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messing with her. Zoey stood up to them, which Aphrodite totally agreed with, but then her anger level went way into the danger zone. Aphrodite watched helplessly as Z raised her hands and let loose all of the frustration and anger and confusion that had filled her. Aphrodite barely got a glimpse of the faces of the two guys, but the terror in their looks would forever be branded into her memory as they were hurled against a stone wall and blood exploded everywhere.
    Change of scene again, and this time Aphrodite wasn’t looking through Zoey’s eyes. She was viewing her from a distance. Z had returned to the House of Night. Her anger had changed, and now she looked upset, scared, and confused. But that’s not the only change Aphrodite saw. She could
see
that Zoey carried something with her. Part of it was terrible. It looked like fleas or some kind of flesh-eating lice were clinging to Zoey, crawling under her skin. Yet as Aphrodite stared, completely grossed out, the crawling things shook and shifted, looking like glitter, or maybe even a beautiful cloak that was covering Zoey. And then Aphrodite blinked and the things changed back to horrible, crawling, nesting insects.
    Aphrodite had no fucking idea what the things were, but it was pretty obvious that they were
not
coming from Zoey. They weren’t element based. Aphrodite’s mind raced. What had been pissing Z off so badly was normal stuff—boy frustration and people acting stupid in general. What was abnormal was Z’s reaction.
Could that be because it wasn’t really Zoey’s reaction—it was frustration and anger flowing into her, being absorbed by her, being used by her, and Zoey didn’t realize it? And then why the hell did the things change, and look beautiful? Aphrodite didn’t know what was going on, but she did know the end result was Zoey being angry and powerful and completely out of control.
    That terrified Aphrodite.
    The next scene followed so quickly that Aphrodite felt vertigo-ish dizziness.
    From Z’s perspective Aphrodite watched herself being led, handcuffed, into a prison cell. Right before the iron door slammed, shutting her into the claustrophobic solitary confinement cell, Zoey’s shoulders slumped. The anger that had filled her so powerfully and completely had been snuffed out. Utterly devastated, and filled with self-loathing, Zoey watched the iron door shut as if it sealed her tomb. Then the young High Priestess, and Aphrodite’s best friend, went to the corner of the cell, slid down the wall, hugged her knees to her chest, and began rocking back and forth, back and forth. Three words repeated over and over through Zoey’s mind:
I deserve this. I deserve this. I deserve this. I deserve this…
    Zoey had no hope left.
    And then Aphrodite was yanked from Z’s point of view again and found herself hovering over the center of a great cathedral. Nauseated, she looked down to see that the parishioners were dead. All of them. Each of their throats were slashed and their bodies had been sucked dry of blood.
    A triumphant voice repeated three words over and over through Aphrodite’s mind:
I deserve this. I deserve this. I deserve this. I deserve this…
    With great power come great responsibilities
    Weigh the pleasure of leadership and luxury with the sword Damocles
    When she believes the ancient is the key to all her needs
    Then is when all will tumble down; then is when Light bleeds and bleeds…
    The piece of poetry repeated through Aphrodite’s mind as the final disturbing scene dissipated and her spirit exploded back into her blind, pain-filled body.
    “Darius!” she gasped, choking for air and pressing her hands against her closed, bleeding eyes.
    “I’m here! You are safe!” he said. “I’ll send for Zoey and—”
    “No!” with the last of her strength she told him. “Don’t let Z know. Don’t let anyone know.”
    “I will do as you say, my beauty. Rest. I will always keep you safe.”
    Then Aphrodite allowed herself to