Hidden (House of Night Novels)

It’s true,” Aphrodite said. “That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some weirdness.”
    Grandma limped to Aurox. She touched his cheek. He was staring at the mirror with tears in his eyes. He looked from it to her.
    “I knew I was right to believe in you, tsu-ka-nv-s-di-na, ” Grandma told him. “Thank you for saving me, child.” When she leaned forward he bent and she gave him a soft, mom kiss on the cheek.
    “You need to look in the mirror, Z,” Stark said.
    “No I don’t.” I felt weirdly numb. “I know what Heath looks like.”
    Aurox was staring in the mirror again. “So, that is Heath?”
    “Yeah,” Stark said with a sigh. “That’s Heath. Which means somehow you’re a friend of mine.”
    Aurox was still looking at his reflection when his expression changed. He smiled and said, “Good to see you again.”
    Something about his voice made me shiver.
    Then Aurox looked from the mirror into my eyes. “And you?” he asked me. “What was Heath to you?”
    Lots of answers flitted through my mind: he was my problem—my pain in the butt—my lover—my Consort—my rock—my forever boyfriend.
    “Heath was my humanity” was what came out of my mouth. “And now it looks like he’s become your humanity.”
    I dropped the mirror. Before it could shatter there was a little popping noise and it was a Seer Stone again. This time I did shove it into my pocket.
    Grandma came to me and I put my arm back around her waist. Stark took my hand, lifted it, and kissed my palm.
    “Don’t worry,” he said softly. “No matter what else, we have love. Always love.”
    The End
    For now …

Stay tuned for the next House of Night novel, coming Fall 2013

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

    #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling P. C. CAST is an award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance author, as well as an experienced speaker and teacher. Her novels have been awarded YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and have received the prestigious Oklahoma Book Award, as well as the PRISM, Daphne du Maurier, Bookseller’s Best, HOLT Medallion, Beacon, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, and Affaire de Coeur Awards. She lives in Oklahoma with lots of dogs, cats, horses, and a burro. KRISTIN CAST is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who teams up with her mother to write the House of Night series. She has stories in several anthologies, as well as editorial credits. Currently, Kristin is working on her first stand-alone novel, a dark, mysterious fairy tale.

ALSO BY P. C. CAST AND KRISTIN CAST
    Marked
    Betrayed
    Chosen
    Untamed
    Hunted
    Tempted
    Burned
    Awakened
    Destined
    The Fledgling Handbook 101
    Dragon’s Oath
    Lenobia’s Vow

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.
    HIDDEN. Copyright © 2012 by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
    www.stmartins.com
    Cover design by Elsie Lyons
    Cover photographs: girl © Herman Estevez; lightning/Sky © Tony Watson/Arcangel Images; tree © EPG_ Europhotographics/ Shutterstock.com
    ISBN 978-0-312-59442-8 (hardcover)
    ISBN 9781250014153 (e-book)
    First Edition: October 2012