Never Look Back

by Sheri WhiteFeather

  "No one paints like you," Raven said, reminding her that she was a shaman.

  A woman whose magic was supposed to save him.

  * * *

  Allie couldn't sleep. She rolled over and bumped into Raven, and he opened his eyes.

  "Are you all right?" he asked.

  "Just restless." She fidgeted with the blanket. Daniel had left over an hour ago, letting them know that he would return the following morning with a hunk of hematite and the tools they would need to replicate The Vanessa. The forgery had to be precise, as close to the original as possible. "We have a lot to do tomorrow."

  "I'm glad Daniel is involved in this."

  "Me, too." She quit fidgeting. "I'm flattered by his chivalry, and by yours, as well. But you shouldn't have asked him to 'look after' me."

  "Why not?"

  Because she was already fighting her feelings for Daniel. "You were giving him permission to be my lover. And that's not your choice to make."

  "Maybe not. But I feel better knowing he is willing to be there for you."

  "In case you leave me? The way you left your wife?" She knew he was reacting from guilt. Something she understood all too well. Sometimes she felt responsible for Vanessa's pain, too.

  "If I'd asked someone like Daniel to look after her," he said, "maybe she would have been all right. Maybe she would have survived."

  Allie didn't know what to say, so she remained quiet.

  When he heaved a laden breath, she gazed at the canopy over the bed. She wanted to mend the heartache, to make up for what her ancestors had done to him and Vanessa. But there were no guarantees. No ancient predictions that good would triumph over evil.

  What would happen to Vanessa if Allie couldn't break the curse? Would she mourn her husband for all eternity? And what kind of torture would Zinna inflict upon Raven?

  And then another concern hit her. Just how powerful would her great-grandmother become if the side effects from the curse were enacted?

  Would there be global implications? Would Zinna align with other witches? With demons? With spirits who would make the world more violent than it already was?

  Yes, a blood-curdling voice in her head said.

  Zinna's voice.

  Allie shot up and looked around, her pulse pounding, her heart racing.

  "What's wrong?" Raven asked. By now, he was on his feet, too.

  "I heard her. She's talking in my head."

  "Zinna?"

  "Yes." She wanted to grab the gun in her nightstand, but what good would a bullet do? It couldn't kill an already-dead witch.

  Suddenly, Samantha dashed into the room, hissing at the air, at the demented energy.

  Then the sound of chipped glass caught Allie's attention. Raven noticed it, as well. They exchanged a wary glance.

  "It's coming from Olivia's room," she said.

  "The mirror." He stood like a statue. "It never got fixed."

  "I forgot about it. But that isn't why this is happening." Broken or whole, the glass could be haunted.

  She reached for his hand, and they went to her sister's room, preparing to face whatever came their way.

  She flipped on the light.

  And saw slashes of blood all over the shattered mirror. It dripped in thick red rivulets, like Vanessa's wounds. Raven let go of her hand, their fingers drifting apart.

  Allie-cat, a voice whispered in her mind. You killed his wife.

  No, she thought. Zinna had no right to say that, to prey upon her guilt.

  "You killed her," she spat back. "You did it."

  Shards of glass fell to the floor, creating the sound they'd heard before. Then the blood began moving, painting itself into the picture of a woman. The image was distorted, choppy from the broken mirror, but Allie could tell that it represented Vanessa.

  Raven recognized his wife, too. He turned away, and blood fell from the ceiling, raining down on him. He covered his face and dropped to the floor.

  After that he started shape-shifting, over and over, from man to bird to man again.

  Allie screamed for Zinna to stop, and Vanessa's image morphed into the shape of an owl.

  Raven kept shifting, and every time he became a man, he was struck with a jolt of pain.

  Zinna's idea of fun.

  Allie tried to help him, but he was shifting too fast, too perilously.

  Finally when it ended, when she could take him in her arms, he sagged against her. The blood was gone and the torture had ceased, but the witch had made her point.

  Once Zinna's power returned to its full strength, Allie's lover was doomed.

