Her First Mistake

Chapter Forty-Two: Powerful by Personality

   Though the mall was practically empty, the people inside had scattered far away from the scene. Mall security hadn't arrived yet. I ran back through the hallways and followed the debris back to the store -- thrown benches, cracked floors, turned cameras. Finally, I came upon the shoe store. 

   It was pretty damn obvious that something had gone down. Every shelf had fallen over. Boxes were scattered across the store. Shoe racks were thrown around the room like crumpled paper balls. Not to mention there were scorch marks from where the fae had exploded.

   Tate stood upright. My dad was sitting on an upturned bench, holding his shoulder. My eyes snapped to Tate. "Why isn't he in a hospital?"

   "Because your dad's a smart guy," said Tate. His face broke into the first genuine grin I'd ever seen on him. His eyes lifted and his teeth flashed. "He found a hunting vest at one of the stores."

   Dad looked up and he lifted up his hand. There was only a little bit of blood. "Yup. It didn't do its job perfectly, but I'm lucky the knife was dull. It only got about half an inch through the vest. Definitely worth the hundred bucks I spent off that debit card."

   Relief hit me like a tidal wave. I blew out a breath while Tate stared. "I never even saw you buy it."

   "I'm a sneaky son-of-a-gun. How do you think I know about how much trouble Roxie would get into during high school?"

   My cheeks darkened and I grabbed his arm. He can't mean that. "Okay, that's enough. We're heading back to Tate's house and then to Death Valley."

   "No-no," interrupted Tate. "I want to hear this."

   "No, you really don't." I dragged Dad forward and into the hall. I could sense the nearest nex tunnel was about a hundred feet away, just outside the building. Dad chuckled as he put his hand back to his shoulder. Tate set up a shelf while I looked across the way and my eyes caught sight of that same leather jacket.

   "Oh, screw it." A hook of scarlet pulled it off its hanger and launched it my way. I caught the jacket in one hand. Dad looked at me accusingly. "Isn't that stealing?"

   "And spending a hundred dollars wasn't?"

   "He offered us the card!"

   "I highly doubt my father will mind," snorted Tate.

   "Not helping my point," I muttered at him. Tate held open the door as we went outside. Security guards were just starting to arrive to the shoe store. I glanced around, saw no nearby humans, and grabbed Tate's arm. My foot stepped into the nex tunnel and our surroundings vanished.

   Seconds later and the pressure around my body vanished as we landed on Tate's lawn. The front door was cracked open. Tate swore. I groaned and let go of my father to snatch my staff, hands lighting up with magic in preparation for another fight. "Jeez, won't these idiots leave us alone for five minutes?"

   Tate stalked to the front door. I kept my father behind me as Tate examined the inside critically before he swept in silently. His back was arched in a prowl. Several knives materialized in my hand as I moved after him, much less careful. I kicked open the door and it shook on its hinges.

   All I could see of Tate was his outline. The sun peered through the windows in the living room, but the hallway was pitch black. Tate must've heard something because he twisted to the side. A shape launched at him. Tate disappeared and a cat bounced off of the wall, darting in the narrow space. The moment that Tate was out of the way, I flung all five scarlet blades at the intruder.

   He blurred with speed and somehow all five blades missed. The intruder surged forward. I set the butt of my staff against the floor, unimpressed, as the man slammed into a crimson wall. It spanned the whole hall. It was pretty effective at keeping the guy out of my way. I cocked my head as he backed up. "Really?"