"Okey," said Erin. "Dokey," said Shaunee.

"See ya," Jack said.

I thought Damien would give me his typical good-bye hug, but instead he told Jack, "You guys go on, and I'll catch up with you. I'm going to walk Z to the stables."

"Good idea," Jack said. "I'll get your popcorn ready for you."

Damien smiled. "Save me a seat, too?"

Jack grinned back at him and gave him a quick, sweet kiss. "Always."

Then the Twins and Jack took off in one direction, and Damien and I went in the opposite direction. Hopefully that wasn't an omen about where our lives were heading.

"You really don't have to walk me to the stables," I said. "It's just not that far."

"Didn't you say earlier that something attacked you and hurt your hand when you were walking from the stables to the cafeteria?"

I raised my brows at him. "I didn't think you believed me about that."

"Well, let's just say that Aphrodite's visions have converted me. So when you're done communing with your horse, if you want you can give me a call on your cell. Jack and I will pretend like we're much more butch than we are and come escort you back."

"Oh, please. You aren't what I'd call swishy and fluttery."

"Well, I'm not, but Jack is."

We laughed. I was considering arguing with him about the whole Zoey-has-to- have-an-escort issue when the crow started cawing. Actually, now that I was wide awake and listening, the cawing seemed more like weird croaking, but it wasn't any less annoying.

No, maybe annoying wasn't the right word for the sound. Creepy. Creepy was exactly the right word for the sound.

"You hear that, don't you?" I said.

"The raven? Yeah."

"Raven? I thought it was a crow."

"No, I don't think so. If I remember correctly, crows caw, but a raven's cry is more like the croaking of toads." Damien paused, and the bird croaked a few more times. It sounded closer, and its ugly voice caused goose bumps to rise on my arms. "Yep, that's definitely a raven."

"I don't like it. And why is it being so noisy? It's winter--it couldn't be mating, could it? Plus, it's night. Shouldn't it be asleep?" I peered out into the darkness as I spoke, but didn't see any of the stupid noisy birds, which wasn't so unusual. I mean, they're black and it is night. But that one raven seemed to fill the sky around me, and something about its abrasive call made my skin shiver.

"I really don't know very much about their habits." Damien paused, looked carefully at me. "Why is it bothering you so much?"

"I heard wings flapping before, when whatever it was came at me. And it just feels creepy. Don't you feel it?"

"I don't."

I sighed and thought he was going to tell me that maybe I needed to get a handle on my stress and my imagination, but he surprised me by saying, "But you're more intuitive than I am. So if you say the bird feels wrong, I believe you."

"You do?" We were at the steps of the stable, and I stopped and turned to him.

His smile was full of familiar warmth. "Of course I do. I believe in you, Zoey." "Still?" I said.

"Still," he said firmly. "And I've got your back."

And just like that, the raven stopped croaking and the shivery creepiness I'd been feeling seemed to drift away with it.

I had to clear my throat and blink hard before I could manage to say, "Thanks, Damien."

Then Nala's grumpy old woman cat voice "mee-uf-owed" at me as my fat little orange cat padded out of the darkness to twine herself around Damien's legs.

"Hey there, little girl," he said, giving her a scratch under her chin. "Looks like she's here to take over the watch Zoey duty."

"Yep, I think you've definitely been relieved," I said.

"If you need me when you want to come back, just give me a call. I really don't mind," he said as he hugged me tight.

"Thanks," I said again.

"No problem, Z." He smiled at me once more and then, humming "Seasons of Love" from Rent, he disappeared back down the sidewalk.

I was still smiling when I opened the side door that led to the hallway that pided the field house and the stables. Mixed with the sweet hay and horse smell that was already wafting from the stable on my right, and the relief of knowing my friends really weren't pissed at me anymore, I could already feel myself beginning to relax. Stress-- jeesh! I really needed to do some yoga or whatnot (probably more whatnot than yoga). If I kept up this tension, I'd more than likely develop an ulcer. Or worse, wrinkles.