“Go on, u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya. I think Sister Mary Angela has been missing your company.”

“Thanks, Grandma.” I smiled at her. Then I turned to Stevie Rae. “Okay, if your mom’s group is coming back, I’m gonna go help the nuns.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Stevie Rae, shielding her eyes and peering through the crowd, added, “I see her now, and she’s got Mrs. Rowland and Mrs. Wilson with her.”

“Don’t worry. We can handle this,” Shaunee said.

“’Kay,” I said, grinning at both of them. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I left the cookie booth and noticed Aphrodite, clutching her big purple Queenies cup, was right on my heels. “I thought you didn’t want a lecture from the nuns.”

“Better than a lecture from PTA moms.” She shuddered. “Plus, I like cats more than people.”

I shrugged. “Okay, whatever.”

We’d only gotten partway to the Street Cats tent when Aphrodite slowed way down. “Seriously. Effing. Pathetic.” She was muttering around her straw, narrowing her eyes, and glaring. I followed her gaze and joined her frown.

“Yeah, no matter how many times I see them together, I still don’t get it.” Aphrodite and I had stopped to watch Shaunee’s ex-Twin BFF, Erin, hang all over Dallas. “I really thought she was better than that.”

“Apparently not,” Aphrodite said.

“Eeew,” I said, looking away from their way too public display of locked lips.

“I’m telling you, there’s not enough booze in Tulsa to make watching those two suck face okay.” She made a gagging sound, which changed to a snort and a laugh. “Check out the wimple, twelve o’clock.”

Sure enough, there was a nun I vaguely recognized as Sister Emily (one of the more uptight of the nuns) descending on the too-busy-with-their-tongues-to-notice couple. “She looks serious,” I said.

“You know, a nun may very well be the direct opposite of an aphrodisiac. This should be entertaining. Let’s watch.”

“Zoey! Over here!” I looked from the train wreck about to happen to see Sister Mary Angela waving me over to her.

“Come on,” I hooked my arm through Aphrodite’s and started to pull her to the Street Cats tent. “You haven’t been good enough to watch.”

Before Aphrodite could argue, we were at the Street Cats booth, facing a beaming Sister Mary Angela. “Oh, good, Zoey and Aphrodite. I need the both of you.” The nun made a gracious gesture to the young family standing beside one of the kitten cages. “This is the Cronley family. They have decided to adopt both of the calico kittens. It’s so lovely that the two of them have found their forever homes together—they are unusually close, even for littermates.”

“That’s great,” I said. “I’ll start on their paperwork.”

“I’ll help you. Two cats—two sets of paperwork,” Aphrodite said.

“We came with a note from our veterinarian,” the mom said. “I just knew we’d find our kitten tonight.”

“Even though we didn’t expect to find two of them,” her husband added. He squeezed his wife’s shoulder and smiled down at her with obvious affection.

“Well, we didn’t expect the twins, either,” his wife said, glancing over at the two girls who were still looking in the kitten cage and giggling at the fluffy calicos that would be joining their family.

“That surprise turned out great, which is why I think the two kittens will be perfect as well,” said the dad.

Like seeing Lenobia and Travis together—this family made my heart feel good.

I had started to move to the makeshift desk with Aphrodite when one of the little girls asked, “Hey mommy, what are those black things?”

Something in the child’s voice had me pausing, changing direction, and heading to the kitten cage.

When I got there I instantly knew why. Within the cage the two calico kittens were hissing and batting at several large, black spiders.

“Oh, yuck!” the mom said. “Looks like your school might have a spider problem.”

“I know a good exterminator if you need a recommendation,” the dad said.

“We’re gonna need a shit ton more than a good exterminator,” Aphrodite whispered as we stared into the kitten cage.

“Yeah, uh, well, we don’t usually have bug issues here,” I babbled as disgust shivered up my back.

“Eesh, Daddy! There are lots more of them.”

The little blond girl was pointing at the back of the cage. It was so completely covered with spiders that it seemed to be alive with their seething movements.

“Oh, my goodness!” Sister Mary Angela looked pale as she stared at the spiders that appeared to be multiplying. “Those things weren’t there moments ago.”

“Sister, why don’t you take this nice family into the tent and get their paperwork started,” I said quickly, meeting the nun’s sharp gaze with my own steady one. “And send Damien out here to me. I can use his help to take care of this silly spider problem.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” The nun didn’t hesitate.

“Get Shaunee, Shaylin, and Stevie Rae,” I told Aphrodite, keeping my voice low.

“You’re going to cast a circle in front of all of these humans?” Aphrodite whispered at me.

“Would you rather have her do that, or have Neferet start eating all these humans?” Suddenly Stark was there, beside me. I could feel his strength and his concern. “It is Neferet, isn’t it?”

“It’s spiders. Lots of spiders.” I pointed at the cages.

“Sounds like Neferet to me,” Damien said quietly as he joined us.

“I’ll get the rest of the circle.” Aphrodite dropped her cup and started jogging back to the bakery tent.

“What’s the plan?” Stark asked, his eyes not leaving the ever-growing nest of spiders.

“We protect what is ours,” I said. Then I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and tapped the name thanatos. She answered on the first ring.

“Something has changed here. I can feel the approach of death.” The High Priestess didn’t raise her voice, but I could hear the tension thrumming through it.

“Spiders are materializing in the Street Cats booth. Lots of them. I’ve called my circle to me.”

“Neferet.” She spoke the name solemnly, confirming my gut reaction. “Invoke the protection of the elements. Whatever the Tsi Sgili is materializing, we know it isn’t natural—so use nature to expel it.”

“Will do,” I said.

“I’ll begin the raffle—call the attention of the humans to the Warrior tent. They’ll be safest there. Zoey, be as discreet as you can be. It only serves Neferet’s purposes if today ends in panic and chaos.”

“Got it.” I hung up.

“Are we circling?” Damien asked.

“Yep. We’re using our elements to get rid of this bug problem.” I didn’t hesitate, nor did I wait for the rest of my circle. While Stark looked on protectively, I took Damien’s hand. He and I faced the kittens’ cages.

“Air, please come to me,” Damien said.

I felt the response of his element instantly. “Focus it,” I told him.

He nodded. “Air, blow this Darkness away.”

The wind, that had been almost teasingly lifting Damien’s hair, rushed from him, swirling around the nest of spiders and making them writhe angrily.

“Ladies and gentlemen, fledglings, and vampyres, this is Thanatos, High Priestess of Tulsa’s House of Night, and your hostess this evening. I ask that everyone please make their way to the center of the campus and the silver and white Warrior tent, our raffle is beginning and you must be present to win.”

Thanatos’s voice over the loudspeaker sounded so normal, so principal-like, that it made the skittering nest of spiders seem even more abhorrent.

“Oh, no, you don’t need to worry about the details.” Sister Mary Angela was herding the young couple and their twin girls from the booth. “My assistants will have the kittens all ready for you to pick up after the raffle.”

“Why are the kids holding hands like that?” I heard one of the little girls ask.

“Oh, I’m sure they’re just praying,” Sister Mary Angela said smoothly. Then, over her shoulder, she told the half dozen or so nuns who had been running the booth, “Sisters, be sure the young people have the privacy they need for their prayers.”