Hunted (House of Night #5)(92)

"What are you doing?"

"I'm pledging myself to you. Warriors have done it for ages--pledged themselves, body, heart, and soul, to protect their High Priestesses. I know I'm just a fledgling still, but I believe I qualify as Warrior already."

"Well, I'm just a fledgling still, too, so we match." My voice shook, and I had to blink fast to clear the tears that were pooling in my eyes.

"Do you accept my pledge, my lady?"

"Stark, do you understand what you're doing?" I knew about a warrior's pledge to a High Priestess, and it was an oath that often bound him to her ser vice for his entire life, and was often harder to break than an Imprint.

"I do. I'm making a choice. The right choice. I'm choosing good over evil, light over darkness. I choose my humanity. Do you accept my pledge, my lady?" he repeated.

"Yes, Stark, I do. And in Nyx's name I bind you to the Goddess's ser vice, as well as to mine, because to serve me is to serve her."

The air around us shimmered and there was a brilliant flash of light. Stark cried out and seemed to crumple in on himself, falling at my feet with a moan.

I dropped to my knees beside him, pulling at his shoulders, trying to see what was wrong. "Stark! What happened? Are you--" With a wonderfully joyouimme was oft s cry he looked up at me. Tears were running freely down his face, but his smile was radiant. Then I blinked and realized what I was seeing. His crescent had been filled in and expanded. Two arrows faced the crescent. They were decorated with intricate symbols that seemed to glow with their new scarlet color against the white of his skin.

"Oh, Stark!" I reached out and gently traced the tattoo that forever Marked him as an adult vampyre--the second adult red vampyre there had ever been. "It's beautiful!"

"I've Changed, haven't I?"

I nodded, and the tears overflowed my eyes and fell down my cheeks. And then I was in his arms, kissing him, and our tears mingled together as we laughed and cried and held each other.

The bell that signaled the end of fifth hour made us jump. He helped me to my feet and, smiling, wiped the tears from my cheeks and his own. Then reality broke through my happiness, and I realized everything that had to go along with this new and amazing Change.

"Stark, when a fledgling Changes, there is some kind of ritual he has to go through."

"Do you know the ritual?"

"No, only vamps do." Then I had a thought. "You have to go to Dragon Lankford."

"The fencing instructor?"

"Yeah. He's on our side. Tell him I sent you to him. Tell him you've pledged yourself as Warrior in my ser vice. He'll know what to do for you."

"Okay, will do."

"But don't let anyone see that you've Changed." I didn't know why it was important to me, but I knew he needed to keep hidden until after he reached Dragon. I looked around the storage room until I found a TU trucker's cap, which I stuck on Stark's head. With a little more searching I found a towel, which I rolled up and tucked around his neck. "Pull this up"--I tugged the towel into place--"and keep this brim down. You won't look too weird. I mean, there's an ice storm out there. Just get to Dragon without being seen."

He nodded. "What'll you be doing?"

"I'll be planning our escape from here. Dragon and his wife are in on it, and I think the Horse Master, Lenobia, is, too. So get back here as soon as you can."

"Zoey, don't wait for me. Get away from here. Get far, far away."

"What about you?"

"I can come and go whenever I want. I'll find you, don't worry. My body won't be with you all the time, but you'll always have my heart. I'm your warrior, remember?"

I smiled and touched his cheek. "I'll never forget. I promise. I'm your High Priestess and you've pledged yourself to me. That means you have my heart, too."

"Then both of us better stay safe. A heart's a hard thing to live without. I should know. I've tried it," he said.

"But no more," I said.

"No more," he agreed.

Stark kissed me with such gentleness that he took my breath away. Then he took a step back, fisted his hand over his heart, and bowed formally to me. "I'll see you soon, my lady." "Be careful," I said.

"And if I can't be careful, I'll be quick." He threw me his cocky grin and ducked out of the door.

When he was gone I closed my eyes, fisted my hand over my heart, and bowed my head. "Nyx," I whispered, "I was telling him the truth. He has my heart. I don't know how that's going to turn out, but I ask that you keep my warrior safe and thank you for giving him the courage to make the choice for good."

Nyx didn't suddenly appear before me, and I hadn't expected her to. But I did feel a brief, listening silence in the air around me, and that was enough. I knew the Goddess's hand was on Stark. Protect him...strengthen him...oh, and could you please help me figure out what I'm going to do about him... I prayed silently until the sixth-hour bell rang.

"Okay, Zoey," I told myself. "Let's break out of this place."

Chapter Twenty-nine

When I rushed into the stables late, Lenobia gave me a chilly look and said, "Zoey, you have a stall to muck." She tossed me a pitchfork and pointed me toward Persephone's stall.