Destined Read Free

indeed, one creature, but his power is vast. He has the ability to leave disaster in his wake. He is the Vessel that is the manifestation of your deepest dreams, and are they not for utter and complete chaos?”
    “Yes, oh yes,” Priestess breathed the words. She leaned against the bull’s neck, stroking his side.
    “Ah, and what is it you will do with chaos now that it is at your command? Will you take down the cities of humans and rule as vampyre queen?”
    Priestess’s smile was beautiful and horrible. “Not queen. Goddess.”
    “Goddess? But there is a Goddess of Vampyres. You know that all too well. You used to be in her service.”
    “You mean Nyx? The Goddess who allows her minions free choice and a will of their own? The Goddess who will not intercede because she believes so strongly in the myth of freewill?”
    Aurox thought he could hear a smile in the beast’s voice, and wondered how that was possible. “I do mean Nyx, Goddess of Vampyres and Night. Would you use chaos to challenge her?”
    “No. I would use chaos to defeat her. What if chaos threatens the very fabric of the world? Would Nyx not step in and defy her own rules to save her children? And by doing so wouldn’t the Goddess rescind her edict that grants humans freewill and betray herself? What would happen then to her divine reign if Nyx changes what is destined to be?”
    “I cannot say, as that has never before happened.” The bull snorted as if in amusement. “But it is a surprisingly interesting question—and you know how much I enjoy being surprised.”
    “I only hope that I can continue to surprise you over and over again, my lord.”
    “Only is such a small word…” the bull said.
    Aurox continued to kneel on the rooftop long after Priestess and the bull had departed, leaving him discarded and forgotten. He stayed where he had been left, staring up at the sky.

 
    CHAPTER TWO
    Zoey
    “A short bus? Really?” All I could do was shake my head and stare at the squatty yellow thing that said HOUSE OF NIGHT in fresh black letters across its side. “I mean, it’s nice that my call to Thanatos worked so fast and we’re being allowed to go back to school, but a short bus ?”
    “Twin! They sent the retard bus for us!” Erin said, giggling.
    “Twin, that’s really mean,” Shaunee said.
    “I know, Twin. I can’t believe Neferet’s so f-ing evil she sent the retard bus for us,” Erin continued.
    “No, I don’t mean Neferet’s being mean. I mean it’s mean to say retard, ” Shaunee explained, rolling her eyes at her Twin.
    “I think Shaunee’s correct, and you should consider expanding your vocabulary. You’re using mean too many times; it’s redundant,” Damien said.
    Shaunee, Erin, Stevie Rae, Rephaim, and I stared wide-eyed at Damien. I knew we were all thinking it was great to hear him obsessing about vocabulary again, but we didn’t want to say anything because we were all scared he might burst into tears and retreat back into the soggy depression that had been haunting him since Jack’s death.
    Aphrodite and Darius chose that moment to emerge from the depot’s basement and as per usual, Aphrodite bridged the gap between decorum and disaster by invoking her one tried and true rule: Care About How It Looks.
    “Oh, for shit’s sake. I’m not getting in that . The short bus is for ’tards,” Aphrodite said with a snort and a hair toss.
    “Y’all, it’s not that bad. I mean, obviously it’s a new bus. Check out the fresh black House of Night lettering,” Stevie Rae said.
    “It might as well say Social Suicide,” Aphrodite said, frowning at Stevie Rae.
    “I’m not lettin’ you rain on my parade. I like school,” Stevie Rae said. She stepped up into the bus, grinning at the Son of Erebus Warrior who had, unsmilingly, opened the door for her.
    “Priestess.” He greeted her somberly with a nod, and then, totally ignoring our own Son of Erebus Warrior, Darius, he looked at me and, with even a more