Destined (24 page)

“This damn Rephaim thing is gonna bite me in the ass.”

“Tell me you’re not moron enough to trust him.”

“I’m nice, not stupid.”

“Hey, sissy boy, have you thought about the fact that if you can’t trust Rephaim, then you can’t trust anyone who’s close to him, either.”

“Like Stevie Rae. I know. I expected to have to watch her close and be sure she wasn’t getting Zoey into danger, but it looks like the opposite’s happening. Stevie Rae keeps pushing Rephaim to stay away from Kalona, to be safe and smart and not give his messed up dad the time of day.”

“What’s the problem then?”

“Shaunee.”

The Other laughed. “You mean one half of the Twin duo? So, they’re both causing you stress. Hey, how ’bout this—instead of crying about it you dump Zoey and make yourself the middle of a Twin sandwich. Those two bitches are hot.”

“You’re such a piece of shit. I’m not dumping Z. I love her. And it’s not the Twins who are the problem. It’s just Shaunee. Seems she has some kinda daddy complex and she’s giving Rephaim fuel for his Kalona-might-change fire.”

“Sounds bad. You better be on guard, fucknuts, or shit’s gonna hit the fan when …

The scene began to fade as a beautiful white feather appeared over Stark’s head.

“It’s okay … Don’t have bad dreams.”

In time with the whispered words the feather softly, gently, stroked over Stark’s face, soothing his furrowed brow and, like a broom with sand, sweeping away the dissipating image of The Other.

In the darkest shadows of Stark’s mind, Kalona smiled and, for then, severed their nightly connection.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Shaunee

“Really, Twin. Go with Kramisha and Aphrodikey. My stomach is still messed up from the Lunchables I had for breakfast. I need to stay here closer to the bathroom,” Shaunee said.

“Eew, Twin, I tried to tell you Lunchables aren’t a breakfast food,” Erin said.

“Look, are you staying here and suckling Shauneedy, or are you coming with us? The bumpkin and the bird are upstairs heating up the car and waiting on us. We have like two-point-five minutes to get to the back door of Miss Jackson’s and have Kramisha and Stevie Rae
convince
the security guy to let us in before he goes off shift and the damn store is locked up tight,” Aphrodite said. “I have zero patience for Twin crap. The whole trip is already a pain in my shapely ass because I know Stevie Rae is gonna make me leave my credit card number.”

“That is the right thing to do,” Shaunee said.

“Whatever.
Let’s go,
” Aphrodite said.

“Twin, are you—” Erin began and Kramisha cut her off. “You know I hate to agree with Hateful over there, but as my momma would say, shit or get off the pot.”

“Gross,” Shaunee said. “Especially with the way my stomach’s feeling.”

“Totally,” Erin agreed.

“Are you comin’ or not?” Kramisha said.

“Go,” Shaunee insisted. “Grab me something that has cashmere
and
fur. In red, ’cause I’m so hot. And make Aphrodite pay for it.”

Erin grinned. “Done, Twin.”

“Are you two gonna kiss good-bye now or what?” Aphrodite said.

Erin rolled her eyes. “Come on, Hateful. Let’s shop.”

“’Bout time…” Kramisha muttered as the three of them hurried from the kitchen.

Shaunee felt a little guilty when Erin gave her one last worried look and waved. She was frowning and staring down at the table when Zoey came in with a super rumpled looking Stark.

“Hey there, Shaunee,” Z said. “You feeling better?”

“Where’s Erin?” Stark asked.

“No, and shopping,” Shaunee said. She didn’t like the way Stark was looking at her, all disapproving and adult-like. “What’s your problem?” she asked him.

“Nothin’.” He shrugged nonchalantly and stuck his head in one of the fridges. “Just need some caffeine to wake up.”

But even though he sounded all
whatever
he still kept with the Look, and Shaunee didn’t feel like dealing. “I’m gonna go get some fresh air, then lay down. And, like Damien would say, I got homework to do.” She started walking toward the exit in the corner that led up to the abandoned depot and the quickest way out.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay? You’re not—”

“No!” Shaunee said quickly, Z’s worried voice making her feel even guiltier. “I’m not coughing at all. Really. My stomach’s just messed up. It was the old Lunchables. I knew that ham was nasty, but I love me some mini-Ritz sandwiches.”

“I’ll come to your room and check on you later,” Z said.

