I shivered violently. Despite the two blankets the EMT had given me I was still cold. Snap was curled up on my lap under the blankets. Blue and red lights flashed and someone's voice squawked on the radio.

I looked at the yellow police tape flapping across my front door and I started shaking worse. The detective guy had arrived with an ambulance and a couple squad cars. The neighbors had come out of their homes at the noise. They looked around pointing and whispering to one another.

"Go away, get out of here." I thought angrily in their direction.

Hecate nosed my knee. The EMT looked warily at the horse. I didn't care. He could spontaneously combust for all I care. The others stood in a semi-circle in front of me. The detective asked them questions about what had happened.

Stevie Rae suddenly squeezed my shoulder. I looked up from my shoes and saw two gurneys with black bags on top of them being wheeled out of my home.

Snap peeked her head out of the folds of the blanket.

I felt sick.

"Raven?"

I looked up. Detective Marx looked really nice. I instantly trusted him.

"Can I ask you some questions?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Where were you the last few days?"

"With Zoey and this group. I had visited my friend Brian and there was the ice storm and I couldn't get home. I was finally able to home…" I trialed off.

"Did you see anyone in the house?"

I shook my head. "No, but as soon as I saw the door opened I ran upstairs so if there was someone there they probably left as soon as they heard me."

"Do you have any idea of who could have done this?" He asked. "Any threatening letters?"

I looked at him and shook my head. Yeah, I had pissed of an evil High Priestess, but she couldn't have found my family this quickly, right?

"You're adopted correct?"

I nodded.

"Do your birth parents…"

"No they haven't contacted me in any form." I said realizing the angle he was getting at. As far as I knew, I was dead to my birth parents. Besides they willing gave me up and it's been seventeen years, why would they would have a problem with my adoptive parents now?

Detective Marx handed me a card. "If anything comes up, give me a call?"

"Um, can I grab some of my things?" I asked.

"Yes. Where will you be staying?"

That's a good question. My parents were both single children and my grandparents had all deceased.

Zoey stepped forward. "Raven will be staying with us." Zoey said. "We've already gotten use to her staying with us."

Detective Marx looked questionly at her, but didn't press why vampyres were comfortable with allowing a "human" girl stay with them.

"All right."

I slid off the ambulance bumper and tossed the blankets back into the vehicle.

"Do you want one of us to go get your stuff?" Shaunee asked.

I shook my head. "I'll get it." Beside I didn't just need clothes. I needed some comfort objects.

Hecate made a disgusted noise. She couldn't follow me into the home like she wanted. I patted her side and went into the house with Snappers right behind me.

I jogged up and walked quickly into the house without looking around at all. I quickly grabbed Snap's food and stuffed it in a duffle bag. I darted upstairs. I ignored my parents room entirely and went into my.

I grabbed the quilt my grandma made me before she died and the Last Stuff Animal, a fuzzy leopard my mother bought me last Christmas declaring it was the stuff animal she would ever buy me, thus I always referred to it as the Last Stuff Animal. I think I might have named it Hearts because of its heart shaped nose. I grabbed a few of my favorite books and a good chunk of my clothes.

"Something was in here." Snap said.

I looked at her.

"Your pillow's gone."

I looked over and saw my pillow and sheets were gone. I looked around, but nothing of value was gone. My ipod and expensive alarm clock were still there.

"Things that have your scent the strongest are gone." Snap said.

"Someone took things with my scent?" I asked.

Snap nodded. "They took things with your scent so you can be tracked by more than one creature."

I shivered. "Do you think it was the Raven Mockers?"

"I don't know. I can't smell them" Snap said.

I felt violated. This was my room and someone invaded it. Someone invaded my home and killed my only family.

Tears started trickling down my face again. I wiped them away and zipped the bag shut. I hoisted it onto my shoulder and started down the stairs. I walked outside. The police were questioning neighbors still, but the ambulance was gone.

"Raven!"

I looked at Stevie Rae waving from the Hummer parked nearby.

I walked up to them. "I'm going to ride Hecate, if you don't mind."

Darius frowned.

"I'll be fine." I said. "You guys can't much faster than Hecate anyway." Besides if I started crying I didn't want them blubbering over me saying how sorry they were. I just really wanted to get someplace nice and quiet so I could sob/sleep.

Hecate kept nudging my side and I patted her neck.

