Hidden: House of Night: Book 10

landed on a drooping limb right before him and began a terrible and loud series of croaks and whistles and oddly disturbing clucks.
    “Go! Be gone!” Aurox whispered, making shooing noises at the big bird, which only made the creature explode in more of the croaking noises. Aurox lunged forward, intent on throttling the thing and his foot caught on an exposed root. He fell forward, hitting the ground heavily. To his shock, he kept falling as the earth opened under the weight of his body and he hurled, headfirst, down … down …
    There was a terrible pain in his right temple, and then Aurox’s world went black.

CHAPTER FIVE

    Zoey
    I’d fallenasleepwrapped in Stark’s arms, so waking up to him shaking me while he glared and almost shouted, “Zoey! Wake up! Stop it! I mean it!” was totally confusing.
    “Stark? Huh?” I sat up, dislodging Nala, who’d made herself into a fat orange donut on my hip.
“Mee-uf-ow!”
Nala grumbled and padded to the end of the bed. I looked from my cat to my Warrior—they were both staring at me like I’d committed mass murder. “What?” I said around a big yawn. “I was just sleeping.”
    Stark grabbed his pillow and wadded it behind him so that he was propped up in bed. He crossed his arms, shook his head, and looked away from me. “I think you were doing a lot more than
just sleeping.
”
    I wanted to strangle him.
    “Seriously, what is wrong with you?” I asked him.
    “You said his name.”
    “Whose name?” I blinked, having a flashback to that creepy old movie
Invasions of the Body Snatchers
and wondering if Stark had turned into a pod person.
    “Heath’s!” Stark scowled. “Three times. It woke me up.” Still not looking at me, he said,“What were you dreaming?”
    What he’d said had shocked the hell out of me, making me mentally scramble. What the hell had I been dreaming? I thought back. I remembered Stark kissing me before I went to sleep. I remembered the kiss was super hot, but I’d been super tired and instead of doing more than kissing him back, I’d put my head on his shoulder and totally passed out. After that I didn’t remember a thing until he was shaking me and yelling at me to stop it.
    “I havenot one clue,” I said honestly.
    “You don’t have to lie to me.”
    “Stark, I wouldn’t lie to you.” I brushed my hair from my face and then touched his arm. “I don’t remember dreaming about anything.”
    He looked at me then. His eyes were sad. “You were calling Heath. I’m sleeping right here next to you, but you were calling for him.”
    The way he sounded made my heart squeeze. I hated that I’d hurt him. I could have told him it was ridiculous of him to be mad at me for something I’d said when I was asleep—something I hadn’t even remembered, but ridiculous or not, Stark’s hurt was real. I slid my hand in his.
    “Hey,” I said softly. “I’m sorry.”
    He threaded his fingers with mine. “Do you wish he was here instead of me?”
    “No,” I said. I’d loved Heath since I was a kid, but I wouldn’t trade Stark for him. Of course, the rest of the truth was that had Stark been the one killed, I wouldn’t have traded Heath for him, either. But that was definitely something Stark didn’t need to hear—not now—not ever.
    Loving two guys was a confusing mess, even when one of them was dead.
    “So, you’re not calling out for him because you want to be with him instead of me?”
    “I want you. Promise.” I moved forward and he opened his arms to me. I fit perfectly against his chest and breathed in his familiar smell.
    He kissed the top of my head and hugged me. “I know it’s stupid of me to be jealous of a dead guy.”
    “Yep,” I said.
    “Especially when I actually liked the dead guy.”
    “Yep,” I agreed.
    “But webelong together, Z.”
    I leaned back so that I could look into his eyes. “Yes,” I said seriously, “we do. Please don’t ever forget that. No matter what amount of crazy is going on around us—I can handle it, but I need to know my Warrior is here for me.”
    “Always, Z. Always,” he said. “I love you.”
    “I love you, too, Stark. Always.” I kissed him then and showed him that he absolutely didn’t have to be jealous of anyone else. And, at the same time, for just a little while, I let the heat of his love burn away the memory of what I’d seen when I’d looked through the Seer Stone that night
    Next time I woke up it was because I was way too hot. I was still in