Bounty Hunter Inc_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure Read online

  They stepped to the side, and Marcy downed her martini. Emmett raised his eyebrow. “I may be sure about this, but that doesn’t mean I’m not nervous. A little liquid courage and some M-A-G-I-C should do the trick.”

  The girl on the stage finished her rousing rendition of Celine Dion, and everyone clapped. The DJ stepped up and took the mic back, clapping his hands.

  “Another round of applause for Misty. That was great, thank you. Now, coming to the stage for their very first performance are Marcy and Emmett!”

  The crowd cheered, and everyone sat down to watch. Marcy walked out on the stage triumphantly with Emmett close behind, still drinking his beer. She bowed to the DJ and to the audience and took the mic.

  “Thank you so much for that wonderful welcome. Tonight, Emmett and I are presenting a special talent, one that very few people know we have. But before I get to that, I want to say a few words. When I look out at this crowd, I recognize almost every face. The people at this bar have become like family to us, and from the Smiths’ daughter’s wedding to the birth of baby Collins last year, you have all made our lives a little more fulfilling. We have been coming here for…gosh, a very long time.”

  “And you never seem to age!” someone yelled from the back.

  She giggled. “Why, thank you. What we’re going to do is a big deal and I could go on and on about it, but I think that we should just show you instead.”

  Marcy handed the mic to the DJ and cleared her throat, reaching out to hold Emmett’s hand. The two of them closed their eyes and pulled energy up through the floor. White light swirled around them as symbols appeared on their arms and necks. They gathered the light in their palms of their free hands, letting it collect and spinning into two medium-sized orbs.

  Marcy nodded, and they threw the balls high above the crowd’s heads. Fireworks exploded over them, only they were shaped like roses, puppies, the faces of people in the crowd, and more. As the little balls of light burst fairies shot out, flapping wings that sparkled and skipping across the heads of the bar patrons. Marcy heard gasps and oohs as the audience looked around with wide eyes, the magic giving them a real show.

  Emmett started to get into the mood of it and threw out a second orb, which raced around the room. Vines covered all the walls, and flowers bloomed from the long green stems. On each table a rose appeared, floating gently down, and turned from glittering energy to a real flower.

  When the magic dissipated and the vines disappeared, Marcy and Emmett pushed the magic back into the floor and opened their eyes, the light fading from their pupils. For several moments it was absolutely silent as everyone stared up at them in awe. Finally, a man at the back stood up and slowly clapped. One by one the patrons stood, clapping their hands until every person was on their feet.

  Marcy wiped a tear from her eye. She had known in her heart that her human friends would accept her, but the response they gave was more than she expected. She mouthed the words, “thank you,” to everyone and waited for them to settle.

  “Wow,” she exclaimed after taking the mic back. “That was an amazing response, and it warms my heart. Obviously, this is a big surprise to you guys, but we want you to know we are still the same old Marcy and Emmett. We just felt that with the way the world was changing, it was time to come forward and show you exactly who we were.”

  “But that’s not all,” Emmett chimed in. “We want to ask something of you as well. Tomorrow at noon, on the Mall, magicals and non-magicals alike will be joining together. We want to show you what magic really is and what we can do, and come together as a community to try to cut through the hate and fear. You can bring your kids, your families…anyone. Just come and stand with us and show the world that we won’t let hate win!”

  Everyone cheered as Marcy and Emmett left the stage. As they climbed down the steps, Marcy grabbed his arm, turning him toward her. He was normally a very quiet man, but Marcy could tell that the world was changing him for the better.

  “I’m proud of you, my love,” she whispered, kissing him on the nose.

  “I am proud of you too. How could anyone hate you? You have so much spirit.”

  Marcy nodded to the crowd. “Your new allies await.”

  Through the streets of Pittsburgh, Chicago, New York, and even small-town farm country, the auras of magic could be seen exploding all around. Magicals all over the country had done the same thing as the Marcy, Emmett, and the rest. They’d gotten together with humans to create their own special connection. Because of this, humans started to open their minds to the idea of magic. The first steps were taken to understand a group of people who weren’t that much different from themselves.

