by Dane, Lauren
“We don’t have anything like this in Lycia. The first time I came here, in recent time anyway, and I stepped into a grocery store, I think I stood in front of the toothpaste for about half an hour. Dazzled and a little stunned by the sheer variety.”
“So what do you have then? Outdoor market stalls and stuff?”
He nodded as she gazed at the pies and realized she couldn’t hear a nod. “Yes. But also stores. Usually though they’re more like your bodegas. Small with a limited stock.”
“I guess you probably get things fresher though. I mean if I had a boulangerie nearby I’d eat fresh bread every day. Also I’d weigh a million pounds because I am powerless against bread. Most carbs really. When I’m on vacation I make bread. And then I eat it all. I tell myself I’m going to give it away but I’m a total liar when it comes to bread.”
“Shouldn’t you be looking for vegan pie?”
She laughed. “Though she does love to talk up vegan baking and about half of what she makes is vegan, she’s not totally there. She is very health conscious. But she loves baked goods and she will totally have some of this really yummy Dutch apple pie. And I’m bringing real whipped cream to go with. Maybe some ice cream too. I’ll have to run extra tomorrow, but it’ll be worth it.”
“Come on then. Let’s get the rest. I don’t want to be late the first time I eat dinner at your parents’ house. That’s bad form.”
She grabbed the whipped cream and some vanilla ice cream as well and they headed out.
Or they would have if they hadn’t been stopped at the checkout.
The checker clearly recognized Helena, and Helena recognized her and smiled. Only the checker picked up a little plastic sign that said “Aisle Closed” and placed it on the counter in front of the food Helena had just put down.
Helena’s smile faded. “Really? You must be kidding.”
“We don’t do business with your kind.”
“I’ve been shopping in this grocery store my entire life. This store has stocked the pantry of my house and then even after, when I moved out on my own as well.”
“Now we know what you are.”
“A paying customer without which you wouldn’t have a job?”
“We’d like to speak with your manager. Please.” Faine added the please, but it wasn’t sincere and the creature behind the register knew it.
“You need to get out of this store. Your kind isn’t welcome.”
A few customers had gathered, waiting to pay. All listening. Discomfort and anger radiated from Helena and he yearned to make it better. But he knew she had to deal with this in her way. He’d be there whatever the outcome.
“I need to speak with a manager. That’s twice we’ve asked. Do be a dear and make that happen.” Helena’s smile was tight and sort of scary. The checker stared, but she was no match for Helena, who stared back with so much intent it sent a thrill through him.
Her magick didn’t rise and he knew she made a concerted effort to keep it that way. She could have used it to make things happen her way, but then she’d be proving them right. And his female was far too stubborn to prove anyone right but herself.
“You can wait over there.” The checker pointed.
“No, that’s all right. I’ll wait right here.”
“I need to check these other people.”
“You need to deal with my groceries first.”
The checker glared at Helena, who appeared to not have mustered up a single fuck.
“You’re inconveniencing humans. It’s bad enough you have the nerve to come in here. Now go wait over there.”
At this point Helena bristled and squared her shoulders and the checker finally began to understand she wasn’t pushing around any old pretty, well-dressed woman who happened to be an Other.
Her eyes widened and Helena’s narrowed.
The person standing behind them spoke. “Jesus Christ. Just check her damned pie out and keep your opinions to yourself.”
The person behind them agreed.
But the woman with the small child in the next line piped up. “We know what they are now. You heard it yourself from Senator Hayes and Carlo Powers. They’re abominations and no decent person should have to deal with them.”
“Ma’am, I can help you.” Another checker approached and spoke to Helena before turning his attention to the checker. “Nancy, take a break. Take your drawer with you.”
The checker did her business and hustled off with muttered threats and curses.
“Helena, right?”
The new checker began to run the items through.
“Yes. I’ve been shopping here my whole life.”
“I know. We went to school together. I graduated a few years before you did. I apologize for what just happened and I hope you’ll give us another chance. Not all of us are Nancy. Fourteen sixty-five.”
Helena gave him fifteen.
He leaned close and Faine wanted to growl, but didn’t. “I’m a manager here. I’m going to recommend she be disciplined for that. It’s clear we need some storewide meetings about this issue.”
She took her change and nodded. “Thank you.” And then looked around Faine’s body to the people behind him. “And thank you.”
Those who’d come to her defense nodded and the guy immediately behind Faine said, “Shit got real today with that nutty asshole speaking out. I know things are scary but I hope you remember we’re not all that way.”
“I appreciate that. And I’d love it if you’d take a second when you got home to send your legislators a note. We need all the support we can get.”
Faine grabbed the bag and the pie and they headed out.
“That totally sucked.”
He tended to agree.
“It was nice that others spoke up.” Always good to point out positives.
“Sure. Man, I want to eat all the pie now. In the car on the way over.”
He laughed as he opened her door. “I’m sure your mother would understand if you did.”
That’s when they approached.
