Page 30 of Mochas and Minotaurs

“Oh hey! No way,” Officer Hayes exclaimed. “You’re the same minotaur! I knew Bullseye Fitness looked familiar.” He twisted around to look at his partner. “That’s where we’ve seen it before!”

She studied me, tilting her chin. “I see it now. So you understand why we had to call in the EA. The last time we saw something like this, it was serious.”

I tried not to react. The EA stood for the Secret Enforcement Agency. The S was now silent since the existence of magic and monsters wasn’t a secret anymore. Bringing in the EA was bad news for me. They’d probably figure out who I really was, and it was a crapshoot between whether they’d take my side and protect me from an angry dragon or take the dragon’s side and hand me over.

“It just seems a little overblown,” Gigi said. “I understand it had to be done last time because, I mean, there was a troll in my parking lot. But this time I’m pretty sure it’s just those condo developers being assholes.”

Was she trying to convince them not to call in the EA to hide my issues?

“And weren’t the WEC going for witches who didn’t know how to tap into their powers?” she continued. “That’s what they said on the news. They wouldn’t try the same stunt twice. It’s too late for another wall, anyway. It’s been what, like, seven or eight yearsnow? There’s too much history for them to erase. And even if they do, I’m not in the right demographic.”

“True,” Officer Hayes said. “So it might not be that. But strong magic is still involved. I know it’s a nuisance, but we’ve already called the EA. They’re sending someone as we speak. We are supposed to stay here with you and make sure you’re safe until they get here.”

I couldn’t help but notice that Officer Hayes was talking specifically to Gigi, not me. He thought she might be in danger. I should be glad that they were staying to make sure she was safe, but instead, the irrational, jealous part of me wondered if Officer Hayes secretly liked Gigi.

Was he staying because it was his job or because he wanted to? He seemed way too comfortable in her home. My minotaur wanted me to get between them, block his view of her, and claim her as mine. The man part of me knew that was crazy talk. I didn’t need to make an enemy right now.

So I clenched my jaw to prevent myself from saying or doing something I might regret and pretended I didn’t care. I focused on the positives instead. I didn’t feel any negative vibes coming from the two officers. They seemed to be genuinely nice people, and of course, Gigi had worked with them before.

They asked more questions on what I had heard from my side of the walls, and I told them everything I remembered. It wasn’t long before the representative from the EA arrived. When Gigi went to open the door, Hayes followed after her into the stairwell just to be safe, and I felt that crazy, irrational urge to throw him out the window.

“Oh, it’s you!” Gigi exclaimed, clearly recognizing the person at the door.

“I saw where the location was, and I volunteered,” said a smooth masculine voice. “Had to make sure you were okay.”

My hackles raised even more. Another man in uniform to vie for Gigi's attention! This time, I didn’t even chastise myself for feeling so possessive. I stood and started toward the door, but Officer Cooley got there before I did.

“You!” she exclaimed, with quite a bit less welcome than Gigi had.

“Hello, sweetheart, you miss me?” was the newcomer’s reply.

Officer Cooley, not pleased with the nickname, marched back to her place, leaning against the counter as the others filed into the apartment. “Fuck this,” she muttered under her breath.

The newcomer had his blond hair spiked up around his head in a way that was completely at odds with the EA enforcer uniform he wore. He didn’t feel like a shifter, but that could be deceptive. Declan didn’t feel like a shifter either. If this stranger worked for the EA, then he was either a shifter, another monster of some kind, or a human magic user.

He didn’t look like a wizard. A male witch? Maybe that’s how he knew Gigi. It didn’t make me feel any better, though, as he pulled out another chair at the table and sat down like he owned the place.

“And you must be the minotaur next door.” He offered a hand, and I took it. “I’m Seth, from the EA.”

“I can’t believe they sentyou.” Officer Cooley’s mood had soured, but her partner just looked amused.

“Like I said, I volunteered.” He winked at the cop.

“Do you all know each other?” I asked.

Seth shrugged. “It’s Darlington. The big city with a small-town heart.” He grinned at Officer Cooley, who pretended not to notice him.

“We’ve been here for a very long time,” Officer Hayes explained. “I know we’re human, but we’ve always known. Before the fall of The Wall, Darlington was a lot smaller.”

I knew that. I’d been part of the first influx of monsters moving to Darlington after The Wall fell. Before then, I hadn’t even known it was real. The Wall had kept Darlington a secret, even from other monsters and magic-users. Any mention of it from before had been only hearsay.

“Not to mention,” Officer Cooley added, “it's impossible to forget the guywho stole my cruiser.”

“Hey! The EA paid for the damages. And it was an emergency,” Seth said defensively. “You were gonna let me borrow it anyway, weren’t you, Sweetheart?”

“No!”

Officer Hayes cleared his throat like he’d dealt with this before. “I, for one, appreciated the upgraded vehicle we got as a replacement. Let’s get out of Seth’s way so he can work, shall we? My shift was supposed to end half an hour ago. Some of us have lives outside of work.” He turned to Griselda and me. “We have the place roped off. I recommend locking the entrance from your shops to your homes until you can get those windows fixed.”

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