Just the Beginning

Part 7

The door swung away from Soleil and her companions, bullets ricocheting off her magick barrier. Tuck pounced on an angry pit bull as if it was lunch and he hadn't eaten in days. The screams of creatures and fae mingled with the shouts of the men as they tried to figure out why their guns were no longer firing. Soleil darted for the men who now held weapon shaped plants instead of deadly guns. Silently thanking whatever had immobilized the weapons, Soleil rammed her shoulder into one man's stomach. Air whooshed out of him, but Soleil didn't have time to think about that. Ducking, she spun as the taller of the two flung his gun and her and charged. The gun-planty-thing flew other her head and collided with something behind her. Based on the grunt that followed, it had probably hit the man she had just rammed into seconds ago. Using the momentum of her spin, Soleil lifted her leg and her heel made contact with bone, splintering what was probably the charging man's left cheek bone and nose. He crumpled to the floor, knocked out by the force of her kick.

"You bitch," the other man said as her recovered from the flying gun-planty-thing's attack. She twirled out of his reach as he made a running pass at her. Suddenly, blue streaked through her vision, and the man screamed. Whipping her head to the man she had just avoided, Soleil took in his futile struggle. Tuck was on top of him, his gigantic claws digging into the man's shoulders. A scream started from the man's throat but turned to a burble as he choked on his own blood. Getting off of the dead man, Tuck spat something out onto the stone floor.

Averting her gaze, her eyes landed on the shining metal blade that was now clutched in the dead man's hand. Tuck must had noticed the danger she was in and leaped in to save her. "Thanks," she said glancing at the hound who now calmly sat cleaning his paws. 

No problem, he replied in her head.Lacey says that the house is clear now, and that they managed to tie all the remaining men up. As if on a time delay, sounds and voices from the captive fae and creatures hit her like a blow to the stomach. She had never heard so many talking at once, and it was giving her a headache. 

"Shut it!" Dai shouted, reminding Soleil of his presence. He must have been the one to jam the guns, she thought. 

"Thanks," she said as the loud chatter faded to a murmur. 

"No Problem. They were getting annoying," he said, brushing her thanks to the side. Knowing that he hadn't fully understood her thanks, she made a mental note to thank him again later and started to free the caged. When she found Murn in a cage inside of a wood chest, she informed him that Miki was waiting for him at Inks. Eternally grateful, Murn and promised her a favor to be redeemed at any time.

Within twenty minutes the men had confirmed that the man Tuck had killed down stairs was Rattler. They had also informed them that it hadn't been all his Idea, and that an unknown backer had supplied the potion to make the creatures and fae vulnerable through visibility. Uncle Jamie had promised to take care of the men, whipping out his phone and calling an "old friend" from the Dark Market. Remembering Murn in her pocket, Soleil had left the creepy house behind and followed Lacey home. Back to her usual faun color and Great Dane appearance, Lacey had padded silently beside her as she led Soleil through the city, back to Inks. 

Once there Miki and Murn had had a tearful reunion and quickly left to seek the comfort of their own home. Soleil had gone straight to her room, showered, and flopped down in bed to pass out, in a heavy dreamless sleep. Six hours later she was finally waking up.

"Morning Sunshine," Uncle Jamie said, holding out a cup of tea for her as she descended the stairs.

"Morning," she said gripping the mug of tea gratefully. They moved to the lounge at the front of the store and sat on the sofa, Uncle Jamie's arm draping over her shoulders and she tucked her feet under her. "Did you get any more information about the backer?" Soleil asked as she sipped her tea.

"No sorry, Sunshine. He's like a ghost. But we'll keep looking, I promise," he said reassuringly.

"What I wanna know is how you disabled those men," Dai butt in.

"What?" Soleil said confused. "I thought you did that, Dai."

"Nope that was all you. I even asked the captives last night before they left to make sure."

"No way," she said in total disbelief. "I didn't do that."

"Then how do you explain the mug in your hands?" he said pointing. Sure enough, grass and small flowers covered the outside of her mug. What the heck, she thought as she got this feeling that the grass on her mug was just the beginning of whatever was happening to her.

Authors Note

Hey guys! Hoped you liked this short story! I feel this story and these characters definitely have potential for more. But what do you think? Would you like to read more about Soleil and her crazy adventures to come?

Thanks again for reading! 

xoxo Mariah Renae