Revealed

attention of the humans to the Warrior tent. They’ll be safest there. Zoey, be as discreet as you can be. It only serves Neferet’s purposes if today ends in panic and chaos.”
    “Got it.” I hung up.
    “Are we circling?” Damien asked.
    “Yep. We’re using our elements to get rid of this bug problem.” I didn’t hesitate, nor did I wait for the rest of my circle. While Stark looked on protectively, I took Damien’s hand. He and I faced the kittens’ cages.
    “Air, please come to me,” Damien said.
    I felt the response of his element instantly. “Focus it,” I told him.
    He nodded. “Air, blow this Darkness away.”
    The wind, that had been almost teasingly lifting Damien’s hair, rushed from him, swirling around the nest of spiders and making them writhe angrily.
    “Ladies and gentlemen, fledglings, and vampyres, this is Thanatos, High Priestess of Tulsa’s House of Night, and your hostess this evening. I ask that everyone please make their way to the center of the campus and the silver and white Warrior tent, our raffle is beginning and you must be present to win.”
    Thanatos’s voice over the loudspeaker sounded so normal, so principal-like, that it made the skittering nest of spiders seem even more abhorrent.
    “Oh, no, you don’t need to worry about the details.” Sister Mary Angela was herding the young couple and their twin girls from the booth. “My assistants will have the kittens all ready for you to pick up after the raffle.”
    “Why are the kids holding hands like that?” I heard one of the little girls ask.
    “Oh, I’m sure they’re just praying,” Sister Mary Angela said smoothly. Then, over her shoulder, she told the half dozen or so nuns who had been running the booth, “Sisters, be sure the young people have the privacy they need for their prayers.”
    “Of course, Sister,” the women murmured. Without question or hesitation, they spread out, creating a semi-circle around their tent, the cat cages, and the rest of the campus, effectively forming a nun curtain between possible gawkers and us.
    Then Shaunee and Stevie Rae were sprinting up with Aphrodite, bursting through the nun barrier, and skidding to a halt, eyes bugging wide at the seething mass of insects.
    “Ah, shit!” Shaunee said.
    “Ohmygood
ness
!” Stevie Rae pressed her hand over her mouth in distaste.
    “Neferet seriously makes my ass hurt,” Aphrodite said, grimacing at the spiders.
    “We need to get all the elements here and have them kick these spiders off campus,” I said. “But we can’t make a scene.”
    “Yeah, ’cause Neferet would want to F everything up by causing a big ol’ scary scene and freaking out the humans,” Shaunee said. “No worries, Z. I’ll keep it on the back burner.” She walked purposefully over to Damien, who held his hand out to her. She took it and, staring at the mass of dark legs and pulsing bodies, “Fire, come to me.” The air around us warmed. The beautiful black girl smiled and continued, “Heat ’em up, but don’t make ’em fry.”
    Fire did exactly as she asked. There was no smoke or flames or fireworks, but the air around us got really warm and the mass of spiders twitched in obvious discomfort.
    I looked around, just then noticing that Shaylin hadn’t joined us. “Where’s water? We need Shaylin for the circle.”
    “She’s not back from the parking lot,” Stevie Rae said. “I called her phone, but she’s not answering.”
    “Probably can’t hear it,” Damien said. “There’s a lot going on out there.”
    “Okay, no problem. I’ll stand in for water,” Aphrodite said. “It won’t be as strong, but at least it’ll be a complete circle.”
    Aphrodite started to move to take Shaunee’s hand when Erin stepped through the nun barrier.
    “I knew a circle was going on! I could feel it,” Erin said, then she curled her lip at Aphrodite. “
You’re
going to call water? Ha! You’re a piss poor substitute for me—the real deal.”
    “You’re a real something, that’s for sure,” Aphrodite told her. “But a
deal
isn’t it.”
    “I told you not to have anything to do with these pussies,” Dallas said, sneering at a nun who tried to keep him outside their barrier.
    “I know what you said, baby.” Erin sent him a flirty smile. “But you know I gotta do what I gotta do. And I’m not cool with water being left out of a circle.”
    Dallas shrugged. “Whatever. Seems like a waste of time to me. Plus, why the hell are