Okay, not that gently.
The commotion got the attention of everyone in the vicinity. “Not again,” Hylo groaned. The centaur hurried over, black tail flicking agitatedly. “What happened?”
“He touched my arm,” Calladia said, glaring at the man who was currently bent over, wheezing and clutching both his gut and his nose.
“Did you consider using your words before beating him up?”
“Not my fault he doesn’t respect boundaries.”
A dwarven bouncer hurried over, barrel chest straining his Le Chapeau Magique T-shirt. He picked up the harasser by the collar and dragged him out with no trouble, despite being half the man’s height. Then the bouncer returned and pointed at Calladia, hitching a thumb over his shoulder.
“Wait, I have to leave, too?” Calladia asked incredulously.
Hylo sighed. “I get that he crossed a line, but so did you, Calladia. He was already incapacitated when you smashed his head into the bar.”
“But he touched me,” Calladia argued, swaying.
“And he’ll be blacklisted for that, believe me, but the bouncers could have taken care of the issue without you starting a fistfight.”
“Maybe I like fistfights,” Calladia muttered.
“I get it,” Hylo said, “I really do, but you’re practically begging for criminal charges. I know you’re on the blacklist at a few other bars in town because you keep brawling.”
Themmie’s brown eyes went wide, and she turned on Calladia. “You’ve been fighting that much?”
Calladia’s cheeks felt hot. She’d always been a rough-and-tumble sort and had gotten in a variety of scrapes over the course of her life, but she couldn’t deny things had gotten worse over the last few years. Anger simmered in her gut on a frequent basis, an ember that blazed into violence with the slightest encouragement. Yeah, this dude had had it coming, and she didn’t feel bad about it, but could she say the same for last week, when she’d leaped into a shape-shifter brawl that hadn’t remotely involved her, ultimately getting kicked out for smashing a stool over someone’s head?
Dozens of humans and supernatural creatures were gaping at Calladia, which made her feel itchy. Mariel hurried over, Oz at her side. “What happened?” Mariel asked. “Are you okay?”
Fuck. This was Oz and Mariel’s celebration, and Calladia had just messed it up, the way she messed up most things. “Sorry,” Calladia said. “I’m fine. Just . . . yeah.”
“The guy was harassing her,” Themmie said, wings twitching.
“Calladia . . .” Hylo jerked their head at the door. “Out. At least for a few minutes. You need to cool down.”
“Wait,” Mariel said, looking between Hylo and Calladia. “She’s my friend—”
“It’s fine.” Calladia pushed off the bar, managing not to sway. “I need to drink some water and go to sleep anyway.” She mustered up a wink, but considering Oz and Mariel’s expressions, it wasn’t a very good one. “Bye. Happy for you and your domestic bliss and shit.”
Before Mariel could say anything else, Calladia turned and strode out of Le Chapeau Magique, brushing off Themmie’s attempt to follow. She hadn’t paid her tab, but Hylo knew how to find her, and there was no way she was going to stay with all those eyes pinned on her. Her cheeks burned, and her stomach churned with anxiety along with the alcohol.
The autumn air felt crisp against her flushed skin. Calladia took a deep breath, welcoming the icy spear in her lungs. The bar harasser was nowhere to be seen, so she closed her eyes and leaned against the brick exterior of the building. Despite Hylo’s instructions to cool down, the change of venue was doing no such thing for Calladia. Her pulse raced, and she still felt the hot surge of anger and shame.
A pained male cry sounded from nearby. Calladia looked around, trying to pinpoint the source. Another shout was followed by a voice. “Where am I? Who are you? Leave me alone!”
A sweep of déjà vu washed over Calladia at the man’s posh British accent. Astaroth had had an accent just like that.
“Ow! Bloody hell.”
Lots of people had British accents though, and Glimmer Falls was full of tourists who had come for the magical town’s world-renowned Autumn Festival. Whoever the man was, he seemed to be in trouble, so Calladia pushed off the wall, determined to see what was happening and help if need be.
And fight if need be, right? her mind whispered, but she brushed it off. Sometimes violence was necessary. If it was in this case, she’d be doing a good deed, right?