He was getting in on his side when her door flew open and her attention shifted as she was unceremoniously hauled from the car by three men.
“Stupid whore witch. Someone needs to teach you and your friend a lesson about knowing your place.”
He was mid shift and up over the car before he could even think about it.
• • •
SHE’D been pushing her anger and hurt away, stunned, as always, by how good her man looked when her door opened up.
Confusion froze her in place for moments because she was looking at Faine and he was the only one who should have been opening her door but he was on the other side of the car so it couldn’t be him.
Hands grabbed her by her upper arms, sending pie all over the place as it hit the dash.
Her moment of confusion was over quickly enough. Quickly enough to hook an ankle around the calf of one of her attackers and send him to the ground. She pivoted once her arm was free and elbowed another on the face, and the satisfaction of the crunch of a broken nose roared through her. He howled in pain as he stumbled back, blood flinging everywhere, and she used it, drew it around her and strengthened her power.
“You ruined my pie, asshole.” She gave him a roundhouse kick, knocking him into the car the next stall over and to the ground as the alarm went off.
One of them cracked her in the back of the head with a blackjack. Which is why at first when she heard the roar she wasn’t sure if it was real or something she imagined.
She nearly fell over at the wave of white-hot pain. But the blood that had been spilled kept her focus, so she reached out, spooling her power up through the concrete, the air around her crackling with it. Faine, his beast anyway, bounded over and knocked one of them down, landing on him with an oof of expelled breath and
what she figured was also a broken rib or two given Faine’s size and the way he’d jumped on the guy.
Her vision had stopped doubling enough for her to open her palm and blow a ball of energy right before she pulled her fist back and gifted him with a one-two punch of magic and fist right to his stupid pie-ruining bigot face. His eyes rolled up and he crumpled to the ground.
“Call the cops,” she called out to the manager, who’d rushed to the door to see what the commotion was. “And you be sure your little pal Nancy doesn’t leave.”
“What?”
She turned and the nausea rose quickly. She had to breathe through her nose for a moment. She probably would have a concussion, but her mother could help with that.
“These guys knew what I was. How on earth would some random passersby know that? Someone told them. And that someone is very likely our little white-sheeted friend Nancy.”
She pulled her phone out. “Never mind, I’ll call.”
One of the guys on the ground groaned and started to move and she kicked him—hard—before she spelled him to sleep.
The cops arrived quickly—three cars’ worth—and of course pulled weapons on Faine, who was still in his beast’s skin.
She spoke calmly, but loudly enough that they could hear her over the whimpering of the guy Faine stood on. “Nope. Wrong as usual. These three pieces of filth yanked me from the car and began to attack me. One of them hit me in the back of the head with that blackjack over there near the curb.”
“I’ll tell you when we need your story.” The cop kept his weapon trained on Faine.
She sighed heavily. “I spent the last months making excuses for you all. But I’m done with that now. You will get your damned weapon off him. I told you, they attacked us. I quit your fucking jurisdiction if you’re only going to apply the law to certain people. I’m not weak and I will not allow you to play this game. So you can collect your scum but you will get your damned guns out of my face.”
The group of police there seemed divided. Some lowered weapons, while others ranged between rage and confusion, but kept guns trained on her or Faine.
The officer spoke again. “Or what? Only one of us has a gun. How about we take this little convo down to the station?”
She was so totally done. If this asshole wanted to bring it, she’d give it to him. “If you think you can do it, give it a try.” She flexed her power and blew just a small bit of heat his way. Enough that he should understand she wasn’t defenseless.
“I think a better question to ask is whether or not you really want to push me. All I wanted was to buy a pie to take to my mom’s house for dinner where I was going to announce my engagement. A normal thing. I came to the same market I’ve come to my entire life and had some bitch give me lip about not serving my kind. This after a senator called for my imprisonment and or death on the news. I come out here and three thugs come up out of the blue and assault me, and then you people show up on the scene and give me more shit? I am done. Test me, Officer, but only do it if you’re sure you can handle what happens.”
She saw the fear finally visit his features and she narrowed her gaze. Yes, that’s right monkey boy, I got skills and I will blow your butt off this pavement. I am PMSing and annoyed and covered in pie.
Faine tensed and a low, really scary growl trickled from him. She got herself back under control because the last thing they needed was for Faine’s beast to get any more pissed off.
The manager spoke up. “Um, Officer? We have video camera footage of the outside of the store. You can look at it and verify her story. I can verify the rest about how she was treated by one of my employees.”
“We saw it all.” The guy who’d been behind them in line spoke up. “I came out right behind them. It was my call you got first. Those three guys grabbed her, pulled her out of the car and started beating on her. The wolf guy, he only attacked after they jumped her.”
