"Did you see Aurox?" I asked quickly.

"Nope. Just the bull shadow. And for the record, I agree with you and Stark and Darius-birdboy should stay away from Dragon. If that means he stays here, then that's what should happen. Now, may I please have a refil on my wine and some rest?"

"I don't think it's good for you to drink while you're bleedin' like that." Stevie Rae said.

"Don't question me. I'm a professional," Aphrodite said.

"What does that even mean?" I asked.

"It means my beauty is done talking and needs to sleep," Darius said.

"The pizza should be here soon," Stevie Rae said. "I got you one."

"If I'm still awake when it gets here I'll eat it," Aphrodite said. Then she took the washcloth off her eyes and blinked them slowly open. I was prepared. I'd seen this before. Rephaim, however, was not.

"By all the gods! You do weep blood," he said.

She turned her red-tinged gaze to him. "Yeah. Even I know it's terrible symbolism. Birdboy, you need to remember this. I got this damn vision because there was a message in it for you. Keep your ass safe. Stay away from pointy objects, and if that means you need to stay away from Dragon Lankford, then do it."

"For how long?" he asked her. "How long must I hide from this vampyre?"

She shook her head. "I got a warning, not a timeline."

"I'd rather not hide."

"I'd rather not have you dead," Stevie Rae said.

"I'd rather sleep," Aphrodite said.

"All right, let's go," I said. I handed Darius my last bottle of water. "Try to make her drink this between glasses of wine."

"I'm right here. You don't have to talk about me like I can't hear you." She made a toasting gesture with her glass and then drained it.

"You're under the influence, so I'm ignoring you," I said. "Get some rest. I'll talk to you later." We moved from Aphrodite's room, Rephaim and Stevie Rae holding hands and talking in low voices to each other as we made our way up through the tunnels and outside where we were going to wait for a very confused delivery boy who I was going to be sure got an excellent tip.

"What do you think about the vision?" Stark asked, putting his arm around me and holding me close to him.

"I think Stevie Rae is going to be a problem. She's going to try to protect Rephaim so much that she's gonna end up getting him killed." Stark nodded and looked grim. "That's how Darkness works. It turns love into something bad." His words surprised me. He sounded so cynical, so old. "Stark, Darkness can't turn love into anything. Love is the only thing that lasts through Darkness and death and destruction. You know that-or you used to."

He stopped then and all of a sudden I was in his arms and he was holding me so tight that he almost stopped my breath.

"What is it?" I whispered to him. "What's wrong?"

"Sometimes I think I should have been the one to die and Heath should have been the one who stayed with you. He believed in love a lot more than I do."

"I don't think the amount of belief you have is what's important. I think it's what you have belief in that matters."

"Then we'll be okay because I believe in you," he said.

I wrapped my arms around him and held on, trying to reassure him and myself with touch when words just didn't seem to be enough.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Neferet

How goes the pursuit of chaos, my heartless one? The white bull 's deep voice echoed through her mind.

Neferet turned almost in a complete circle before she caught sight of his luminous, magickal coat, his massive horns, his cloven hoofs. He was approaching her from behind the tomb over which the statue of an angelic young girl looked down, head bowed. Time had crumbled one of her stone hands and Neferet thought her expression made it seem as if the angel had given part of herself as an offering, perhaps to the white bull.

The thought made Neferet burn with jealousy.

She walked to meet her bull, moving slowly, languorously. Neferet knew she was beautiful, yet still she felt compelled to pull power from the surrounding shadows to enhance herself. Her long, thick hair glistened, much like the liquid silk of her black gown. She'd chosen it because it reminded her of Darkness-reminded her of her bull.

Neferet stopped before him and dropped gracefully to her knees. "The pursuit of chaos goes well, my lord." So, I am your lord? How interesting.

Neferet tilted her head back and smiled seductively up at the massive god. "Would you rather I call you my Consort?" Ah, the naming of a thing. There is power in it.