Chasing Thunderbird

by J. Leigh Bailey

  “As far as I know, shifters are limited to mammals and avians. I’ve never heard of anyone whose shift is a fish, reptile, or amphibian. Shifters are secretive and not likely to allow any wide studies or classifications done, so I guess it’s possible there are other types, but if they exist, they are very reclusive, even from other shifters.”

  I was practically vibrating with the need to ask more questions. I shot a finger in the air, the universal sign for follow-up question. When he nodded, I asked, “Is there a size requirement? I mean, are there shifters who transform into shrews or hummingbirds, for example?”

  Ford snorted, and I saw the first genuine smile I’d ever seen cross his face.

  “What?”

  “It’s not you. I just imagined some poor schmuck turning into a shrew.” He took advantage of the moment to take a bite of his burger. My stomach growled, reminding me that I, too, needed to eat.

  “Well?” I gestured with my burger, urging him to keep going.

  “I don’t know what size limits there are, if any. I’ve never seen anyone shift into anything smaller than a fox or a crow. But remember, there could be shifters out there I’ve never heard of.”

  “I read a book once about someone who changed into crows. Like, he was a 170-pound man who turned into 170 pounds’ worth of crows.” I didn’t add that it had been a paranormal romance I’d found in the library when I was twelve. I hadn’t taken it seriously at the time, but maybe there was something to the premise.

  Ford shot me an arch look.

  “You don’t think so?”

  “Probably not.” His tone was as deadpan as his look. “I know a family of crow shifters. They each change into a single bird.”

  That piqued my interest. “Yeah? Anyone I know?”

  He glowered. “You know I’m not going to tell you who’s a shifter.”

  “What do you think I’m going to do?”

  “Doesn’t matter. It’s not my secret to tell.”

  “You told me about Tierney.”

  “Yeah, because you saw Bethany. I’m not going to put anyone else on your radar.”

  “Look.” I set my burger back down. At this rate I’d still be eating it come morning. “I know you don’t have any reason to trust me with this information. I can only tell you that you can. Eventually you’ll figure out I can be trusted.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Fine. In the meantime, my other questions.”

  “Right. Well, you mentioned something about who’s in control—human or animal—when we shift. It’s a little of both. The human consciousness, for lack of a better word, is present when we shift. The animal instincts and senses are more dominant than when in human form. Depending on how good the shifter’s control is, or how strongly the animal instincts present themselves, sometimes there’s a struggle for which side drives. Both sides are always present, though.”

  “So some of the animal traits exist when in human form? Like what?” My fingers itched to grab my journal to take notes. Then I remembered some weirdos stole my journal. And Ford probably wouldn’t appreciate me recording any of this in any form.

  “Well, my former roommate is a coyote shifter. Even in human form, his senses of smell and hearing are acute. Maybe not as strong as when in shifted form, but definitely better than any human. Eagle shifters like Tierney and Bethany have incredible sight. They can see in near-perfect resolution and clarity at significant distances.”

  “That is so cool. How about healing? There are some myths and stories where werewolves and the like can heal almost anything by changing forms. Oh, and immortality. What is the typical lifespan of a shifter?”

  Rolling his eyes, Ford shook his head. “Bunch of superstitious bullshit. Shifter lifespans are equal to humans, and they don’t have super healing abilities. If a shifter gets cut in human form, he’ll still be bleeding in animal form. The shifter metabolism is a little faster, though, so it’s harder for them to get drunk, and some medications are pretty useless.”

  I leaned forward, bracing my elbows on my desk. “Fascinating.”

  Ford sneered at me. “Your inner Bindernagel is showing.”

  I scowled at him. It wasn’t the first time someone in my family had been compared to John Bindernagel, whose search for bigfoot made him the focus of ridicule for decades. “You have to admit, Bindernagel’s, and even my family’s, forays into cryptozoology aren’t quite as far-fetched as people have believed. Not if there are human-animal shifters running around. Who’s to say that bigfoot or thunderbirds aren’t related to the shifters?”

