Hidden (House of Night #10)(9)

I could see that the announcement shook Lenobia, although I knew the Horse Mistress had been aware that Neferet had become our enemy months ago. Still, there was a big difference between thinking something, and knowing the worst you had imagined was true. Especially when that something was so horrible it was almost beyond comprehension. Then Lenobia cleared her throat and said, "The High Council has shunned her?"

"I have reported what I have witnessed this night," said Thanatos, acting High Priestess of our House of Night. "The High Council commands Neferet appear before them where they will mete out justice upon her for her betrayal of our Goddess and of our ways."

"She had to have known what you would find if your ritual was successful," Lenobia said.

"Yeah, which is why she sent that thing of hers after us-to kill Rephaim and mess up our circle and stop the reveal ritual," Stevie Rae said, sliding her hand within Rephaim's, who stood tall and strong by her side.

"Doesn't look like that worked," Erik Night said.

He was standing close to Shaylin. Now that I thought about it, it seemed Erik had been spending a lot of time standing close to Shaylin. Hmmm ...

"Well, it would've worked," Stevie Rae said, "but Dragon showed up and stopped Aurox for a while." She paused and looked back at Kalona. She actually sent him a warm, sweet, Stevie Rae smile before continuing, "Kalona is really who saved Rephaim. Kalona saved his son."

"Dragon! That's where he is-with you guys," Erik said, his eyes searching around behind us, obviously expecting to see Dragon.

I felt my gut clench and blinked hard so that I wouldn't start bawling. When no one said anything I drew in a deep breath and delivered the really crappy, sad news. "Dragon was with us. He fought to protect us. Well, us and Rephaim. But..." I trailed off, finding it hard to say the next words.

"But Aurox gored Dragon to death, breaking the spell that had sealed the circle and setting the rest of us free so we could get to Rephaim and protect him," Stark had no problem finishing for me.

"It was too late, though," Stevie Rae added. "Rephaim would have died, too, if Kalona hadn't shown up in time to save him."

"Dragon Lankford is dead?" Lenobia's face had gone still and white.

"He is. He died a Warrior, true to himself and to his Oath. He has been reunited with his Mate in the Otherworld," Thanatos said. "We all served witness to it."

Lenobia closed her eyes and bowed her head. I could see her lips were moving, as if she was murmuring a soft prayer. When she lifted her head her face was set in angry lines and her gray eyes looked like storm clouds. "Burning my stables was a distraction which allowed Neferet to escape."

"It seems likely," Thanatos said. Then the High Priestess paused as if listening carefully through the rain and firemen and horse noises. Her eyes narrowed and she said, "Death has been here-recently."

Lenobia shook her head. "No, the firemen are clearing the stables. I do not believe anyone died there."

"I am not sensing a fledgling or a vampyre spirit," Thanatos said.

"All the horses got out!" Nicole spoke up suddenly. I was surprised at her tone. I mean, until then I'd only heard Nicole sneer or say something nasty. This Nicole sounded like a regular kid-one who was normal and upset by stuff like horses on fire and evil loosed on the world.

But Stevie Rae, like me, knew a very different Nicole.

"What the hell are you doin' here, Nicole?" Stevie Rae said.

"She was helping Lenobia and Travis get the horses out," Shaylin said.

"Yeah, I'm sure she was-right after she set the fire!" Stevie Rae said.

"Bitch, you can't talk to me like that!" Nicole sneered, her voice becoming way more familiar.

"Watch yourself, Nicole," I said, stepping up beside Stevie Rae.

"Enough!" Thanatos lifted her hands and power surged, crackling through the rain and making all of us jump. "Nicole, you are a red fledgling. It is past time you gave your allegiance to the only High Priestess of your kind. You will not curse at her. Is that understood?"

Nicole crossed her arms and nodded, once. She didn't look sorry at all to me, and her attitude, on top of everything else that had happened that night, really pissed me off. I faced her and told her exactly what was on my mind. "You need to get that no one's going to put up with your crap anymore. From here on things are going to be different."

"For one, you'll have to get through me to hurt Zoey," Stark said.

"You used me to try to kill Stevie Rae once. That will never happen again," Rephaim spoke up.

"Zoey, Stevie Rae," Thanatos said sharply. "To be respected as High Priestesses you must act accordingly, and so must your Warriors."

"She tried to kill us. Both of us!" Stevie Rae said.

"Not recently!" Nicole shouted at Stevie Rae.

"How can we battle the great and ancient Darkness that has been newly loosed upon this world if we are no more than bickering children?" Thanatos spoke quietly. She didn't sound powerful or wise or strong. She sounded tired and hopeless, and that was way scarier than the zapping thing she'd done before.

"Thanatos is right," I said.

"What are you talkin' 'bout, Z? You know what Nicole's really like." Stevie Rae pointed at her. "Just like you knew what Neferet was really like, even when no one else believed you."