  Breaking the curse would be impossible.

  * * *

  "Raven is still asleep?" Daniel all but gaped at Allie. "I told both of you to be ready when I got here." He adjusted the box in his hands. "I already picked up the lapidary equipment."

  She glanced at her watch. 8:35 a.m. Wholesale suppliers in the Jewelry District opened early. "I couldn't bear to wake Raven." She explained what Zinna had done to him last night. "There was nothing I could do to stop it. It happened too fast. Afterward, he was so weak, he could barely move." She remembered cradling him, feeling his exhaustion. "Some protector I am."

  "Don't say that, Allie." Daniel set down the box. "You're doing the best you can."

  "I know, but Zinna got inside my head. She tried to manipulate me."

  "Then we have to break into the museum even sooner. Before she regains all of her power. Before she figures out what we're up to."

  "She might already know."

  "And she might not." He smoothed his Brylcreemed hair, pushing away a loose strand that fell onto his forehead. "Either way, it's a chance we have to take."

  Which meant they had to speed up the process, work even harder to replicate The Vanessa and be ready for the robbery.

  Allie led Daniel into the kitchen, where she started a pot of coffee, knowing they had a long day ahead of them. "Who do you think the groupie is? Rory or Fallon?"

  "I don't know." He watched the hot brew drip into the carafe. "If it's Rory, he put the amulet in the museum to keep it safe for Zinna, so it'll be there when she's strong enough to use it." He leaned against the counter. "And if it's Fallon, then she's going to try to get the amulet away from Rory."

  "The way we are." Allie opened the cabinet and removed two cups. Fallon had already mentioned wanting to "borrow" The Vanessa from the museum. Only, the anthropology student was sticking to her story about wanting to break the curse. "What puzzles me is what the groupie will get out of all of this. Besides praise from Zinna."

  "You think there's more to it?"

  She poured the coffee. "When Zinna got inside my head, she admitted that she intended to become powerful enough to create a more violent world. So maybe the groupie is part of that."

  "That sounds logical. I'm sure your mother knows, but there's no time for you to visit her again, to try to con that information out of her. Not before the robbery. We've got too much to do."

  She handed him a cup. "Then we better get cracking."

  He took the coffee, and their fingers brushed. She tried to glance away, but he trapped her with a riveting gaze, reminding her that he'd agreed to take Raven's place.

  "I don't want him to die," she said.

  He put his drink down. "Neither do I."

  She looked at the kitchen window, where a sun catcher grabbed the morning light, creating a tiny rainbow. When she returned her attention to Daniel, she realized how much he cared.

  About her and Raven.

  Unable to stop herself, she touched his jaw, running her fingers along his freshly shaved skin. Giving in to temptation, she moved closer, getting ready to fall into his arms, to let him be her hero.

  And then she sensed someone else's presence.

  She spun around and saw Raven. He stood in the doorway, watching her and Daniel.

  Allie didn't know what to say. Daniel was silent, too. Raven looked rumpled, with his jeans barely fastened and his hair l
ong and messy. Last night's ordeal was still taking its toll.

  And now, seeing him here, all alone, made her ache. He was a man with half a soul, a man who struggled to survive.

  Tears banked her eyes, and he frowned.

  "Don't do that," he told her. "Vanessa already cried for me. I can't endure your tears, too."

  "He's right. No tears," Daniel said. "Zinna will only prey on your emotions."

  Raven nodded, and Allie could see how much he respected Daniel, how important it was for him to share her with the other man. Life was getting more complicated by the minute.

  Finally Daniel picked up his coffee, pretending that they weren't trapped in an awkward situation. "I'll start on the diagram of the museum. And you and Raven can work on copying the amulet."

  "I'm going to make a clay replica of the necklace first," Allie said, getting into the busy mode. "It will help to have a three-dimensional model. We shouldn't cut into the stone until we're sure that we've got the exact size and shape nailed down."

  "Whatever you think is best. You're the artist."

  While Daniel sat at the kitchen table to work on his sketch, Allie and Raven went into her studio with the lapidary equipment and photographs of the amulet.

