Tempted

“But, Zoey, Stevie Rae was good before she died and then came back. We all know that. What if the truth is that Kalona never had any goodness and humanity to lose? What if his choice has always been for evil?” Damien asked quietly. “For you to be saying all of this, what he showed you seemed real, but you have to at least consider the fact that the vision might have been nothing more than smoke-and-mirrors. He might have been showing you ‘truth,’ but a dressed-up, partial version of truth.”

“I have been considering that,” I said.

“Like Stark said, have you really thought about the fact that the soul co

I nodded, crying harder.

Heath took my hand. “Zo, his favorite son killed Anastasia and almost killed those other kids who stood up to him.”

“I know,” I sobbed. But what if he only let them do that because Neferet wanted it? I didn’t say the words aloud, but Heath seemed to read my mind.

“Kalona’s trying to get to you ’cause you’re the one who had the strength to pull everyone together to banish him from Tulsa,” Heath said.

“And Aphrodite’s vision shows that you’re the only one who has the strength to defeat him permanently,” Damien said.

“Part of you was made to cause his destruction,” Shaunee said.

“And that same part of you was made to love him,” Erin said.

“You have to remember that, Zo,” Heath said.

“I think you need to talk to Aphrodite,” Damien said. “I’m going to wake her up, and get Darius, too. We’re going to talk this out. You need to describe exactly what Kalona showed you in that vision.”

I nodded, but I knew I couldn’t do what they wanted me to do. I couldn’t talk to Aphrodite and Darius. Not when I felt so raw.

“Okay, but I need a minute.” I wiped my face with my sleeve. Jack, who’d been watching everything with big, worried eyes, opened his man purse and handed me a little travel Kleenex package. “Thank you,” I sniffled.

“Just keep it. You’ll probably cry more later,” he said, patting my shoulder.

“Why don’t you guys go on up to Aphrodite’s suite? I’ll get myself together and be up there in a little while.”

“Don’t take long, okay?” Damien said.

I nodded and my friends walked slowly away. I looked at Heath. “I gotta be alone.”

“Yeah, I figured, but I wanted to tell you something.” He took me by both of my shoulders and made me meet his gaze. “You have to fight this thing you feel for Kalona, and I’m not saying that because I’m jealous or whatever. I’ve loved you since we were kids. I’m not go

Being alone with Heath was actually calming me down. He was so familiar. He was my human rock—always there—always standing up for what was really best for me.

“I’m sorry I called you jealous and possessive.” I sniffled and blew my nose.

He gri

“Yeah, well, he doesn’t have as much Zoey experience as you do.”

His grin widened. “No one does, babe!”

I sighed and stepped into his arms, hugging him hard. “You’re like home to me, Heath.”

“That’s what I’ll always be, Zo.” He pulled back and kissed me softly. “Okay, I’m go

“Punch him?”

Heath shrugged. “A good punch makes guys feel better.”

“Uh, not if they’re receiving instead of giving,” I said.

“Fine. Then I’ll go find someone else for him to punch.” He waggled his brows at me. “’Cause you obviously don’t want my pretty face messed up.”

“If you find him, would you bring him to Aphrodite’s room?”

“That’s what I pla

“I love you, too, but I really hate it when you mess up my hair,” I said.

He gri

I was actually feeling a little better. I sat on the bench, blew my nose again, wiped my eyes, and stared off into the distance. Then I realized what I was staring at and where I was sitting.

It was the bench from one of my first Kalona dreams. It was built up on a mound so that from there I could look over the top of the huge wall that circled the island and see, off in the distance, the illuminated St. Mark’s Square looking like a magical wonderland in the wintry night. At my back was San Clemente Palace, all lit up and glistening. Around the palace to my right was the ancient cathedral turned High Council Chamber. All this beauty—all this power and majesty around me and I’d been too self-absorbed to see any of it.

Maybe I’d become too self-absorbed to see Kalona, either.

I knew what Aphrodite would say. She’d say I was making the bad vision come true. Maybe she was right.

I lifted my head and stared up at the night sky, trying to see though the layers of clouds and concealment to the moon. And then I prayed.

“Nyx, I need you. I think I’m lost. Please help me. Please show me something that will make things clearer to me. I don’t want to mess up… again…”

CHAPTER 40

Heath

Heath wondered if Zo knew she was breaking his heart. Not that he wanted to be away from her. He didn’t. Actually, he wanted more of her. The problem was he also wanted what was best for her—he always had. Ever since grade school. He remembered the day he fell in love with her. Her mom had freaked out on her and had taken her to some girlfriend who worked at one of those girl beauty shops. They’d decided—Zo’s mom and her girlfriend—that it would be cute to chop off all of Zo’s long, dark hair. So the next day she’d showed up for third grade with hair that was super-short and kinda weirdly sticking out all over and fuzzy looking.

The kids had all been whispering and laughing at her. Her big brown eyes had been huge and scared, and Heath had thought he’d never seen anyone who was so beautiful. He’d told her he liked her hair—in front of the whole cafeteria at lunch. She’d looked like she was going to cry, so he’d carried her tray for her, and sat with her, even though it wasn’t cool to sit with a girl. That day she’d done something to his heart. She’d been doing something to it ever since.

So, here he was, going to find a guy who had a piece of her heart because it was what was best for Zoey. Heath ran his hand through his hair. All of this would be over someday. Someday Zo would go back to Tulsa, and even though the House of Night would take up a bunch of her time, she’d be with him when she could. They’d go to the movies again. She’d come watch him play football at OU. It would be normal again, or as normal as it could be.

He could hang in till then. When this crap with Kalona got straight—and Zo would get it straightened out, Heath was sure of it—when this crap was fixed, things would be better. He’d have his Zo back. Or at least as much of her as she could give him. And that would be enough.

Heath followed the path that led away from the palace, still going in the general direction Stark had taken. He looked around and couldn’t see much except the big stone wall on his left, and a parklike area filled with hedges that were almost as high as his head, on his right. He studied the park as he walked, realizing the hedges created some kind of circular, interwoven pattern. He decided it must be one of those old mazes—a labyrinth, he finally remembered from the Greek mythology story about the Minotaur on the island of some rich king, whose name there was no way he could remember.