Hunted

might break.
    Then I felt him stiffen and he pulled away, taking a staggering step backwards. I was sure I saw tears in his eyes before he yelled, “You should have forgotten me!” Stark picked up his bow and bolted away into the roiling darkness of the stormy night.
    When he was gone I stood there staring after him, wondering what the hell was wrong with me. How could I have kissed a guy who had been attacking someone just minutes before? How could I feel a connection to someone who might be more monster than man? Maybe I didn’t even know myself anymore. I sure didn’t know what I was becoming.
    I shivered. The cold dampness of the night seemed to have settled through my clothes and skin and into my bones. And I felt tired. Really, really tired.
    “Thank you, fire and air and water,” I whispered to the listening elements. “You served me well tonight. You may go now.” Fog and ice swirled around me once, and then rushed away, leaving me alone with the night and the storm and my confusion. Wearily I trudged back to the dorm, wishing I could go inside, take a hot shower, and curl up in my bed to sleep for several days.
    Naturally, my wish was no one’s command . . .

----
    CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

    I’d barely touched the door when Darius opened it for me. His sharp look made me wonder if he’d been watching the scene between Stark and me, and I sincerely hoped he hadn’t.
    “Damien and the Twins are in there” was all he said, motioning for me to follow him into the central room of the dorm.
    “First I need to borrow your cell phone,” I said.
    He didn’t hesitate or ask annoying questions about who I needed to call and why. He simply handed me his phone, and then he walked ahead of me into the common room. I punched in Stevie Rae’s number and held my breath while it rang. When she answered it sounded like she was talking into a tin can, but at least I could hear her.
    “Hey, it’s me,” I said.
    “Z! Dang, I’m glad to hear your voice! Are ya okay?”
    “Yeah, I’m better.”
    “Yea! So what’s going on with—”
    “I’ll fill you in on all that later,” I cut her off. “Right now you gotta listen to me.”
    “ ’Kay,” she said.
    “Do what I told you to do.”
    There was a pause and then she said, “What you told me in the note?”
    “Yeah. You’re being watched in the tunnels. Something is down there with you.”
    I expected her to gasp or freak, but all she said was a calm, “Okay, I understand.”
    I continued quickly. “There’s a good chance the bird things will grab you if you come out of the tunnels anywhere they’re expecting you to surface, so you’re going to have to be really, really careful.”
    “Don’t worry about it, Z. I’ve been doin’ a little secret reconnoitering of my own since you passed me that note. I think I can get everyone there without being seen.”
    “Call Sister Mary Angela first and tell her you’re coming. Tell her I’m coming, too, ASAP. But don’t tell the red fledglings where you’re going for as long as you can keep it from them. Do you understand?”
    “Yes.”
    “Okay. Give Grandma a hug for me.”
    “Will do,” she said. “And I won’t let anyone tell her about your accident. It’ll just stress her.”
    “Thanks,” I said. “Is Heath okay?”
    “Totally. I told ya don’t worry about him. Both of your boyfriends are fine.”
    I sighed, wishing I could correct her and tell her I only had one boyfriend. “Good, I’m glad they’re safe. Oh, Aphrodite’s safe, too,” I added, feeling a little strange about it, but thinking that since I’d checked on my Imprinted human, maybe Stevie Rae would like to check on hers, too.
    Her laugh was happy and familiar. “Oh, Z, I know Aphrodite’s okay. I’d be able to tell right away if something happened to her. It’s weird, but it’s true.”
    “Okay, good. I guess. Hey, I gotta go. And you do, too.”
    “You want me to get everyone outta here tonight?”
    “Now,” I said firmly.
    “Got it,” she said. “See you soon, Z.”
    “Please be very, very careful.”
    “Don’t worry about me. I got a few tricks up my sleeve.”
    “You’ll need them. See ya,” I said, and cut off the tinny connection. It was a relief to know Stevie Rae was going to move all the red fledglings to the basement beneath the Benedictine Sisters Abbey. I had to believe that the darkness I’d begun to see hovering around the tunnels wouldn’t do so well in the basement of a bunch of nuns.