Marked by P. C. Cast, Kristin Cast

them. "Now, where was I?”
    "School spirit and such," I prompted.
    "That's right. Yeah, they're supposed to be this great, pro- school, pro-vamp organization. Also, it is assumed that their leader is being groomed to be a High Priestess, so she's supposed to be the heart, mind, and spirit of the school—as well as a future leader in vamp society, et cetera, et cetera, blah, blah. Think National Merit Scholar in charge of the Honor Society mixed with cheerleaders and band fags.”
    "Hey, isn't it disrespectful to your gayness to call them band fags?" Stevie Rae asked.
    "I'm using the word as a term of endearment," Damien said. "And football players—don't forget there are Dark Sons, too," Erin said.
    "Uh-huh, Twin. It is truly a crime and a shame that such seriously hot young lads get sucked in—”
    "And she does mean that literally," said Erin with a naughty grin.
    "By hags from hell," concluded Shaunee.
    "Hello! Like I would forget the boys? I just keep getting interrupted.”
    The three girls gave him apologetic smiles. Stevie Rae pantomimed zipping her lips shut and throwing away the key. Erin and Shaunee mouthed "dork" at her, but they stayed quiet so Damien could finish.
    I noticed that they'd played with the word "sucked," making me think that the little scene I'd witnessed hadn't been too unusual.
    "But what the Dark Daughters really are is a group of stuck-up bitches who get off on lording power over everyone else. They want everyone to follow them, to conform to their freaky ideas of what it means to become a vamp. Most of all, they hate humans, and if you don't feel the same they don't want shit to do with you.”
    "Except to give you a hard time," Stevie Rae added. I could tell from her expression that she must have firsthand knowledge about the "hard time" part, and I remembered how pale and scared she'd looked when Aphrodite had shown me to our room. I made a mental note to remember to ask her later about what had happened.
    "Don't let them scare you, though," Damien said. "Just watch your back around them and—”
    "Hello, Zoey. Nice to see you again so soon.”
    I didn't have any trouble recognizing her voice this time. I decided it was like honey—slick and too darn sweet. Everyone at the table jumped, including me. She was wearing a sweater like mine, except that over her heart was embroidered the silver silhouette of three goddess-like women, one of them holding what looked like a pair of scissors. She had on a very short pleated black skirt, black tights that had silver sparkles in them, and knee-high black boots. Two girls were standing behind her, dressed in much the same way. One was black, with impossibly long hair (must be a really good weave), and the other was yet another blonde (who, on closer inspection of her brows, was probably, I decided, as much a natural blonde as I am).
    "Hello, Aphrodite," I said when everyone else seemed too shocked to speak.
    "Hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said insincerely. "You're not. We were just discussing the trash that needs to be taken out tonight," Erin said with a big, fake smile.
    "Well, you would certainly know about that," she said with a sneer, and then purposefully turned her back on Erin, who was curling her fists and looking as if she might leap over the table at Aphrodite. "Zoey, I should have said something to you earlier, but I guess it just slipped my mind. I want to issue an invitation for you to join the Dark Daughters in our own private Full Moon Ritual tomorrow night. I know it's unusual for someone who hasn't been here long to take part in a ritual so soon, but your Mark has clearly shown that you're, well, different than the average fledgling.” She looked down her perfect nose at Stevie Rae. "I've already mentioned it to Neferet, and she agrees that it would be good for you to join us. I'll give you the details later, when you're not so busy with…uh…trash." She gave the rest of the table her tight-lipped, sarcastic smile,