Zoey

"Zoey! What is it? What's happened?" Stark struggled, trying to make his broken body work.

"Ssh, it's okay. Everything's okay. Kalona's gone. We're safe."

His gaze found mine, and all the tension went out of him. He slumped in my arms and let me cradle his head in my lap. "It's you again. You're not shattered anymore."

"It's me again." I touched his cheek in one of the few places on his face that wasn't bloody, broken, or bruised. "This time you're the one who looks shattered."

"No, Z. As long as you're whole, I'll be fine." He coughed then. Blood poured from the gaping wound in his chest. His eyes closed, and his face contorted in agony.

Oh, Goddess! He's hurt so badly! I tried to speak calmly. "Okay, good, but you don't really look fine.

So how about you and me get back to our bodies. They are both waiting for us, right?"

Another shudder of pain went through him. He was breathing in shallow, panting breaths, but he opened his eyes to meet mine. "You should go back. I'll follow you after I rest a little while."

Panic fluttered around inside me. "Oh, no. I'm so not leaving you here. Just tell me what you need to get back."

He blinked a few times and then his broken lips curled in a hint of his cocky smile. "I don't exactly know how to get back."

"You don't what? Stark, seriously."

"Seriously. I don't really have a clue."

"How'd you get here?"

His lips curled again. "Through pain."

I snorted. "Well, then getting you back should be easy 'cause you have some pain going on here."

"Yeah, but back there I have an ancient Guardian in charge of keeping me on the line between life and death. I don't exactly know how to tell him it's time for me to wake up. How are you getting back?"

I didn't even need to think about it. The answer was as natural as breathing. "I'm going to follow spirit to my body. It's where I belong, back there, in the real world."

"Do that." He had to pause as another wave of pain engulfed him. "And after I rest, I'll do the same thing."

"No, you don't have an affinity for spirit like I do. It won't work for you."

"It's good that you still have your elements. I wondered about that, what with your tattoos being gone."

"Gone?" I turned my hand over and, sure enough, there were no tattoos filling my palms with sapphire filigree. Then I glanced down at my chest. The long pink scar was there, but it, too, was tattoo free. "Are they all gone? Even the ones on my face?"

"All that's left is the crescent," he said. Then he grimaced in pain again. Clearly beyond his exhaustion level, he closed his eyes, and said, "Go ahead and follow spirit home. I'll figure something out. When I'm not so tired. Don't worry. I won't leave you - not really."

"Oh, hell no. I'm not losing another boy with some kind of abstract I'll-see-you-again Zoey thing. That's not working for me ever, ever again."

He opened his eyes. "Then tell me what to do, my queen. And I'll do it."

I ignored the "my queen" stuff. I mean, I'd heard him call me that earlier, and then again to Kalona. I wondered briefly if that had been before or after the immortal had started smacking him in the head, then I focused on the "I'll do it" part of what he'd said. So, he'd do what I told him . . . but what the heck did

I need to tell him to do?

I looked down at him. He was so messed up - even worse than he had been when he'd taken the arrow meant to kill me and burned the crap out of his chest, almost dying. Again.

But then he'd gotten better pretty much on his own. He'd had to. I'd been messed up, too.

I drew a deep breath, remembering the whole Mother Hen lecture Darius had given me when I'd wanted Stark to feed from me so he could heal quicker. He'd explained that between a Warrior and his High Priestess, the bond was so strong that Warriors could sometimes sense emotions from their High Priestesses. I glanced down at Stark's bruised face. He'd definitely been able to do that. When that happened, they could also absorb more from their High Priestesses than their blood - they could absorb energy.

Which was exactly what Stark needed - energy to heal - energy to return to his body.

This time he wouldn't get better on his own and, thank the Goddess, I wasn't messed up anymore.

"Hey," I said. "I know what I want you to do."

His eyes fluttered open, and I hated the pain that I saw reflected within them. "Tell me. If I can do it, I will."

I smiled at him. "I want you to bite me."

He looked surprised and then, even though it obviously hurt him, his cocky smile was back. "Now you ask me? When my body's totally messed up. Great."

"Don't be such a guy," I told him. "It's because you're body's totally messed up that I'm asking you.

"I'd make you think differently if I was well."

I shook my head at him and rolled my eyes. "If you were well, I'd smack you right now." And then, moving carefully, trying to be as gentle as I could, I slid him off my lap. He tried to stifle a groan. "Sorry!

I'm so sorry I'm hurting you." I lay down beside him and started to pull him into my arms, wanting to hold him close to me as if I could absorb his pain.

"It's okay," he gasped. "Just help me onto my good side."

