Tempted

under control so he wouldn’t pass out. Then he said nothing more, only tried to figure out what had just happened while he breathed through the radiating pain in his wing. The red fledgling had done somethingto him when she’d touched him—something that had given her a glimpse into his mind, maybe even his soul. But he also knew that he was unlike any being she’d ever before touched; his thoughts would be difficult, if not nearly impossible for her to read, no matter her talents.
    “Why would Stevie Rae do that?” Nicole asked him.
    “You saw into my mind. You know that I have no idea why she did what she did.”
    “That much is true,” she said slowly. “It’s also true that I didn’t pick up that you have any bad feelings toward her. What’s with that?”
    “I’m not sure what you mean. Bad feelings? That makes no sense to me.”
    She scoffed. “No sense—like you have any sense? Your mind was the weirdest thing I’ve ever looked into. So it’s like this, birdboy, you say you’re still doing what your dad told you to do. At the very least that should mean you want to capture her—maybe kill her.”
    “My father did not want her killed. He wanted her brought to him unharmed so he could study her, and maybe use her powers,” Rephaim said.
    “Whatever. But, see, the problem is, when I looked into that bird-brain of yours, I didn’t find anything that said you’re after her.”
    “Why would I be after her right now? She isn’t here.”
    Nicole shook her head. “No, see, that’s just weird. If you want to get Stevie Rae, you
want to get her,
whether she’s here or not.”
    “That isn’t logical.”
    Nicole stared at him. “Look, this is what I have to know. Are you with us or not?”
    “With you?”
    “Yeah,
with us
. We’re going to kill Stevie Rae.” She spoke matter-of-factly while she moved with her preternatural speed to his side and grasped his arm in her iron grip. Rephaim’s bicep heated instantly as she probed his thoughts. “So, what’s your choice? Are you with us, or not?”
    Rephaim knew he had to answer. Nicole might not be able to read all of his thoughts, but obviously she had enough power that she could discover things he’d rather keep hidden. Making the decisionquickly, he met the red fledgling’s scarlet gaze with his own and said truthfully, “I am my father’s son.”
    She stared at him, her hand burning the flesh of his arm and her eyes glowing red. Then she smiled her sly smile again. “Good answer, birdboy, ’cause that’s the major thing I found inside your bird head. You definitely are your dad’s kid.” She let loose of him. “Welcome to my team, and don’t worry. Since your dad’s not here right now, I don’t think he’ll care whether Stevie Rae’s dead or alive when you catch her.”
    “And dead’s easier,” Kurtis said.
    “Most definitely,” Starr said.
    Nicole laughed, sounding so much like Neferet that the feathers at the nape of Rephaim’s neck lifted in response.
Father! Beware!
His mind shrieked,
The Tsi Sgili is more than what she seems!

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Zoey

    “Heath, what are you doing in here?”
    Heath clutched his chest like she’d shot him and staggered around, making mock gasping sounds. “Your coldness is killing me, baby!”
    “You are a dork,” she said. “If anything’s killing you, it’s your absolute lack of good sense. So, what
are
you doing in here? I thought you’d be out there doing bird burning with Darius and Shaunee.”
    “Well, I was gonna, ’cause they can definitely use my superhuman strength to help them out.” He waggled his brows at her and flexed. Then he plopped onto the bench beside her. “But Stark found me and said you needed me—so here I am.”
    “Stark was wrong. You should go back and help Darius.”
    “You look bad, Zo,” he said, all kidding gone from his tone.
    I sighed. “I’ve been through a bunch of stufflately, that’s all—just like all of us have.”
    “Helping the hurt kids kicked your butt,” he said.
    “Well, yeah, it did. But I’ll be okay. I just need to get today over with so I can get some sleep. That’s all.”
    Heath watched me for a little while without speaking, then he held his hand out to me. It was an automatic reflex for me to thread my fingers through his.
    “Zo, I’m trying hard not to let it drive me crazy that you have some kind of special thing with Stark—something you don’t have with me.”
    “It’s a Warrior Bond. I