Zahra responded in the same language, a slight frown on her face.
The woman didn’t back down; she quickly sized her up and probably thought she could take her if worse came to worst. I picked up my fork, cut through the meat, watched the scene unfold, and eyed the man sitting at the table the woman had been bolting from; he was also watching the scene.
The woman responded to Zahra, firming her stance, the language falling out of her mouth obviously nothing pleasant. Her pitch was increasing by the second, causing a scene. Everyone was paying attention to what was happening, though I was sure nobody understood the back-and-forth unless they understood the language.
I saw the exact moment Zahra’s calm snapped; it was almost the same time the man stood up behind the woman, whispering something in her ear and cautiously looking around as if embarrassed.
When Zahra spoke, the venom in her voice could not be mistaken as anything other than anger, and with the way the woman’s eyes widened, I knew my little witch had struck a nerve.
Staff began to gather at the corners, needing clarification about what was happening.
The woman stepped forward. “What the fuck did you say?”
“You heard—”
Zahra was cut off when the woman pushed her, and almost like she had gotten the opening she had been waiting for, she moved to retaliate, but the worm by the woman’s back encircled hisdirtyhand around Zahra’s arm as if to hold her back from attacking his companion.
I looked away, the grip I had on my fork tightened, and I picked up the knife, forcefully slicing through the food on my plate as I spoke. “If you want to keep your hand, you will take it off my woman.”
My voice was surprisingly calm, audible enough to shift all attention to me.
The restaurant became silent, and my soldiers, who had been discreetly standing in the corners, all took a step forward, increasing the silence as I dug the fork into the slice of meat I had cut and then carefully carried it into my mouth. I raised my gaze, chewing slowly, my eyes solely on the man.
“Would you like to keep your hand?”
The man swallowed, letting his hand drop as he tugged at the woman who now seemed afraid, same as everyone around who—telling from their features—were a bit uncomfortable with whatever aura I appeared to possess at the moment.
One last glance at Zahra, and the woman was about to oblige, taking a step back, but I shook my head, and her movement halted as my gaze settled on the man.
“You do not leave until you apologize,” I said.
Apprehension stained the woman’s eyes as she looked at the man.
A sigh came from Zahra. “It’s all right, E—”
“You do not leave until you apologize or you lose your hand. My patience is running very thin.” My voice covered Zahra’s, and I heard some gasps from tables nearby, but I was unbothered as I watched. I dug another cut into the meat, and ate it without looking away from the man.
He gulped down and turned to Zahra. “I’m sorry for—holding your arm. It was wrong of me.”
I nodded, looking away. “Some people do not understand basic manners,” I muttered, raising a dismissive hand, and I could feel my soldiers retreating to their positions.
The music in the restaurant that had lowered in volume increased suddenly, and the couple walked out hastily, heads down in embarrassment. Zahra resumed her position opposite me, the usual murmurs resuming.
“That was quite unnecessary; I was handling it fine,” she said.
I cut another piece of meat, not looking at her. “I know youwere. My problem was not with the odd woman. It was with the worm behind her.”
“Still, it—”
“What language was that?”
“Polish,” she answered. “You didn’t have to—”
“You should drop the subject.” I put the piece I had cut in my mouth and, without looking at her, proceeded to cut another while I swallowed. “Or I will be very compelled to cut off more than his hand.”
“It’s not—”
“Do not remind me of the people I let live.”
