Her First Mistake

Chapter Fifty-Six: You're the Punching Bag

    With Simone protected and sheltered, I summoned my staff and used it to barricade the bathroom door. The bed sat precariously against the wall, but no one was getting in there without my knowing. Crimson latched onto the door knob. The door blasted open and I stamped through, unsurprised to see Tate backing into the living room. The fae followed him in, a glock held just out of Tate's reach and aimed at his forehead.

   "Not this time, asshole!" I'm not powerless, anymore. Guns are useless, you idiot. I snapped my hand forward. A hook of crimson flew across the room and sunk into the fae's hand. I wrapped the rope around my arm and yanked, tearing the gun from his grip and sending him stumbling my way. Tate immediately jumped forward and shifted. A snake of some sort buried his fangs into the fae's throat. The fae stumbled with a snarl. His hand grabbed Tate's body. 

   Tate shifted into a porcupine. His whole body flexed and nearly all of the spines were spat out of his skin. Half of them sunk into the fae's neck and face. Some jabbed into the front of my shirt. I glowered and threw the glock aside to pluck them from my clothing.

   The fae bared his teeth. He started to squeeze the porcupine's throat, but Tate wasn't done. He shapeshifted again. This time, a grizzly bear filled the whole living room. A massive paw with claws batted the fae into the wall like he was a fly. I casually picked out the last spine and looked up, amused. Sometimes I forgot Tate was as much of a badass as I was.

   Tate planted his leg on the fae's stomach. He sat down and the whole house trembled. He gave me a look as the fae grabbed his leg. He applied some pressure and the fae grunted. His face was pale. Oh, yeah. Tate gave him some nasty snake venom. The fae was probably feeling the effects by now.

   "Fole, you idiot," a new voice growled. "You were just supposed to be a distraction, not a punching bag."

   I glanced over at the new people. "Tate, did you leave the stupid door open?"

   He gave me a deadpan look. I crossed my arms at the three new intruders. One was the woman from Anchorage. Her lip curled to flash a fang at me. The other two were brand new. One was a neutral of some sort. He held a staff in his hand, thick glasses perched on his narrow nose. The third person was a really, really buff fae. It was a little surprising. All of them, including the fae named Fole, wore the same black Kevlar stuff that the woman wore. Purple stars were aligned on their chests.

   "You sent him in here alone. What did you expect?"

   The white-haired woman didn't bother with pleasantries. She dropped into a crouch and drew both daggers from her boots. Her eyes lit up in a maniacal grin. The neutral dropped his staff against the floor and it cracked under his shoes. A wizard. Great. There were plenty of objects he could manipulate nearby. The final woman's skin turned a light grey and small scales grew on the edges of her elbows and down her back. Her eyes turned to slits.

   All three launched, ignoring Tate completely. I jabbed my staff against the floor and a crimson shield billowed from the top of my staff. The shifter and woman crashed into it and circled. The wizard took a step forward and he plunged through the floor. It rippled in his wake. My eyes widened, but he appeared at my feet as if he were underwater. His hand caught my leg and yanked. I yelped, stumbling, and got pulled into the floor. 

   It felt like mud until it suddenly solidified, leaving my legs utterly frozen. Blood halted at my thighs and my toes started to lose feeling. The wizard stepped out of the floor with a bit of a smirk. I pressed a hand against the floor and strained. "How the hell did you do that?"

   The wizard raised an eyebrow. "You seriously didn't think Dani was the only one using dark magic, did you?"

   Chills raced down my spine. My eyes surveyed him with a new kind of apprehension. No, I hadn't really considered it. Dani was the leader of this group. I was stupid to think that her allies wouldn't be using dark magic. This was the first person besides Dani that was using dark magic, so Dani trusted this man more than her other cronies. He was the most dangerous enemy in this room.

   And somewhere, this man had a magick locked up and linked to him. Every time he used magic, they'd be in excruciating pain. My lip curled. Another selfish asshole abusing someone for power. Scarlet seeped down my arms and pooled around my hips. His amused look fell as the floor cracked. Crimson tendrils tore it apart until I pulled myself free, seething. "So, you're just as much as a selfish brat, huh?"

   The floor turned to liquid below him and he sunk out of sight. I turned to the two women, angry. "Okay, so you guys are the punching bags, since your buddy is a coward."

   The white-haired woman launched. Claws came from the shifter's nails and she slashed for my arms. I knocked her aside and turned, swinging the end of my staff into the woman's head. She ducked, her leg shooting out to catch my knee. The moment her foot connected, a bear-trap of crimson magic snapped her ankle and I lifted my hand. The trap lifted off of the floor and threw her across the room. Her back hit the wall, cracking it, before she tumbled behind the couch.

   Light prickles scratched my throat and reflexes took over. I twisted my arm to the side and wrapped it around the shifter's elbow. Her claws were half-way pierced into my neck. I sneered and swung my staff over my bent-back torso. The spell landed on the woman's shoulder. The net unraveled and engulfed her in seconds. Her claws were torn from my neck. My hand prepared to launch a knock-out spell when a hand grabbed my foot again.

   Tate had been waiting for the wizard to show up. A rabbit jumped at the wizard's hand and I stamped his fingers. There was a muffled noise. Tate shifted into his human body and caught the wizard's wrist just as the former disappeared back into the floor, taking Tate with him. 

   The white-haired woman practically flew across the room. I turned in time to see her launch her feet off of the wall. My face pulled into a sneer. Crimson rope tied around her wrists and jerked them apart. The knives clattered from her wrists as I strung her upside-down from the ceiling, frustrated. "Would you quit attacking me? You're the only one left to fight, lady. You aren't going to beat me in a one-versus-one."

   Her lip curled. "You might be able to beat me, but you can't beat Dani."

   My back tightened. The woman lifted her head, her eyes sparkling like magma. "We all know it. She's not even worried about you, Reilly. You have no idea what's actually going on."

   "Want to enlighten me?" I gritted out, my knuckles tightening on my staff.

   "You'll find out soon enough," smirked the woman. I was about to reply when the whole house trembled. Alarmed, I caught my footing, but the wall to my side exploded. The wizard was flung into the room. He landed on his feet and skidded, swinging his staff to the side. The wall behind him rippled. Tate punched his way out the wall, covered in dust. 

   The wizard was covered in claw marks. He put his hand against the liquefied wall, his face dark. "Bloody Enforcers," he spat, his voice thick with a British accent. "You're always getting in the way."

   "That's what happens when you get in ours." Tate's voice was thick with an animal's growl. "So, are you going to keep fighting, or are you going to run away?"

   The wizard's eyes flashed. "I don't have to do either."

   I saw the demon too late. He'd gotten behind Tate. A glock was an inch from his head. I started to yell, desperate, because Tate hadn't heard him. How did Tate not hear him?! The demon switched off the safety. 

   BANG.