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They hadn’t understood Neferet’s tears had been of joy--that her sobs were because she’d finally recognized her destiny Queen Tsi Sgili was a ili, for she had becoods and be worshipped as such!

Her gift had not been finished there, though Even before Neferet had fulfilled the Cherokee prophecy and freed Kalona, the fledglings in her House of Night had begun awith her

Neferet’s body twitched Her breathing quickened as she h the layers of unconsciousness and the realht were reborn anew, bound to her through Darkness and blood Neferet believed she had birthed a new kind of ar with a new breed of vampyre These new creatures would protect and serve her when she and her Consort ruled the new age of vampyres

Then Zoey Redbird had been Marked, and what folloas one misstep after another--one irritation atop another--one defeat after another Neferet hated that fledgling and her mutinous friends with a passion that overshadowed all of her other passions

Zoey Redbird was the reason Neferet hid in a den, clothed only in Darkness and blood

A goddess should not be plagued with such an annoyance! A goddess should not be hindered in her divine destiny!

As if in response to her turoith thunder and lightning struck, cracking the earth with a force that rippled through Neferet’s skin

Neferet, Queen Tsi Sgili, opened her eyes

"I have been such a fool! I am an immortal No one can dier allow it! World, prepare to worshipapplauded Neferet and rain caressed her as she prepared to step fro out into a future, newborn, ready to embrace her destiny

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Zoey

At first I didn’t knohere I was going I just needed to get the hell out I slipped through the hidden door in the wall and cut around the south side of the school until I ran into Utica Street I glanced toUtica Square was just down the street It was Sunday et one of those fudge cappa-frappa-whatevers that had a bazillion calories in it and sit outside and try to figure out what had happened to my life

No I didn’t want to see people I didn’t want to talk to people I didn’t want to have to deal with the looks et fro or anyone

Thunder ru sky

"Go ahead Rain on etto myself as I crossed the street

Yeah, I was pissed

I could not believe what Aphrodite and Shaylin had pulled They were supposed to be my friends! Well, at least Aphrodite was supposed to befriends I mean, we’d had that talk in the kitchen at the tunnels She’d opened up to ht We’d even talked about how invasive her gift could be We’d had a plan, for god’s sake! And no part of that plan involved her spying onto Aphrodite like a da about her watching Aurox and me in the cafeteria Hell, my whole body felt hot! No wonder I knocked her on her butt Aphrodite had been so shocked by what I’d done, but Aphrodite had also been the one who’d set up the whole spying thing

Was Aphrodite reallyfroed, or had I just et who she really was and beco what I didn’t want to see? Had I just been believing what I wanted to believe about her?

Hell! Was Aphrodite still all about power and popularity? Was spying on me just part of her plan to under to echo my emotions