Chapter 42: Chapter Forty-Two: Lunch Interruptus

Wolfric looked at the candies on the checkout counter. Should he get Akira something sweet? She probably had not had candy since the day he had treated her to a candy bar on the way home from school, a couple days before Apollo had almost raped her. Even the man’s name made him so angry he wanted to slaughter him.

Wolfric spotted something special and grinned; he picked up four long sticks and set them on the counter with the water, juice, and crackers. He paid for the items, then turned and looked at Malique.

Malique looked at the bags in his friend’s hands, nodded, then placed his items on the counter. “Did you find something special for our little Havent?” he asked.

Wolfric grinned. “I did.”

Malique nodded and paid for his items.

They walked out of the store together and headed to the Diner.

“Wish we were closer to where we had left the car,” Malique said, stretching his shoulders.

Wolfric nodded. “Would be easier to have a vehicle.”

“Maybe we should rent a vehicle,” Malique suggested.

Wolfric looked at his friend and grinned. “After lunch,” he said, then turned and continued toward the Diner.

When they entered the Diner, they easily found their party and walked to their table. It was easy to find them. They were the only ones with Fairies and Trolls.

Wolfric chuckled. He had almost forgotten about the twins.

“So, what did we order?” Wolfric asked as he sat in the seat to Akira’s left.

Akira looked up at him with a bright smile. “Haven’t ordered yet. Wanted to wait for you two.”

Wolfric nodded, then leaned in and gently kissed her. “Where is Nibbles?” he asked once he pulled back from the kiss.

“No pets, so we left him outside in the bushes.”

Wolfric nodded. He hoped the creature did not get caught and roasted. Though he doubted anyone—except Akira—would survive catching him.

“What looks good?” Malique asked as he sat on the other side of Darius, who was sitting to the right of Akira.

“Akira said that burgers are good but fattening,” Jules said, pointing to the burgers on the menu.

“Yeah,” Wolfric said with a chuckle as he looked at Jules.

“I would like to try one,” Julianne said with a nod.

“Good choice,” Akira said with a grin. “I will have one too.”

Wolfric smiled. “Burgers all around,” he said.

Wolfric placed the menu he was looking at on the table.

“Sounds good,” Levi said with a nod.

“What is this cow they are made of?” Fin asked.

Akira giggled and told them about cows.

“Sounds horrible,” Julianne said with a frown.

“Nah. They’re raised for the meat,” Akira said.

The waitress stopped at their table and stared at the three large men, then the Fairies, then the Trolls. She visibly swallowed and quietly asked what they wanted.

Wolfric gave the woman their orders of burgers and fries and asked for a bottle of catchup.

“What would you like to drink?” the waitress asked, avoiding eye contact with the two Trolls.

“No sugar for the twins,” Akira said, chuckling.

Stella stuck her tongue out at Akira, and Fin folded his arms over his chest, trying to look like he could care less if he drank sugar or water.

“Tea?” the waitress asked, her voice hitching.

“Stella?” Akira asked the female Troll.

Stella sighed and ordered herself and her brother a glass of water.

Akira nodded and ordered the same for herself. Wolfric and the other Warriors ordered cola, and the Fairies asked to try the tea. Akira asked for lemon added to their waters, and the waitress left to turn in their orders.

“I need to pee,” Akira whispered.

Wolfric smiled and helped her out of her chair.

“I will come with,” Jules said, getting to her feet.

“Me too,” Stella said as she rolled off her chair.

Akira smiled at the Troll. She doubted the young Troll had to pee. She just wanted to be with the girls. They walked to the restroom, and Akira showed Jules the bathroom stalls.

Julianne laughed as she flushed the toilet. “It is so noisy,” she said with a chuckle.

“Hurry and pee in it before it tries to suck you down the tube,” Stella said, her eyes wide as she stared at the toilet.

Akira chuckled and closed the stall door.

“So, how are we going to find your Warrior if we can’t find water?” Jules asked from her stall.

Akira sighed, “maybe we can find a map that will show us where the nearest ocean is….”

“What if it’s the wrong body of water?” Stella asked.

