Awakened

Erik took my hand in his and then, with a rakish smile, he dropped gracefully from the bench to one knee. “My lady, let’s always be friends.”
    “Okie dokie,” I said, kinda breathlessly, ’cause, well, no matter how much I loved Stark, Erik was seriously hot and a super good actor.
    He bowed and kissed my hand. Not in a creepy I’m-trying-to-get-into-your-pants way, but in a real old-school-gentleman way. Still on his knee, he looked up at me and said, “You have to say something tonight that gives us hope and helps Damien, because right now lots of us are just floating out there wondering what the fuck—and Damien is seriously not doing well.”
    My heart clenched. “I know.”
    “Good. No matter what else, I believe in you, Zoey.”
    I sighed. Again.
    He smiled and stood up, pulling me up with him. “So please let me escort you to this funeral.”
    I took Erik’s arm and stepped into a future I couldn’t have begun to imagine.
    * * *

    It was an awesome, sad, incredible sight. Unlike the last time a funeral pyre had burned for a vampyre at the House of Night, the entire school was there. Fledglings and vampyres made a huge circle around a benchlike structure that had been built in the very center of the school grounds. I could still see the charred grass that bore witness to the fact that not long ago Anastasia Lankford’s body had been consumed by the Goddess’s fire in that very same place. Only the school hadn’t come out to witness and show respect for her then. Too many of them had been under the control of Kalona—or just downright scared. Tonight was different. Kalona’s control had been broken and Jack was getting a Warrior’s sendoff.
    My eyes found Dragon Lankford even before I looked at the funeral pyre. He was standing behind Jack in the shadow of the closest oak tree. But the shadows didn’t cloak his pain. I could see tears falling silently down his chiseled face. Goddess help Dragon, was my first prayer of the night. He’s such a good man. Help him find peace.
    Then I looked at Jack.
    What I saw made me gasp and smile through my tears. As was traditional for vampyre funerals, he’d been wrapped, head to toe, in the traditional vampyre shroud, but Jack’s covering was purple. Super shiny. Super brilliant. Super purple.
    “She actually did it.” Erik’s choked voice came from beside me. “I knew purple was his favorite color, so I went to The Dolphin at Utica Square and bought purple sheets. Lots of them. Then I told Sapphire over in the infirmary to wrap Jack in them, even though I didn’t think she really would.”
    I turned to Erik, went up on my tiptoes, and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. Jack would absolutely love that you did that. You were a good friend to him, Erik.”
    He nodded and smiled but didn’t say anything, and I saw that he was crying again. Before I could join him and bawl so hard I couldn’t possibly be mistaken for anyone’s High Priestess, I looked away from him and my eyes found Damien. He was on his knees at the head of Jack’s pyre. Duchess was sitting beside him and his chubby cat, Cammy, was curled up mournfully between his knees. Stark was standing next to Duchess and I could see that he was petting her and murmuring to the dog and Damien at the same time. Stevie Rae was next to Stark, looking super miserable and bawling steadily. Aphrodite stood at Damien’s other side, with Darius right behind her. The Twins were to her left. And from each side of my group of best friends, the entire school stretched in a quiet, respectful circle around the pyre. Many of the fledglings and vampyres, including Lenobia and most of the other professors, were holding purple candles. It didn’t seem like anyone except Stark was talking, but I could hear lots of sobbing.
    Neferet was nowhere to be seen.
    “You can do it,” Erik whispered.
    “How?” I barely spoke the word.
    “Like you always do—with Nyx’s help,” he said.
    “Please, Nyx, help me. I can’t do this on my own,” I whispered aloud. And then Professor Missal was there, ushering me forward. So, moving with what I hoped were the confident strides of a grown-up real High Priestess, I walked directly to Damien.
    Stark saw me first. When his eyes met mine I didn’t see any hint of jealousy or anger, even though I knew Erik was walking right behind me. My Warrior, my Guardian, my lover, stepped aside and bowed formally to me.
    “Merry meet, High Priestess.” His voice rang over the