Hunted

Hunted by Kristin and P.C. Cast, 2009 St. Martin's Publishing

     After Stevie Rae is shot to free Kalona from the earth, Zoey and her friends try to heal their fallen friend. Zoey and Stevie Rae reconcile and Zoey introduces the rest of the "Nerd Herd" to some of the red fledglings. Aphrodite allows Stevie Rae to feed from her, causing an imprint but also bringing Stevie Rae back from the edge.
     Erik, Zoey's ex-boyfriend, follows her back to her room and kisses her in an attempt to rekindle their relationship. But the kiss frightens Zoey, as does his possessiveness, and while they do get back together she is unsure how to deal with him. The newly re-formed Kalona makes his way into Zoey's dreams in an attempt to seduce her back to him, he calls her Ay-a and offers her the world.
     In the world of red fledglings Kramisha's poems are revealed as prophecy and Zoey gives her the title "Poet Laureate" in recognition. One of Kramisha's poems give the friends a clue to defeating Kalona: Neferet and Kalona will be defeated when Night, Humanity, Blood, Spirit and Earth come together. The problem is Zoey doesn't know who will be each of the elements.
     The group relocates its anti-Neferet efforts to the abandoned depot and its underground tunnels where the red fledglings reside. Another of Zoey's ex-boyfriends, Heath, comes to reconcile with her and she leaves the depot to talk to him, much to Erik's displeasure. While they talk a Raven-Mocker attacks Zoey and nearly kills her. To heal herself, she drinks from Heath and they form another imprint, but she isn't completely healed. Kramisha almost loses control when she sees Heath and Zoey realizes that there are severe differences between the normal fledglings and the red fledglings.
     When the Warrior of Erebus Darius tells Zoey she needs to be around more adult vampires she is forced to move back to the House of Night. There she is under Neferet's control and discovers the fledglings have followed Neferet to turn their backs on Nyx. Darius gets in a fight with one of Kalona's Raven-Mockers and is scarred when Kalona intervenes, angering Aphrodite.
     Zoey felt guilty that Stark died in her arms and when she convinces him to turn back to Nyx the red fledgling becomes the second red vampyre. He pledges his Warrior's Oath to Zoey and she accepts. She confides in the horse mistress, Lenobia, allowing her to focus on Kramisha's prophecy. She realizes that the elements are embodied in Zoey herself, Stevie Rae, Aphrodite, Sister Mary Angela from the Benedictine Abbey, and Zoey's Grandma Redbird.
     The friends rush the Abbey to create their circle and banish Neferet and Kalona. Zoey realizes that Ay-a is a part of her, but not the part that will determine what she does, she rejects Kalona and Neferet orders Stark to kill her. Stark uses his strange affinity for archery to shoot the arrow at himself, but before it can kill him Zoey knocks him out and knocks the arrow aside with the elements. Zoey and her companions manage to complete the circle and banish Neferet and Kalona, but they know it is not the end of the battle.
     Nyx shows her pleasure in Zoey's actions when she expands Zoey's Mark to cover her scars. The friends regroup to plan their next steps.
      In Hunted Zoey deals with the temptations of giving in to peer pressure and the sexual pressure of several men in her life. She must accept that there is a part of her that desires what Kalona can give her, but also she realizes that part is not strong enough to overrule her own personal wants and desires. She realizes she can choose to be who she wants and her choice to give over her life to Nyx is Zoey's way of reclaiming her future. Hunted is targeted at older readers: high school aged or older, with violence and complicated romantic entanglements.