"I see you. You are not as young as I remembered."

"You forget to whom you speak!" He tried to temper his voice, but she stirred his anger. He had forgotten how very much he had come to loathe her cold sarcasm.

"Do I?" Neferet glided from the corner of shadows. "It is you who comes to me. Did you actually believe I would welcome you?"

The sun had lifted above the distant horizon, and as she approached him, Kalona was finally able to fully see her. Neferet had continued to change. She was still beautiful, but anything soft, mortal, human about her had been lost. It was as if she were an exquisite statue that had been given the breath of life, but had been animated without a conscience, without a soul. She had always been cold, but until now Neferet had maintained the ability to mimic kindness and love. No longer. Kalona wondered if he was the only one who could see so clearly that she was becoming a conduit for evil.

"I did not believe it, but I did hope it, even though I have heard rumors that my place at your side has been usurped." He hoped she would misjudge the shock in his voice for jealousy.

Neferet's smile was reptilian. "Yes, I found something bigger than a bird, though I do admit your jealousy is amusing."

Swallowing down the bile that rose in this throat at the thought of touching her, Kalona closed the distance between them. He commanded his wings forward so that the cold softness of his feathers stroked her skin.

"I am something bigger than a bird."

"Why should I take you back?" Neferet's voice sounded emotionless, but Kalona could feel her skin tremble in anticipation under his caress.

"Because you are a goddess and you deserve an immortal Consort." He moved even closer to her, knowing she could feel the frigid power of his moon-blessed immortality.

"I already have an immortal Consort," Neferet said.

"Not one who can do this." Kalona enfolded her in his wings. Slowly, he knelt before her, his lips inches from her quivering flesh. "I will serve you."

"How?" Her voice betrayed no feeling, but her hand lifted to stroke the inside of his wing.

Kalona closed his mind to everything except sensation and moaned.

She continued to stroke him. "How?" Neferet repeated the question and added, "Especially now that you serve another mistress."

He had expected her to know about his oath to Thanatos and he had an answer ready. "The only mistress I can truly serve is a Goddess, and if my Goddess would forgive me, I would do anything she asks of me." Kalona had thought his continued play on words would be amusing. Neferet would believe he spoke of her, and actually he could be talking about any of the female deities. But the moment he said the words, the truth of Kalona's statement rippled through his body, causing him to gasp and lurch away from the creature who stood before him. The games he had been playing with himself for eons ended with that one sentence. I was created to serve one Goddess and one Goddess only. Neferet embodied the opposite of everything Nyx represented. With his back to Neferet, Kalona buried his face in his hands. How could I have ever thought she, or any other woman, could supplant Nyx's place in my heart? I have spent centuries as a broken shell of myself, attempting to fill what was missing within me through violence and lust and power. Nothing! Nothing has worked!

He felt her hands on his shoulders. They were soft and warm and seemed to radiate kindness. Gently, ever so gently, she turned him, coaxing Kalona to face her. When he lifted his head his body went very still. Neferet had not followed him. She had not moved. She could not have touched him. Neferet had never touched him with such kindness.

But Nyx had.

Kalona's face felt wet. Absently he brushed away the tears.

"Hmmm..." Neferet was tapping one long, sharp fingernail against her chin, studying him from across the balcony, showing no sign that Nyx had just been present before him.

Had he imagined his Goddess there? No! I remember her touch-her warmth-her kindness. Nyx had been there. Kalona willed himself to believe it.

"Kalona, I cannot say that I am unmoved by your supplication. You seem to finally be learning how to speak to a real goddess. Perhaps I will forgive your betrayal and allow you to love me again. Under one condition."

"Anything." Kalona spoke the word to his invisible Goddess, hoping that she was still present, still listening.

"This time you will have to bring me Zoey Redbird. Though I don't want her killed, at least not yet. I've decided tormenting her would be far more amusing." Neferet walked slowly to Kalona and let her fingernails scrape across his chest, breaking his skin and drawing thin lines of scarlet. Neferet turned her hand so that his blood dripped down her fingers and into her palm. Cupping the blood in her hand, she leaned forward, licking his chest and closing the wounds. Smiling, Neferet continued past him. "I had forgotten how delicious you taste. Follow me and we shall see if the rest of you is still as pleasing."