Redeemed (House of Night #12)(90)

“I have no clue,” I said.

“Maybe we should ask Shaunee.”

I sighed. “Maybe we should focus on how I can use the stupid stone!”

“You want my opinion?”

I stifled another sigh and said, “Yes.”

“Wear the stone. You know what it’s capable of now. Keep a check on yourself. We’ll all keep a check on you—this time out in the open. If you start to snap, you’ll be tackled by a Herd of Nerds. Literally and figuratively.”

“I really don’t have any choice, do I?”

“Not anymore you don’t. Neferet figured out how to kill Kalona. She’s going to figure out how to break the protective spell. Then she’s going to come after us. Mostly you, but the fallout will include the rest of us.”

“You’re right. Give me back the stupid stone.”

Aphrodite reached under the neck of her shirt and pulled out a delicate silver chain, long enough that she didn’t have to unclasp it to take it off. From the chain dangled the deceptively innocent-looking Seer Stone.

“It always reminds me of a coconut Life Saver,” I said, reluctant to touch it. “That’s a pretty chain.”

“It’s platinum. Try not to f**k it up, because I want it back. The chain, not the stone. Stop stalling and take it.” She held it out so I had to do exactly that. “You know, your first step in this whole wield-the-Old-Magick thing might have something to do with you working on your confidence. Z, if you don’t believe you can do this, there’s no damn way you’re going to be able to do this.”

“I know.” I put the chain around my neck and tucked the stone under my T-shirt. Then I waited for something to happen.

Aphrodite snorted. “Seriously? You walked around with that thing for weeks before you went postal.”

“Well, something could happen!” I said defensively.

“Yeah, sure, and Oklahoma could elect a female Democrat to the Senate, hell could freeze over, pigs could fly, blah, blah. Relax. Stressing over it can’t help.”

“Okay, yeah, you’re right.”

“I love hearing that twice in one conversation.”

“Don’t get used to it.” Aphrodite rolled her eyes and started to twitch away. I called after her, “Hey, I’m sending a group text. We gotta have a serious brainstorming session. Everyone needs to meet in the professors’ dining hall for breakfast. Fifteen minutes after sunset.”

“Make it an hour and fifteen minutes after sunset and I’ll send the text for you.”

“Aphrodite, we really need to get a plan.”

“Zoey, we really need to get some sleep.”

I chewed my lip and thought about how tired she looked and how tired I felt. “Deal,” I said.

“Oh, and by the way, I know you’re using this whole end-of-the-world thing as an excuse to take over the vamps’ cafeteria, and I like it!” She waggled her eyebrows at me and then off she twitched.

Shaking my head and yawning, I started toward the girls’ dorms—and then made a sharp turn, backtracked, and took a giant circular detour when I noticed that some of the jump-roping kids were gawking at me like they were gearing up to pull my feathers.

“It’s bad when Kalona seems nicer than me,” I mumbled to myself.

“You’re usually nice, Zo.”

“Holy crap, Aurox! You can’t just sneak up behind me and scare me like that.”

“I was jogging the perimeter and not sneaking at all,” he said. “You were talking to yourself so loud you didn’t hear me, or Skylar.” He nodded upward at the school’s wall, where the giant orange cat was padding on his tiger-like paws, keeping up with Aurox. “Why do you think Kalona was nicer than you?”

I made a gesture in the general direction from where distant girl giggles could still be heard. “He let them pull his feathers. I detoured all the way over here to avoid them.”

Aurox smiled. “That doesn’t make you less nice. It makes you smart. Young humans hurt my ears, too.”

I grinned back at him, glad things felt easier between us since we’d discovered Skylar together. “Young humans, especially young human girls, would like you. They’d think you’re super hot,” I teased. Then instantly wished I could take it back, because the easy, friendly feeling between us evaporated.

“I should get on with my patrol. Blessed be, Zoey.”

He started to jog away and I snagged his wrist. “Hey, hang on. I didn’t mean to say anything to make you mad.”

His broad shoulders slumped. “I’m not mad. I just get tired of it.”

“It?” I asked, clueless.

“It—the fact that I’m not what I seem. If those little girls knew what I could turn into, they would be terrified of me.”

“Oh,” I said, getting it. “But they don’t know, and you aren’t turning into anything right now. Why don’t you do what Rephaim does? He lives every moment of his human life to the fullest. He doesn’t let the fact that he has to be a bird every day ruin life for him.”

I could see I’d given Aurox something to think about. At least he didn’t jog away, or turn all cold and distant. We walked on for a while without saying anything. When he finally answered me, he did so in a voice that was barely above a whisper.