  That was the day that the Oneness Campaign was born, a push for the magical community to intertwine their lives with the non-magicals, and an opportunity for them to come out of the shadows. It was a triumph for Oriceran, and for Earth as well. It was an alliance of groups that just days before would have seemed impossible.

  “We have to show the world that we are one. That we are connected to each other, maybe not through our home soil, but through the souls in our bodies,” a witch shouted to a crowd at a concert in North Carolina. “Having that connection is going to push us into a bright and strong future. It will never be us against you in my eyes. It will always be us together.”

  The crowd chanted, the sound carrying across the mountains and out into space. It was the first day that magic was no longer cloaked and hidden. Through the hills and valleys, over the fields of wheat and the tall skyscrapers of the cities, humans and magical people came together and vowed to stand beside each other in the tough times ahead. The number of people planning to attend the Washington Rally for Unity the next day grew by leaps and bounds as the minutes passed. What they thought would be a couple of hundred people started to look more like hundreds of thousands.

  Hotels sold out, venues booked solid, and people were already packing their things, ready for a trip to the nation’s capital. It was shaping up to be one of the largest gatherings of people in the history of the country, and it didn’t stop there. The word had spread across the world, and magical people from as far away as Paris and Rome packed to hit the magical railway and attend.

  The world was changing, and all they could hope was that it continued to change for the better.

  18

  The sun peeking over the buildings barely shone through the windows of Leira’s, Correk’s, and Yumfuck’s brownstone. Leira snuggled into her blankets, her eyes tightly closed, so comfortable she didn’t want to move. She’d dreamt about living on the beach, the warm water rushing over her feet and the bright blue sky overhead. She scrunched her nose, feeling a light tickle on the end of it. It went away for a moment, only to come back again, but this time with force. She reached up and rubbed her face, opening her eyes in alarm.

  Standing in front of her with big excited eyes was her green-tufted troll, his paws folded in front of him and a huge toothy grin on his face. Leira groaned and pulled the covers up, but Yumfuck wasn’t having it. He tugged on them, jumping onto the bed and bouncing Leira and Correk up and down.

  “Huh? What?” Correk sat up, his hair a mess and his eyes barely open. “What time is it?”

  “Time to get up. We have people to change, magic to do, and rallies to get to,” Yumfuck told them excitedly.

  “He’s excited about the rally, and he wants us to be up with him,” Leira moaned.

  “Yep, yep. Time to rock and roll, people,” Yumfuck chimed, slapping the mattress before jumping down.

  Leira sighed and rolled onto her back pulling the covers back and staring up at the ceiling. She laughed as she rubbed her face, glancing at Correk, who had laid back down. She giggled and turned toward him, pulling the covers down and pressed her lips firmly against his cheek.

  “You’re not getting out of this. Wake up. I’ll get breakfast started.”

  He opened one eye. “Bacon?”

  “Yes, dear, bacon will be involved.”
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br />   “Yessss,” he whispered, turning over to wake up.

  Leira laughed, climbing out of bed and patting Yumfuck on the head as he dove for the bed to get Correk up. She went into the kitchen and pulled food out of the fridge, grabbing the pans from the cabinet. She eyed the coffeemaker and smiled, pressing the button to get it started.

  “Don’t know what I’m thinking over here,” she muttered to herself. “Coffee is first. Numero uno. Everything that gives life.”

  She pulled down a bowl and started cracking eggs, looking over her shoulder as Correk emerged from the bedroom. Yumfuck ran toward the stairs. “Doesn’t he want breakfast?”

  “He has a pop tart. He said he is too excited for breakfast.”

  Leira’s mouth dropped open. “What? He must be all about this rally. I don’t think I have ever heard Yumfuck say he wasn’t interested in breakfast, especially when bacon was involved.”

