Hey, are you okay? Is Stevie Rae alive? Aphrodite's tearstained face lifted so she could meet my eyes. It's over. She's in contact with earth again. She's alive. Oh, thank the Goddess! I said. I touched her shoulder lightly. Are you okay, too? I think so. No. Wait, I don't know. I feel strange. Like my skin isn't quite right. Her vampyre has been damaged, Erce said in a barely audible voice. Stevie Rae may be safe now, but something is terribly wrong with her. Drink this, love, Darius said, taking a fresh glass from Erce and lifting it to Aphrodite's lips. This will help. Aphrodite gulped the water. It was a good thing Darius was helping her hold the glass, because she was shaking so hard there's no way she could have kept from spilling the water without his help. Then she lay back, resting in his arms, breathing in shallow gulps, like she couldn't take a deep breath without causing herself too much pain. I hurt all over, I heard her whisper to Darius. I walked to Erce, took her wrist, and pulled her out of Aphrodite's hearing range. Isn't there a vamp healer you could send for? I asked. She isn't a vampyre, Priestess, Erce said gently. Our healer could not help her. But she's like this because of a vampyre. That is the chance every consort takes. Their fate is bound to their vampyre. Most often a consort dies long before the vampyre, and that is difficult enough. This situation occurs less often. Stevie Rae isn't dead, I whispered severely.

Not yet she isn't, but by watching her consort I would say she is in grave danger. She's a consort by mistake, I muttered. Aphrodite didn't mean for this to happen. Neither did Stevie Rae. Intentional or not, it is still binding, Erce said. Oh my Goddess! Aphrodite sat straight up, pulling completely away from Darius. Her face was a mask of shock that morphed slowly to reflect first pain and then denial, and then she shivered once, so violently that I could hear her teeth chattering, before covering her face with her hands and dissolving into heart-wrenching tears. Darius looked beseechingly at me. Steeling myself for hearing that Stevie Rae was dead, I went to Aphrodite and sat beside her on the chaise. Aphrodite? I tried unsuccessfully to keep the tears from my voice. How could Stevie Rae really be dead? What was I going to do now, a world away from her and completely in over my head? Is Stevie Rae dead? I could hear the Twins crying, and I saw Damien take Jack in his arms. Aphrodite lifted her face from her hands, and I was shocked to see her old, sarcastic grin shine through her tears. Dead? Hell no, she's not dead. She's just Imprinted with someone else!

Chapter Thirty-seven

The earth swallowed her, and for a moment it seemed like everything would be okay. The cool darkness was a relief for her burned skin, and she moaned softly. Red One? Stevie Rae? It wasn't until he spoke that she realized she was still locked in Rephaim's arms. She unwrapped herself from him and moved away, only to cry out in pain as her back touched the earthen wall of the pocket in the ground her element had opened to shield her, and then closed again. Are you well? I-I cannot see you, Rephaim said. I'm okay. I think. Her voice surprised her. It sounded so weak, so outside the norm that it was her first hint that even though she'd escaped the sun, she might not have escaped its effects. I cannot see anything, he said. It's because the earth sealed itself over us to shield me from the sun. We're trapped here? His voice wasn't panicky, but it wasn't exactly calm either. No, I can get us out whenever I want, she explained. Then, on second thought, she added, And, well, the earth over us isn't very deep. If I drop dead you could dig out pretty easily. How are you? That wing must really hurt. Do you feel as if you might die? he asked, ignoring her question about his wing. I don't think so. Okay, actually, I don't know. I feel kinda funny. Funny? Explain that. Like I'm not really attached to my body. Does your body hurt? Stevie Rae thought about it, and was surprised by what she discovered. No. Actually, I don't hurt at all. It was weird, though, that her voice kept getting weaker and weaker. Suddenly his hand was touching her face, sliding down to her neck and arm and-- Ouch! You're hurting me. You're burned badly. I can feel it. You need help. Can't leave here or I'll finish burning up, she said, wondering why the earth seemed to be spinning around beneath her.

What can I do to help you? Well, you can get a big tarp or somethin' and put it over me while you take me to the blood bank downtown. That sounds really good right now. Stevie Rae lay there, thinking she'd never been so thirsty in her life. She wondered, with a detached sense of curiosity, if she was really going to die. It seemed a shame, after all that Rephaim had gone through to help her. Blood is what you need? Blood is all I need. It's what makes me tick, which is more than kinda gross, but still. It's the truth. Cross my heart and hope to die. She giggled a little hysterically, and then sobered. Wait, that's not really very funny. If you don't get blood, you'll die? I think I might, she said, finding it hard to care too much. Then if blood will heal you, take mine. I owe you a life. That's why I saved you on the roof, but if you die here, you die without my debt being repaid. So if you need blood, take mine, he repeated. But you don't smell right, she blurted. From the darkness he sounded irritated and offended. That is what the red fledglings said, too. My blood does not smell right to you because I'm not meant to be one of your prey. I am the son of an immortal. I'm not your victim. Hey, I don't have victims; not anymore, she protested weakly. The truth still holds. I smell different to you because I am different. I was not created to be your lunch. I never said you were. She meant her words to come out sounding snappy and kinda defensive. Instead her voice was faint, and her head felt strangely huge, like it was going to pop off her neck at any second and float up through the ground and into the clouds like a giant birthday balloon. Right-smelling or not, it's blood.