  The bulb in my desk lamp flickered.

  “What is with this place? I called Maintenance to have someone look into the wiring here, but they say there’s nothing wrong. I can’t be the only one who notices it. I mean, you’ve seen it, right?”

  Ford snorted. “The third floor has been neglected for years. The only reason you’re up here—” His voice cut off, and he glanced away.

  Even more secrets? I wrapped my hands around my soda to keep from draping myself over the table to demand more info. Instead I said, “The only reason I’m up here?”

  “Well, I’ve giving away all the other secrets. What’s one more?”

  “Exactly.” I smiled brightly. “And since this one seems to involve me, it’s only fair you share.”

  “Here’s the thing. Tierney’s a dick, but he’s been worse than usual toward you.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, he doesn’t want you here.”

  I’d always gotten that feeling, but hearing it confirmed stung. It meant it wasn’t only that Tierney had a bad attitude; he had specific issues with me. Not surprising, really. I’d been getting the hairy eyeball from academics for years once information on my family’s quest came out. “Then why was I hired?”

  “He got outvoted.”

  “Why, though? He’s very influential on campus. Wouldn’t the hiring committee take his objection more seriously?”

  “You’d think. But he couldn’t object too much without giving away secrets. Your family’s bizarre search for mythological creatures was only part of it. But it wasn’t enough to overshadow your impressive qualifications.” He looked away for a second, tugging on the ends of his hair. Was he even aware he did that?

  “I shouldn’t be telling you this,” he said, returning his gaze to me. “You’re the only nonshifter person on staff in the biology department. He didn’t want you here because this building has been a sort of refuge to shifters for years. With a pure human in the mix, the sanctuary it provided is gone. Then, add to it your cryptozoological studies, and you weren’t going to be as quick to explain away the occasional odd occurrence.”

  “So his bad attitude and his hiding me in the darkest corner of the third floor—”

  “He doesn’t want you to stick around. He doesn’t want there to be any chance you’ll extend your contract beyond this year. Because, let’s face it, the college would be stupid to let you go. They know it and he knows it. So Tierney’s best hope is that you get fed up and leave before you find out something you shouldn’t.”

  Now didn’t that put a whole new spin on things?

  “And you know this because?”

  “I’m the babysitter.”

  Given the way he smiled, I’d guess my scowl looked more like a pout. “Babysitter?”

  “Yeah. They want me to keep an eye on you, to make sure you don’t find out something you shouldn’t.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I guess Tierney hadn’t counted on Bethany.”

  “No shit. When Tierney finds out, he’s going to want to kick my ass.”

  “You don’t sound too worried about it.”

  He shrugged. “Nah. He’ll rant, but that’s it. He’s got some authority over me in the academic setting, but in the shifter world, I’m more dominant and he knows it.”

  “Is that a thing in the shifter culture? A dominance hierarchy?”

  “Yeah. It’s pretty fluid and not really some
thing that is strictly broken down. But there are individuals who are often deferred to based on strength or knowledge. Some are stronger leaders.”

  “And you’re stronger than Tierney?”

  “Let’s just say my alpha instincts kick in a little more strongly than his on occasion.”

  Damn. That was kind of hot. “What does that mean? Are you an eagle shifter too?” Ford as an eagle shifter, or at least a bird shifter of some description, would certainly explain his presence in a “bird-watching” club full of members like the high-strung Bethany. The whole club was probably a front for setting up bird-shifter-related outings. No wonder they were so freaked-out when I showed up.

  “Not an eagle, no. And unfortunately,” he said, standing and looking at the clock, “I’ve got to run. I’ve got to be at work.” He gathered the mostly empty packaging from the meal—my cold fries were the only leftovers—and dumped them into the trash.

  “Ford?” I stood, suddenly feeling very awkward behind my desk.

  His eyebrows winged up. “Yeah?”

  “Thanks. Thanks for explaining, both about shifters and about Tierney.”

