Untamed

making you feel. Then I didn't know anything except my soul had a hole in it in the place where you had been. I still feel like there's a part of me missing. A big part of me. It hurts all the time. Every day." He closed his eyes against the pain and shook his head. "You didn't even call me."
    "I wanted to," I said miserably.
    "Oh, wait. You did text-message me this morning. Thanks so much for that," he said sarcastically.
    "Heath, I wanted to talk to you. I just couldn't. I was . . ." I paused, trying to figure out how I could possibly explain Loren to him in just a few short public sentences. But there was no way to explain. Not like this. Not here. So instead I could only say, "I was wrong. I'm sorry."
    He shook his head again. "Sorry isn't good enough, Zo. Not this time. Not about this. You know how you said that I only loved you and wanted you so much because of our Imprint?"
    "Yes." I braced myself for him to tell me the truth of it—that he'd never really loved me and never really wanted me, and he was glad he was rid of me and my stupid, painful Imprint.
    "I told you when you said it you were wrong. You're still wrong. I fell in love with you in third grade. I loved you then. I love you and want you now; I probably will forever." Heath's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "But I don't ever want to see you again. Loving you hurts too much, Zoey."
    Heath walked slowly back to Casey. When he got to her table, she said something too soft for me to hear. He nodded, and then, without one glance back at me, Casey wound her arm through his and the two of them left their food sitting uneaten on the table and Heath walked out of my life.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

    I didn't say anything as Aphrodite grabbed my arm, hauled me to my feet, and led me out of Charlie's Chicken. Darius took one look at us and was out of the car in a nanosecond.
    "Where is the danger!" he snapped.
    Aphrodite shook her head. "Not danger—ex-boyfriend drama. Let's just get out of here."
    Darius made a grunting noise and got back in the car. Aphrodite shoved me in the backseat. I didn't know I was crying until Aphrodite, juggling a grumbling Maleficent, passed a handful of Kleenex across the seat.
    "You're all snotty and your makeup is seriously running," she said.
    "Thanks," I mumbled, and blew my nose.
    "Is she all right?" Darius asked, glancing in the rearview mirror at me.
    "She'll be okay. Normal ex-boyfriend crap sucks. What happened to her in there was definitely not normal and, well, that double sucks."
    "Don't talk about me like I'm not here." I sniffled and wiped my eyes.
    "So you're going to be all right?" Darius repeated, this time talking to me.
    "If she says no, will you go back and kill that stupid boy?" Aphrodite asked.
    A little bubble of laughter escaped from my surprised mouth. "I don't want him killed, and I'm going to be okay."
    Aphrodite shrugged. "Suit yourself, but I think the boy needs killing." Then she tugged on Darius's arm and pointed at the strip mall we were approaching. "Honey, would you pull in there to the RadioShack? My stupid iPod Touch has been messing up, and I want to grab a new one."
    "Okay with you?" Darius asked me.
    "No problem. I need some time to get myself together before we get to school. But, uh, would you stay in the car with me?"
    "Of course, Priestess." Darius's kind smile in the rearview mirror made me feel guilty.
    "I'll be back in like two seconds. Hang on to Maleficent for me." Aphrodite tossed the big cat at Darius and then practically ran into RadioShack.
    After situating Aphrodite's hissing beast, Darius looked over the back of the seat at me. "I could speak with the boy if you'd like me to."
    "No, but thanks." I blew my nose again and wiped my face. "He had every right to be pissed. I messed up."
    "Humans who get involved with vampyres can be overly sensitive," Darius said, obviously choosing his words carefully. "Being the human consort of a vampyre, especially a powerful High Priestess, is a difficult path."
    "I'm not a vampyre and I'm not a High Priestess," I said, feeling utterly overwhelmed. "I'm just a fledgling,"
    Darius hesitated, obviously wondering how much he should say to me. It was only when Aphrodite got back into the car, clutching her bogus iPod Touch package, that he finally spoke.
    "Zoey, you should keep in mind that High Priestesses aren't born overnight. They begin to come into their own even when they are fledglings. Their power builds early. Your power is building,