"What'sup?" Dennis could feel the tension in the air.
"NothingDot couldn't handle, handcuffed and blindfolded." Jimmy poured Dennis aglass and slid it over to him.
"So,what movie are we seeing?"
"NewStar Wars."
Dennisgroaned. I couldn't help myself; he was just to nerdy cute. I leaned over andkissed him.
"Well,if they would make another fucking Star Trek, we would go see that. Quityour whining, Trekkie."
"Tellyou what," I said and rubbed his leg. Next week, you and I will have aStar Trek marathon. All the movies we can watch. Just you and me."
"Willyou talk dirty to me in Klingon?"
"I'llhave to get a dictionary, but yes."
"Deal."He grinned.
Outnumbered,the two guys with the staring problem decided it was time to leave. Thankfully."Fucking witch," one of them mumbled as he walked past me, bumpingthe back of my chair with his hip.
"You'resorry," I muttered and added a gratuitous, "Asshole."
Iwaited for them to round on us, and when they didn't, I looked up at theirretreating backs. Closer, I could make out the words under the owl motif.
"Fuck."
"What?"Jimmy asked, ready to go after them.
"Ithink we'll be seeing them tonight. Did you read their shirt?"
"No?Just saw the owl."
"OWLis an acronym. Oswego Witch Lynchers."
"Oh,this is gonna be fun," Jimmy said with an eyeroll.
"Whatthe hell did I miss?" Dennis looked from Jimmy to me.
∞∞ ∞
"Maybethe Meatza wasn't such a good idea," I said and burped a cacophony ofsausage, pepperoni, bacon, and meatball flavored air as I stepped down from thetruck and slammed the creaking door shut.
"It'sthe gift that keeps on giving." Dennis grinned as he got out of the back.
"Lookat the bright side. You don't live with Dennis," Jimmy said as he steppedup onto the curb by the bookstore. "Meatza farts peel paint."
"Yousure you want to park all the way over here?" I nodded at the store.
"One,parking in center square sucks. Two, I don't want those assholes anywhere nearmy truck." He rubbed the side of his battered baby.
"Yeah.Goddess forbid, they knock some of the rust off." Dennis rolled his eyes.
"That'swhat is holding this magnificent work of art together."
"Comeon. Let's check out the owl party so we can go enjoy the movie," I toldthe both of them and waved at Shea through the front window of the bookstorebefore leading the way to central square.
Iyelped again when Shea stepped out of the shadows beside the bookstore. "Iwould not advise you going this way, Master," he said solemnly, with alittle bow.
"Ifit's about the protest rally, I already know."
Helifted his head. "And you would still go there?"
"Yep.Tis better to know thyne enemy and all that. Don't worry. I won't hurt them."I leaned over and gave him a little kiss.
"Thatwas never my concern," he said dreamily as I pulled away.
"Whatwas? You don't think they would hurt me? You know that would never happen."
Heshook his head. "No. Not that either. I'm worried about someone doing themharm and you using your magic to protect them."
"Thatwould be a good thing, right? They'd see how awesome we are and forget aboutthe whole little protest thingy."
"No.They would see it as you bringing their nightmares to life. They will see howpowerful you are and fear us even more."
Thatwas Shea. The wise sage. Thinking things through from twenty differentdirections while I had trouble picking out which underwear I wanted. Sighing, Inodded. "That may be true. But if there are people who might be injured, Icannot sit by and let it happen."
"Whichis exactly why you shouldn't go down there. Call it a foreboding. Call it apremonition. Call it whatever you wish, but please. Go have some pie instead."He paused and looked over my shoulder at Jimmy and Dennis. "Or sex. Youlike that almost as much as pie."
Inodded. Pretty emphatically. I may have even looked over at the diner for amoment and thought about pie. Then the realization of what might, and whatmight not happen made up my mind. Either way, I had to know. Sighing, I put myhand on Shea's shoulder. "You know I have to go. I will do my best not tobe seen, but I have to."
Hesighed and bowed, moving out of my way. "I am going with you."
Whatthe fuck is going on?Yuki was drawing on her iPad, in her bed at the house. I could feel her tensionand anxiety.
Nothing.
Bullshit. She appeared at my side with agust of wind a moment later. "Please tell me you're not about to dosomething abysmally stupid."
"Youknow I can't make that promise. Ever."
Ellisand Dar stepped out of the store. I could feel Chief standing in the square,hands on his hips as he turned toward my direction. Jason sat down at the deskin the office, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Noneof them said a word, not one of them tried to stop me. They were all there forme. Except Yuki. She was a little white ball of snarling canine fury. "Gah!"She raised her hands to the sky and then slapped her thighs in frustration.
"Comeon, Squishy. It'll be fun."
"Isaid gah, not glaaah." She made zombie motions with her hands, wigglingher forearms back and forth.
Weheaded for the central square.
Assoon as we made it, I started laughing. The others chuckled and shiftednervously. In the park, the one that had been an open pit into the deepestreaches of Hell hardly a month before, stood about thirty people in dingy jeansand freshly printed OWL T-shirts. A few of them were toting effigies of witchesin nooses, a couple of them were holding unlit tiki torches, and the rest wereholding up poster boards with badly written racial slurs towards the magicallygifted community. No one else was paying any attention to them. Not even Chief,who was striding purposely towards us trying to hide his smile.
"Impressiveturnout." I snickered when he was close enough.
"Yeah.Don't know why you thought you needed to be here. I wouldn't even let themlight the torches. Fire Marshal said it was a fire hazard."
"Well,I feel like an idiot." I was almost disappointed. I thought we were facinga major problem. In