“Stand down, Officer.” One of the other cops who’d arrived spoke up. “Our apologies,” he said to Helena. “Been quite a day. We got a bulletin from the special Federal Task Force guys to be on alert.” He holstered his weapon. “Get these assholes cuffed and loaded up. Make sure they get looked at so we don’t get blamed for police brutality.” He looked back to Helena. “The PURITY folks’ newest thing is to get into altercations with Others, and then if we arrest them, to claim we dinged ’em up.”
“Makes you wish you’d have really done it, huh?”
His smile told her exactly that.
The manager came out with an ice pack and handed it her way. “Here, put this on your head.”
“Miss? Can you, um, get him to back off so we can take the guy into custody?” The cop motioned toward Faine, who continued to bristle as he growled low and scary when anyone tried to get close.
She stepped to him, placing her face against his, breathing in the loam and fur of him and letting him take her magick in as well. “It’s okay. I’m all right. They’re going to arrest them all. Please step back so they can do that.”
He growled, but it was annoyance and not rage like he’d done to the humans. She wrestled back a smile. “You don’t scare me, big guy.”
He snorted, but stepped back, leaning against her. She needed the support, as her head felt like crap.
“He’s big. Even for a werewolf.”
“Yes, he’s an overachiever that way.” Her fingers threaded through his fur and held on; he pressed against her body and a wave of warmth hit. She knew it was his. Knew he’d take care of her no matter what. But she knew, also, that he was probably on his very last nerve with the entire situation, so she wanted to get things moving.
“Can I get my statement taken so we can leave? My parents are expecting us for dinner and they’re going to be worried.”
Faine transformed and stood taller, totally naked. The cops looked up and then up some more. He was just as forbidding in his skin as a man, really. “And she needs to have her head seen to.”
But back to the naked thing. She stepped in front of him and he pulled her against his body. But not to shield his nakedness. He didn’t care about that. And why should he when he looked so good?
He wanted to comfort her and it did calm her just to have him there.
“We can probably get a blanket for you. You know, to cover up.” The cop, Officer Patterson, offered helpfully.
“I have a spare change of clothes in the trunk. If I may?”
The words were those of a question, but it really wasn’t a request and they all knew it. But they allowed it anyway and he got changed rather quickly and he never got farther than a foot away from her.
She knew he was angry. The barely leashed fury from his beast throbbed from him in hot waves. She wondered if the cops could feel it, or if they only sensed it and that was why they kept a wary eye on him.
Then again it could have been because he was a massive beast under his skin, the likes of which they’d never seen.
“Can you please call my parents and let them know we’re going to be held up? Don’t go into too much detail, they’ll only worry. But we’ll be there as soon as we can.”
Faine nodded, but didn’t move away to make the call. Instead he moved back to his place behind her, one hand on her shoulder, and did it there.
Patterson took their statement, got all their contact information and sent them on their way after they refused to go to the hospital.
She thanked the manager and the witnesses who’d stayed to speak to the cops and then got back into the car and they headed to her parents’ place.
“Your mother isn’t going to be pleased. She was quite disgruntled that I wouldn’t go into specifics.”
“She’s the wife of a hunter, it comes with the territory. Damn it. They totally messed up my pie and got it all over your upholstery. I’m sorry.”
“You. Be quiet and rest. I c
an get my car cleaned, but you are not replaceable, so hush.”
He was silent as they made their way the two short miles to the house. He tried very hard not to think about it. About the way she’d taken on those thugs and also the cops, no fewer than six holding weapons on her.
“I’m proud of you. You were a fine warrior tonight,” he said as they pulled up and he turned the engine off.
“Thanks for jumping on that jerk and breaking a few of his ribs for me.”
He knew he shouldn’t smile. It would only encourage her. But she made him laugh. “I would have taken out the other two, but you got to them pretty fast. Though I’m sorry about your head. I should have been faster.”
“I’m totally covered in goo. My head hurts like crazy and I totally threatened to throw down with a cop, so I’m quite grumpy. Far too grumpy to let you take responsibility for that dumb thing. So get out of the car and come open my door so we can go inside. Also? I love you.”
He had been ready to argue, but the last thing she said froze him in place. It wasn’t that he didn’t know she felt deeply for him. She’d agreed to the binding already. But it meant something to him that she’d say it.
He took her hand and kissed it. “Your knuckles are raw and you taste like blood and cinnamon. I love you too. Infuriating and danger-courting woman that you are.”
Before he could say anything else, her father opened the front door and her mother came out on the porch.
She waved.
“Oops, no time to scold me anymore. Rain has seen us.”
“Sit still. I’ll be around.” He kissed her quickly and got out, waving back to her parents before he opened her door and helped her out.
Her mother got a look at the disheveled state of her usually neat-as-a-pin daughter and rushed down the front steps. Faine felt the warmth of the wards that admitted them as they moved toward her mother.
“I’m all right. I just need to get changed and fed and maybe some pain reliever. Not necessarily in that order.”
Her mother tutted over her. “Hello, Faine. Come inside both of you and then someone had better be explaining why I had to hold dinner and my daughter has clearly been in a fight of some sort.”
