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instincts kicked in instantly. Stevie Rae moved stealthily, hardlybreathing, hardlymaking a sound, as she tracked the blood path. It was beneath one of the largest trees that she found it, hunkered down under ahuge, newlybroken branch as if it had dragged itself there to hide and die. Stevie Rae felt a shudder of fear pass through her. It was a Raven Mocker. The creature was huge. Bigger than she`d thought they`d looked from a distance. Itlay on itsside, head tucked down against the ground, so she couldn`t see its face very well. The giant wingshe could see looked wrong, obviously broken, and the human arm that laybeneath it wasweirdly angled and covered with blood. Its legs were human, too, and curled up likeit had diedin a fetal position. She remembered hearing Darius firing a gun as he and Z andthe gang hadridden like bats outta hell down Twenty-first to the abbey. So, he`d shot it from thesky. Dang, she said under her breath. That must`ve been one heck of a fall. Stevie Rae cupped her hands around her mouth and was getting ready to holler forDallas so heand the other guys could help her drag the body somewhere when the RavenMocker twitchedand opened its eyes. She froze. The two of them stared at each other. The creature`s red eyes widened, lookingsurprised and impossibly human in the bird face. They flicked around her andbehind her, checking to see if she was alone. Automatically, Stevie Rae crouched, putting herhands updefensively and centering herself to call earth to strengthen her. And then he spoke. Kill me. End this, he gasped, panting in pain. The sound of his voice was so human, so completely unexpected that Stevie Raedropped herhands and staggered a step back. You can talk! she blurted. Then the Raven Mocker did something that utterly shocked Stevie Rae andirrevocably changedthe course of her life. He laughed. It was a dry, sarcastic sound, and it ended in a moan of pain. But it was laughter, and it framedhis words with humanity. Yes, he said between gasps for breath. I talk. I bleed. I die. Kill me and be donewith it. Hetried to sit up then, as if he were eager to meet his death, and the movementcaused him to cryout in agony. His too-human eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the frozenground, unconscious. Stevie Rae moved before she remembered even making the decision. When shereached him, sheonly hesitated for a second. He`d passed out facedown, so it was a simple thing forher to movehis wings aside and grab him under his arms. He was big, really big--like, as bigas a real guy, and she`d braced herself for him to be heavy, but he wasn`t. Actually, he was solight that it wassuper-easy to drag him, which was what she found herself doing while her mindscreamed at her:What the hell? What the hell? What the hell?What the hell was she doing?Stevie Rae didn`t know. All she knew was what she wasn't doing. She wasn`t killingthe RavenMocker. CHAPTER THREEZoeyIs he going to be okay? I tried to whisper so I wouldn`t wake Stark and was, apparently, unsuccessful, because his closed eyelids fluttered and his lips tilted up slightly in apainful ghostof his cocky half smile. I`m not dead yet, he said. And I`m not talking to you, I said in a much more irritated voice than I`d intended. Temper, u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya, Grandma Redbird rebuked me gently as Sister MaryAngela, prioress of the Benedictine nuns, helped her into the little infirmary room. Grandma! There you are! I hurried to her and helped Sister Mary Angela ease herinto a chair. She`s just worried about me. Stark`s eyes were closed again but his lips stillhinted at a smile. I know that, tsi-ta-ga-a-s-ha-ya. But Zoey is a High Priestess in training and shemust learn tocontrol her emotions. Tsi-ta-ga-a-s-ha-ya! That would have made me laugh out loud if Grandma hadn'tlooked so paleand frail, and if I hadn't been so, well, worried in general. Sorry, Grandma. I shouldwatch mytemper, but it`s kinda hard when the people I love most keep almost dying! Ifinished in a rushand had to draw a deep breath to steady myself. And shouldn`t you be in bed?Soon, u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya, soon. What does tsi-ta-ga-a-s- whatever mean? Stark`s voice was thick with pain asDarius spread athick cream over his burns, but in spite of the wound he sounded amused andcurious. Tsi-ta-ga-a-s-ha-ya, " Grandma corrected his pronunciation, means rooster. His eyes glimmered with humor. Everyone says you`re a wise woman. Which is less interesting than what everyone says about you, tsi-ta-ga-a-s-ha-ya, "Grandmasaid. Stark barked a quick laugh and then sucked air painfully. Be still! Darius commanded. Sister, I thought you said you guys had a doctor here. I tried not to sound aspanicky as I felt. A human doctor cannot help him,