Closing Time

41.

I felt the gasps again. The colours of their auras meant they were all surprised, still suspicious and also confused.

The leader guy relaxed his stance a bit, turning towards me, but not taking a seat. "So, you're not a demon. Or an angel."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you deaf?"

"Hey!" The woman standing beside my ex snapped. "Have some respect!"

"I refuse." I replied dryly, meeting her eyes with a challenge. "You guys clearly didn't have respect for me, and placed that bastard sitting beside you in my life so I. Fucking. Refuse."

Her anger rose, aura flaring up at the insult towards her husband. "How dare you-"

"Shut up, Shay." Her husband placed a hand on her forearm, forcing her gun down. "She's entitled to it." He wasn't meeting my eyes. I felt like throwing up again.

"Anyway..." I drawled, turning back to the old man. "Sit down. We have to talk."

His face soured. "You come into my place, insult me, my Hunters and now you're ordering me. Do you have any idea who we are or who you're up against?"

"I don't know." I snapped at him irritatedly. "And I don't care. I'm not here to discuss you. I'm here to discuss my problems, which also happen to be your problems. Or should I leave?"

He turned to look at the Hunters in the place, before walking over to me. He spoke as he was pulling out the chair. "Don't you want to know how I know you're not a threat?"

"Did I ask?"

"You didn't." He didn't read my sarcasm as he sat down. "But I'll tell you anyway." He nodded towards the entrance. "You walked right over the mat."

I waited for more, but nothing came. "I'm sorry I figured that's how mat works. Or do you Hunters walk under one?"

"There's a demon trap under that mat." He didn't seem fazed at all by my taunts. "And an angel trap sewn inside the mat. You walked right over both."

"Fascinating." I drawled, hiding my actual interest.

"Do you want to know how Will there managed to make you think he was Trace?"

My jaw tensed up involuntarily. I sighed, looking down at the floor to hide my anger. "I didn't ask again, but you're going to tell me anyway."

"Sylvia and Sara over there are twins." The two teenagers. "They're both psychics-"

"Is that so?" I leaned back in my chair, looking up again. "Then does that mean that you also have a medium?"

"Three of them, in fact." Oh, come on. "And they're not the hacks you'd find out in the street." I couldn't say I didn't ask this time. I did walk right into that one.

"Colour me skeptical."

"Do you have someone deceased in your life?"

"Should your mediums know that?"

"What about your mother?"

"Dead, as you probably know."

"Wouldn't you like to know about her?"

Give and take, is it? However, I'm not taking. "No. She's dead."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's rather rude to her, don't you think?"

"I don't think about her." I cocked my head, wondering if death would be instant if someone shot me this time. "I don't care either."

"Wouldn't you like to know if she loved you?" A black man called out to me from the corner. He had grey eyes. "If she wanted you?"