Of the three of us, only two gaped open-mouthed.

Malik laughed. "I can stay this way indefinitely but it might scare the serving staff."

Ari and I turned as one to the door, still closed for our privacy. It was too thin a barrier between the danger in here and all the innocent people in the rest of the trattoria.

We dropped our magic.

"Sit down." Malik's body returned to his corporeal state with nary a mark on the chair or his suit, just that same acrid ...