  She sifted through the supplies to see what Daniel had bought. Aside from the hematite and several how-to-carve-gemstones books, he'd picked up various pieces of machinery for sawing, sanding and polishing. She noticed some simple files, too. Tools similar to what Vanessa had probably used.

  Allie glanced at Raven. "How long did it take for your wife to make the necklace?"

  "Several weeks. But we don't have that kind of time."

  "We have modern equipment. It'll go much faster. But we'll have to use these, too." She reached for a file. "To give it the same primitive texture."

  He didn't respond, so she gathered the pictures and sat at a small worktable, preparing to mold the clay. "I'm going to need you to guide me. To make sure I'm getting the measurements right."

  He reached for a stool and sat next to her. "I'm confused."

  "About the amulet?"

  "I was talking about you and Daniel."

  She sucked in a breath. "What about us?"

  He looked into her eyes. "You should have let him hold you."

  "Because there's a possibility that you could die? That isn't easy to cope with." She fought the lump in her throat. "For any of us."

  "That's how I feel about losing Vanessa." He picked up one of the pictures, tracing the amulet with his finger. "I keep telling myself that she's gone, but I know she isn't. Her ghost is out there. I want to see her, Allie. I want to touch her."

  But he couldn't. Vanessa wasn't strong enough to appear to him. Or to let anyone touch her. "Maybe it will happen after the curse is broken."

  "And maybe it won't. Do you see why I'm confused? Everything is so uncertain. I still love my wife, and you and Daniel are fighting your feelings."

  And if Zinna had her way, she would take all of their souls, Allie thought. The living, the dead and the warrior caught in between. It didn't matter who loved whom.

  Not if they lost the game.

  * * *

  The robbery was moved up. Instead of breaking into the museum on Monday, they'd decided to do it on Sunday evening.

  Tonight, Allie thought.

  In approximately one hour, she would commit a crime.

  She glanced at Raven and Daniel. They were in her bedroom with her, putting the finishing touches on their costumes.

  Raven had chosen vintage Goth, donning a silk shirt, a cravat and a double-breasted coat. Daniel went for a similar look, only his frock had a velvet collar. He'd changed his glasses to small wire-rimmed frames, matching the Victorian era he and Raven represented.

  Allie had combined several retro styles, pairing a long filmy dress, slit up the sides, with fishnet stockings and patent leather boots. Around her neck, she sported a ribbon choker. All of them were wearing gloves.

  Their faces were already done, too. Raven had treated the makeup like war paint, creating a dangerous effect, and Daniel had smudged his with dark, decadent flair.

  They didn't resemble themselves, but neither did she. She'd used a foundation a few shades lighter than her own color, then dusted it with white powder, giving her skin an ethereal cast. Liquid liner elongated her eyes, and blood-red lipstick widened her mouth.

  The men had banded their hair into ponytails, and she'd camouflaged her waist-length locks with a black lace veil, pinning it into place.

  They looked like beautiful ghouls.

  "Who has the amulet?" Daniel asked.

  "I do." Allie opened a satin drawstring purse and removed the replica.

  Daniel had examined the necklace before, but he gave it one last inspection. "You and Raven did an incredible job."

  "Thank you." He'd told her that before, too.

  After she put the fake Vanessa away, he reached into his pocket. "I have something for you." He held up a silver chain with a crucifix.

  "Is it yours?" she asked.

  He nodded. "I want you to wear it. To keep you safe."

  She remembered how it had glowed at the séance, how connected he seemed to it. "Are you sure?"

  "I'm positive." He didn't offer to help her to put it on. He appeared uncomfortable about standing too close, about getting too intimate.

  Even if Allie could tell that he wanted to touch her.

  She thanked him for the crucifix, then removed her gloves and fastened the chain around her neck. The religious symbol fell below her choker.

