He felt her legs tuck up and had a moment to think she was trying to help him set her on her feet before he recognized the intent. Releasing the back of the cape, he pivoted in time to take that two-footed kick on the thigh rather than in the balls. Since he was still holding the front of the cape, when her feet dropped to the ground his fist became the hinge her body swung on. Straightening his arm at the last second prevented her roundhouse punch from connecting with his face hard enough to break his jaw or her hand, but it would still leave a bitch of a bruise.

And that, he thought, was more than enough.

One fast jerk that ripped more seams and she landed on his shoulder with a whoof that knocked the air out of her.

“Bring that one,” he growled as he marched toward The Tavern, which was the closest place that had chairs and enough space to deal with . . . whatever this was.

The crowd, he noted sourly, didn’t move out of his way. Seeing where he was headed, they stampeded toward The Tavern to get ringside seats.

Great. Wonderful. At least they had sense enough to leave two tables empty.

He dumped Marian in an empty chair. When she popped right up again, he shoved her back into the chair and held her arms down as he leaned over her and said in his most menacing voice, “Sit down, Marian. Sit.”

His quiet, gentle hearth witch bared her teeth and snarled at him.

He would have kissed her for finally producing a decent snarl except he was fairly sure she’d bite him if he tried, and then she’d feel bad. Not as bad as he would, but once she came to her senses, she’d feel bad about doing it.

He kept Marian locked to the chair while two men brought a wailing Roxie into the tavern and settled her at the other empty table. Whatever had gotten Marian so riled up was still churning through her, so when he finally stepped back, he made sure she’d have to go through him in order to tangle with Roxie again.

“Now,” he snarled as he looked at the people crowded into the tavern’s main room, “what in the name of Hell is going on?”

“She attacked me!” Roxie wailed. “Just because I told her she wasn’t going to work for us after I moved into the eyrie.”

“Since you’re never going to move into the eyrie while I’m still living there, that’s not a problem,” Lucivar snapped. He looked at Marian and shook his head. “Is that what this is about? Didn’t it occur to you she was lying?”

“Of course I knew she was lying,” Marian snapped back. “But she said—”