  “You might want to make extra anyway. You know he won’t be able to resist.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  As she pulled together breakfast and poured their required coffees Leira chuckled, loving to watch her little family get ready for a big day. And a big day it certainly would be. The magical and non were getting together in DC to spread the word of the magical community. It was an historic occasion, and Yumfuck was definitely not going to miss it or let either of them do so.

  “You think it will be a big turnout today?”

  “Yeah.” Correk laughed. “I’ve felt such an increase in magic in the city that my ears are ringing. That’s probably why I am so tired. I didn’t sleep much last night.”

  “Hopefully everyone stays excited and happy. While I think this is a great thing, and very needed, I’m also worried.”

  “Yeah, but that’s why all of us will be there—to stop any drama in its tracks. We don’t want anyone getting hurt, and we don’t want the fear to start all over again.”

  “Exactly,” Leira replied, pointing a piece of bacon at him. “Things need to stay on track. I’m worried about Yumfuck, though.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m afraid that he isn’t ready for the change that all this will bring. I’m afraid people will let him down.”

  Correk smiled and put his hand over Leira’s. “I understand, and while I think he is a bit wiser than that, we can talk to him about it. Just let me finish my breakfast, and we’ll head up before getting ready.”

  “Thank you.” Leira smiled. “You always know how to make me feel better.”

  When all but two pieces of bacon had been eaten, and Correk was as stuffed as a turkey, he and Leira went upstairs to talk to Yumfuck. They stood in his doorway watching him getting ready. He’d put on his cowboy hat and his leather vest, and was pulling on his red cowboy boots. His green tuft of hair looked like it had actually been brushed, and he still hadn’t touched the Pop Tarts he had picked out for breakfast.

  Leira smiled and knocked on the doorframe, catching Yumfuck’s attention. “May we come in?”

  “Of course.” Yumfuck grinned. “Sorry about the mess. I wasn’t sure what to wear today, so I decided to stick to my roots, Texas style.”

  “Nice.” Correk grinned and gave him a high five.

  “You look great.” Leira smiled. “We wanted to talk to you about today. About the rally and stuff, before we headed out.”

  “Sure,” Yumfuck chirped, sitting down on the bed. “What’s on your mind?”

  Leira glanced at Correk then down at her hands, not really sure where to start. She didn’t want to stomp out his enthusiasm, but she did want to make sure he understood what it meant or could mean for his future. He was smart—she knew that—but he also saw the good in everyone, and that could get him into trouble.

  “So, having this rally is the magical community’s way of coming out, basically,” Leira explained. “They are letting the humans know who they are, their faces, what they can do, and how they live. It’s a great thing, it really is, but there are a couple of ways it could go.”

  Yumfuck put his paw on Leira’s leg. “I know, Leira. This is a fragile subject, something many people aren’t ready for yet, but I know that things will change when everyone knows about magic and about me. I am ready for that, if that is the cost of revealing the truth.”

  Leira smiled and ruffled Yumfuck’s hair. “We just wanted to make sure that you understood what would come after. We don’t want you to be disappointed if it’s not all rainbows and sunshine.”

  “And we want you to have fun, but you have to be on the lookout too,” Correk added. “A rally like this is not only going to draw in the good, it’s going to draw in the bad too. There’s the possibility of dark magic arising just to shut us down. We still have jobs to do, even you, and we want to make sure you are vigilant today, and after today. People are standing up for themselves, making their magical powers known and they want there to be peace, but others like the Harriken and whoever is working with Humans First—they are going to have a different idea on the subject.”

  Yumfuck reached into the pocket of his vest and pulled out a small folded mask. He winked at Leira and Correk, feeling the love they were putting out. Leira laughed and shook her head.

  “Very good, always prepared.”

  “It’s my duty. I will protect the innocent whenever I need to, and I will always be prepared,” Yumfuck asserted, nodding.

