Tempted

fledglings than just the kids here. They didn’t change when I did like these guys. They’re still bad. I think—I think they might still be connected to Neferet.” She turned to me and her eyes begged me to understand. “I didn’t say anything to you ’cause I wanted to give them a chance. I thought that they’d find their humanity again if they were just left alone and could think throughthings on their own, or if maybe I could help them. I’m sorry, Z. I didn’t mean to cause any problems and I never wanted to lie to you.”
    I couldn’t be pissed at Stevie Rae. All I could do was feel relieved that she’d finally told me the truth.
    “Sometimes you can’t tell your friends everything you’d like to tell them,” I said.
    Stevie Rae let out her breath on a sob. “Oh, Z! You don’t hate me?”
    “Of course not,” I said. “I’ve had to keep some pretty crappy secrets, so I get it.”
    “Where are they?” Damien’s question would have seemed harsh, but his voice was gentle, his warm brown eyes filled with understanding.
    “They’re in the depot tunnels. That’s why I just sealed off the dirt tunnel that I made to get everyone here. I didn’t want any of the others following us and causing the nuns problems.”
    “You should have warned us last night,” Darius said. “We would have posted guards while everyone was sleeping.”
    “There were rogue red fledglings at the other end of your tunnel?” Sister Mary Angela’s hand found the rosary that hung around her neck.
    “Oh, Sister, you weren’t in any danger. Darius, we didn’t need to post guards, promise!” she quickly explained. “Those other kids are affected by daylight big-time. They never move around while the sun’s up, not even in the tunnels.”
    Darius’s frown said he still would have posted a guard. Sister Mary Angela didn’t say anything, but I saw her fingers worrying her rosary beads. It was then that I noticed none of the red fledglings were speaking. I glanced at the only other red vampyre in existence. “Did you know about these other fledglings?”
    “Me? Hell no. I would’ve told you right away,” Stark said.
    “I should have told you right away. I’m real sorry I didn’t,” Stevie Rae said.
    “Sometimes the truth can get buried and it’s hard to figure out how to uncover it,” I told her, and then I looked around the room at the other red fledglings. “You guys all knew, didn’t you?”
    Kramisha spoke up. “We knew. We don’t like them other kids. They’s bad news.”
    “They smell bad, too,” little Shannoncompton said from a ways down the table.
    “They suck,” Dallas said. “And they remind us of how it used to be.”
    “That’s something we don’t like to remember,” said muscle-y Johnny B.
    I turned my attention back to Stevie Rae. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”
    “Well, I don’t think it’s smart for us to go back to the depot tunnels right now, so going home to the House of Night sounds good to me, too.”
    “Then it’s settled. We go home,” I said.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Zoey

    “I’m all for getting back where we belong, but your grandma should stay here,” Aphrodite said suddenly. “We don’t know what all we’re going to have to deal with at the House of Night.”
    “Did your visions show you something else?” I asked, noticing that she was looking at Stevie Rae instead of me.
    Aphrodite shook her head slowly. “No, I told you everything I saw in my visions. I just have a feeling, that’s all.”
    Stevie Rae laughed nervously. “Well, heck, Aphrodite, we’re all
feelin’
jumpy and on edge, which makes total sense. We just chased away some major booger monsters, but that’s no reason to freak Zoey out.”
    “I’m not freaking her out, bumpkin,” Aphrodite said. “I’m just being careful.”
    “It is wise to anticipate dangers,” Darius said thoughtfully.
    Since there was nothing wrong with being careful, I opened my mouth to agree with both of them when Stevie Rae turned to Darius and in a cold, flat voice said, “Just because you’ve sworn your Warrior’s Oath to her doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything she says.”
    “What?” Stark said. “You gave Aphrodite your Oath?”
    “Really?” Damien said.
    “Wow, too cool,” Jack said.
    Erik snorted from the table behind us. “I’m shocked Zoey let you and didn’t just add you to her private collection.”
    By that time I’d had enough. I yelled over at him,