Good side? I wasn't sure whether I should laugh or burst into tears, but I helped him turn on his side, the one that didn't have the shattered shoulder, so that we could face each other. Tentatively, I moved closer to him, thinking that I should maybe slice down my arm so he could drink from me more easily without moving too much.

"No." His hand twitched, trying to reach out to me. "Not like that. Come closer to me, Z. The pain doesn't matter." He paused, then added, "Unless you can't because of my blood. Does this make you need it?"

"The blood?" I realized what he was saying and blinked in surprise. "I haven't even noticed it." Seeing his wry expression, I went on, "I mean I noticed that you're bleeding all over. I didn't smell it."

Wonderingly, I touched the blood on his lip with my fingertip. "It doesn't make my bloodlust happen."

"We're spirit here, that must be why," he said.

"Then will this work? You feeding from me?"

His eyes met mine. "It'll work, Z. Between us there's more than physical stuff. We're bound by spirit."

"Okay, good. I hope so," I said, feeling suddenly nervous. The only other guy I'd let feed from me had been Heath - my Heath. My mind skittered away from thoughts of him and comparisons with Stark, but I couldn't deny one aspect of what was about to happen. Letting a guy drink my blood was sexual. It felt good. Really good. That was how we'd been made. It was normal, natural, and right.

It was also making my stomach hurt.

"Hey, just relax and bring your neck over here."

My wide eyes took in Stark's battered face and his broken body.

"Yeah, I know you're nervous, but as messed up as I am, you don't need to be." His expression changed. "Or is it more than being nervous? Are you changing your mind about wanting to?"

"No," I said quickly. "I'm not changing my mind. I won't change my mind about you, Stark. Ever."

Trying to be as careful as I could, I moved closer to him. Scooting up so that the curve of my neck was near his mouth, I swept back my hair and leaned over him, holding myself tense, ready for his bite.

But he surprised me. Instead of his teeth I felt the warmth of his lips as he kissed my neck gently. "Relax, my queen."

His breath made shivers go down my skin. I trembled. How long had it been since anyone had really touched me? It must only be days back in the real world, but here, in the Otherworld, it felt like I'd been untouched and untouchable for centuries.

Stark kissed me again. His tongue touched my neck and he moaned. This time I didn't think it was from pain. He didn't hesitate any longer. His teeth nicked my neck. It stung, but as soon as his lips closed on the small cut, pain was replaced by pleasure so intense that it was my turn to moan.

I wanted to wrap my arms around him and lock my body with his, but I held myself very still, trying my best not to cause him any more pain.

Too soon his mouth left my skin. His voice already sounded stronger when he said, "Do you know when I first knew I belonged to you?" His breath whispered warm against my neck, making me shiver again.

"When?" I sounded breathless.

"It was when you faced me down in the infirmary back at the House of Night, before I'd Changed. Do you remember?"

"I remember." Of course I remembered - I'd been naked and threatened to kick his butt with the elements as I stood between him and Darius.

I could feel his lips tilt up against my skin. "You looked like a Warrior queen, filled with the Goddess's anger. I think that was when I knew I would always belong to you, because you reached me even through all that darkness."

"Stark." I whispered his name, utterly overwhelmed by what I was feeling for him. "This time you reached me. Thank you. Thank you for coming after me."

With a wordless sound, his mouth was on my neck again, and this time he bit harder, and really drank from me.

Again, pleasure quickly replaced the sting of pain. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the exquisite heat that was rushing through my body. I couldn't stop myself from touching him, and slid one hand around his waist so that I could feel the tight muscles just underneath the skin of his back. I wanted more of him. I wanted him closer to me.

He took his lips from my neck, and he actually held himself up. His eyes were dark with passion, and he was breathing hard. "Now, Zoey, will you give me more than just your blood? Will you accept me as your Guardian?"

I stared at him. In his eyes there was something that I'd never seen within him before. The boy who had walked away from me in Venice, jealous and pissed, was gone. The man who had grown in his place was more than a vampyre, more than a Warrior. Even as he lay there broken in my arms, I could feel the strength in him: solid, dependable, honorable.

"Guardian?" I said wonderingly, touching his face. "So that's what you've Changed into?"

His gaze never left mine. "Yes, if you accept me. Without his queen's acceptance a Guardian isn't anything."

"But I'm not really a queen."

His torn lips didn't stop Stark's cocky smile. "You're my queen, and anyone who says different can fuck off."

I smiled at him. "I already accepted your Oath as my Warrior."

Stark's cockiness was instantly gone. "This is different, Zoey. It's more. It might change things between us."

I touched his face again. I didn't really understand what he was asking, but I knew that he needed something more from me, and I knew that whatever I said and did now would affect us for the rest of our lives. Goddess, give me the right words, I prayed silently.

