Hidden: House of Night: Book 10

frustrated at her questioning. In truth he made quite certain that his pacing kept bringing him closer and closer to Sylvia Redbird’s cage.
    “And I do not enjoy being betrayed. Yet here we are.”
    “I am not betraying you.” Kalona said the words honestly. He was not betraying Neferet. He owed her absolutely no allegiance.
    “Oh, I believe you are doing much more than betraying me. I believe you have also betrayed your own nature.”
    Her words halted his pacing. “You make no sense.”
    “How is your son, Rephaim?”
    “Rephaim? What has he to do with us?” Kalona felt his first sliver of worry at the mention of his son’s name.
    “I saw you. I watched you grieve over his loss.
You care for him.
” Neferet spat the words, as if they had a foul taste. She took a step toward him. He backed one step away.
    “Rephaim has long been by my side. He has done my bidding for centuries. I missed his presence as I would any dedicated servant.”
    “I believe you lie.”
    He made himself chuckle. “And by believing so, you prove that immortality does not equate to infallibility.”
    “Tell me you have not allowed feelings and sentiment to make you weak. Tell me that you have not chosen, like a pathetic lapdog, to chase after a Goddess who already rejected you.”
    “My feelings do not make me weak. You are the one torturing an old woman to torment a child.”
    “You dare to speak to me of Zoey Redbird! You, who knows how much pain she has caused me?” Neferet was breathing hard. The tendrils of Darkness that slithered around her writhed in agitated response.
    “Pain Zoey caused you?” Kalona shook his head in disbelief. “You leave chaos and pain in your wake. Zoey doesnot antagonize you—you attack her. I know. You have used me to hurt her.”
    “I knew you lied. I have always known you’ve loved her—your sweet, special little A-ya reborn.”
    “I do not love her!” Kalona almost blurted the truth:
I have always and will always love Nyx!
A moan from behind him changed his words. “But I do not hate her, either. Can you not consider that you might find contentment in fragmenting the High Council and ruling those vampyres who choose a more ancient path from your island castle on Capri? Your red vampyres in particular would worship you and be eager to breathe life into the ancient vampyre ways. I will aid you with that path, be your Consort, do your bidding,” Kalona spoke in a calm, reasonable voice. He also moved another step backward. Farther from Neferet. Closer to Sylvia Redbird.
    “You want me to leave Tulsa?”
    “Why not? What is here? Ice in winter, heat in summer, and narrow-minded, religious humans. I believe we both have outgrown Tulsa.”
    “You make an excellent point.” The tendrils of Darkness, still swollen from Kalona’s blood, quieted as Neferet seemed to consider his proposition. “You would, of course, have to swear a blood oath to serve me.”
    “Of course,” Kalona lied.
    “Excellent. Perhaps I did misjudge you. I do have the perfect creatures to aid me in casting such a spell.” She stroked the snake-like tendrils fondly. “Shall they mix my blood with yours and bind us together forever?”
    Kalona tensed his muscles, readying himself to spring the few feet that now separated him from Sylvia Redbird. He would command the strands of Darkness from her, and then fly her to freedom as Neferet was slicing open her skin and conjuring a dark spell that would never be cast. Kalona smiled. “Whatever you wish, Goddess.”
    Neferet’s full, red lips were beginning to turn up when the raven croaked its dismay. Neferet’s eyes narrowed and her attention shifted to the bird, still perched on the balustrade, a clear targetin the morning sunlight. She pointed one slender finger at the bird and commanded,
“
With immortal blood you’ve been fed.
    Now make the Rephaim bird dead!
”
    The tendrils that had been wrapped around her body released and shot like black arrows at the raven.
    Kalona did not hesitate. He hurled himself between the raven and death, absorbing the blow meant for his son.
    The force of the impact lifted him from the penthouse and flung him out onto the balcony, throwing him against the stone balustrade. As pain exploded in his chest, Kalona shouted at the unmoving bird, “Rephaim, fly!”
    He had little time to feel relief as the raven obeyed his command. Neferet advanced, tendrils of Darkness slithering in her wake. Kalona stood. He ignored the terrible