Tempted

was weird.”
    I wiped my mouth and went over to my bed, using kicking off my shoes, pulling off my clothes, putting on the soft, warm cotton nightgown, and climbing in bed as an excuse to stay quiet while I tried to figure out how to put into words the stuff babbling through my mind. But without me saying anything, Aphrodite continued, “You know I used to keep my visions from Neferet, don’t you?”
    I nodded. “And humans died because of it.”
    “Yeah, you’re right. They did. And Neferet didn’t care. I could tell. That was when I started to feel weird. That’s also when my life started to fall apart. I didn’t want it to. I wanted to stay the bitch in charge, who would someday be High Priestess and, preferably, rule the world. Then I could tell my mother to go straight to hell—and maybe even be so powerful that I could scare her like she deserves to be scared.” Aphrodite blew out a long breath. “It didn’t work out that way.”
    “Instead you listened to Nyx,” I said softly.
    “Well, first I tried like hell to stay queen of my bitchy kingdom, and being with the hottest guy at school, even if he was a possessive asshat, was part of that.”
    “It makes sense, I guess,” I said.
    Aphrodite hesitated then added, “It makes me sick to remember it.”
    “You mean doing
it
with Erik?”
    Her lips curled up and she shook her head, laughing a little. “Goddess, you’re such a prude! No, doing
it
with Erik was actually not bad at all. It makes me sick to remember how I kept quiet about my visions and basically shit on Nyx’s path.”
    “Well, recently you’ve pretty much cleaned up any poo you put on Nyx’s path. And I am
not
a prude.”
    Aphrodite snorted.
    “You’re really unattractive when you do that,” I said.
    “I’m never
really
unattractive,” she said. “Are you done with your serious nonquestion question?”
    “Yeah, I suppose.”
    “Good. My turn. Have you been able to talk to Stevie Rae? Alone?”
    “Uh-uh, not yet.”
    “But you’re going to?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Soon?”
    “What do you know?”
    Aphrodite said, “She’s definitely hiding things from you.”
    “Things like red fledglings? Like you told me before?” Aphrodite didn’t answer, which completely made my stomach clench. “Well?” I prompted. “What?”
    “It feels like there’s more going on with Stevie Rae than just hiding some random red fledglings from you.”
    I didn’t want to believe Aphrodite, but my gut said she was telling the truth, as did my common sense. Aphrodite’s Imprint with Stevie Rae gave her a connection to my BFF no one else had. So Aphrodite knew things about her. Plus, no matter how much I wished otherwise, I realized things weren’t right with Stevie Rae. “You can’t tell me anything more specific?”
    Aphrodite shook her head. “No. She’s really shut down.”
    “Shut down? What does that mean?”
    “Well, you know how your bumpkin BFF usually is, like our own transparently perky version of a countrified goodwill ambassador for ‘Hey there, y’all! Check out how nice and sweet and white bread I am! Yuck! Yuck!’”
    Aphrodite’s exaggerated Okie accent mimicked Stevie Rae’s voice a little too well, and I frowned severely at her when I said, “Yes, I know she’s usually honest and open, if that’s what you meant to say.”
    “Yeah, well, she’s not being honest and open anymore. Take it fromme—and Goddess knows I wish you could take this damn Imprint from me—she’s hiding a very big something that feels way more important than a few fledglings.”
    “Crap,” I said.
    “Yep,” she said. “But, hey, there’s not shit you can do about it right now, so get some sleep. Our world will still need saving tomorrow.”
    “Great,” I said.
    “Oh, speaking of—How’s your boyfriend?”
    “Which one?” I asked glumly.
    “Mr. Pain in the Ass Arrows.”
    I shrugged. “Better, I think.”
    “You didn’t let him chomp on you, did you?”
    I sighed. “No.”
    “Darius was right about that, you know? As annoying as it might be for some of us, and as unqualified as you appear, you are
the
High Priestess right now.”
    “Which makes me feel ever so much better.”
    “Hey, no problem. Look, what I’m saying is you need to be one hundred percent, and not drained like an extra-dry martini during brunch at my mom’s country club.”
    “Your mom really drinks martinis at brunch?”
    “Of course she does.” Aphrodite shook her head and looked