Hunted (House of Night #5)(85)

"Okay, okay, we get it," Erin said, stuffing her note into the pocket of her designer jeans.

"Yeah, what ever. You two are turning into teachers. And that's not a compliment," Shaunee said, taking her piece of paper.

"Just remember, don't peek until the bell," I said.

"We won't," Damien said. "And when we do, maybe we should call our inpidual elements to us, just to help us focus?" "Yes!" I said, smiling gratefully at Damien.

"Speaking of." Shaunee grabbed the sheet of paper we'd been writing on. "I'm going to take this to the ladies' room and do my own studying with my element." She looked long and hard at me, and I nodded, understanding that she was going to call fire to her and destroy the evidence of our "subterfuge," which was a big word I actually knew the definition of.

"I'll go with you, Twin. You might need my, er, help." Erin hurried after her.

"At least we don't have to worry about Shaunee lighting the school on fire from the bathroom," Damien whispered.

"Holy shit, I'm starved!" Aphrodite breezed in and plopped down next to me. Her plate was loaded with spaghetti. She looked gorgeous, as usual, but a little frazzled. Her hair, which she normally wore long and flowing all around her shoulders, was pulled back in what might have once been a chic, puffed-top ponytail, but now looked actually messy.

"Are you okay?" I whispered, throwing a look at the window and giving Aphrodite what I hoped was a be-quiet-they-can-hear-us look.

Aphrodite followed my line of vision, nodded slightly, and then whispered back, "I'm fine. Darius is fast!"

From that I understood that the warrior had probably been taking her on one of his superfast runs. I briefly regretted that he couldn't carry us all out of here, one at a time, but filed an amended version of the thought; maybe he could carry one or even two fledglings in an emergency.

"They're all over out there," Aphrodite said so softly I almost didn't hear her.

"Around the perimeter?" Damien whispered.

Aphrodite nodded, shoveling spaghetti into her face. "They lurk around campus, too," she said between bites, careful to keep her voice low, "but their focus is obviously on keeping anyone from coming or going without their permission."

"Well, we're definitely going without their permission," I said. I looked at Damien. "You have to go so I can talk to Aphrodite. Do you understand?"

He started to look hurt for a second, and then I saw understanding in his eyes as he remembered I could talk freely to Aphrodite without worrying that Neferet could break into her mind and dig out what I'd said.

"I understand," he said. "So I guess I'll see you..." His voice trailed off into a question. iv>

"Just go over the vocab note I gave you, okay?"

He smiled. "Okay."

"Vocab note?" Aphrodite said after he was gone.

"It's just a way I'm getting them to meet me in the stables right after school without them knowing beforehand. Maybe if it's a surprise to them, it'll take a while for Neferet to know what we're up to."

"And by that time we'll be out of here?"

"I hope so," I whispered. I leaned closer to Aphrodite, not caring if the Raven Mockers were suspicious about the two of us putting our heads together. At least they couldn't get into our heads. "Get to the stables with Darius as soon as school's out. Dragon and Anastasia are with us. So I'm hoping that means the cat clues were right, and Lenobia is on our side, too." "Which means she may help us get out of here from the weak part in the wall by the stables?"

"Yeah. Okay, do not tell anyone else this next part, not even Darius. Do you swear?"

"Yeah, yeah, what ever. Cross my heart and hope to--"

"Just saying you won't tell is good enough for me," I said, not wanting to hear anything about hoping to die come out of her mouth.

"I won't tell. So, what is it?"

"We're not going back to the depot tunnels when we leave here.

We're going to the Benedictine Abbey."

Her gaze on me was sharp and way more intelligent than most people gave her credit for being. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"I trust Sister Mary Angela, and I have a bad feeling about the tunnels."

"Ah, shit. I hate it when you say that."

"Hell, I don't like it either! But I sensed a darkness down there that I've been seeing too much of."

"Neferet," Aphrodite whispered.

"I'm afraid so." I spoke slowly, thinking aloud. "And I'm thinking that the influence of the nuns might repel her. Plus, Sister Mary Angela told me that there was a place of power there at the abbey, something that made my control over the elements not so surprising to her. I think she called it Mary's Grotto." As I spoke I felt that sureness within that told me Nyx was pleased with the choices I was making. "Maybe we can somehow use the power there, like we've used the power over by the east wall before. At the very least it might help me keep us cloaked."

"Mary's Grotto? Sounds like something that should be in the ocean and not in Tulsa. Look, just keep in mind that the place of power by the east wall has been misused about as much as it's been tapped into for good," she said. "And what about Stevie Rae and her freaks? Not to mention your boyfriends?"