Hunted (House of Night) Chapter 18: Featuring a Stark Naked Zoey

Hunted (House of Night) Chapter 18: Featuring a Stark Naked Zoey:

Zoey wakes up in the infirmary and realizes that she’s naked and needs to pretend to be asleep. Presumably, this is so she can overhear something important, which is how the plot has advanced in the past. You’d think at this point Neferet would have learned a lesson about this.

I must have made an involuntary movement at the departure of spirit because from somewhere near my feet Neferet spoke up. ‘She stirred. I do not doubt she will regain consciousness soon.’

There was a pause, and I could hear her moving as if she were pacing as she continued to speak. ‘I still say I should not have healed her. Zoey’s death could have been easily explained. She was almost dead when she arrived here.’

It’s definitely possibly she wants Zoey to hear this, but it reads like she’s the most incompetent villain and keeper of secrets ever. “Hey! I think she’s in earshot: let me just tell you my evil plans real quick.”

Kalona proves to also be a big, stupid idiot and also contributes to this discussion that I really hope is actually a not-so-elaborate ruse to lull Zoey into a false sense of security. He says that because, get this, Zoey is SO SUPER SPECIAL AND CONTROLS ALL THE ELEMENTS, they can’t let her die. Um…what? Wouldn’t this be exactly the reason to let her die?

‘What I’ve told you is the complete truth,’ Neferet said. ‘She controls the elements.’

‘Then we can use her. Why not include her in our new vision of the future? Having her allegiance would sway any members of the Council who would not readily succumb to me.’

This is really quite a strategic move even though it initially seemed a bit risky to me, but it’s clear Kalona has thought this one through. Having earned a teenage fledgling’s allegiance will surely convince important, and likely very ancient, vampyres that Kalona is super cool and not evil at all. Here’s how I imagine this will play out:

The Council: We’re not so sure about you, Kalona. The way you showed up and murdered a bunch of people at a boarding school for young vampyres seems like something an evil guy would do.

Kalona: I take your point, but this one fledgling who is inexplicably the most important vampyre ever and has an affinity for all the elements has endorsed me.

The Council: *Slowclaps*

Neferet points out that Zoey is pretty obsessed with Nyx and is unlikely to get onboard with whatever evil shit these two have cooked up. As the conversation goes on, it seems more like Neferet is more worried about sharing Kalona with Zoey rather than just accurately assessing the situation.

Zoey also picks up on the fact that Neferet is manipulating Kalona as well (through sex), but it remains to be seen how effectively she’s doing so and if Kalona is aware of this. Zoey becomes afraid when she wonders what it means to be “Queen of the Tsi Sgili.”

Believing that Kalona is standing over her, potentially about to wrap her in his wings, Zoey opens her eyes only to see the ambassador of the Raven Mockers, Rephaim, staring down at her. This was definitely a surprising moment, but I don’t know why Zoey was so sure Kalona was about to give her a wing-hug or why opening her eyes would put the kibosh on that.

Zoey freaks out and Darius stabs Rephaim in his chest. Kalona is furious and begins choking Darius.

As she tries to intervene Zoey comes to a shocking realisation:

At that moment Kalona’s true self was revealed to me. He was not a misunderstood hero who was waiting for love to bring out his good side. Kalona didn’t have a good side.

I know Zoey said this offhandedly one time to Erik and Heath, but is this something that she (and the readers) have really been struggling to determine? I feel like we’ve all been on the same page about this dude since day one. However, Zoey assures us that the spell he had apparently cast over her is now broken. Well, good, I’m glad.

Even though this situation may appear dire on its surface, it’s also a set-up for an awkward rom-com moment. See, in her panic, Zoey drops the sheet she’s been pulling around her to hide her nakedness. She uses the elements to pull Kalona off of Darius, and suddenly Stark runs in just in time to see Zoey stark naked.

He didn’t seem crazed and wasn’t hollow-cheeked and skeletal. Then I realized I was standing there completely naked as he and I stared at each other. I grabbed the sheet pooling at my feet and hurriedly wrapped it around me, bath towel-style. Even in the middle of the big mess and stress that was going on around me, I could tell that my face was blazing red with embarrassment. I should have said something, anything to him, and instead my mind was frozen by the fact that he had just seen me completely naked.

Whenever this story gets close to something serious or dark, it just abruptly pulls away. It’s like if I was watching Fight Club, but all of a sudden Katherine Heigl strolled in because someone thought, “But what if Fight Club met 27 Dresses because who hasn’t been waiting to see that movie?”

Zoey manages to diffuse the situation and talk Kalona out of ordering Stark to kill Darius. She also notices that Kalona has gotten younger and now looks to be 18-21 rather than like a man. Maybe the Casts learned their lesson with Loren. Kalona will be creepy and terrible, but seemingly age-appropriate despite being an ancient creature.

Though he’s refrained from killing him, Kalona does grab a knife and violently slash Darius’ face, which makes me sad since Darius is one of the only characters I actually like. It pains me that he’s being hurt because of Zoey and not Aphrodite because at least then it would feel like it was for a good cause.

I looked up at the immortal, willing the anger and horror I felt to burn through his awful appeal.

And I wasn’t drawn to him! His spell didn’t work on me! Young and inhumanly beautiful as he was, I still saw him as a dangerous enemy.

Good for fucking you, Zoey. We get it, you’re so special! But can we focus on whether Darius is okay or is Kalona going to make out with you first or something?

He must have seen the triumph in my eyes because suddenly his war-like expression changed to a slow, knowing smile. He bent and whispered for my ears alone, ‘Remember, my little A-ya, the warrior can protect you from all others except me. Not even the power of your elements can keep me from claiming what will eventually be mine again.’

Kalona immediately plants a rapey kiss on Zoey, which momentarily mesmorizes her even though she’s apparently immune to his sex appeal. Wouldn’t all of Zoey’s bravado have been way more effective if she was also physically repulsed by the kiss? I don’t get why looking into his eyes is okay, but this kiss is not portrayed as the disgusting moment it should be.

He released me and my legs would not hold me up. I crumpled to the floor as he strode from the room, laughing, with his wounded favorite son hobbling behind him.

Oh, okay, so I guess we have to wait to find out how Darius is doing until tomorrow, but at least we are left with the somehow hilarious image of a giant bird-man hobbling miserably behind a sexy fallen-angel-vampyre-man or whatever Kalona is supposed to be.