“No, it says it right here, look.” She shows him her phone.
Several people murmur with her, all agreeing. The temper of the street is turning into something I have never quite felt here. Almost openly hostile.
I stalk towards the large group and stare them down when they back off. I’m using the same technique that I’ve seen Katsu use. The calm, deep pull of the alpha. I don’t need to flex or draw myself up; I just need to exist in this space, let my scent flare out. Show them I don’t fear them, that I know I can handle this.
“Welcome to Sunshine Cove. My name is Sebastian Sol.”
They recognise my name. Probably from my mother’s notoriety, but since they all started this mess, I have no problem using her to fix this.
“We have been very amused at the thought of a resident of Sunshine Cove being the infamous Lynn Marino, sadly, the rumour has been checked and found false.”
The older woman blinks. “So, no Lynn?”
I smile at her. “Nope. No Lynn.”
“Oh, that’s sad.”
“We have plenty of other things for you to see, though.”
“Oh, yes, we’ll get on that.” The woman blinks and then shrieks.
I whirl and stare in shock as an aerial war explodes around us. Black and white, grey and white. Gull screams, magpie carols.
“I told Grandma to stop feeding those damn birds,” I mutter as I stand in the middle of it, watching with frustration as they fly around me.
Grigori hears me and claps a hand to my shoulder to stop himself laughing so hard he ends up on his knees. As it is, he’s doubled over, his eyes watching the grumpy tourist leg it.
“You find this amusing, Grigori?”
“Don’t you?”
I look at the screaming tourists and people rushing for shelter, the magpies claim one end of the street, while the seagulls perch on the rail at the beach end. Each tribe calls out its victory.
“Where’s the damn seagull whisperer now?” I mutter.
And just then, because the chaos wasn’t chaotic enough, Gale trots into the street, neighing loudly at a car that toots at him.
I shove the howling Grigori off me and stomp over to the dick of a horse.
“How did you get out? I’m going to weld that fence shut, Gale.”
He tosses his white mane and fixes me with one deep, dark velvet eye. I take a step towards him, but he pins his ears.
“You know, if you keep this up, I’ll make sure you only get to see Fox once a month.”
Gale neighs loudly. It sounds like a protest. We’re drawing a crowd of curious onlookers. I try to ignore them, but my face burns with the humiliation that comes from dealing with this too-human horse.
“Oh, you think so, do you? I’m the one in his bed, I make the decisions.”
Gale chews on that.
“Come with me, and you'll get to see Fox, or stay here, and be a pest, and I’ll make sure you don’t see him until Summer.”
Gale stamps a foot, but when I walk towards the beach, I hear the loud clomps of Gale’s hooves following me.
“Good choices,” I mutter. “Hey, Yolanda, do you have a spare lead, rope, or something?”
Yolanda rushes back into the café and comes out with a dog lead. She hands it to me and brushes her brown hair back, putting it in a ponytail.
