Never Look Back

“Fine.” She set her soda on the counter and removed the bandage. Did he know about her mom? Sometimes Allie and Olivia got crank calls. And sometimes people treated them like ghoulish celebrities. The thought sickened her. “See?”

He examined her skin. “It’s not as bad as it could’ve been.” He glanced up, catching her gaze. “You don’t need stitches.”

“Told you.”

“Lucky for you the West Nile Virus isn’t transmitted from birds to humans. Ravens are susceptible to the disease.” He turned her arm, studying it from another angle. “What did you do to piss him off?”

“What makes you think my raven is male?”

He stalled for a second, getting an analytical look on his face. The expression seemed natural on him. She decided that he had a high IQ. That it wasn’t just his dorky demeanor creating a book-smart illusion.

“I’m not sure,” he responded, not giving her a clear-cut response about the bird’s gender. “So, what did you do?”

She lost focus. “What?”

“To upset the raven?”

“I accidentally knocked him on the ground. But I apologized for that. I tried to soothe him. I think he bit me because my cat plucked a feather from his tail.”

Daniel frowned. “You were in the line of fire?”

She rebandaged her arm. “Yes.”

He tilted his head. “What makes you think he was male?”

“I could tell.”

“How? The sexes generally look alike.”

She took a wild guess, hoping she was correct, hoping she could fool him. “It was a rather large bird, and I assume that males are bigger.”

“Sometimes,” he said. “But not always. Females make a knocking sound the males don’t make. Did it make any noises?”

“Just a loud caw. Do they make a lot of different sounds?”

“Totally. They’re masters at mimicry. They can imitate just about anything.”

She glanced at the window. She wished the shadow would reappear. “Do you mind if we go outside?”

He perked up. “To swing on the tire?”

Lord, he was odd. “I don’t think we’ll both fit. Maybe we can just stand beneath the tree.”

“Okay.” He smiled a little. “I’m not dumb enough to say no to a pretty girl.”

Was he flirting? She hoped not. She had another male on her mind. And this one had long flowing hair, a slightly scarred chest and breathtaking wings.

They proceeded outside, where the sky shimmered on the brink of dusk. Branches clawed and climbed above their heads, with leaves rustling in a late-afternoon breeze. He ran his hands along the rope that secured the tire, and she assumed that he needed to touch something. That he was a physical person.

She looked up. “Do ravens nest in these types of trees?”

“Sure. In the city, they roost wherever there’s a suitable platform to build a nest.” He smoothed his hair, pushing away the lock that had fallen earlier.

“What about mating?” she asked.

“What about it?” he parroted, studying her with a look that made her uncomfortable.

Did he have to be so intense? So curious about her? Why couldn’t he just answer her questions like the animal expert he was?

And then she remembered that there was more to Daniel than being a veterinary technician at the zoo. He was part of Kyle’s Warrior Society, a group of former military men who excelled at close-quarter combat and fought for Native causes. They protected Indian burial sites, and sometimes they stole sacred objects, items that had gotten past the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and returned them to whom they believed were the rightful owners. So far, they hadn’t been caught.

Of course, Kyle had stopped stealing after he’d fallen in love with a cop. But Allie had no idea what Daniel Deer Runner did in his spare time. Aside from avoid questions about mating birds.

“I think the raven is following me,” she said. “That I saw him at your window,” Allie admitted.

Daniel frowned. “Maybe it was a shadow or something.”

“You don’t believe me? You think I imagined him?” She crossed her arms. She wasn’t about to tell him that the figure at his window did look like a shadow. “Don’t you believe in animal medicine? In spirit guides?”

“Of course I do. But Raven is a trickster. You can’t be sure if he followed you here. Or why he appeared to you in the first place.”

“That’s what’s driving me crazy.” She softened her body language. Getting defensive around Daniel wouldn’t help. And now that she was outside, there was no sign of a big, black bird. “In Northwest mythology, does Raven ever shape-shift into a man? Or a man with wings?”

He reached for the rope again. “As far as I know, he can shift into any form. But I haven’t heard all of the stories. I’ve only been to Canada a few times. That’s where my mother’s people are, but I barely know them. She died when I was a boy.” He sighed, the sound as rough as the twisted nylon in his hand. “I don’t think it matters what form he takes. From what I recall, he helps humans, even through his trickery.”

“So I don’t need to fear him?”

“No. But trying to analyze him won’t be easy. To the Haida, he can be greedy and lecherous, even through his good deeds.” Daniel released the rope. “Whether you’re dealing with a mythological creature or a common raven, a Corvus corax, you’re facing one of the most intelligent, highly evolved birds.”

“Which are you more connected to? The myth or the real bird?”

“I don’t know.” He gazed at her through his glasses, through eyes that were an opaque shade of brown. “I was taught to believe in legends. But I work at a zoo. Sometimes those worlds collide.”

“Either way, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. I didn’t know much about ravens before today.”

“The Haida are either from the Raven Clan or the Eagle Clan. My mother was a member of the Raven Clan. Hoya,” he added, using the Native word. “That has always mattered to me. In a scientific and a spiritual sense.”

“That’s understandable.” And admirable, she thought.

“Have you read Poe’s poem?” he asked.

She nodded. “‘The Raven’ was required in school.” But now she wondered if she should search for it online. She barely remembered it.

“Have you read the Teen Titans comics? Or seen the animated show?” Daniel asked.

They’d gone from Edgar Allen Poe to comic books and cartoons? Trust Daniel. He probably had friends who dressed up at Star Trek conventions. “Is there a reason I should?”

“Raven is a superhero from Teen Titans.”