way more interesting than regular vamp soc with all of Neferet's issues."

Aphrodite opened the door. "I'm so glad I could amuse the masses and-" And we stepped into the middle of chaos.

"Bring it, birdboy!" Dall as was shouting. "You can't hide behind Stevie Rae forever!" Muscley Johnny B was pinning his arms and holding Dall as back, but he was struggling like crazy.

"I'm not hiding, you arrogant fool!" Rephaim yelled. Stevie Rae had a vise-like grip on his arm and was trying to pull him down the sidewalk away from Dall as.

"I'll get Darius and Stark," Aphrodite said, and sprinted away.

"Okay, look, you guys, stop it!" I stepped between the two guys and their growing groups.

"Butt the hell out, Zoey! This ain't your fight." Dall as turned his venom on me. "You think you're so much better than everyone else, but you don't mean shit to us." He jerked his head toward the group of his red fledglings who were standing close by, just watching and smiling.

I was surprised by how much what he said hurt my feelings. "I don't think I'm better than everyone else!"

"Don't let him get to you, Z. He's nothing but a mean, sad little boy all dressed up like a vampyre," Stevie Rae said.

"And you're nothing but a slut!" Dall as shouted at Stevie Rae.

"I told you to stop calling her that!" Rephaim tried to pull away from Stevie Rae.

"Everyone knows you're just pissed because she's not with you anymore," I told Dall as, thinking what a total and complete jerk he'd turned out to be.

"No, I'm pissed because she's with a freak of nature!" His words shot back at me. I noticed even though he was struggling and yelling, his gaze kept going back to a spot low on the wall he was inching closer and closer to. I followed his gaze and saw a single electrical outlet on the wall -one of the industrial three-pronged things.

Ah, hell!

"I'm not a freak!" Rephaim looked like he was going to explode. "I'm human!"

"Really? How 'bout we wait around until the sun comes up and let's just see how human you are." Dall as sneered and moved closer to the wall.

As nonchalantly as I could, I took a couple steps toward the outlet and wondered frantically which element would be the best to summon if I needed to fight electricity.

"That suits me fine," Rephaim was saying. "Whether it's from a human's eye or a bird's I'll be glad to watch you burn up!"

"In your dreams, you ass**le!" Dall as surged forward, toward the outlet, almost getting away from Johnny B and making me stumble and fall back.

And then strong hands caught me and strong arms kept me from tumbling onto my butt. All in one motion Stark steadied me on my feet and moved me behind him and against the wall. Then he faced Dall as.

"Walk away." Stark didn't raise his voice. He sounded calm and cold and completely dangerous.

"This isn't your fight," Dall as said, but he'd already stopped struggling against Johnny B.

"If Zoey's in it, it's my fight. And you need to understand I'll win. Every time. So, walk away."

"This ends now!" Sounding like a general commanding runaway troops, Dragon Lankford and several Sons of Erebus Warriors, including Darius, burst onto the scene making a big show of standing between Dall as and Rephaim. The Sword Master's face was like a storm cloud.

"Dall as, you stand there." He pointed to a place before him, then hardly glancing at Rephaim added, "And you there." Dragon pointed to an empty space beside Dall as. The two guys did what they were told, though Dall as still sent Rephaim a hateful look. Rephaim's gaze was totally focused on the Sword Master who began speaking sternly to them both.

"I will not tolerate fighting at this school. This is not a human high school. I expect you to rise above such childish, base behavior." Dragon looked from Dall as to Rephaim. "Do you understand me?"

"I do." Rephaim spoke clearly and quickly. "I do not want to be the cause of trouble."

"Then leave because as long as you're here there's gonna be trouble!" Dall as said.

"No!" Dragon hurled the word like a whip. "There will be no more trouble at this school or you will answer to me."

"He doesn't belong here," Dall as said, but his voice was subdued and he looked more pouty than dangerous.

"I agree with you, Dall as," Dragon said. "But Nyx does not. As long as the House of Night serves Nyx, we will abide by her choices, even if she chooses forgiveness when we cannot."