Now we’re with Heath, lamenting how Zoey is quite literally falling apart. He tries talking to her, but she’s inconsolably upset.
Zoey burst into tears. “I can’t, Heath. It’s gone on too long. I can’t bring my soul together. I can’t remember things – I can’t focus – the only thing I know for sure is that I deserve this.”
“You do not deserve this!”
Then Heath punches a tree and makes his knuckles bleed, which is pretty much fine since he’s dead and no longer needs blood. The shadows whisper to him that he needs to bring the pieces of Zoey’s soul back together so they can be together again, which is what he’s been trying to do for this entire book, so…. that’s useful information. But this information causes Heath to have a sudden, obvious, revelation.
All he had to do was make Zo listen to him, and he’d always been able to do that, even when he’d been acting like an asshole and drinking and messing up in school, and she’d tries to dump him. He’d always been able to bring them back together – to keep them together.
And that’s when Heath recognized his Goddess-given affinity. For abuse. With the power of unhealthy co-dependency Heath and Zoey can be together. Miserable and using each other for their own selfish gratification for all eternity.
Then Stark shows up to talk to Heath, but he doesn’t want Zoey to know that he’s there, so he hides when she shows up again.
When she hesitated, and it was obvious she was going to start that freaky circle pacing around him again, which would take her too damn close to Stark’s hiding place, he added, “Hey, maybe it’d make you feel better to move real fast. Why don’t you kinda run, or float, or whatever it is you do for a while, and then come back here.”
She started to float away, and Heath called after her, “Don’t go too far, though! And don’t forget to circle back here.”
Can we please not use the “c word?” It’s making me nervous. We wouldn’t want anybody to get any ideas and then have to spend three chapters looking for colored candles in the Otherworld.
Stark tells Heath that Zoey can’t stay with him in the Otherworld, or the world will be destroyed. This eventually convinces Heath that he has to leave Zoey behind.
But when his gaze went back to Stark, he knew the absolute truth: Zoey would hate it if her friends were destroyed.
What a unique personality trait.
Then they start talking about the strange darkness that has been following Zoey and Heath around. They figure out that it was probably Kalona trying to get Zoey to stay in the Otherworld. Stark says that as long as he can keep Kalona away from Zoey until she gets back to her body, then she will be safe, but Heath disagrees.
“Nope. Sorry to mess up your plan, but if that was the deal. Zo wouldn’t need you to protect her.”
Does she really need Stark to protect her, though? She has super powers. She’s killed before, and she’ll probably kill again. She doesn’t need protection; everybody else needs protection from her.
They find Zoey walking around a cedar tree in a forest full of not-cedar trees. This is notable because Heath and Stark won’t stop talking about it. Heath prepares to leave Zoey behind forever.
“I’m getting ready to leave the only girl I’ve ever loved to you even though I knew she needs me bad.”
Oh, come on, Heath. You’re like 16 years old, and dead. Find other things to worry about. Stark comments that he wishes the only thing he had to worry about was being jealous of Erik.
“You don’t have t be jealous of Erik. Zo will never be with any guy very long who’s a possessive turd.”
What, like you? Or does manipulating someone into being with you despite your alcoholism and their constant attempts to get away from you not count as being a “possessive turd?” Then again, Erik did protest the idea of being in a polyamorous relationship without at least talking about it first, which is pretty much crossing a line.
Speaking of Erik, Zoey’s love quadrilateral is running out of people, and I’m getting really worried. Because if Zoey ends up with Stark and he gets stuck as a main character for the rest of these books, I am going to lose my mind.
“Make sure she knows I don’t want her to be all snot crying and freaked about me. Remind her for me that she’s seriously unattractive when she’s like that.”
I love the way this series empowers women.
Heath finally tells Zoey that he has to move on without her, but he says that someday he’ll be reincarnated and he’ll find her again. This would but cute if I didn’t hate him so much.
Blogging House of Night 
Update please :c
*Knock knock*
Someone there? No? :/
I used to think this was cute as a teen but now i realize its creepy that Heath is so codependant on Zoey that he feels the need to constantly manipulate her into staying with him. No matter how badly Zoey treats him. i mean he cut himself just to get her to keep him that’s messed up! I cann’t hate Heath though since it seems like he needs help for his mental/addiction issues that he’s not going to get in this novel since the casts are obvious to the implications they created. And knowing what i do about Zoey is it really too far fetched for me to head cannon she’s the one who molded him into perfect co dependance but it backfired on her the moment she wanted to toss him aside. I find it suspicious Heath’s reason for drinking is never explained. Is it just general peer pressure, or is it Zoey’s emotional abuse takeing its toll on him? Also outside of the text it seems like the only reason Heath manipulates Zoey is just becuse it would make Zoey look selfish to actually persue Heath at Erk’s expense. He threw himself at me makes Zoey look blameless to the casts she just couldn’t resist Heath when he’s bleeding on her. Sometimes i suspect Zoey’s imprint is actually what made him obsessed with her and the casts reconned the whole realationship from semi dateing too oh no Heath has always been obsessed with Zoey becuse she’s so super special becuse someone may of pointed out the imprint is kinda makes it hard to tell how much free will Heath has in the situation. Since imprinting and what it means is really not clear even within the novel.
“[…] Remind her for me that she’s seriously unattractive […]”
Actually a cute and hella funny phrase to say. If it weren’t for this book and its stupid characters.
It saddens me that this series is so bad and sucks so hard.
And – not a PSA? What’s wrong, Cast? You had the opportunity to tell us that alcohol is so wrong, especially for minors!
I guess, alcoholism is fine with her, as she never did a PSA about it if I recall it correctly.