Page 42 (1/2)

"I can stand in for Stevie Rae"

Everyone stared at Aurox

"Why you?" Stark asked before I could say anything, which annoyed the crap out of me It was my circle--not his!

"Why not reen candle and call earth And I want to help Zoey"

"Sounds good toat Stark "Daather the circle candles and matches?"

Aurox bowed respectfully to me before the three of them headed toward Nyx’s Te on? Why the circle now? Shouldn’t so to, but not looking at, Dallas’s body

"That is exactly what Zoey and her circle will be doing," Thanatos said "A condemned and executed vampyre doesn’t deserve a pyre and the traditions of a funeral He also shouldn’t be buried anywhere that could be uided followers His remains need to be si it "You want then Shaunee so that she can, well, uh--" I hesitated, not sure how to put it, and feeling very squeed out at the thought of ere going to have to do

"Clean up this mess," Aphrodite finished forabout taking out the trash "And the less attention paid to this cleanup, the better So, I thank both Prophetesses for fulfilling your role with dignity and wisdoo to class, and Shaylin join her directly after she has invoked water in Zoey’s circle"

Aphrodite frowned Class was not her favorite place to be I frowned at her--not that she noticed--thinking that I’d be happy to change places with her

"Co her hand and et uys to hurry up," Shaylin said She began walking toward Nyx’s Temple, then she paused and turned back to Thanatos "I read your colors You were doing what needed to be done Sometimes the ancient ways are the best," she said

"That is what I believe as well," Thanatos said

"That doesn’t make what happened here any less horrible," Shaylin continued

"Not less horrible, no, but necessary," Thanatos said

"The entire school isn’t for you," Shaylin said

"I am aware of that"

"I think you would be surprised to knoho all is having second thoughts about their pledge to you and to this school," Shaylin said

"I ih Couldn’t you?" Thanatos said

My sto on," I said "I’ainst Darkness, but I’hts"

"What point are you h me

"That Shaylin shouldn’t be used as your spy!" I wasn’t sure exactly why the idea pissedin the service of Nyx--" Thanatos began

I cut her off "Nyx has given us all free choice That ainst even the Goddess’s rules for any of us to question the choices we’vewrong with that Only an idiot never questions what she’s been told to do"

"Shaylin, did Dallas’s colors tell you he was dangerous?" Thanatos asked her, without taking her gaze frory and violent I didn’t knoas going to try to kill Stevie Rae and Shaunee"

"But had Dallas been stopped because of what you saithin his aura before this reat pain," Thanatos said

"Stopped? Do you ?" I felt like I was going to explode

"I don’t think that’s what Thanatos means," Stark said

"I’d like to hear Thanatos say that," I said