"James Stark, from here on out I accept you as my Guardian, and I also accept all that goes with it."

He turned his head and kissed my palm. "Then I will serve you with my honor and my life, forever Zoey.

My Ace, mo bann ri, my queen."

His oath rippled through me like a physical thing. Stark was right. It was different than what had happened between us when he'd sworn his Oath to me as a Warrior. This time it was as if he'd given me a piece of himself, and I knew that without me, he could never truly be whole again. The responsibility of

it scared me almost as much as it strengthened me, and I pulled his mouth down to my neck again.

"Take more from me, Stark. Let me heal you."

With a moan, his mouth met my neck. His bite deepened, and something completely amazing happened.

First, the unique power that accompanied the element air surged into me and flowed from me to Stark.

He shivered and I knew it was from the intense pleasure that was filling him as the element gifted him with a swirling rush of energy. At the same instant a sweet, familiar pain swept over my forehead and cheekbones, and against my closed eyelids I got the flash of an image of Damien, shouting with joy. I gasped in amazement. I didn't have to ask. I didn't need a mirror to see. I knew the first of my tattoos had returned.

Following closely behind air came fire. It heated me and then spread throughout Stark, filling him, strengthening him, so that he was able to lift his arm and pull me closer, drinking even more deeply.

Sensation burned down my back as my second tattoo returned, and I saw Shaunee laughing and doing her victory bump and grind.

Water washed through us then, bathing us, filling us, continuing to carry us around the circle we'd begun.

I kept my eyes tightly closed, taking in every moment of the miracle Stark and I were experiencing together, and trembled with pleasure as my third tattoo, the one that wrapped around my waist, returned, while Erin laughed and yelled, "Hell, yes! Z's coming back!"

Earth came next, and it was like Stark and I became a part of the grove. We knew the rich pleasure of it and the power that rested there in the roots and ground and moss. Stark's hold on me got stronger. He shifted me in his arms so that he was over me. His arms cradled me to him, and I knew his wounds no longer pained him because I could feel what he felt. I shared his joy and pleasure and wonder. My palms were seared by the Goddess's touch again, as my fourth tattoo returned. Strangely, I didn't get a visual image of Stevie Rae as her element filled me, only a sense of her and a distant joy, as if she had somehow moved beyond my reach.

Spirit sizzled through us last, and suddenly I didn't simply feel what Stark felt - it was like we were joined. Not in body, but in soul. And our souls blazed together with a brilliance that was brighter than any physical passion could ever be as my final tattoo returned.

With a gasp, Stark pulled his lips from my skin and buried his face in my neck. His body was trembling, and his breath was coming fast, like he'd just sprinted a marathon. His tongue touched the wound he'd made on my neck, and I knew he was closing and healing it. I raised my hand to caress his hair, and was shocked to feel that the sweat and blood was gone from him.

He lifted himself up then and, struggling to get his breathing under control, stared down at me.

Goddess, he was gorgeous! Just moments before he'd been mortally wounded, beaten, bloody, and so broken he could hardly move. Now he radiated energy and health and strength.

"That was the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me," he said. Then his eyes widened. "Your tattoos!" He touched my face reverently. I turned my head so that his fingers could trace the filigree markings that, once again, covered my back and shoulders. Then I lifted my hand so he could press his palm against mine and the sapphire symbols there.

"They're all back," I said. "The elements brought them."

Stark shook his head in wonder. "I felt it. I didn't know what was happening, but I felt it with you." He pulled me into his arms again. "I felt everything with you, my queen."

Before I kissed him, I said, "And I'm a part of you now, my Guardian."

Stark kissed me for a long time, and then he just held me close to him, touching me gently as if he was trying to convince himself I wasn't going to evaporate from his arms.

He kept holding me when I cried for Heath, and he told me about how Heath had made the choice to move on, and how brave he'd been.

Stark hadn't really had to tell me that part, though. I knew how brave Heath really was, just like I knew his bravery was part of how I'd recognize him again. That, and his love. Always his love for me.

After I was done crying and mourning and remembering, I wiped my eyes and let Stark help me to my feet.

"Are you ready to go home now?" I asked him.

"Oh, yeah. Home sounds good. But, uh, Z, how am I getting there?"

I grinned at him. "By trusting me."

"Ach, well, it'll be a wee easy trip then, won't it?"

"Where the heck did you get that Irish accent?"

"Irish! Are yie deaf, wumman?" he growled the words at me while I frowned at him. Then Stark's laughter filled the grove. He hugged me, and said, "Scottish, Z, not Irish. And you'll see where I got it real soon."