“Yeah, okay, thanks,” Shaunee called and escaped up the stairs and into the old ticket booth.

There she breathed easier. The depot was a mess, but she’d liked it from the very beginning—even though it was dingy and old and definitely needed some TLC. Still, it had a feel to it that reminded her of taking family trips, back before her parents had decided she wasn’t interesting enough, or whatever, and quit letting her come on vacation with them.

It wasn’t like she’d had a crappy life before she’d been Marked. They’d had money. She’d gone to a cool private school back in Connecticut. She’d been popular and busy and … and …

And lonely.

Then she’d been Marked during a school trip to a summer art class or whatever during a layover at the Tulsa International Airport. Her teacher had left her behind when their plane boarded.

Crying and totally freaked, she’d called her dad. That’s why his PA had put her call through to him. In the five years the woman had worked for her dad, she’d never heard Mr. Cole’s daughter cry.

Shaunee had asked her dad to please send her a ticket home so she could see them before she went to a House of Night on the East Coast, preferably the one in the Hamptons.

Her dad had told her to stay in Tulsa. There was a House of Night there. Good luck and good-bye.

She hadn’t seen her parents since.

They’d set up an account for her, though, and dumped money in it.

Her parents were good at believing money could fix any problem.

Actually, Shaunee was good at pretending she believed the same thing.

She walked slowly around the depot. It was cold and dark inside and, almost absently, she stopped at a pile of broken tiles that had been heaped in the center of the floor.

“Fire, come to me,” Shaunee said. She inhaled and exhaled, soaking up the heat that flowed harmlessly through her body, directing it to her outstretched hands. Her fingers glowed with flickering flame. She touched the pile of tiles. “Warm ’em up.” Instantly they absorbed the fire and began glowing red.

“That is certainly a useful affinity to have.”

Shaunee spun around, hands raised, ready to shoot flame.

“I mean you no harm.” Kalona raised his own hands, holding them and his arms open. “I have come to speak with my son, but I cannot enter the tunnels below without causing myself great pain.”

Shaunee made sure she didn’t look in the immortal’s eyes—she remembered that he had a powerful and seductive gaze. Instead she stared over his shoulder at a spot of ceramic tile left on the ruined depot wall, pulled her element closer to herself, and in what she hoped like hell was a strong
whatever
voice said, “So you’re just hiding up here?”

“Not hiding, waiting. I have been here since dusk hoping that Rephaim might come above.”

“Well, you wouldn’t find him here unless he was coming up to take a shower in the old locker room. This isn’t the normal entrance and exit we use,” Shaunee said automatically, and then she closed her mouth.
That was stupid. I shouldn’t have told him our business.

“I could not know that. I assumed you would come and go through there.” He gestured to the wide front doors that looked dusty and kinda catawampus and only half on their hinges.

“Rephaim isn’t here,” Shaunee said. “He’s shopping with Stevie Rae and those guys.”

“Oh. Well, then. I…” Kalona paused awkwardly and Shaunee snuck a quick peek at him. He wasn’t looking at her. His shoulders were slumped and he was staring at the floor. He seemed glaringly out of place and uncomfortable.

With a little start she realized he also looked a lot like Rephaim. Sure, instead of being brown and Cherokee-ish looking, Kalona was more golden. He was bigger, too. And, yeah, he had those giant black wings. But the mouth was the same. And the face was the same. Kalona glanced up at her.

Except for being amber colored, the eyes were the same, too.

Shaunee looked quickly away.

“You may meet my gaze without fear,” he said. “There is a truce between us. I mean you no harm.”

“No one trusts you,” she said quickly and a little breathlessly.

“No one? Not even my son?”

He sounded totally defeated.

“Rephaim wants to trust you.”

“Which means that he does not,” Kalona said.

Shaunee did meet the immortal’s gaze then. She waited, but didn’t feel like he zapped her or anything. Actually, he just looked like a hot older guy with wings who seemed sad. Real sad.

“I should go,” he said, and began to turn.

“Do you want me to tell Rephaim anything for you?”

He hesitated and then said, “I came here because I have been considering our common enemy, Neferet’s new creature.”

“Aurox,” she said.

“Yes, Aurox. From what my other son told me, the creature has the ability to change form into a being that resembles a bull.”

“I haven’t seen him do that myself, but Zoey has,” Shaunee said. “So has Rephaim.”

