House of Night 09 - Destined

shit!” I heard Aphrodite murmur.
    Beside me Stark moved restlessly and I saw him share a look with Darius.
    “I do accept your oath, Kalona, and I will hold it as binding.”
    Kalona bowed his head and fisted his hand over his heart saying, “Thank you, High Priestess.” When he stood, his gaze went directly to his son.
    Rephaim’s smile was brilliant, even though his face was washed with tears. “You did the right thing,” he told his father.
    Kalona nodded. “Yes. At last.”
    “Well, then. Shall we return to our House of Night and see what awaits us there?” Thanatos asked.
    We all nodded, even though I know I wasn’t the only one whose stomach hurt and who absolutely wanted to run screaming from whatever we were going to find back in Tulsa.
    But none of us ran. None of us said much of anything as we followed Death and her winged Warrior to the bus. Darius and Stark carried Dragon’s cloak-wrapped body. I kissed Grandma good-bye and stared out of the bus’s window as we drove past the circle that had been blighted by Darkness and which was now filled to bursting with lavender plants in full, beautiful bloom.
    “Wait,” I called to Darius. “Stop the bus.”
    I opened my window and heard my friends all do the same. Then, as one, we breathed deeply, inhaling the magickal scent of reblessed lavender.
    “Look!” Stevie Rae cried, pointing above the circle.
    I looked up and there, hovering, was our Goddess. She was dressed in robes the color of night and wore a headdress decorated with stars. Her smile took in us all, and with the fragrance of the flowers, her words drifted through the bus:
    Hold to the memory of the healing that happened here this night.
    You will need that strength and peace for the upcoming fight.
    I closed my eyes, bowed my head and thought, ah, hell …
    THE END
    For now …

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

    #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author P. C. CAST is an award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance author, as well as an experienced speaker and teacher. Her novels have been awarded YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and have received the prestigious Oklahoma Medallion, Beacon, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, and Affaire de Coeur Awards. She lives in Oklahoma, with lots of dogs, cats, horses, and a burro. KRISTIN CAST is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who teams with her mother to write the House of Night series. She has stand-alone stories in several anthologies, as well as editorial credits. Currently Kristin attends college in Oklahoma, where she is focusing on attaining her dream of opening a no-kill dog-rescue shelter in midtown Tulsa.