  Daniel turned and approached Raven. "I have something for you, too." This time he removed a coin from his pocket. "It's a twenty-cent piece from the year you were born. It didn't last long. It was the shortest circulating coin. It looked too much like a quarter and confused the public." He met the other man's gaze. "I've collected coins since I was a kid. This one is rare. An icon of American numismatics."

  Raven was touched. Allie could see that he cherished his gift. He took the twenty-cent piece and looked at the Liberty design. Then he pressed it against his heart and thanked Daniel. The coin represented his life, the years he'd existed, as a man and a raven.

  "We should go." Daniel stepped back. "We've got an amulet to steal." He glanced at Allie. "A curse to break."

  Her nerves jangled. This was it. The night her power would be put to the test. They'd decided not to bring guns or knives. Allie refused to participate in armed robbery. Being a shaman should be enough.

  "We need to smudge first." She lit a bundle of sage, offering it to the cardinal directions, then fanning the smoke over herself and the men.

  Afterward, they left the loft and climbed into the SUV Daniel had rented. He didn't want his van or Allie's car to be seen in the vicinity of the museum. Once Rory figured out that he'd been robbed, that The Vanessa had been switched, Daniel and Allie would probably become the prime suspects. Fallon, too. As for Raven, Daniel had provided him with a counterfeit ID, just in case they got into a situation where identification was required.

  Daniel took the wheel. "Be sure to warn us if you think you're going to shape-shift," he said to Raven.

  "I will." The hundred-and-thirty-year-old warrior sat in the back seat, gazing out the window, his vintage clothes draping him in fine fabrics.

  Allie realized that he and Daniel had chosen costumes from a period that Raven had actually lived through. He'd been in boarding school during an era that comprised America's Victorian culture, where Indian children had been forced to follow the customs practiced at the time.

  The trip to Hollywood seemed to take forever, even if it was relatively fast. Allie's nerves were kicking in again. They still had no idea who the witch groupie was or if Zinna knew that they'd planned a burglary.

  Daniel drove past the museum to make sure the storefront had closed on time and no employees were lingering. He drove around back and checked for familiar cars, too. He had a list of vehicles the employees, including R
ory and Fallon, drove. Daniel had done his homework.

  By the time he parked, Allie was clutching the crucifix he'd given her. She turned toward him, and he sent her a demented smile, the makeup creating a wicked illusion. She glanced back at Raven, and his black-lined lips tilted in the same menacing way.

  They got out of the SUV and took to the sidewalk. Raven stayed in the middle of Allie and Daniel, his shoulders brushing theirs. In spite of a few lampposts, the side street was fairly dark, making them seem like creatures of the night. Allie's veil flowed behind her.

  Hollywood Boulevard was right around the corner, but it could have been miles away. The sound of their footsteps, the boots all of them wore, echoed ominously. The other retail shops and businesses on the side street, mostly obscure little office buildings, were closed.

  Daniel approached the front door of the witchcraft store and removed his Milton the Monster backpack, an item the Warrior Society had given him because there was a tiny image of Fearless Fly on it. In the 1960s, Fearless had been part of Milton the Monster's cartoon show.

  She and Raven shielded Daniel so no one could see what he was doing. A car drove past, and Allie's pulse dipped and dived.

  In case a passerby took an interest in them, they'd worked out a story that they were employees doing inventory tonight, then going to a party afterward, which explained their exaggerated garb.

  "Got it," Daniel said, making Allie catch her breath.

  Just like that. He'd picked the lock.

  The robbery had begun.

  Chapter 16

  Allie and Raven followed Daniel into the store, where a pale amber security light had been left on, giving the interior an unearthly glow.

  Daniel had a limited amount of time to disable the alarm before it sent a message to a central monitoring station, a company that would then contact the police.

  Allie and Raven waited for Daniel to do his job. She noticed a glass shelf with crystal balls. Some were clear and some had inclusions, creating a rainbow effect.

  The penlight in Daniel's hand flickered over the alarm's keypad. "Something is wrong."

  "What?" Allie asked, as Raven moved closer to see what concerned Daniel.

  "The alarm isn't on," the thief said. "The system wasn't armed tonight."