. They, too, were acting completely normal. It was just me who was being weird about Loren. "Get yourself together!" I hissed at myself under my breath. Concentrate ... concentrate ... concentrate .. . "Zoey, I'm ready when you are." Loren had moved back beside me. I drew a deep, calming breath and lifted my head. "I'm ready." His dark eyes held mine. "Remember, trust your instincts. Nyx speaks to the hearts of her priestesses." Then he walked a few paces into the room. "It is a night for joy!" Loren's voice was not just deep and ex pressive, it was also commanding. He had the same ability Erik did to captivate a room using only his voice. Everyone instantly was silent, waiting eagerly for his next words. "But you should know that the joy of this night isn't found only in the gifts Nyx has so visibly allowed to manifest here. Some of tonight's joy was born two nights ago when your new leader was deciding upon the future she wanted for the Dark Daughters and Sons." I felt a little start of surprise. I didn't know if anyone else really got what he was saying--that I, and not Neferet, had come up with the new standards for the Dark Daughters, but I appreciated his attempt to set things right. "In celebration of Zoey Redbird, and her new vision for the Dark Daughters, I am honored to open her first ritual as your Head Prefect and High Priestess trainee with a classic poem about joy being newly born that was written by my namesake, the vampyre poet William Blake." Loren looked back at me and mouthed, You're on! then he nodded to Jack, who hurriedly turned to the audio equipment. The magical sounds of Enya's orchestral song "Aldebaran" filled the room. I swallowed down the last of my nervousness, and began walking forward, tracing a path around the outside of the circle, like I'd watched both Neferet and Aphrodite do in the rituals they'd led. As they had, I moved in time with the music, making little impromptu turns and dance moves. I'd been really freaked out about this part of the ritual--I mean, I'm not clumsy, but I'm also not Ms. Cheerleader/Pom Squad. Thankfully, it was lots easier than I'd imagined it to be. I'd chosen this particular music because of its beautiful, lilting beat, and also because I'd Googled Aldebaran and found out it was a giant star--and I thought music that celebrated the night sky was appropriate for tonight. It was a good choice, because it seemed as if the music was carrying me, moving my body gracefully around the room and overcoming my initial nerves and awkwardness. When Loren's voice began reciting the poem, he, too, echoed the cadence of the music, just like my body was, and it felt like we were making magic together.