She let out a soft sigh, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame it. Her attention, however, was drawn away when a pair of arms gently snaked around her waist, tugging her back against Dick's chest. He rested his head on her shoulder, watching her reflection in the mirror.
"Are you always this clingy after sex?" she scoffed, her tone laced with humor.
"Is it so difficult for you to enjoy a romantic moment?" he chuckled, shaking his head with a playful grin.
Before she could respond, a knock came at the door. "I'll get it. Go put on a shirt." She patted his chest and moved to unlock the door, swinging it open to find the receptionist holding a bottle of wine. The woman stiffened slightly at the sight of her.
"Hi, can I help you?" Jules immediately grasped the situation and tried to mask her passive-aggressive tone with a tense smile.
"O-oh, I'm sorry! I thought this was... someone else's room-"
Right on cue, Dick walked up behind her, placing a hand on her lower back. "Oh, hey," he said curtly, nodding at the woman, who now looked noticeably embarrassed.
"Hi. Well, I... I'm just going to go," the receptionist forced a tight-lipped smile and slowly walked away.
Jules closed the door awkwardly, turning to Dick with a remark ready, when a loud crash sounded from outside, making her flinch. Dick pushed her protectively behind him, muttering, "Call Kory and tell her to gather Rachel and Gar in the lobby."
She hesitated before retreating to grab her phone. Meanwhile, he opened the door to find a bucket of ice spilled on the carpet, water pooling around it.
Suddenly, the lights flickered for a few seconds before shutting off, plunging the room into near-complete darkness.
The brunette pocketed her phone, about to call out Dick's name when she heard a grunt and the sound of him hitting the floor. A silhouette of a man and woman entered the room.
She recognized the woman as the mother of the psychotic family, now accompanied by what appeared to be a new husband, replacing the last one who had burnt to ashes.
"Sorry to interrupt your date night," the woman said, flashing a wide, eerie grin reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat.
The husband pulled out a hammer while the woman brandished a small chainsaw.
They lunged at Dick, who swiftly got back on his feet, catching the woman's arm as she raised her weapon. Twisting it, he flung her over the bed.
Meanwhile, Jules took on the husband, wrapping her legs around his neck and flipping him to the floor, delivering a sharp blow to his jaw. He absorbed the hit, retaliating with a kick to her knees that made her stumble. Then, he struck the back of her head with the base of his hammer.
Her vision blurred as she struggled to think of a spell, but her focus sharpened when Dick intervened, kicking away a syringe gun the man had retrieved. With the weapon gone, Dick struck the man's head with a briefcase, buying Jules enough time to somersault to her feet and use telekinesis to hurl him against the wall.
Turning to help Dick dodge the mother's attacks, Jules heard him yell, "Check on the others!"
Nodding, she bolted out the room, running down a few flights of stairs. A soft grunt and a thud caught her attention. Peeking into another room, she saw the daughter spinning a lasso around Kory's neck.
Jules charged forward, materializing her dagger and slicing through the rope before yanking it away and flinging the girl into the wall. Kory grasped Jules' hand, pulling her outside to reunite with the frightened but unharmed teens.
Rachel immediately hugged Jules. "Are you hurt?" she asked, scanning Jules nervously.
Jules shook her head. "Where's Dick?"
"We don't know."
"Fuck," Kory cursed, drawing their attention to the four family members circling them like predators.
Jules moved the teens behind her as Kory stepped forward, her eyes glowing bright green. She tried to fire her powers but managed only a spark.
"Great," she groaned, rushing at the father. But he ripped off a car door and hurled it at her, slamming her into another vehicle. Kory slid to the ground, groaning in pain.
The family advanced closer. Jules raised a hand, blue light illuminating her eyes as a metallic clink broke through the tension. Smoke filled the air, obscuring everything.
Through the haze, the father was dragged upward and hurled over a car. From the broken vehicle, Dick emerged in full Robin gear.
"Dick?" Rachel called out.
"That's Robin," Gar whispered, awestruck.
The mother charged, raising her chainsaw, but Jules lifted a car telekinetically and slammed it into her.
The father reappeared. Spotting scattered puddles, Jules manipulated the water, gathering it into an orb before blasting him to the ground.
Before she could regroup, a lasso wrapped around her wrist. She smirked at the daughter. "Didn't learn your lesson, huh?" Pulling the rope, she tossed the girl toward Dick, shouting, "Catch!" He dispatched both siblings with his staff.
A scream erupted behind Jules. She spun to see Rachel's blackened eyes controlling dark liquid to overpower the mother. Gar, in tiger form, took out the brother, by biting into his bat and flinging him into the air.
Dick subdued the mother with a kick. She stood, glaring at him, but Kory then joined his side, followed by the dark-eyed Rachel, and Gar, who was perched on top of the wrecked car.
She then pulled out a grenade, and right as Dick was ready to lunge at her, her body twists in agony before falling limp to the ground, with Jules walking up behind her.
"You couldn't have done that earlier?" Kory asked wryly.
"Scared I'll accidentally kill her." she bit her lips and shrugged.
YOU ARE READING
Veil of Shadows ๋࣭⭑⚝ Dick Grayson
Fanfiction"There is beauty in the shadows, if you dare to look." ๋࣭⭑⚝ Juliette 'Jules' Montrose... the epitome of magic to many, yet throwing water at her will only melt the surface of her cold exterior. With a missing fat...
