“Yeah, it’d be tough for anyone to lurk around that busy place unnoticed. Especially if that someone smelled like dead things rotting in a basement and acted even worse than the first red fledglings used to.”
“Plus, there’s Aphrodite’s sacrifice. The one where she lost her Mark and became, well, whatever it is she is now,” Stark began.
“Which is an amazingly attractive Prophetess of Nyx,” Aphrodite interrupted.
“Yeah, that. But once you made the sacrifice of your humanity, you saved Stevie Rae and you gave all red fledglings the ability to choose between Light and Darkness. We knew Jack. Dead or undead, there’s no way he would have chosen Darkness over Light.”
“I apologize for the insensitive way this sounds, but we saw Jack’s body burn on the funeral pyre. He could not have been resurrected as a red fledgling,” Darius said.
“Which gives me hope that at least some of Aphrodite’s vision was metaphoric,” I said.
“Yeah, it does seem that we can’t take the part about Jack literally,” Aphrodite said. “Still, it’s going to be rough to tell Damien that he’s the focus of a zombie attack on Tulsa led metaphorically by his dead boyfriend.”
I sighed. “So much for my birthmas surprise.”
“She knows about that?” Aphrodite said with disgust. “Good job, Bow Boy.”
“I had to tell her after that damn Kalona dream. She was going to call everyone here anyway, and she was already freaking about not being able to reach her circle,” Stark said.
“When is everyone getting here? We need to call a Council meeting, ASAP,” I said.
Stark took his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. “They’ll be here within half an hour. They met at the tunnels last night and were to stay there until the party tomorrow, but I sent an emergency group text. Everyone’s coming here instead. Stevie Rae and Rephaim just landed—they were the last to get in.”
“Damien’s already here?” I asked.
“Yep. Got here yesterday afternoon. He’s already been to Ihloff Salon for a mani-pedi.”
I frowned. “He’s been to Ihloff, but hasn’t been here to see me?”
“Hey, genius,” Aphrodite said. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said.
“And aren’t you totally used to having a crappy birthday, so a ruined surprise party is actually above the norm for you?” She added.
“There is that,” I agreed. “Okay, let’s start gathering the Council. Are you going to be okay enough in thirty minutes or so to join us?”
“Absolutely, if Darius releases his stranglehold on my Xanax bottle.”
I looked at Darius. He shook his head.
“I could feel that,” Aphrodite said.
“Is that some weird gift from Nyx?” Stark murmured to me as we left Aphrodite’s room.
“Is what?”
“Her bizarre ability to know what’s going on around her even when she’s blind.”
“Um. No. I think that’s a selective gift sent by the pharmaceutical gods.”
Stark grinned as he slid his arm around my shoulders. “You’re a funny girl.”
“Hey, I’m totally serious.”
“Which makes you even funnier.” He kissed my ear, making me squirm and laugh.
I pulled him to a stop and looked up into his gentle brown eyes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. But for what?”
“For my almost surprise party.”
“You don’t think it was Stevie Rae’s idea?” he asked.
“I’m pretty sure she was in on it with you, but I recognize a Stark idea when I see one,” I said. “So, thank you. And, in case you’ve forgotten. I love you. Always.”
“I’ll never forget. Always.”
Stark kissed me then, and for a moment his touch, taste, and the current of love that flowed between us drowned out everything else—every scary, sad, crazy thing else.
“Ohmygoodness! I’ve missed you so much, Z!”
Stevie Rae flew into my arms. If I hadn’t been expecting it, she would have knocked me over. Not that I minded. Seeing my BFF again was definitely worth being knocked on my butt.
“Stevie Rae! It’s like I haven’t seen you for years!” I held onto her tightly, not caring that she was squeezing the breath out of me. When we finally were able to let each other go, I saw that tears were pouring down her cheeks. “No! Don’t cry! You’ll make me start and I’ll turn into a snot-and-mascara disaster site.”
“You will not stop her. She’s been crying since the plane circled Tulsa to land.” Rephaim pulled me into a quick hug, kissing me on top of my head (which reminded me of just how tall he was).
I hugged him back and then met my BFF’s liquid gaze. “You’ve been bawling since then? What’s going on with you?”
She sniffled and wiped at her cheeks, trying to smile through her tears. “I just—I just, m-miss home.”
“Awww, come here.” I opened my arms again and, sobbing like someone had taken her favorite cowboy boots (which wasn’t true because she was wearing them), she clung to me. “Hey, if you’re that homesick we can talk about bringing you back here. Stevie Rae, I didn’t mean for you to be miserable up there in the north.”
“What about me? I’m semimiserable in the east. New York City has been in the deep freeze since mid-November. I’m so over it.” Damien spoke as he entered the Council Chamber, holding out his arms and grinning at me.
“Damien!” Stevie Rae and I said together.
“Group hug!” she said, and we shifted so that Damien could join our hug fest.
“Me, too! Me, too!” Shaylin rushed into the chamber, clapping her hands, with Nicole close on her heals.
“Oh, no, no, no. No one’s group hugging without fire!” Shaunee blazed into the room.
“And me. Unless my star power is too much for you guys to handle.”
“Erik!” I grinned happily as Erik Night made his grand entrance—last, of course. “OMG, is it really you, Dracula?” I gushed in my best tween-boy-band-concert voice. Erik was the current megastar of a new Joss Whedon–directed cable series called Fantasyworld—a fantastic addition to the insanely popular Westworld and Futureworld series. He plays, of course, Dracula. A super-sexy robot version of Dracula—complete with seminude sex scenes realistic enough to make me blush. They filmed the series in NOLA, and Joss was so awesome that he kept a private jet on standby for when Erik was called to fulfill his Tracker duties—which is why he could be a megasuperstar.
Stevie Rae, Shaylin, and Damien all followed my lead. They began swooning dramatically and begging “Dracula” for his autograph.
“And could I have a little ol’ lock of your hair? I’m making an Erik Night doll for my Erik Night shrine. Not that that’s creepy at all,” Stevie Rae said, giggling through her tears.
“I want to have your babies!” Damien gushed.
“I can hardly speak. Your handsomeness has done me in.” Shaylin fanned herself.
Erik frowned. “Okay, Shaylin just jumped the shark. She doesn’t even bat for my team.”
“Nope, she’s totally on my team.” Nicole made kiss noises at her Consort.
“Jumped the shark?” Stevie Rae asked.
“I’ll explain later,” Damien said.
“Is this better?” Shaylin put the back of her hand against her forehead and launched into a fairly good imitation of Scarlet from Gone with the Wind. “Your virility has changed me. I shall nevah eat pussy again!”