“This is Sax, a Eurasian eagle owl, and I’m not ashamed to tell you, he’s the largest owl I’ve ever worked with. Sax here is heavier than a great horned owl from the States and has a larger wingspan. The female eagle owls can weigh anywhere from four to nine pounds, and let me tell you, that is one heavy bird. Sax here weighs a nice four pounds and that’s partly because he has a steady diet here at Victory.”

Gently he coaxed Sax to open one of his wings and I watched with sad eyes. I might not have a degree in ornithology like Sam and Alex, but I could tell there was something terribly wrong.

“Sax was shot by a hunter who didn’t want him on his land.” David looked at the owl quietly. “The saddest part is that Sax was only doing what he’s meant to do. Now he will never be able to fly again.”

Carefully he replaced Sax on his perch and looked out at the audience. “That’s what Victory Hall is trying to correct. Misinformation is killing these animals. We hope that with more education and hands-on learning experiences we will be able to teach our children why these creatures are so important. We’re also hoping that if a farmer has trouble with a problematic bird, they can come to us and we can find a better solution.”

“There are farmers still poisoning many raptors,” I spoke up. “Some of them don’t know how much harm they are causing, while others don’t care. Organizations like the FBT and their subsidiary groups like Victory Hall play a vital role in the defense of these creatures.” There were some murmurs from the people seated near me.

“Princess Catherine is correct.” David smiled at me and my heart did a little flip. “Why don’t you come help me introduce our next guest?”

I could only hope that I wasn’t smiling like an idiot, because I felt like a bubbly girl on the inside. Even though I knew there was probably a script for today, I didn’t care.

“Of course.” I may have unintentionally added a little more wiggle to my walk than normal and had to tone it down as I climbed the stairs to the platform. “What do you have?”

“Let’s get you a glove.” He leaned close as he helped me slide my hand into the leather protection. “Wouldn’t want anything to hurt your pretty skin.” His voice was low, but I couldn’t help the blush that spread up my cheeks as I heard the whir of cameras.

“I didn’t realize you were such a flirt.” I whispered back.

“I practiced in the mirror last night.” He winked at me before turning back to the audience.

“Tina, can you bring me Loki?” David turned and smiled at the woman near the edge of the stage.

“And just what is Loki?” I looked at the giant glove he had fit on my arm. I’d handled birds since I was a child, but that didn’t mean all birds were the same. I secretly prayed that he wasn’t bringing a vulture out for me to hold.

“There’s the fearsome bird.” He motioned to where Tina walked back into the room. She was holding a tiny owl.

“Aw.” I smiled at the itty-bitty thing as he transferred the bird to my wrist.

“This is a little owl,” David explained. When the audience laughed he shot them all a smile. “Really. Apparently the scientist that day wasn’t feeling very inspired, so this guy is literally a little owl. Athene noctua.” He said the Latin name with ease.

I looked at the tiny guy on my wrist and couldn’t help the goofy grin that pulled at my cheeks. He was adorable. His little head turned this way and that as he scanned the room and I reached up with my other hand to scratch the top of his head. Just as I got close, his head spun and he nipped. I barely missed losing the tip of my finger to the little beast.

There were gasps in the room that quickly turned to nervous laughs when I tsked at the bird. “That was not very nice, Loki, but I can see where you got your name!”

“Are you okay, Cathy?” David reached for my hand, examining my fingers while the photographers sat up in their seat and snapped pictures.

Not only had he addressed me by my nickname, he had taken my hand in his with a familiarity that people didn’t normally see with me. It wasn’t that I was cold, but I was always careful with how I interacted with men.

“I’m fine.” I didn’t snatch my hand back or make a big deal about any of it. If there was an issue Selene could play it off that we were friends through Sam. Which was exactly the truth. The fact that we had seen each other na**d and had plans for a date was no one’s business. Besides, I liked the way worry wrinkled his brow as he checked my fingers. “Really, no blood.”

“I should have warned you.” His jaw tightened. “I’m still learning these birds.”

I could tell what he was thinking, that he shouldn’t be doing this presentation until he was fully ready. Unfortunately that wasn’t how things worked in my world. We were often thrown into situations where we had to “fake it until we made it.”

“Well, goes to show you that I don’t have the proper training for handling these gorgeous creatures.” I smiled at the cameras. “Of course, that doesn’t stop me from admiring their beauty.”

Tina moved onto the stage to take Loki from me and I removed the glove. “Thank you for making sure I was all right, David. A real live knight in shining armor.”

His mouth twitched and I wondered what he was deciding not to say. I found myself intrigued just as much by what he left unsaid as by what he decided was worth saying.