"Trackers are just supposed to track and Mark," Aphrodite said.

"Yeah, and fledglings are supposed to be Marked with a blue crescent, and then Change or die," he countered.

"I think it's okay that Erik follows us," Stevie Rae said, which surprised me because I knew she wasn't exactly an Erik fan. "What do you think, Z?" I shrugged. "Okay with me."

Erik gave a little nod and then he and Shaylin headed for his car in the parking lot.

"Are we ready to go?" Darius asked.

"I guess, or at least we will be as soon as our ever-so-friendly driver gets here," I said.

Darius smiled. "That would be me. "I told Christophe I'd handle the drive back and forth to the depot from here on." I couldn't resist a look at Aphrodite. Her face was frozen and her eyes looked huge.

"Hey, Aphrodiky is going out with a bus driver!" Shaunee said.

It looked like Erin had some smart-ass comment she was going to add, but Aphrodite closed the space between her and the Twins. "Darius isn't a bus driver. He's a Son of Erebus Warrior. He can kill you, but he's honorable and good so he won't. I, on the other hand, am not honorable or a Warrior. I will kill you, or at the very least mess you up so bad you won't make the next Miss Jackson's trunk sale." The Twins sucked air and I quickly said, "All righty then, let's all go back to the depot. Looks like we have some studying to do." I grabbed Aphrodite's wrist and practically dragged her to the bus. She jerked away from me, but was still following when I started to climb the stairs. Then an orange ball of fur hurled herself into my arms. "Nala!" I yelped, almost dropping her in surprise. "Oh, baby girl! I've missed you so much." I petted her and kissed her and laughed when she sneezed on me and then started to grumble in her old lady voice, "mee-uf-owing" even while she was purring like crazy.

While I was cuddling Nala there was a terrible screeching sound from the bowels of the bus, and suddenly Aphrodite was pushing past me yelling, "Maleficent! Mommy's here!" It seemed to rain white fur. The kids on the bus jerked legs and arms out of the way as the ugliest, most smoosh-faced, huge, hateful cat in the universe padded down the aisle hissing and yowling. Aphrodite stooped, picked her up, and began telling her how beautiful and wonderful and smart she was.

"That cat ain't right," Kramisha said, peeking over my shoulder. "But Aphrodite ain't right, either, so I guess it works out just fine." Her gaze went from Maleficent to Nala, who was still grumbling at me. "Actually, a whole bunch of these cats ain't normal."

"Whole bunch?" I looked up over Nala's furry orange head and, as I suspected, the yellow mini-limo was full of red fledglings and cats. "When did this happen?"

"They was here when we got here," Kramisha said. "Like I said-they ain't normal."

"Huh, well. I suppose this means the depot really is our new home," I said, feeling for the first time that it could be true.

"Z, home is where you are," Stark said, reaching over me and scratching Nala on her head.

I smiled at him and felt warm inside-almost warm enough to make me forget about moonstone-colored eyes and the fact that people around me kept dying ...

CHAPTER TEN

Kalona

"What did you just say to me?" Kalona bell owed at the Raven Mocker, who cringed away from him.

"Rephaim issss a human boy," Nisroc repeated. His less-evolved brother, the one who had escaped the changeling creature's wrath, moved restlessly, backing up behind him.

Kalona paced around the clearing between the hunting blinds. It wasn't yet dawn, but the other Raven Mockers, the ones who had returned from searching out their brothers from the Oklahoma countryside, were already huddled inside the tree houses, hiding, escaping, cringing away from the possibility of prying eyes. He'd stood out there, watching each of them return, looking for something that he was loath to admit to himself. He'd been looking for humanity-for a son to talk with, to share with, to plan with. But all he'd been met by were sniveling, cringing beasts. Rephaim was the most human of all of them, Kalona had been thinking, for what seemed like the thousandth time, when Nisroc had landed in the clearing minus one son and with unbelievable news of another.

Kalona rounded on Nisroc. "Rephaim cannot have a human form. It is impossible! He is a Raven Mocker, as are you, as are your brothers."

"The Goddessss," Nisroc hissed. "Ssshe changed him."

An odd, bittersweet feeling came over Kalona. Nyx had changed his son from beast to human-gifted him with the form of a boy.