“My threats aren’t threats. They’re promises, and when the last laugh is mine, and the last laugh will be mine, I think I’ll start with ridding the world of that tall fellow with the scar,” Napoleon said, sneering when Bennett’s eyes burned blue. “Or should I start with that blonde? I rarely go in that direction, but I suppose I could make an exception if I flip her over. What do you think? I mean, she does appear to have the makings of a tasty morsel.”

In a flash, Bennett was in Napoleon’s face, and picking him up, she threw him thirty feet across the room. He slammed into the bookcases, and when he fell to the floor, Bennett was straddling him in a nanosecond.

“You listen to me, you puny piece of shit,” Bennett said, grabbing Napoleon by the lapels of his robe. “Lest you forget, I carry a rage deep inside of me that’s been burning ever since you pulled that little stunt centuries ago, and it is a rage that, until now, I have kept in check. If you ever touch any of my guardians, if you ever so much as look at them, I will unleash it, and you will see fury like you’ve never seen fury before. I won’t take your life, you pathetic excuse for a man, but, by God, you’ll wish I had. Not only will I take off your arms and legs, I will slice off that poor excuse of manhood that dangles between your legs and shove it in your mouth where it will shrivel and rot. And when a new one grows back, I’ll do it all over again.” With her eyes now blazing neon blue, Bennett let go of Napoleon’s robe. “And if any of your flock comes into my neighborhood again, I will bring you their heads, and that my dear Napoleon…is a promise.”

***

On Wednesday night, Ruby parked her car in the alley and cursed Mother Nature under her breath. A minute later, she was also cursing the puddle that had just swallowed her foot. “Shit.”

Ruby’s day had been filled with meetings, conference calls, and overseeing lower-grade archivists and technicians. No sooner had she answered one question when another was asked, and volunteers and interns that were supposed to help seemed to hinder her every move. The heavens didn’t open until she left work, intuitively waiting for the woman who had forgotten her umbrella. She’d run into the grocery store to pick up a few things, and then she remembered many more. And overrun by everyone scrambling for items on sale, Ruby ended her visit the seventh in line at the register, a line that moved like molasses up a hill.