“She’s right,” Julianne said.

Akira sighed, “yeah. I don’t know.”

Two toilets flushed simultaneously, and Akira stepped out of her stall as Jules moved out into the open area.

“Did it get you?” Stella asked, peaking at the toilet.

Akira and Jules chuckled.

“Nope,” Akira said as she walked to the sink to wash her hands.

Akira and Jules washed their hands, then headed for the door to return to their men.

“Akira,” Stella whispered.

Akira stopped and looked at the Troll. “What is it, Stella?”

“I have a question, and I don’t want my brother to know I asked.”

Akira nodded. “Okay, what is the question?”

“What….” Stella stopped and looked down at her feet, then back up at Akira. “What does it feel like to like a boy?”

Akira smiled. “Like butterflies are fluttering in your stomach, and you can’t stop thinking about him, no matter how hard you try.”

Stella sighed, “I was afraid of that.”

Akira squatted down so that she was at eye level with the Troll.

“Is there a boy you like?”

Stella’s green cheeks turned pink. “Yeah, I think so. But I don’t even know his name.”

Akira smiled. “Where did you meet him?”

Stella told her about the Troll who had rolled out of a bush and landed on top of her while she and Fin were following them—undercover.

Akira smiled. “You felt something when he looked at you?”

Stella nodded.

Akira placed her hand on the Troll’s shoulder. “You may have a crush.”

Stella rolled her eyes.

Akira chuckled and stood.

“Are you two coming?” Julianne asked as she returned to the hall that led to the restrooms.

Akira nodded and nudged Stella to head down the hall.

“It’s not so bad to have a crush,” Akira assured the Troll.

“But I’m a Warrior,” Stella said with a groan.

Akira laughed, “so am I, and so are my Warriors.”

Stella stopped and thought about that for a moment. The human was right. If Akira and her Warriors can fall in love. Why can’t she? Fall in love? Who says she will ever see the Troll again? But at least she knows what to look for the next time a male Troll bumps into her.

“Hey there, beautiful,” a man sitting at the counter said when he saw Akira.

Stella was lost in thought and did not realize Akira had been stopped by a stranger—who was pawing her.

“Let me go,” Akira snarled in the man’s face. “Before I tear you limb from limb.”

The man laughed. “A little thing like you?”

“Trust me. I’m a lot tougher than I look,” Akira said with a growl.

The man laughed.

Stella stopped when she realized Akira was no longer at her side and turned to look for her. When she saw the stranger holding her to his chest, she pulled out her sword and rushed at the man.

“Let Akira go,” Stella growled at the man.

The man looked down at Stella and laughed. “What the fuck is this?”

“Your worst nightmare,” Stella said, sneering at the man who dared touch a Havent.

“Get out of here,” the man said, then kicked Stella.

Stella went flying across the Diner. Akira screamed as she watched her little friend fly across the room. But Stella did not seem fazed by the kick. Her feet hit the wall, and she bounced back, landing five feet from Akira and the man still holding onto her.

“Let. My. Friend. Go,” Stella growled.

“What the fuck are you?” the man demanded.

“She’s a Troll,” Akira said.

Akira bent the man’s arm back with an angry sneer, snapping the bone and making the man bellow in pain.

“Bitch!” he shouted, then slapped Akira across the face with his good hand.

Akira stumbled back and placed her hand against her cheek.

“What the fuck is going on here?” Wolfric demanded as he moved next to his Psychi.

Malique and Darius flanked their fellow Warrior.

“That bitch broke my arm,” the man bellowed.

Her Warriors looked at her, and she sneered at the man.

“He grabbed me and kicked Stella across the restaurant,” Akira accused.

“I just wanted to say hi,” the man said.

Akira growled and moved to attack the man.

Malique moved and took hold of his Psychi before she could get to the stranger.

“He grabbed her and would not let her go,” Stella said, pointing an accusing finger at the man holding his broken arm.

“I saw it all go down,” another man at the bar said. “She was all over him, and when he said no, she broke his arm.”

Akira screamed and tried to go after the new man.

“Hold still, little one,” Malique whispered into her ear.