  He nodded, reaching for the door.

  “And Ford?”

  He looked at me over his shoulder.

  “I’ll have more questions.”

  He rolled his eyes, but the annoyance I’d expected wasn’t there. Instead it was more of an amused acceptance. “Figured.”

  Chapter Six

  MY Jeep tilted drunkenly in the parking lot. “What the hell?” I crossed in front of the hood to see that both passenger-side tires were flat. It was probably too much to hope I’d hit some nails along the side of the road somewhere along the way that morning. I unlocked the doors and tossed my shoulder bag into the passenger seat. Pulling my knit cap down more securely over my ears against the cold, I squatted next to the front tire, checking for visible punctures. Not sure why I was looking. The cause of the flat didn’t matter. Even if I knew how it happened, it wouldn’t do me any good. It wasn’t like I could just toss the spare on and take it to the shop. I had a spare tire strapped to the back of the Jeep, but I only owned the one. There were two flats. I was going to need a tow.

  I jumped into the car, mostly to buffer against the cold if only a little bit, then dug into the glove compartment. Somewhere in that mess of documents was the folder containing my roadside assistance plan information.

  A sharp tap-tap on my window caused me to jump.

  “What the hell happened here?”

  Cringing at Ford’s sharp demand, I opened the door so we could talk without a window between us. “Aren’t you supposed to be on your way to work?”

  “Forget about that. What happened to your tires?”

  “No idea. I must have hit a couple of nails or something on the way.” It wasn’t a nail. I knew it, but I didn’t want to drag Ford deeper into my problems. “I was about to call for a tow.” I showed him my AAA card.

  He moved to the front of the Jeep, and I got out to follow him. Sitting in my car while he wandered around outside just felt weird. He knelt by the front passenger-side tire, much like I had. But unlike me, he seemed to know what he was looking for.

  “This wasn’t a nail.” He cursed and moved to the back tire. “Neither was this.” He traced the sidewall of the tire with a bare hand, and I realized he wasn’t wearing gloves.

  “What do you mean? And where are your gloves? It’s literally below freezing out here. I think I’ve got a spare pair in the back.”

  “I’m fine,” he said before I could move. “What’s not fine, though, are your tires. Someone slashed these with a knife.”

  “A knife? No way. Really? How can you tell?” It was one thing to suspect it. It was another thing altogether for someone to confirm it.

  He pointed at a tear that was about an inch wide in the sidewall of the tire. “This was deliberate. There’s no way it could have been accidental.”

  “Damn it. I guess I need to call the campus police. At least they don’t already think I’m some attention-grabbing freak like the city cops do.”

  He nodded as though he’d never doubted I’d follow his directions.

  I had to dig under my bulky winter coat to find my phone. Once I had it in hand, I made the call.

  “I’m going to bring my truck around. We can wait there where it’s warm until the cops show up.”

  “You don’t need to wait with me. I’ll be fine. You have to get to work.”

  He looked at me like what I’d said was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard. “I’m not going to leave you out here by yourself after someone slashed your tires. What if they’re still here, waiting? Watching? You’re a sitting duck in this lot.”

  And now I felt dozens of eyes watching me from the shadows. It didn’t help that I knew it was my imagination.

  “I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”

  I’d thought him calling himself my babysitter a little bit ago was an overstatement. Having him treat me like some kid he was actually babysitting made me reconsider. Did he actually think he needed to watch out for me? Keeping me from finding out about shape-shifters was one thing; treating me like I was incompetent was another. So why was I still sitting here, following his orders? Because, even if he hadn’t ordered me to stay put, I had nowhere to go until campus police showed up. I could refuse to get into his truck when he arrived, to try to push him to go to work, but in the end, I wasn’t a masochist.

