Hunted (House of Night #5)(58)

Kalona chuckled. "You are such a delightfully bloodthirsty creature. If the young priestess is not a benefit to us, then of course she shall eventually be disposed of. Until then I will see what I can do about breaking the shackles that bind her."

"No. I want you to stay away from her!" Neferet snapped.

"You would do well to remember who is master here. I will not be ruled or commanded or trapped, ever again. And I am not your impotent Goddess. What I give I will take away if I am displeased!" The sexy silkiness was gone from Kalona's voice, and a terrible coldness had replaced it.

"Don't be angry." Neferet was instantly contrite. "It is just that I cannot bear to share you."

"Then do not displease me!" he shouted, but already the anger was fading from his voice.

"Come with me from this room and I promise I will not displease you," Neferet said teasingly. I could hear the disgusting moist sounds of them kissing. Neferet's breathless moans were enough to make me gag.

After way too many totally R-rated nasty sound effects, Kalona finally said, "Go to our chamber. Ready yourself for me. I will follow you there shortly."

I could almost hear Neferet's No! Come with me now! shriek through the room, but she surprised me by saying, "Come to me soon, my dark angel," and that in a sweet, sultry voice. Then there was the swish of her clothes and the opening and closing of a door.

She's actually manipulating him. I wondered if Kalona knew it. Surely an immortal being would be wise to a vampyre High Priestess's mind games (well, and body games, too--eesh). Then I remembered the spectral image of Neferet I'd glimpsed at the depot. How had she done that? Maybe turning to the Dark Side has given her different powers; maybe she's not just a fallen vampyre High Priestess. Who knows what being Queen of the Tsi Sgili really means? This new thought terrified me.

A rustling around my bed interrupted my awful inner musings. tF`Y K I lay very still. I wanted to hold my breath, but knew that I had to keep taking deep, even breaths. I swear I could feel Kalona's eyes on me and was unbelievably glad that the sheet had been pulled modestly up over my br**sts and tucked tight around my body.

I felt the familiar chill coming from his body. Kalona must be close to me. He was probably standing right there, right beside my bed. I heard the ominous rustle of feathers and could imagine him spreading those beautiful black wings. He could be getting ready to pull me into his arms again and wrap them around me, like he had in my dream.

And that was it. No matter what my instincts were screaming at me, I couldn't keep my eyes closed any longer. Sure that I was going to be looking up at his indescribably perfect face, I opened my eyes to find myself staring up at the mutated features of Rephaim. The Raven Mocker was bent over me, his terrible bird face just inches from mine. His beak was open and his tongue was flicking in my direction.

My reaction was immediate and automatic, and several things happened all at once. Shrieking my most piercing girl scream, I clutched the sheet to my chest and scrambled back so fast I smacked myself against the headboard of the bed. As I did that, the disgusting Raven Mocker hissed and spread his wings, looking like he was going to pounce on me, and the door burst open. Darius rushed into the room, took one look at the malevolent creature hovering over me, and with a move that was as graceful as it was lethal, reached inside his leather jacket to the knife he holstered there, pulled it free, and threw. The blade struck Rephaim high in his chest. The creature shrieked and staggered back, clutching at the pearl-inlaid hilt of the knife.

"You dare attack my son!" It took Kalona only two strides to reach Darius. With the strength of a god, he grabbed the warrior by the throat and lifted him off his feet. Kalona was so tall, his arms so long and muscular, that he was able to slam Darius against the ceiling of the room. He held Darius there as the warrior's legs kicked spasmodically and his fists beat ineffectually against Kalona's massive arms.

"Stop it! Don't hurt him!" Pulling the sheet with me off the bed I staggered over to the two of them, not realizing until I'd gotten to my feet how weak I still was. Kalona's black wings were unfurled, and I had to duck under one of them to get to Darius. I didn't know what I thought I was going to do when I leaped off the bed. Even if I had been myself and not hurt and drained I would have been no match for this immortal being--and right now, though I was screaming at him and pounding on his side, I could tell I was less troubling to him than an annoying mosquito would have been. But one thing did happen. As I looked up at Kalona, I saw his blazing amber eyes and how his teeth were bared in a feral smile, and I understood that he was enjoying slowly choking the life from Darius.

At that moment Kalona's true self was revealed to me. He was not a misunderstood hero who was waiting for love to bring out his good side. Kalona didn't have a good side. Whether he had always been like this or not wasn't important. What he'd become--what he was now-- was evil. The spell he had worked over me shattered like a dream made of glass. I hoped desperately that it was too broken to ever be pieced back together again.

Drawing a deep breath, I raised my hands, palms out, not caring that the sheet fell away from my body, leaving me standing there naked. Then I used the last of my strength to evoke, "Wind and fire, come to me. I need yot 3d oveu." Instantly I felt the presence of the two elements, and beyond their presence I could sense Damien and Shaunee and had a brief flash of the two of them concentrating with their eyes closed as they added their combined wills to strengthen their elements. That little burst of power was all I needed. I narrowed my eyes and put everything I had into my command. "Make the winged guy get off Darius!" I threw my hands at Kalona, focusing the elements on the movement, and at the same time thinking how fire and wind had gotten me out of some pretty tight spots with those stupid Raven Mockers, so using them against their daddy should work, too.