Tempted

friends the rest of it. “Kalona showed me a vision of the past, and in it I saw that he was Nyx’s Warrior.”
    “What!” Stark exploded. “The Goddess’s Warrior? That’s insane! I spent time with him. Time where he acted
real
around me. I saw who he is—and he isn’t our Goddess’s Warrior.”
    “Not anymore he isn’t.” I tried to keep my voice calm, but I wanted to yell back at Stark. He hadn’t seen the vision. How could he judge whether it was true or not? “He chose to leave Nyx. And, yeah, it was a mistake. And, yeah, he did terrible things. I said all of that.”
    “But you believe him,” Stark said, tight-lipped.
    “No! I don’t believe he’s Erebus. I never said that.”
    “No, Zo, but what you did say made it sound like you might be on his side—if he dumped Neferet,” Heath said.
    I had had about enough. As usual, these guys were making my head hurt. “Do you think you two could quit looking at it like you’re my boyfriends? Could you cut out the jealous, possessive stuff and try to be objective about him?”
    “I’m not jealous or possessive of you, and I think you’re mistaken if you’re starting to believe Kalona is good,” Damien said.
    “He got to you, Z,” Shaunee said.
    “His mojo has definitely zapped you,” Erin agreed.
    “No, it hasn’t! I haven’t jumped on Team Kalona! All I’m doing istrying to see the truth here. What if the truth is that he used to be on the right side? Maybe he could find the right side again,” I said.
    Stark was shaking his head. I rounded on him. “It happened with you, so how the hell can you be so sure it can’t happen with him?”
    “He’s using your connection with A-ya to mess with your head. Think clearly, Zoey.” His eyes begged me to listen to him.
    “That’s what I’ve been trying to do—to think clearly and to find the truth—
without
everyone else’s attitudes, including A-ya’s, getting in the way. Just like I did for you.”
    “It’s not the same thing! I wasn’t evil for centuries. I didn’t turn an entire tribe of people into my slaves and rape their women,” Stark said.
    “You were going to rape Becca if Darius and I hadn’t stopped you!” The words came blurting out of my mouth before my good sense could stop them.
    Stark actually took a step away from me like I’d hit him. “He’s done it. He’s gotten inside your head, and with him there, there’s no room for your Warrior.” Stark turned and walked away into the shadows.
    I didn’t realize I was crying until I felt the wetness fall from my chin to my shirt. I wiped my face with a trembling hand. Then I looked at the rest of my friends. “When Stevie Rae first came back, she was so horrible that I almost didn’t recognize her. She was scary and mean and bad. Truly bad. But I didn’t turn my back on her, either. I believed in her humanity, and because I didn’t give up on her, she got it back,” I said.
    “But, Zoey, Stevie Rae was good before she died and then came back. We all know that. What if the truth is that Kalona never had any goodness and
humanity
to lose? What if his choice has always been for evil?” Damien asked quietly. “For you to be saying all of this, what he showed you seemed real, but you have to at least consider the fact that the vision might have been nothing more than smoke-and-mirrors. He might have been showing you ‘truth,’ but a dressed-up, partial version of truth.”
    “I have been considering that,” I said.
    “Like Stark said, have you really thought about the fact that thesoul connection you have with A-ya, and the memories you’ve had about her, might be clouding your judgment?” Erin asked.
    I nodded, crying harder.
    Heath took my hand. “Zo, his favorite son killed Anastasia and almost killed those other kids who stood up to him.”
    “I know,” I sobbed.
But what if he only let them do that because Neferet wanted it?
I didn’t say the words aloud, but Heath seemed to read my mind.
    “Kalona’s trying to get to you ’cause you’re the one who had the strength to pull everyone together to banish him from Tulsa,” Heath said.
    “And Aphrodite’s vision shows that you’re the only one who has the strength to defeat him permanently,” Damien said.
    “Part of you was made to cause his destruction,” Shaunee said.
    “And that same part of you was made to love him,” Erin said.
    “You have to remember that, Zo,” Heath said.
    “I think you need to talk to Aphrodite,”