"Strangely put, but I think true," Thanatos said. "Which is one reason why I have, in the name of the Vampyre High Council, purchased this building for you."

I blinked in surprise and tried to formulate an appropriate response when Aphrodite said, "I hope that means renovation."

"It does," Thanatos said.

"Wait," I said. "We're not a House of Night. Why would the High Council get involved in where we're living?"

"Because we're special and cool and they don't want us to exist in a dirty hovel," Aphrodite said.

"Or because they want to control where we live and what we do," I said.

Thanatos raised her brows. "You speak with the command of a High Priestess."

"I'm not really one," I assured her. "I'm still a fledgling. Stevie Rae is the High Priestess here."

"And where is she?"

"She's with Rephaim. It'll be light soon and she likes to be with him before he changes into a bird," I said bluntly.

"And what are you?"

I frowned. "You know as much as I do about what I am. You know Stark was gifted with a Guardian Sword in the Otherworld, which means that to some extent I'm a Queen because he's my Warrior and Guardian."

"Why all the questions? I thought you were on our side," Aphrodite said.

"I'm on the side of truth," Thanatos said.

"You know Neferet is a lying bitch," Aphrodite said. "We told you that on San Clemente Island when Z was in LaLa Land."

"She means the Otherworld." I rolled my eyes at Aphrodite.

"Yeah, right, the Otherworld. Whatever," she said. "But we told you the real deal about Neferet then, and you acted like you believed us. You even helped us figure out the Skye stuff with Stark. So, what's up with you now?"

There was a super big pause, which meant there was time enough for me to wonder if Aphrodite and I had gone too far. I mean, Thanatos was a powerful, ancient vampyre, a member of the High Council whose Goddess-given affinity was death. It probably was a bad idea to question her, let alone piss her off.

"I believe what you told me when Zoey's soul was shattered was what you, all of you, thought was the truth," Thanatos finally said.

"I'm back, and we're not in Italy, but the truth hasn't changed. Neferet hasn't changed," I said.

"And yet she insists that she has been forgiven by Nyx who gifted her with Aurox as a sign of divine favor," Thanatos said.

"That's bull poopie," I said. "Neferet hasn't changed and Aurox is no gift from Nyx."

"I do believe Neferet is hiding a truth," Thanatos said.

"That's one way of putting it," I said.

"But not the way we'd put it," Aphrodite said.

"We don't mean to be disrespectful," I added. "It's just that we've faced off against Neferet for a while now, and we've seen things that she's been careful to keep from the High Council and, really, most vampyres in general."

"But when we try to out her no one believes us because we're kids," Aphrodite said. "And a messed-up group of reject kids at that." I raised my brows at Aphrodite and she amended, "Well, not me. I'm talking about the rest of you guys."

"That is part of the reason I'm here," Thanatos said. "To be the eyes and ears of the High Council."

"So, what exactly does it mean that the High Council has bought this building?" I asked.

"Hopefully it means I can give my mom's gold card a rest and some of us-as in those who don't need to crawl into a coffin when the sun rises-

can have decent rooms up here once this building is renovated," Aphrodite said.

"It does mean that. It also means that this could become a legitimate House of Night on its own, without any ties to the original Tulsa House of Night," Thanatos explained. "The Council believes it might be wise to have a red fledgling House of Night that remains, for the most part, separate from the original."

"Okay, no. That's exactly why BA hasn't built two high schools. It'd be just too much rivalry in one district," I said. "Hating on Union and Jenks is good enough for us-and BA needs to do that with a combined front."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Aphrodite asked.

"Broken Arrow-Union-Jenks," I said. "High schools. Too many in one town just sucks."

"Were you student council president or did you hold some other socially unacceptable position? Tulsa has like a zill ion high schools and hell has not frozen over yet," Aphrodite said. "Having too many bussed kids to one school is just moronic and allows the white trash to slither in. Ugh. Just ugh."