Redeemed

“She would like that,” Thanatos said as she stared at the building. She sounded pissed. I thought she looked paler than usual, but she’d been a vampyre for, like, a gabillion years. She always looked white, so I couldn’t be sure. “It would give her power from their deaths, as well as the satisfaction that she had forced you to kill i

“Agreed,” Kalona said.

“Good,” she said. “Enough sitting and speculating. I need to be out there. I need to understand exactly what it is we’re dealing with.”

Thanatos exited the Hummer, slamming the door behind her and leaving the rest of us to follow—reluctantly.

Kalona moved quickly to her side. In the distance I could hear calls of, “Hey, there’re some vampyres!” and “Focus the camera in—something’s going on in front of the Mayo!”

The winged immortal had pulled on a long black trench coat over his typically naked chest in a fairly successful attempt to hide his ginormous wings. I saw him shift his body, trying his best to tuck up the huge feathered things. He gave the crowd behind the barricade an a

“Yeah, try telling that to the media. We’ve managed to corral them back there, but a free press is a bitch to deal with.”

Kalona shrugged. “Then they will have to learn the lesson themselves.” On that ominous note, he turned his attention to the Mayo. Thanatos was staring at the building, almost as if it mesmerized her. I swallowed my fear and stood beside her, grateful for Stark’s strong presence.

“I should have known it before now.” Thanatos’s voice was strained. She took several steps toward the building. “But I have rarely been called to the site of a human’s death, and never to a human death site of this magnitude.” She moved closer to the building, standing within the circular driveway that fed into the grand entrance. Thanatos lifted her hands, palms out, and shuddered. “The terror used to make this barrier lingers.”

“Priestess, I advise that you do not approach the building,” Kalona said, moving swiftly to her side, gently taking her elbow and trying to guide her back to the street.

“I must help them,” she said, shaking off his hand.

“Them?” Marx asked.

“Not all of the dead have moved on. Their end was too violent, too terrifying, too far beyond the realm of anything these poor people had ever imagined. I sense spirits so panicked that they are endlessly circling, unable to find their way from this realm to the next.”

“Can you help them?” Grandma called from over by the Hummer.

“Yes, I believe I can.”

“Try to do so quickly,” Kalona said.

“Should I cast a circle?” I asked.

“No, Zoey. You and everyone except Kalona stay safely back. This is something I must do on my own. Our Goddess has gifted me with everything I need”—she paused and smiled her appreciation at Kalona—“including a mighty protector. I must trust in the strength I draw from Nyx.”

“Do like Thanatos says, move back to the Hummer,” Stark said, pulling me back with him. Marx backed up more slowly, his eyes focused on Thanatos.

“Damien! Hey, Damien!” A young, handsome human suddenly rushed up.

Damien turned in time to get caught in a giant hug.

“Adam! You shouldn’t be here, it’s too dangerous,” Damien scolded him.

“Hey, I’m a journalist. I’m all about danger,” he said, gri

Finally, I recognized him. It was Adam Paluka, a newsman from Fox—the guy who had interviewed us after Neferet gave her ridiculous news conference. I knew he and Damien had been dating, and from the way they smiled at each other, I guessed things were going well. Jeesh, I’d been so wrapped up in what was going on with me that I hadn’t even thought to ask Damien how he was dealing with dating someone so soon after Jack—

“You need to get back behind the barrier,” Marx said, approaching Adam with a thundercloud look.

But just then Thanatos began her spellwork, drawing all of our attention to her.

The High Priestess raised her hands and closed her eyes. When she spoke, her restlessness was gone. Her words were rhythmic, mesmerizing; her voice was calm. She was strong and wise and beautiful—and I was proud to be a fledgling in a House of Night under her reign.

Spirits who still suffer here, come to me

My voice for you let it a lifeline be

Calmly, sweetly, my Goddess Gift sooths thee

All around Thanatos, the air began to sparkle, as if someone had tossed magickal, floating snow globes filled with glitter toward her.

“Oh my God! What’s happening? What’s that vampyre doing?” I was so focused on the spell Thanatos was casting that I barely acknowledged the background noise from the pressing crowd. I felt more than saw Adam lift his iPhone and I heard the little ping that meant he was recording. Stark squeezed my hand before he whispered, “Marx looks like he’s going to kick all of the reporters out. I’m go

I nodded and vaguely understood Stark was arguing with Damien about making Adam leave while Marx began walking purposefully toward the barricade. But I never took my eyes from the High Priestess. I couldn’t. Thanatos commanded all of my focus.

I am your guide from this world’s pain to flee

Your terror is done; love has heard your plea

Calmly, sweetly, your spirits shall now be free!

The glowing orbs completely surrounded Thanatos. When she spoke the last line of her spell, she spread her arms wide and every one of the shining things rushed to her. Laughing in absolute joy, Thanatos, face illuminated with love, tossed her arms up. The sparkling orbs shot into the night sky like Fourth of July fireworks—only instead of leaving behind a foggy smoke, the disappearing globs left behind a ripple of relief and happiness that had me forgetting the stress of the situation—the horror of the blood and stench and Darkness-covered Mayo—had me forgetting everything except the fact that human or vampyre there was one constant among us all: love. Always love.

And then Neferet burst from the front of the building totally spoiling my happy moment. I thought she’d looked like Crazy Town before, but I’d been wrong. What she was now made all the earlier Neferet craziness look no more eccentric than an old cat lady who smelled vaguely of urine and catnip. She was wearing a short green dress. For a second I was almost relieved. I mean, she wasn’t naked. Okay, she didn’t have shoes on, but I thought that wasn’t that big a deal—until I actually looked at her feet. They were resting on a writhing nest of black tendrils that coiled and pulsed around her, wrapping up her ankles and calves, and actually lifting her off the sidewalk.

But that wasn’t even the most insane thing about Neferet. It was her eyes that gave away her crazy. Something had happened to her pupils—they were gone. They were like creepy marbles, completely emerald green.

“What’s wrong with her ey—” Adam began, but Neferet’s shriek cut him off.

“Death’s crone, you have no dominion over my Temple!” Neferet pointed at Thanatos, and two of the tendrils raced toward her.

Kalona moved so fast everything blurred. Suddenly he was there, between Thanatos and the attacking creatures. He’d shrugged off his coat and pulled free the ebony spear he’d strapped across his back. His wings unfurled as he met the tendrils, skewering one, and while it writhed in a death agony, he spun and sliced the other in half.

Neferet screamed, as if she could feel the pain of the severed tendrils. “Ignore Kalona! Kill Thanatos and then the others!”

Everything exploded.