Awakened

and I glanced at a bench that rested under a redbud tree near the front of the school. Erik was sitting there, alone. His face was in his hands and the sound I’d heard was his crying.

CHAPTER TWENTY

    Zoey

    I almost kept walking by, and then I remembered that before he’d gone through the Change, Erik had been Jack’s roommate. And because of that I also remembered that it didn’t matter just then what had happened between him and me. I was serving the role of High Priestess tonight for Jack, and I knew beyond any doubt Jack wouldn’t want me to let Erik sit out there all by himself, crying.
    Plus I had a sudden flash though my mind of the time when Erik had found me crying after my first, disastrous, Dark Daughters’ Ritual. Back then he’d been sweet and thoughtful and had made me feel like maybe I could really handle the craziness that happened at this school.
    I owed him a favor in return.
    I squeezed Damien’s hand and brought him and my whole group to a halt. “Honey,” I said to Damien, “I want you to go with Stark and everyone else to the pyre. There’s something I have to do real quick. Plus, from everything I can find to read on vamp funerals and such, you—’cause Jack really was your Consort—need to spend time meditating before the pyre is lit.” At least I hoped that was what Damien needed to do.
    As if she’d materialized in response to my words, a vampyre stepped out of the shadows, coming from the direction of the funeral pyre. “You are absolutely correct, Zoey Redbird,” she said.
    I, along with all of my friends, gave her big question-mark looks.
    “Oh, I should introduce myself.” She offered me her forearm in the traditional vampyre greeting. “I am Beverly—” She paused, cleared her throat, and started again. “I am Professor Missal. The new Spells and Rituals instructor.”
    “Oh, uh, nice to meet you.” I returned her greeting by grasping her forearm. Yeah, she had a full vamp tattoo—a pretty pattern that reminded me of musical notes—but I swear she looked younger than Stevie Rae. “Um, Professor Missal, would you lead Damien and the rest of the kids to the pyre? There’s something I need to do here.”
    “Of course. Everything will be ready for you.” She turned to Damien and said gently, “Please follow me.”
    Damien said a faint okay, but he looked super glassy eyed. Still, he began following the new professor. Stark hung back. His eyes shifted to the shadows and the bench on which Erik sat. Then they returned to me.
    “Please,” I said. “I need to talk to him. Trust me, ’kay?”
    His face relaxed. “No problem, mo bann ri. ” Before he started after Damien, he added softly in his excellent Scottish accent, “It’s waitin’ for you I’ll be when yur finished.”
    “Thank you.” I tried to tell him with my eyes how much I loved and appreciated his loyalty and his trust.
    He smiled and moved off with the rest of the group. Well, except for Aphrodite. And Darius, who hovered about like her shadow.
    “What?” I said.
    “Like we can leave you alone?” Aphrodite rolled her eyes. “Seriously. How clueless are you? Neferet managed to cut off Jack’s head without actually being there. Darius and I aren’t leaving you alone to comfort Erik the Douche.”
    I looked at Darius, but he shook his head and said, “Sorry, Zoey, Aphrodite has a point.”
    “Could you at least stay back here out of earshot?” I asked in exasperation.
    “Like we want to hear Erik’s crybaby crap? No problem. Just hurry up. No one needs to be kept waiting for a douche bag,” Aphrodite said.
    I didn’t even bother to sigh as I walked away from them, making a path to Erik. Okay, seriously. The guy didn’t even know I was there. I was standing in front of him. His face was in his hands and he was crying. Really crying. Knowing what an excellent actor he was, I cleared my throat and got ready to be semi-sarcastic, or at the very least passive-aggressive.
    When he looked up at me everything changed. His eyes were puffy and red. Tears soaked his cheeks. Snot even ran out of his nose. He blinked a couple of times, like he was having a hard time focusing on me. “Oh, uh, Zoey,” he said, and made an effort at pulling himself together. He sat up straighter, and wiped his snotty nose on the back of his sleeve. “Um, hey. You’re back.”
    “Yeah, I landed a little while ago. I’m going to light Jack’s pyre. Wanna come with me?”
    A sob erupted from deep