  “You are the perfect troll. It’s like the stars aligned when we met.” Leira laughed and hugged Yumfuck tightly.

  “You can say that again.” Correk rolled his eyes. “I’ve met trolls who would have rather laid on the couch eating Cheetos than set foot outside. Some may compare you to a furrier version of Yoda, but personally, I think you are a furry version of Leira.”

  Yumfuck trilled, and Leira laughed harder. “If that’s the case, watch out, world! There’s two of us rolling through protecting the people.”

  At that moment Leira realized just how important Yumfuck was to her. She’d learned to appreciate family when she lived in Austin but she didn’t have a big flashy group of friends in DC, just Correk and Yumfuck. She promised herself that no matter what she did, she’d protect them from everything bad that life was about to throw at them, and they felt the same about her. Yumfuck pulled back and looked at Correk and Leira.

  “Buddha said, ‘A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another, the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another, it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden.’ I think we have a whole field of flowers.”

  Leira smiled and nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. “All right, let’s get this show on the road then. We want to get there early so we can watch the people gather.”

  “Yay!” Yumfuck jumped down, grabbed his Ninja Turtle backpack, and began filling it with snacks.

  Leira and Correk headed downstairs to change, deciding on jeans and t-shirts for this scene. Leira didn’t want to roll up in her normal warrior gear and frighten anyone, and she wanted to blend in so she wouldn’t be easily spotted by any bad guys in the crowd.

  Leira grabbed a blanket from the closet and stuffed it into a bag that she had already piled high with Correk’s and Yumfuck’s favorite snacks. There were Starbursts, gummy bears, Cheetos, Funyuns, and a couple of apples just in case. She zipped up the bag with a sigh, leaning her head against Correk’s shoulder when he walked up next to her.

  “Why do I feel like we’re feeding our kid to the wolves?”

  Correk chuckled, putting his arm around Leira and rubbing her shoulder. “Wolves may actually be at this rally, but I promise you they will be more interested in certain humans than they are of a furry green troll.”

  “I didn’t mean actual wolves.” Leira sighed.

  “I knew what you meant.” Correk laughed. “But that should make you feel good, that there are going to be so many magical beings there to protect each other. We won’t be alone
in this and Yumfuck isn’t a child, even if we feel like he is ours. He is over a hundred years old, and he can grow bigger than anyone there. I think that out of everyone, he will be fine.”

  “You’re right. I know you are, but I just can’t help worrying about him.”

  “And that shows how much you love him.” Correk smiled. “I hope this thing goes off without a hitch, but Yumfuck is probably the last magical being there you need to worry about. He is tough as nails and loves to be part of the action. I saw him swipe heads off last time we went up against the Harriken. That’s pretty badass, don’t you think?”

  Leira laughed. “Uh, yeah, pretty much super-badass. And so are you, and I’m pretty sure I’m not too shabby either. That doesn’t mean I am not worried.”

  “And we love you for it, but you know what I want to see more than anything from you out there?”

  “What?”

  “Beyond staying vigilant, I want to see you connect with people and have a good time. This will probably be the largest number of magical beings you’ve ever been around—minus your trip to Oriceran—and there will be humans there who want to feel comfortable and be part of the whole thing. You can be one of the people who show them they have nothing to fear.”

  “Very true. I always liked it when kids wanted to talk to me as a police officer. It made me feel like I was doing the best part of my job. I was keeping them safe, and encouraging them toward a future chasing down bad guys.”

  “So, find your niche at this rally and go with that. Show them you are just as much part of this planet as they are.”

  Leira wrapped her arms around Correk’s waist and looked up at his pointy ears. “I guess you don’t have to glamour your elf ears anymore.”

  “I guess not. That’s one good thing. That spell made them itchy.”

  Leira laughed and stretched up, kissing him on the lips. “Let’s go meet some humans, shake some babies, and kiss some hands.”

  Correk lifted an eyebrow, holding back a laugh. Leira smiled broadly. “You see what I did there?”