"Besides, you really think I'm going to do anything you tell me right now?" I muttered darkly. I got up onto Hecate's back.

Darius sighed, not pleased with my attitude, but there was nothing he could really do about it and he knew it. I was going to be Miss Depressed-because-I-just-lost-the-only-family-I-have and I was going to have a serious attitude problem until I had me a proper cryfest.

I nudged Hecate forward with my thoughts when I heard the Hummer hum on. Snap curled up on my lap and my uncle perched himself on my shoulder.

"It'll be okay Raven. They're safe in the Otherworld now."

"But I don't want them there. I want them here with me." I sobbed telepathically. Sure I didn't want to have to go through the processing of telling them where I had been and what I had been doing, but that I didn't mean I wanted this solution. This was the worst solution I could have gotten.

It didn't matter that the police promised to catch the murderer and make him pay. I just wanted to know who and why? And if I found out who I was going to punch them in their face.

We were finally at the House of Night.

"Do you want to sleep in my room again?" Zoey asked.

I shook my head. "I think I'd rather stay with the horses." I murmured. I stroked Hecate's nose. I figured it be a quiet there and I could be with the animals. It felt kinda of right to be with them rather than humanoids.

"Okay." Zoey said. I wondered how awkward it was to be around someone who had such a great loss. They probably didn't know what to say to me. It might be better for everyone for me to have my cryfest with my animals.

"See you guys in the morning." I muttered. I walked toward the stables with Hecate following after me like usual.

Hecate mentally nudged me toward a small area filled with bales of hay. I set down my bags. Hecate came over with a saddle blanket.

"Thanks." I said. I curled up on a few bales. Snap curled up near my stomach. Hecate laid down in front of me. I alternated stroking them. I didn't think about anything, but the softness of their fur and how my fingers glided over it.

"Like wind…over wings."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

I was back in the meadow and this made me very happy. I could see my mom.

Or maybe, I would see my parents. I've seen dead people here, why not them?

"Mom? Mom and Dad?" I called out. "Hello?"

"Raven." A pleasant masculine voice said.

I closed my eyes and tried not to cry. Not him, not right now. Like I needed Mister Supernatural/Biblical/Major Messed up Mythological Jerkface showing up right now.

"Why are you crying, dear daughter?" Kalona asked as his hands went up my arms.

"I'm not going to tell you." I muttered. I tried to pull away. As far as I know he sent the Raven Mockers to kill my family.

I flinched as he wiped the tears off my cheeks. My lip quivered violently and I started obnoxiously sobbing.

"Sh, sh dear daughter." He murmured pulling me into a hug. "It can't be that bad."

"Yes it is!" I almost screamed. "Someone killed my adoptive parents." I sobbed. "They killed my family."

"Those two humans were never your family."

I pulled away and glared hotly at him. "I don't think you understand. They raised me, they didn't have to give me life. They gave me a home, they kept me safe. That bond is a hell of a lot stronger than blood."

I wiped the tears off my face. I felt Kalona radiating cold fury. I was probably the only one of his kids to talk back at him and he's probably never dealt with a problematic child.

"You continue to deny the link our shared blood holds." He said. I wrapped his arms around me again. "But you are my daughter, even if you were reborn by two children of Man." He ran his hand over my head.

Regardless of what my head told me, that little part of my spirit that he gave life to was seeking his comfort right now. I needed the feel of a parent's arms around me right now.

"I know that." I said. "There's a difference between being your child and a solider." There was no way I could explain to him what I was getting at. "Just forget it. Get out of my dream and let me drown in my misery."

He didn't move. I plopped down on the ground.

"Just go away, and leave me alone." I said sounding like a pouty teenager girl.

"But your brothers need your help."

This startled me. I looked at him.

"What?"

"Some of them are more beast than human. Their…social skills aren't very good. But with your abilities to communicate with animals you can help them." He said.

I blinked. "You want me to talk to them?" I said slowly.

"Yes. Just talk."

Right. Did he honestly think I was that stupid?

But…if I talked to them could I show them another life besides following Kalona? After all half of them was human, could I reach that half?

Kalona smiled. He seemed pleased by my expression.

"Sleep well my daughter. I'll see you soon." He said as he softly tucked a strand of my ahir behind my ear.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Woot! I have Destined! And it's reallllllyyyyyyyy good! I'm almost done with it, by the time you read this I will be done with it.

Well, read and review as usual. TTFN!