"You okay?" I asked Rephaim.

"Yes. Fine," he said.

I seriously didn't believe him, and I guess my sneaked peeks were super obvious because he finally stopped, sighed, and then he truly surprised me by saying, "Hey, Damien, I need to talk to Zoey. Can I meet you in class?"

Damien looked more than a little curious, but he was too polite to protest. "Sure, no problem. Don't be late, though. The professors here really get annoyed about tardiness."

"I'll make sure he hurries," I assured Damien, and then I slowed down so that Rephaim and I stayed outside the building when everyone else went in. "What's up?"

"My father is here. I can feel his presence."

"Kalona? Where?" I knew my eyes were all big and googly as I looked around us like I expected the immortal to pop out of the shadows.

"I don't know where, but I want you to know that I haven't contacted him, haven't seen him, haven't talked to him since he freed me." Rephaim shook his head. "I-I don't want you and the rest of your friends to think I'm keeping things from you."

"Okay. Well, at least that's a good thing. Do you have any idea what he wants?"

"No!"

"Okay, okay, I'm not accusing you of anything. You came to me with this, remember?"

"Yes, but I-" His face went still again. Then his eyes met mine and the sadness in them was so intense that it made my stomach ache. "He's calling me."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Zoey

"Calling you? What the hell do you mean? I don't hear anything." I kept gawking around expecting the boogerman to jump at me.

"No." He shook his head. "You wouldn't hear it. I don't even really hear it. Father can call me through the immortal blood we share. I didn't think he'd still be able to after Nyx changed me." He stared off into the distance, looking totally miserable. "But I'm not truly human. I'm still a mixture of beast and man and immortal. I still share his blood."

"Hey, it's okay. You're doing your best. I see the way you look at Stevie Rae. I know you love her. And Nyx herself forgave you." He nodded and swept a hand across his face, which made me notice he had started to sweat. A lot.

Obviously, he noticed me noticing, and said, "It's difficult not to respond to his call. I've never resisted him before."

"Look, you stay right here. I'm gonna go get Stark and Darius and Stevie Rae. Then you can follow Kalona's call. We'll all go with you and show him that you're really one of us-that he needs to leave you alone."

"No! I don't want everyone to know he's here. Especially not Stevie Rae. She thinks I have to completely turn my back on him, but it's so hard!" He put his hands together like he was begging me to understand. "He's still my father." Even though I wished I didn't, I was beginning to understand what he was saying. "My mom was messed up. She chose a guy over me, but deep inside I still loved her and I wanted her to love me. Really love me. I think the hardest part about her being dead is that there isn't any chance left that she'll be my mom again."

"Then you understand," he said.

"Yeah, in a way I think I do, but I also agree with Stevie Rae. See, Rephaim, you might feel like every other kid who's had a messed-up parent, but the problem with your situation is that your dad isn't just Joe Schmoe down the block. He's a dangerous immortal who's on the wrong side in a very real battle of good versus evil."

Rephaim closed his eyes like what I'd said had physically hurt him, but he nodded and when he opened his eyes and met my gaze I could see the strength of his decision. "You're right. I have to stand up to him and make him understand that we really have gone separate ways. Come with me while I do that. Please, Zoey."

"Well, okay. Let me go get Stark and I'll -"

"Just you. I know it's stupid, but I don't want to humiliate Father, and me doing this in front of Stark would be a great insult."

"Rephaim, I can't come alone with you. Are you forgetting your dad tried to kill me?"

"Neferet held his body prisoner and forced him to follow you to the Otherworld. He didn't want to. He's never wanted to harm you. Zoey, my father has told me he will not kill you, or any High Priestess of the Goddess."

"Seriously, get a clue." I shook my head disbelievingly. "Kalona wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone if they stood in the way of what he wanted."