Hidden: House of Night: Book 10

Neferet knows everything Erin knows,” Thanatos said.
    “Here’s what I think,” Aphrodite said. “I think we all need to keep our mouths shut about what’s going on with Grandma Redbird and Aurox and our business in general. If you’re not part of this group, then you don’t know shit. Erin’s just one kid, but what she knows could definitely mess us up.”
    “Prophetess, it sounds as if there is a lesson to be learned in what you’re saying,” Thanatos said, and the rest of us nodded.
    I glanced at Kalona. Including him in our group felt really weird, but I couldn’t tell if that meant we should or shouldn’t trust him.
    Weirdly echoing my thoughts, Thanatos asked Kalona, “Do you still believe she will trust you?”
    “Neferet? Trust me? Never. But she does desire me, even if it is only my immortal power after which she lusts. And, as Aphrodite said, she measures everyone’s depth of loyalty by her own,” Kalona said.
    “Neferet is only loyal to herself,” Rephaim said.
    “Exactly,” Kalona said.
    “Well, let’s hope you’re not that shallow,” Stark added, sounding like he believed the opposite.
    I just stood there, staring at Kalona, remembering what a lying, manipulative killer he had been, and thinking
that’s who’s going to save my grandma?
    I was blinking back freaked-out tears when Rephaim whispered my name. I looked over at him. He smiled and mouthed two small words:
people change.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

    Shaylin
    “Here. Now.” Aphrodite crooked her finger at Shaylin, motioningfor her to follow. She did her twitchy walk, cutting across the grass and heading in the general direction of the fledglings’ dorms.
    Shaylin sighed, squelched her irritation, and followed the annoying blonde. As she caught up with her, Aphrodite was already talking. “Okay, you need to reconnoiter.”
    “Okay, you need to grow some manners,” Shaylin said.
    Aphrodite stopped and narrowed her eyes to blue slits.
    “You should know that look is unattractive
and
it causes crow’s feet,” Shaylin spoke quickly before Aphrodite could say something mean and smart-assy.
    “You’ve been talking to Damien, haven’t you?”
    “Maybe,” Shaylin answered vaguely, not wanting to get Damien in any trouble. But, yeah, the truth was she had been talking to him. Actually, she’d really started to like Damien, as well as Stevie Rae and Zoey. Aphrodite, though,
she
was a different story. “Aphrodite, really, it looks like you and I might have to work together, or whatever you’d call this Prophetess stuff. So, it’d make both of our lives easier if you could, at least, be polite to me.”
    “No, it would make
your
life easier. Mine, it wouldn’t change at all.”
    Shaylin shook her head. “Really? Why don’t you run that attitude past Nyx? We have major Darkness to fight. Zoey’s mom was just killed and now her grandma’s in serious danger. Correctme if I’m wrong, but isn’t Zoey a friend of yours?”
    Aphrodite’s eyes narrowed again, but she only said one word: “Yes.”
    “Then how about you do everything you can to help her.”
    “I am doing that, bitch,” Aphrodite snapped.
    “How can you be so sure? Did you ever consider the small fact that maybe, if you were less hateful, you’d have access to more of your Prophetess gifts?”
    Aphrodite’s eyes un-narrowed. Slowly. She even looked a little surprised. “No. I’ve never considered that.”
    Shaylin threw her hands up in frustration. “Jeesh, were you raised by wolves?”
    “Sort of,” Aphrodite said. “But they had money.”
    “Incredible,” Shaylin murmured. Then she started over. “Okay, here’s what I know. When I read your aura and was bitchy about the little flickering light I saw within you, it messed with my head. The next time I looked at you, it was like your colors were all running together.”
    “Which, obviously, means you saw me being pissed.”
    “No, because
everyone’s
colors looked all runny and indistinct until I apologized to you. Wait, scratch that. The complete truth is my True Sight was messed up until I apologized to you and
meant it
.”
    “Huh. That’s almost interesting.”
    “I’m not getting through to you at all, am I?”
    “As much as anyone can,” Aphrodite said. “So, back to reconnoitering.”
    “Fine. Yes. What do you want me to do?”
    “Find Erin. And Dallas. If I’m correct, which, just FYI for future reference, I almost always am, you’re going to find them