Kalona nodded. “Then it must be truth. This means Aurox has been infused with power from an immortal, and to manifest as it has, with such a complex and complete disguise, the power used to create it had to be mighty indeed.”

“That’s what you want me to tell Rephaim?”

“In part. Also tell my son that power of this magnitude had to have taken a great sacrifice. Perhaps a death that was close to those in your group.”

“Jack?”

“No. That boy was sacrificed by Neferet to pay her debt to Darkness for imprisoning me and forcing my spirit to the Otherworld.” Kalona’s voice was bitter—his anger just barely under control. “That is why I know Aurox’s conception must have been the result of a death—as was my torment. Look to the sacrifice and you may discover evidence against Neferet. Causing her destruction would be more possible were she at odds with the High Council.”

“I’ll tell Rephaim.”

“Thank you, Shaunee.” Kalona said the words slowly, hesitantly, as if he was unused to the taste of them. “And tell him I said I wish him well.”

“Okay, I will. Hey, uh, I think you should get a cell phone.”

The winged immortal’s brows went up. “Cell phone?”

“Yeah, how’s Rephaim supposed to call you if he needs to talk to his dad?”

Shaunee thought Kalona almost smiled. “I do not have a cell phone.”

“I guess going to the AT&T store is pretty much not an option for you.”

“No.” His lips tilted up even as he shook his head. “I’m not sure what I would do with my wings.”

“Very true,” she said. “Uh, how about a laptop? You could be on Skype.”

“I do not have a laptop, either. Young fledgling, I am living in the woods on a ridge southwest of Tulsa with a flock of creatures who should not exist in the modern world. I do not have, as you would say, computer access.”

Shaunee was nonplused. “I could get you a laptop. All you need is one of those remote satellite connection things and a power source, and you’ll have Internet anywhere—even in the woods southwest of Tulsa. You can find electricity, can’t you?”

“Yes.”

“So if I got you the computer stuff, would you call your son?”

There was no hesitation Shaunee could see. “Yes,” he said.

“Okay, good. Take this.” She reached into the little chain mail Rebecca Minkoff shoulder purse that was her current favorite, pulled out her iPhone and threw it to Kalona. The immortal caught it without even blinking. “I’ll call you when I have the laptop and stuff.”

“That’s very generous of you.”

“Don’t get emotional,” she said blandly. “My parents have money. I’ll just spend some of it. It’s no big thing.”

“I wasn’t speaking of the money. I was speaking of the generosity of the friendship you are showing to my son.”

Shaunee shrugged. “He’s a friend of a friend—that’s all. And don’t get me wrong. I want my phone back.”

“Yes, of course,” Kalona said. Then he really smiled and Shaunee thought she’d never seen anything so amazing and joyful and totally beautiful. “Thank you, Shaunee. This time I mean it with my whole being—and that is, indeed, rare for me.”

“You’re welcome. Just be nice to Rephaim. He deserves a good dad.”

Kalona met her gaze and she felt him look through her eyes to her heart and soul. “As do you, my fledgling friend. Fare-thee-well.” Then Kalona turned and left her, exiting through the broken doors. Shaunee could hear the beat of his massive wings as he lifted into the dark evening sky.

For a long time afterward she stood there, heating the pile of broken tiles with her flame, and thinking …

*   *   *

“Twin, really. No blood coughing? You’re absolutely
not
dying?” Erin’s already porcelain skin had paled to crystallized snow.

“Twin. Seriously. I’m fine.”

“No. If you’re not dying then what the hell is wrong with you? You gave Kalona
your iPhone
!”

There was a shocked silence as the entire group that Shaunee had finally managed to get together, Erin, Zoey, Stevie Rae, Rephaim, Damien, Aphrodite, Darius, and Kramisha, paused to let the echoes of Erin’s almost-shriek bounce from the tunnel walls of the kitchen.

“Well, Twin.” Shaunee’s voice sounded small and uber-calm in the wake of Erin’s tantrum. “Like I just explained to everyone, I was upstairs and Rephaim’s dad was there, too ’cause he was trying to wait around and see his kid. He told me to tell Rephaim the stuff I said. I gave him my phone so that I could actually call him and then trade it for the laptop I’m getting for him ’cause he can’t go to the Apple store with those wings. Then he flew away, as per usual. That’s it. I’m totally okay. The end.”