That meant he would have to work harder the next time he kissed her, so that she did.
Frowning fiercely, he climbed out of the car when Grace did. As she locked the doors, he gave the six approaching, noisy youths a hard glance, warning them silently to keep their distance, and he made sure at least a few of them saw it.
One of the youths gave him an amiable grin. The young man said, “Hey, dude…”
He decided right then and there, he hated that word.
“Where did you get those contacts?” The young man strolled over, peering at Khalil in fascination, and a few of his associates followed. “Your eyes are wicked awesome.”
“Do not call me ‘dude,’” he said coldly. The entire group was human. He attributed their extreme foolishness in approaching him to that. Any young Djinn would have taken the hint at his first glare and would have disappeared by now.
“Anything you say, du—uh, mister,” said the young man. One of his friends sniggered quietly behind a hand. “How did you do that thing with your eyes?”
“What thing?” Khalil asked impatiently. “Tell me then go away.”
The male gave him a loose smile. “They kinda glow in the dark. Do you have special contacts that reflect the light?”
“That is none of your business. Now do as I told you. Go away.”
One of the male’s associates scratched his chin. “I’ve heard some drugs can make your eyes look funny, but I thought that mostly meant they just dilated or something.”
Khalil grew angry and his Power bristled. Behind him, Grace said, “Khalil, they don’t mean any harm. They’re probably just college kids, and they’re a little drunk.”
He glanced behind him. Grace stood on the other side of her car. Her eyes were dancing, her face alight with amusement. “Very well,” he muttered. He would not have minded taking his frustration out on a foolish someone. Or a few foolish someones.
“I’m not drunk,” one of them said. “I only had four or five beers. I just can’t drive.”
“Dude, you’re totally making that up,” his neighbor said. “You had more like seven or eight.”
Khalil considered that one’s use of “dude.” Since it had not been directed at him, he decided to let it pass.
“Well, I had nine, and y’all kept up with me,” said a third. “That’s why none of us are driving.”
“What are we doing, again?” said a fourth.
“You are getting out of my way,” Khalil said. He pushed through them as they started talking over each other.
Then the original youth made a mistake. He laid a hand on Khalil’s arm.
“Hey, about those contacts—”
The physical sensation of being touched without his permission was a thousand times worse than when another Djinn male came too close. Hissing, he whirled on the youth, whose somewhat silly face rounded in an O of surprise.
Suddenly Grace shouldered into the midst of all of them, pushing the young men away, and inserting herself between them and Khalil.
“Go on, guys,” she said with cheerful firmness. “You’re interrupting my date.”
One of them grinned at her. “Sorr-ee.”
Khalil watched malevolently as the one who had dared to touch him edged away to the other side of his group. “Didn’t mean anything by it,” the young man grumbled. “All I wanted was to know what he did to his eyes. Thought I might go to his ophtha…ophtha…Is it ophthalmologist or optometrist?”
One of his friends exclaimed impatiently, “Oh, it doesn’t matter, numbskull. Eye doctor.”
Arguing now and shooting wary glances at Khalil over their shoulders, the group edged down the street. Khalil watched them until they had gone half a block away, and he was sure they wouldn’t be back. Then he turned back to Grace. Her arms were crossed, and her eyes were narrowed. The sparkling expression of pleasure had disappeared from her face. He sensed storm clouds gathering in her energy.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
His face stony, Khalil said, “He touched me.”
She took a deep breath, and the storm clouds dissipated somewhat. “You must make allowances, Khalil. Peoples’ decision-making skills are impaired when they’re drunk. They didn’t mean any harm.”
He still didn’t have to like it or allow it. But as he walked over to put his arm around her, he took her point to heart.
Intoxication could make one do foolish things, even intoxication of the senses. He would do well to remember that.
Grace sighed and slipped her arm around his waist. Together they crossed the street, and he opened the door. A blast of chaotic light and noise assaulted all of his senses as they stepped into Strange Brew.