“Not out here,” I said. “Let’s go in the auditorium and shut the doors.”
We all filed in, with Lenobia still gaping at Jack. As soon as the doors were securely closed, words spilled from Other Jack.
“But they killed you! I saw it. You and Travis. And your horses.” Other Jack had to pause then and look away from her to collect himself. But it was like he couldn’t stop looking at her because his gaze found her again right away. “I didn’t tell on you. I swear it. You were my favorite professor. I would never have told on you.”
Lenobia was still staring at Other Jack, but she spoke to me. “Zoey, who is this, why does he smell so foul, and what the hell is he talking about?”
“Remember Aphrodite’s vision?”
“Of course.”
“Well, it wasn’t metaphoric. This is Other Jack. He came through the bloody fountain thing. Along with a horde of really creepy, dangerous red vampyres. They all smell bad—like Stevie Rae and the other red fledglings used to before Aphrodite sacrificed her humanity for them. You can’t reach the Depot Restaurant because they attacked it. Aphrodite tased Other Jack. That’s why he’s here. We’re trying to convince him that he’s not in the same world he was in earlier today—a world where Neferet is High Priestess and is in charge of two vampyre armies, a red one and a blue one. And, apparently, humans are used as refrigerators in his world. There. You’re pretty much caught up.”
“You were part of the rebels,” Jack repeated, looking a little less shell-shocked than he had when Lenobia had first appeared. “Is—is Persephone still alive?”
“Um, yeah,” I said. “I rode her yesterday.”
He deflated, sitting heavily on one of the cushy velvet theater seats. “I’m glad. I’m really glad. And the rest of the horses, like Bonny, Mujaji, Anjo. They’re all okay?”
“Of course,” Lenobia said.
“Could I see them? Not this second. But would you mind if I visited the stables? Even if Stark keeps my hands tied.”
Lenobia looked haunted. “In the world you’re from, someone killed all of my horses.”
She didn’t ask it, but Jack answered. “Yes. I’m so sorry. Someone turned you in. You and Travis tried to escape. You—you didn’t make it. Neither did the horses.”
Lenobia’s gaze fell and she closed her eyes. I could see her lips move as she whispered an almost silent prayer. When she raised her face her eyes swam in tears that tracked down her cheeks. “I don’t know anything about rebels, or an army, be it red or blue, Jack Twist. In this world we fought to get rid of Neferet before her poison ruined us. I will tell you, though, that if I lived in a world where Neferet was in charge I swear on my life that I would step up and join anyone rebelling against her. My Travis would follow me. My horses would follow me. No matter the cost.”
“Truth,” Aphrodite said.
“Yep. No question ’bout it,” Stevie Rae agreed.
“We’re with Lenobia,” Rephaim said.
“Absolutely,” Damien said. “If a rebel is someone who fights against Neferet, then I’m a rebel.”
“Definitely,” Stark said. “We battled that bitch once and won. We’d do it again.”
“But we don’t have to,” I told Jack, meeting his gaze steadily. “Neferet isn’t in charge of anything here. She tried to take over the world and we stopped her. And there is no war against humans here because we stopped her.”
“There is no Neferet here,” Jack said slowly. “No armies, either?”
“None,” I said firmly. “There are only the Sons of Erebus Warriors, and their job is to protect the House of Night and its priestesses. They also protect the humans of our community. Like right now if you look out on the wall you’ll see Warriors patrolling. Those Warriors will allow any human who wants sanctuary into the school. We aren’t at war against anything except whatever those creatures are who came into this world with you.”
Other Jack got up and walked to me. Stark came with him, fully on alert.
“I’m convinced. This isn’t my world.”
I let out a long breath in relief. “Good. We have questions. A lot of questions.”
He nodded. “I’ll help you. Would you help me, too? Please?” Red-tinged tears spilled from his eyes.
“I don’t know if I can get you back to your world,” I said.
“I don’t want to go back. Ever. And I don’t want to lose myself and turn into a red vampyre. Please. Please. Help me.”
15
Zoey
“Of course we’ll help you!” Damien gushed. Moving forward he stepped in front of me to take Jack into his arms. He managed to reach Jack and even embraced him awkwardly.
I saw the change happen as soon as Jack’s face got close to the soft skin on the side of Damien’s neck. His eyes glowed. He pulled his lips back in a snarl and opened his mouth impossibly wide, showing teeth dripping saliva and a too-red tongue.
“No!” Stark shouted, wrenching the two of them apart, and shoving Jack down into a seat. Then he rounded on Damien. “Have you not been paying attention? This is not your Jack. Damnit, Damien! Sniff him.”
“Would you care how Zoey smelled?” Damien said.
“No. Yes.” Stark sighed. “No, I wouldn’t care because I’d still love her, but yes, I would pay attention to her scent because it means something’s wrong.”
“Listen to him, Damien,” Jack said. His voice was rough. His eyes still glowed red. “You have to stay away from me. Your blood isn’t as sweet as a human’s, but I can’t always control myself, especially when I get hungry.”
“How often do you get hungry?” I asked. I mean, he’d just sucked down a big blood smoothie back in the basement.
“All the time,” Stevie Rae answered for him. “Right, Stark?”
Stark nodded solemnly. “She’s right. We understand how he feels. He might try—emphasis on the might—but it’s still hard to control his thirst for blood.”
“Not just blood,” Jack spoke slowly, as if forming the words had become difficult. “Living meat. I crave it, too.”
“Ohmygoodness,” Stevie Rae gasped. “You’re cannibals?”
“Not vampyres or fledglings. Not if we don’t have to. Humans. We eat humans.”
“Like that’s any less disgusting?” Stevie Rae said.
Jack’s hand was shaking as he wiped away the red tears that stained his cheeks. “I need—I need to feed. Can’t concentrate.”
“Rephaim, go find Shaunee. She was supposed to be bringing him another smoothie. We’re going to take Other Jack back to his room in the basement. Get the blood—a lot of blood—and take it to his room down there. Now.”
Rephaim shot out of the auditorium. I faced Jack. “We’re going to get you more blood. Actually, we’ll keep you in all the blood you can drink, but not flesh. Not human flesh. Never. Do you understand?”
He nodded.
“Can you control yourself enough to walk back to the basement?” I steeled myself and continued in a hard voice totally devoid of emotion. “Because if you can’t Aphrodite is going to taze you unconscious again and Stark will carry you.”
“I can do it.”
“Do not think I’m kidding. You threaten my people and you will be stopped.”