"He's armed," I whisper in my own head. I don't know how I know it, but it's pretty obvious to me that the asshole is carrying a weapon so I throw my phone back to my bag and run towards the Korean restaurant, this time I'm the one elbowing people again while an alarm goes off in my head. My first instinct was to warn Louisa, protect her, help her to escape... My inner druid has recognized a sister and will do whatever necessary to eliminate the threat. But a strong force makes my muscles shake, my legs feel heavy and my heart races while I break a sweat... The hunter inside me wants me to leave her to fend for herself but that's not going to happen, I've been fighting against my nature for years and it's not going to win now. "I won't let that motherfucker hurt a pregnant woman, witch or not... Damn it, I know what's happening here: he's a hunter too..."
I'm absolutely sure that my assumption is right despite I have no way to prove it, that's why I feel sick, it's not because of the chicken... It's my inner druid warning me about the danger. My friend had stopped in front of the restaurant focusing on reading the menu on a board and seemed oblivious to her surroundings, but suddenly her protection charms, or her instincts or whatever, have kicked in and she's looking back over her shoulder frowning, puzzled but cautious.
"Iselen?"
"Louisa..." I let out breathing heavily and trying to catch my breath at the same time. "You have to go to the restroom... you're pregnant and need to go to pee every two minutes... I'll go with you." I grab my friend's arm and drag her unceremoniously towards a door that only women have permission to cross, supposedly, this place is crowded and there're lot of girls coming and going through this corridor, I don't think he'll dare to follow us.
"What are you doing?"
"Hunter..." I explain out of breath. "Behind us... he was following you... he's carrying a gun." I push the door and we both walk in followed by a group of teenagers that get closer to the sinks to be able to fix their lipstick in front of the mirrors. I drag my friend inside a stall and lean my back on the faux wood surface, I feel my head is about to explode but I can't waste my time now.
"Are you sure?"
"Louisa, I may not be a witch as powerful as you all are but my instincts work perfectly, believe me." I take a deep breath struggling to contain my nausea, I shouldn't have eaten that damned chicken...
"Do you really think that he'd try to hurt me in such a public place? This is a food court..." My friend stares at me in disbelief, leaning her hands on her belly protectively.
"I don't know, sweetheart, I have no idea about what hunters think or how they react, even if you think it's impossible... I'd say he's crazy and has seen the opportunity to kill two witches with one stab."
"Fuck!"
"I know, he's an asshole and a jerk and I hope he'll rot in hell one day... But now you have to phone the girls so they can pick you up..."
"Iselen," Louisa gets as close as her protuberant belly allows her and leans her hand on my cheek. "If Ruby walks through the main door and runs into a hunter who's trying to hurt her pregnant friend who happens to be a sister of her coven too... Well, the people of New York will enjoy an amazing show: Mother Nature's fury devastating this place till reducing it to a pile of rubble... and firefighters would find that bastard under it, crushed. I don't think it's a good idea..."
"I understand, it'd be difficult to explain rationally to the police officers that would arrest her..." I rub my face with my hand while thinking of a plan. "Can you go home from here? Or to a safe place..."
"Aletta's office is close..."
"Okay, that's a good idea, I'm going to... I need..." I focus trying to remember a simple spell, an invocation, a ritual, something, whatever it is... My grandma taught me a lot of things but I've spent years forgetting them deliberately and I feel so sick right now that I'd be unable to gather enough energy to make some magic. "Shit..."
SEVEN (Iselen POV)
Start from the beginning