“He’s lying,” Akira growled.

“We know,” Malique whispered.

“Is there a problem here?” a man with a tag that read, manager, asked as he stepped in the middle of the battlefield.

“No, sir,” Wolfric said.

Akira watched Wolfric stand up straight from a stance she had not noticed he was standing in. It was the stance he used when he was ready to pounce on his victim.

“She broke my arm,” the man growled.

“Miss?” the manager asked, looking at Akira.

Akira sneered but said nothing as Malique tightened his arms around her.

“It was an accident,” Akira mumbled.

The manager eyed her, then looked at the man who was holding his arm.

“Do you want to press charges against this little girl?”

Akira almost snarled. Just because she is short does not mean she is not a woman. The man had grabbed her as if she was a woman. Unless he is a pervert—she shivered at the thought.

The man looked at Akira, then at the manager. “Nah, she will get hers,” he snarled as he tossed bills onto the counter, then he and his friend left the Diner.

The manager looked at Akira and her Warriors. “I would prefer you took your food to go,” he said.

“Fine by me,” Wolfric grumbled.

He took Akira from Malique’s arms and led her back to their table.

Their group gathered their belongings, and the waitress brought them their to-go containers.

“I am sorry you had to go through that,” she said to Akira. “I have told management a dozen times about that man—but they won’t listen.”

Akira nodded. “Thank you.”

They walked out the door and paused as they looked up at the sky.

“Looks like rain,” Darius said.

“Yeah,” Wolfric said with a nod. “I will get a four-wheel drive,” he said, then took hold of Akira’s arm and headed for the sidewalk.

“Wait, Nibbles,” Akira said, pulling on her arm in Wolfric’s grasp.

Wolfric sighed and walked over to the bushes Akira was pointing to.

Nibbles’ horn poked out of the bushes, and Akira smiled as she lifted the Al-Mi’Raj into her arms.

Wolfric nodded, then led them across the street to the car rental building.

“Wonderful that they have everything so close to each other,” Malique said, chuckling.

They rented a vehicle big enough for all of them and made sure it was four-wheel drive. It will take a couple hours for it to be ready. While they waited for the vehicle, they sat on the ground and leaned against the building next door to the car rental place.

“Are you okay?” Akira asked Stella.

Stella looked at Akira and nodded. “Yep. Just fine.”

Akira nodded and went back to her burger.

“See, I told you they’d still be in town.”

Akira looked up when she heard the voice of the guy who had lied and said she had been all over the other man when she had not. Apparently, they were friends. Nibbles growled, and Akira held him to her side to keep him from jumping on anyone.

“You broke my brother’s arm,” another man said, glaring at Akira.

Akira and her group stood and moved closer to each other. Nibbles wiggled in Akira’s arms, but she did not dare set him down.

“I had a feeling this was going to happen,” Malique grumbled.

“How many of them is there?” Julianne asked.

“Doesn’t matter,” Wolfric growled. “They won’t lay a hand on Akira.”

Nibbles growled and hissed in agreement with Wolfric.

The brother of the man Akira had broken the arm attacked first. Wolfric slammed the man to the ground and barked in his face.

Akira held back a giggle.

Malique bared his fangs at the rest of the men, making them almost pee their pants.

“Touch our Havent, and you will not live to see tomorrow,” Wolfric growled in the man’s face.

“Okay—okay,” the man said, his white pants turning yellow.

Wolfric let the man up, and the group ran away, their pants soaked.

“Your keys, sir,” a man said, holding his shaking hand out to Wolfric, the keys dangling from his fingers.

Wolfric smiled at the man as he took the keys. “Thank you,” he said, then turned to the others. “Ready?”

“Yes,” the group said.

They gathered their belongings and headed to their rental.

“Welcome home,” Akira whispered to herself as she followed Wolfric to the vehicle.

Nibbles purred in her arms, and she held him close.

Malique had heard her whisper and wrapped his arm around her back.

“Cheer up, little one. Soon, we will find your fourth Warrior.”

Akira looked up at her Vampire Warrior and smiled.

“If we can find the right ocean.”