Redeemed

Tendrils of Darkness, like poison spewing from a viper’s mouth, shot from around Neferet’s feet, attempting to swerve around Kalona to get to Thanatos and the rest of us. Stark sprinted back to me, pushing Grandma and me behind him and yelling for Damien, Adam, Shaunee, and Shaylin to get into the Hummer.

I stumbled backward, sure that I was going to watch Thanatos be sliced apart by Neferet’s creatures, probably only seconds before they attacked Stark and then devoured the rest of us.

But none of that happened. Darkness didn’t win this battle—the winged immortal did.

Kalona was everywhere. His spear moved so fast it made a thrumming noise in the air.

“Light saber,” Damien gasped. “For real and not Star Wars make-believe.”

“Get them to safety!” Kalona shouted at Marx.

Marx rushed to the High Priestess, and as Kalona used his body, his wings, and his spear to shield us, we piled into the Hummer.

“Hang on, everyone. I’m jumping the curb and getting him out of there!” Marx told us as the Hummer roared to life.

“Wait,” Thanatos said. “He’s coming to us. Watch the tendrils. Their strength dissipates as they get farther from Neferet.”

The High Priestess was right. Kalona, battered and bleeding, was still fighting the creatures, but he was working his way to us and away from the Mayo. And the threads weren’t following him.

As Kalona reached the rear of the Hummer, Neferet lifted her arms and commanded, “Return to me, children! I will succor you!” The snake-things slithered to her, wrapping themselves around her arms and legs. She stroked them, as if to comfort them, and just before she disappeared inside the Mayo, her blazing emerald gaze focused on us. “Thank you for the lesson. Next time I will win.”

Zoey

“No, truly, I do not need to go to your hospital,” Kalona repeated for like the zillionth time to Marx. “As I already said, bring me water—or, better yet, wine. I will go to the rooftop of this building and heal myself.”

We’d driven around the back of the ONEOK building and entered through the rear to join the Tulsa task force on the third floor. I could see why Marx was stressing over Kalona—he was a bloody mess. Everyone in the room was staring while they tried not to stare at him. Seriously, if he hadn’t been immortal, he’d have been in a body bag.

Marx blew out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “All right, I get it, I get it. You’re fine. Carter!” he yelled at a uniformed cop, who instantly stopped pretending to study his computer screen and gave the detective his full attention. “Find the CEO’s boardroom. There’ll be booze there.” Marx looked back at Kalona. “Will whiskey do? These corporate types seem to prefer it.”

“It will do,” Kalona said.

“Get on it,” Marx told Carter. “All right, while Kalona is recouping on the roof, let’s do damage control. Paluka, give me that phone and get out of here.”

“You can’t just take my phone! That’s illegal!”

“It’s evidence in an ongoing multiple homicide investigation. I’m not taking it. I’m impounding it,” Marx said.

“A moment, please, Detective,” Grandma said.

“Ma’am?” Marx and everyone looked at Grandma, perplexed.

Grandma smiled serenely. “Adam, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you are far from the only newsman who witnessed what just happened outside.”

“You aren’t wrong,” Adam said.

“Ah, as I thought. Which means there were probably multiple camera crews filming from behind that police barricade, not to mention random cell phone recordings, much like the one you made.”

I heard Marx sigh as Adam said, “Right again, ma’am.”

Grandma and Thanatos exchanged a look, and then the High Priestess took up where Grandma had led. “Mr. Paluka, how would you like an exclusive interview with Kalona and me?”

Adam’s eyes sparkled with excitement, but otherwise he remained completely professional. “I would like that very much, High Priestess.”

“Then you shall have it.” Thanatos glanced at Marx. “Sometimes it’s easier to give up control and let fate handle whatever comes next.”

“At least clean off some of his blood first,” Marx muttered. “And get me a fistful of Tylenol.”

Zoey

Kalona did attempt to clean off the blood that had been seeping from long whip-like wounds, and smaller, deeper bite-sized gouges that crisscrossed and dotted his body. I thought he still looked pretty beat up, and he was still bleeding some, but he was acting totally normal—strong, silent, intimidating. Thanatos did make him put on the long coat. She said that his wings made a big enough appearance in the battle clip Adam was going to show during the interview. Silently, I agreed with her, but I also thought the coat was good cover for the wounded mess underneath it. For once I managed to keep my mouth shut and let others deal with the Neferet aftermath while I got to sit out of the spotlight. It was a little moment of relaxation for me as I curled up beside Stark while Grandma, Damien, Shaylin, Shaunee, and I watched what I couldn’t even have imagined a couple of months ago—Kalona being interviewed on Tulsa TV.

Adam had called in a lighting crew and a cameraman. I thought they were doing a really good job of not gawking too continuously at Kalona. Adam explained to everyone that he was going to upload and play a clip of the battle, and then he’d begin the interview. He also explained that it would be airing live as breaking news.

“Man, I’m glad that’s not us over there,” I whispered.

“Adam is doing an excellent job.” Damien spoke softly, his eyes smiling at the newsman.

“I like him,” I said.

Damien met my gaze. “Do you think Jack would like him?”

I reached past Stark and squeezed Damien’s hand. “I know he would.”

Damien nodded and blinked back tears. “Somehow that makes it easier, only a little easier, but I’m grateful for that little.”

Then our attention was on Adam as the blinking red light on the camera went solid and we watched the footage of Kalona’s battle play on the portable prompter.

“This is Adam Paluka, live, with the vampyre and the Warrior we just saw in that amazing footage taken moments ago in front of the Mayo Hotel, downtown Tulsa, when the High Priestess known as Neferet attacked several i

Kalona looked surprised, almost shy. He nodded once and said, “You are welcome.”

“Kalona was doing his duty. He is my Oath Bound Warrior. Neferet, who is no longer recognized by any vampyre authority as a Priestess of Nyx, attacked me and those with me. It was Kalona’s duty to protect us,” Thanatos said.

“Thanatos, it is good to be speaking with you again. Many of our viewers will recognize you as the new High Priestess of Tulsa’s House of Night. Could you explain what you were doing in front of the Mayo?”

The High Priestess drew a deep breath and then spoke slowly and clearly, as if she wanted to be sure everyone understood her. “By now you will know what we had only suspected before now, that Neferet is utterly mad and has gone rogue. She has admitted to a killing spree. She murdered Tulsa’s mayor. She murdered two men in Woodward Park. From there her killing spread to the i

“Those glowing lights! They were souls?”

Thanatos nodded. “They were indeed. They had been trapped on this realm because of the violent ma