Tempted

’em, and had them finish it?
    That had even been what he’d said he wanted before he passed out.
    But he’d spoken. He’d sounded so human. And she hadn’t been able to kill him.
    “Erik!” Where the heck was he? “Erik, come here!” She paused her internal battle and called into the night. Night? Stevie Rae squinted to the east and swore she could see the darkness there beginning to turn the ripe plum color of predawn. “Erik! Time to report in!” Stevie Rae yelled for the third time. She stopped and peered around the silent abbey grounds.
    Stevie Rae’s gaze slid over to the green house that had been turned into a temporary stable for the horses Z and the rest of the gang had ridden in their escape from the House of Night. But it wasn’t so much the green house that drew her gaze. It was the innocent-looking equipment shed next to it that she couldn’t quit staring at. The shed appeared totally normal—just an add-on building with no windows. The door hadn’t even been locked. She should know. She’d been inside it not too long ago.
    “Hey, what’s wrong? Did you see something over there?”
    “Oh, shit!” Stevie Rae jumped and spun around, heart hammering so hard in her chest she almost couldn’t breathe. “Erik! You scared the bejesus right outta me! Would you make some dang noise or somethin’ before you bust up on someone like that?”
    “Sorry, Stevie Rae, but
you
were calling
me.
”
    Stevie Rae brushed a blond curl back behind her ear and tried to ignore the fact that her hand was shaking. She was just seriously no good at this sneaking-around-and-hiding-things-from-your-friends stuff. But she lifted her chin and forced her nerves to settle down, and the easiest way to do that was to take a chomp out of pain-in-the-butt Erik.
    Stevie Rae narrowed her eyes at him. “Yeah, I was callin’ you because you’re supposed to be inside with everyone else. What the heck are ya still doin’ out here, anyway? You’re worrying Zoey—like she needs any more stress from you right now?”
    “Zoey was looking for me?”
    With an effort, Stevie Rae didn’t roll her eyes at Erik. He was sooooo annoying. He acted like Mr. Perfect Boyfriend part of thetime, and then would suddenly change up and be an arrogant jerk. She was gonna have to tell Z about him—that was if Z would still listen to her. The two of them hadn’t exactly been very close lately. Too many secrets . . . too many issues sitting squarely between them . . .
    “Stevie Rae! Pay attention. Did you say Zoey was looking for me?”
    Stevie Rae did roll her eyes then. “You’re supposed to be inside. Heath and Dallas and the rest of the kids are. Zoey knows that. She wanted to know where the heck you were and why you’re not where you’re supposed to be.”
    “If she was that worried she could have come out here herself.”
    “I didn’t say she was worried!” Stevie Rae snapped, exasperated with Erik’s self-absorption. “And Z has way too much on her plate to be out here babysittin’ you.”
    “I don’t need a damn babysitter.”
    “Really? Then why did I have to come get you?”
    “I don’t know, why did you? I was on my way inside. I just wanted to do one more sweep of the perimeter. I thought it’d be smart to go over what Heath was supposed to check. You know humans can’t see shit at night.”
    “Johnny B isn’t a human and he was with Heath.” Stevie Rae sighed. “Just go on inside. Get something to eat and some dry clothes. One of the nuns will tell you where you’re sleepin’. I’ll take one more check around the grounds before the sun comes up,” Stevie Rae said.
    “
If
the sun comes up,” Erik said, squinting up at the sky.
    Stevie Rae followed his gaze, and with a sense of gawd-how-clueless-could-I-be, realized it was raining again, only the temperature was still on that line between freeze and non-freeze, so the sky was, once again, spitting ice.
    “This crappy weather is not what we need,” Stevie Rae muttered.
    “Well, at least it’ll help cover the blood from those Raven Mockers,” Erik said.
    Stevie Rae’s gaze went quickly to Erik’s face. Shit! She hadn’t even thought about the blood! Had they tracked blood into the shed? Talk about leaving a glaring path that screamed
Here I am!
She realized Erik was expecting her to say something. “Yeah, um, you’re right.Maybe I’ll try to kick around some ice and broken branches and stuff to cover up the blood from those three birds,”