Untamed

Fiiiine Cole Clifton. He and T.J. want to know if we're up for a Bourne movie marathon in the guys' dorm," Shaunee said.
    "Twin, I was born ready for a Bourne marathon," Erin said. Then the Twins giggled and did a bump and grind that made the rest of us roll our eyes.
    "Oh, and you guys are invited, too," Shaunee said to Damien, Jack, and me.
    "Goody," Jack said. "I never did get to see the last one. What was it called?"
    "The Bourne Ultimatum," Damien said right away.
    "That's right." Jack took his hand. "You're so smart about movies! You know all of them."
    Damien blushed. "Well not all of them. Mostly I like the old classics. Back then is when movies had real stars in them, like Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart and James Dean. Today too many actors are—" Then his words came to an abrupt halt.
    "What is it?" Jack asked.
    "James Stark," he said.
    "What about him?" I said.
    "James Stark is the name of James Dean's character in the old movie, Rebel Without a Cause. I knew his name sounded familiar, but I thought it was just because he's so famous."
    "Twin, have you ever seen that movie?" Erin asked Shaunee.
    "No, Twin. Can't say that I have."
    "Huh," I said. I had seen the movie—with Damien, of course—and I wondered if the name had been his before he'd been Marked. Or had he, like many kids, decided on a new name when his new life as a fledgling began. If so, that said something pretty interesting about his personality.
    "So, are you coming, Z?" Damien's voice penetrated my internal babble.
    I looked up to see four sets of eyes blinking questioningly at me. "Coming?"
    "Jeesh, earth to Zoey! Are you coming with us to the guys' dorm to watch the Bourne movies?" Erin said.
    I answered automatically. "Oh, that. No." I was glad my friends weren't pissed at me anymore, but I really didn't feel like hanging out. Actually, I felt kinda bruised and not myself inside. Within just a couple days, I'd Imprinted with and lost my virginity to a man/vamp who hadn't loved me, and then he'd been horribly killed. I'd broken my boyfriends' hearts. Both of them. A war had almost been started and then ended. Kind of. My best friend wasn't undead anymore, but she wasn't a "normal" fledgling or vampyre either, and neither were the kids she was living with. But I couldn't tell most of my friends, as in anyone who wasn't Aphrodite, about the weird red fledglings, 'cause it was better if Neferet didn't know what we knew. And now Erik, one of my two broken-hearted ex-boyfriends, was going to be my drama teacher—as if having him back at the House of Night wasn't drama enough. "No," I repeated more firmly. "I think I'm going to go check on Persephone." Okay, I realize I'd been in her stall not too long ago, but I could definitely use another dose of her quiet, warm presence.
    "Are you sure?" Damien asked. "We really would like you to come with us."
    The rest of my friends nodded and smiled, thawing the last of the knot of fear that had frozen in my stomach since they'd been mad at me.
    "Thanks, guys. But I'm not really up for hanging out tonight," I said.
    "Okey," said Erin.
    "Dokey," said Shaunee.
    "See ya," Jack said.
    I thought Damien would give me his typical good-bye hug, but instead he told Jack, "You guys go on, and I'll catch up with you. I'm going to walk Z to the stables."
    "Good idea," Jack said. "I'll get your popcorn ready for you."
    Damien smiled. "Save me a seat, too?"
    Jack grinned back at him and gave him a quick, sweet kiss. "Always."
    Then the Twins and Jack took off in one direction, and Damien and I went in the opposite direction. Hopefully that wasn't an omen about where our lives were heading.
    "You really don't have to walk me to the stables," I said. "It's just not that far."
    "Didn't you say earlier that something attacked you and hurt your hand when you were walking from the stables to the cafeteria?"
    I raised my brows at him. "I didn't think you believed me about that."
    "Well, let's just say that Aphrodite's visions have converted me. So when you're done communing with your horse, if you want you can give me a call on your cell. Jack and I will pretend like we're much more butch than we are and come escort you back."
    "Oh, please. You aren't what I'd call swishy and fluttery."
    "Well, I'm not, but Jack is."
    We laughed. I was considering arguing with him about the whole Zoey-has-to-have-an-escort issue when the crow started cawing. Actually, now that I was wide awake and listening, the cawing seemed more like