Chosen (House of Night #3)(28)

I chewed my lip. "I bribed her with country clothes, so I think so." Aphrodite shook her head. "So she dies, un-dies, and still has a shitty fashion sense."

"Apparently."

"Now that's really sad."

"Yeah." I sighed. I loved Stevie Rae, but even I had to admit she liked to dress like a hick.

"So, where are you taking her after you give her the clothes?" I didn't think I should mention that I'd like to take her straight to a bathtub. "I don't know. I haven't thought much past getting her clothes and, uh, blood."

"Blood!"

"She has to have it. Human blood. Or she goes crazy."

"Isn't she already pretty much crazy?"

"No! She's just dealing with issues."

"Issues?"

"Lots of issues," I said firmly.

"Okay. Whatever. You've gotta decide where you're going to take her. She can't stay with the rest of those things. That won't help her," Aphrodite said.

"I was going to try to talk her into coming back here. I figured I could hide her pretty easily while most the vamps are gone."

"You can't bring her back here." Aphrodite had gone pale. "This is where I saw her die. Again."

"Crap! Then I don't know what the hell I'm going to do," I admitted.

"I suppose you could take her to my old place," Aphrodite said.

"Yeah, right. Your parents are so understanding and all. That sounds like a great idea, Aphrodite." She rolled her eyes. "My parents are gone. They left early this morning for three weeks skiing in Breckenridge. Plus, she won't be staying inside the house. My parents live in one of those old oil mansions right down the street from the Philbrook. They have a garage apartment that used to be a servants' quarters back in the day. It's not used anymore except when my grandma comes to visit, and my mom just stuck her in one of those high-class, high-security, high-dollar nursing homes, so you don't need to worry about that. Still, everything in the apartment should work-you know, electricity and water and such."

"You think she'd be okay there?"

Aphrodite shrugged. "She'd be safer there than here."

"All right. That's where she goes then."

"Is she gonna be okay with that?"

"Yeah," I lied. "I'll tell her the fridge is filled with blood." I sighed. "Even though I don't know how the hell I'm going to get her a glass of blood, let alone a fridge full of it."

"It's in the kitchen."

"At your house?" Now I was totally confused.

"No, jeesh, stay with me. They have blood here. In a big stainless steel cooler in the kitchen. For the vamps. Fresh shipments come in all the time from human donors. All the upperclassmen know about it. We get to use it sometimes in rituals."

"That'll work, especially since there's hardly anyone around right now. I should be able to get into the kitchen and grab some blood without being caught." I frowned. "Please tell me it's not just sitting in a Tupperware pitcher or something equally disturbing." Okay, even though I really, really liked to drink blood, I was still completely grossed out at the idea of actually drinking blood. I know, I need therapy. Again.

"It's in pouches, like at the hospital. Nothing to stress about."

By this time we'd made an automatic turn to the right and were meandering back toward the dorm.

"You have to go with me," I said abruptly.

"To the kitchen?"

"No, I mean to Stevie Rae. You'll have to show us your house and how to get in the apartment and everything."

"She's not going to want to see me," Aphrodite said.

"I know, but she'll have to get over it. She knows your vision saved my grandma. When I tell her you've had a vision about her, she's just gonna have to believe it." I was glad I sounded so sure. I definitely didn't feel sure.

"But it might be best if you hide and wait until I've talked to her for a while before she sees you."

"Look, I'm trying to do the right thing here, but I'm not going to hide from a kid I used to use as a refrigerator."

"Don't call her that!" I snapped. "Did you ever think that a big part of your problem and why so many bad things have happened to you isn't Neferet and all the bullpoop she's up to, but it's the fact that you have such a bitchy, crappy, attitude?"

Aphrodite's brows went up and she cocked her head to the side, which made her look like a blond bird. "Yeah, I've thought about that, but I'm not like you. I'm not all positive and Miss Goodie-Two-Shoes. Tell me something. You think people are basically good, don't you?"

Her question surprised me, but I shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Not me. I think most people, and I'm talking vamp or human, are shitty. They put on an act. They pretend to be all nicey-nice, but are really just one step away from showing their true ass**le-ness."

"That's a depressing way to go through life," I said.

"You call it depressing. I call it realistic."

"How do you ever trust anyone?"

Aphrodite looked away from me. "I don't. It's easier that way. You'll find out." She met my eyes again and I couldn't read the weird expression in them. "Power changes people."