  At the rumble of tires on pavement, I expected to see Ford and his truck. It was a truck, but it wasn’t Ford in the driver’s seat. It was Matthew Jones, the ex-Army student with his own thunderbird research project. He pulled into the spot next to me and rolled down the window. “What happened? You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” I smiled because it was impossible not to when the model-gorgeous man looked so concerned. I’d almost forgotten how picture-perfect he was.

  “Can I give you a ride somewhere?”

  I tucked my hands into my pockets. “Nah. I’ve got to wait for the police.”

  His lovely brown eyes widened. “Police?”

  “Well, campus police. It appears the tires were slashed.” I leaned against the door, peeking in through the open window. I had to admit, the warmth from his heater felt nice against the chilled skin of my face.

  “Who would do such a thing?” Matthew put the truck into Park and turned toward me.

  “No idea.”

  “I’m not in a big hurry. Why don’t you hop in and we can wait for the cops somewhere warmer? No need to freeze. Then, when they’re done, I’ll drop you off at home, or wherever it is you need to go.”

  I decided not to mention that my tires being out of service didn’t mean my car’s heater wouldn’t work. It was a nice gesture. But still I hesitated to agree. Ford was on his way back, and the chance to spend more time with him….

  “I was planning on stopping by your office one of these days. This will save me a trip,” Matthew continued as if he hadn’t noticed my lack of an answer.

  “Yeah?”

  “I was hoping we could talk more about thunderbirds. I know you said you weren’t looking for any kind of partnership, but I thought you might be willing to do a sort of mentorship? I’ve come across a new source of information. At first I thought they were probably one of those sensationalist groups, but I’ve been able to validate some of their claims. But what they say is a little out-there.”

  A week ago I’d have told him his new source probably was one of those sensationalist groups, if what they claimed really was out there. But today I saw a girl turn into an eagle and learned that shape-shifters existed. Maybe it was time for me to expand my own narrow definition of a legitimate information source.

  “Yeah, okay. That’d be great.”

  Another purring truck pulled in next to Matthew’s. I’d have known it was Ford’s even if the man weren’t in the driver’s seat. The small black pickup was nondescript, in seemingly good condition, but was probably ol
der than Ford. With its dust- and mud-splattered exterior, this was a truck that went off-roading a lot, was dependable, and didn’t have any extra flash. Next to Matthew’s gleaming, chrome-edged vehicle, Ford’s looked downright dowdy and old-fashioned.

  Ford kept the engine running but hopped out of the truck. He narrowed his eyes at Matthew, his cool distrust practically filling the empty parking lot. “What’s going on?”

  I didn’t know how he did it, but he somehow edged in front of me, partially blocking my view of Matthew and his truck. For Ford to have gotten there, I’d have had to step back. I don’t remember doing so. Probably some kind of unconscious reaction to his presence.

  “Matthew offered to stay with me until campus police show up. He’ll drop me off at home too. That way you can head to work. I’m sure you’re already running late.”

  “Matthew?” Ford asked, ignoring my comments about his work.

  “Matthew’s a new student. He shares my interest in cryptozoology.”

  “Does he?”

  Damn. Ford’s voice caused the already frigid temperature to drop another twenty degrees.

  “Like I said—” I stepped forward, trying to edge back in front of Ford “—Matthew will get me home, Ford. You should head to work.”

  “I already called in. I’ll stay. I’m sure Matthew here has other things he can be doing.” The way Ford stared at Matthew reminded me of a dominance fight between wolves. I expected fangs and snarls to erupt any second.

  Ooh. Maybe Ford was a wolf shifter? That’d be cool. Except there were Bethany and the hapless bird-watchers….

  I shook my head. I didn’t have time for that right now. Later. Later I would try to piece together Ford’s other form.

  I didn’t know what Ford’s deal was, but luckily I didn’t have to worry about it. A college police cruiser pulled into the parking lot. After a glance at Ford’s implacable expression, I turned to Matthew. “Thanks for the offer. I think I’ll let Ford give me a ride. But I do want to talk more about that other thing. Can I get your number?” I pulled my phone out of my coat pocket and opened the Contacts list.