Chapter Ten
Apparition moaned as she picked herself up off the rooftop.
Seconds before she’d been about to experience her first kiss with Shawn, a Shawn who was giving her a second chance she didn’t deserve.
Then just as his breath tickled her mouth, softening every muscle in her body, he’d flown away from her.
The force of the blow knocked her in the opposite direction.
Staggering to her feet, she stared wide-eyed at her father who now loomed before her.
Her heart tried to kick its way out of her chest. She’d thought her excuse of the staff meeting would buy her more time before Dad checked in on his phone tracking app.
How had she been so blindly optimistic? She’d ruined everything.
“Good work, girl.” He smirked at her, cold pride glinting in his eyes.
Shawn! Where’s Shawn?
Spinning around she saw him, lying at the base of the Surge Signal, struggling to rise.
Mythcreant darted across the roof and slammed his stun baton into Shawn’s side. Apparition gasped in horror as Shawn’s body jerked.
“I doubted you had it in you, but you did it. You brought him to me all on your own,” her father continued. She shrank back. How did he still think she was working with him? Well, at least that bought her a little more time.
Somehow unable to speak, she stumbled towards them, needing to get between her father and Shawn. Shawn rolled to his side, his eyes meeting hers. Pain creased his face.
Her breath left her.
He thinks I did this! He thinks—oh, no!
“Dad,” she tried to shout but it came out in a reedy hiss. “Don’t—”
Shawn pushed himself up, trying to rise again.
Mythcreant pressed the stun baton against the young superhero’s lower back. Shawn yelped and crashed down again.
“Stop!” Apparition shrieked.
She ran over and yanked on her father’s arms, pulling him away. “Don’t hurt him! Please, please, don’t hurt him!”
Mythcreant stared at her. His illusion faded, revealing his real face beneath. “What do you mean, don’t hurt him? The whole mission is to hurt him ...mortally!”
Her hands shook. Maybe Mythcreant was a villain. Maybe he hated Shawn, but he was also her father, and he had to love her. He had to understand. He just had to.
“Dad, you can’t hurt Shawn. I ... I love him.” The word slipped out of her mouth, and a weight lifted from her. She did. She loved him more than she’d ever loved anything.
Mythcreant’s eyes widened then contempt wrinkled his face. “Go home, Kacey. We’ll talk about this when I get back.” He shoved her away.
Her stomach churned. Maybe he didn’t believe her, didn’t think she was serious. He raised his baton again, hovering over Shawn’s head.
“Don’t!” She threw herself across Shawn, cradling his face against her chest. He inhaled sharply.
Shielding him with her whole being, she gazed up at her father.
“I don’t know why you think you need to do this, but whatever your reason, is it more important than me?
Than your daughter? Because if you hurt him, Dad, if you kill him, you’ll break my heart.
I’ll never ... I’ll never be able to forgive you.
I swear. Please, we can leave town now, get out of here, be safe.
I’ll even go with you.” Her throat tightened, but she meant it.
If that was what it would take to get him to leave Shawn alone, she’d leave with her father. “You can’t hurt him, though.”
Her father stared at her. Her body shook. Shawn’s hand moved to rest on her leg. His fingers squeezed into her.
“Get out of the way, Kacey,” her father said through clenched teeth.
“No.” She tightened her hold around Shawn’s neck. “If you want to hurt him, you’ll have to hurt me first.”
Her father’s hand holding his outstretched baton shook. His eyes glinted. “You stupid little fool, thinking you can backstab me. Just like your mother, you never understood the meaning of loyalty.” He swung.
Apparition’s mind short circuited, and somehow she couldn’t move, couldn’t dodge. The baton rushed towards her.
“Nikki, look out!” Shawn pulled her down and rolled, clutching her to his chest.
The baton sparked against the roof, inches from Apparition’s face. For a moment, Shawn’s bulk crushed her into the ground then he sprang. A blast of energy rocketed forward. Mythcreant screamed as he skidded across the roof.
Shawn loomed over her, standing with his shoulders squared and his hands held forth in warning. Mythcreant picked himself back up, moaning.
“Try and hit her again,” Shawn snarled. “I dare you.”
“You’re a fool!” Mythcreant aimed a finger at Shawn.
“You know she lied to you. Everything she’s ever said to you, every smile, every wink, it was all playing you like a toy piano.
The little ingrate used me to keep her safe for the last fifteen years, and now?
Just like her mom, she’s done with me and ready to upgrade to the next sucker. ”
Cold water ran through Apparition’s veins. What did he mean about her mom? What was he talking about?
“Shut your mouth, or I’ll shut it for you!
” Shawn sent an energy blast racing towards Mythcreant.
Mythcreant hit the ground, allowing the blast to rush over him.
Shawn dropped something beside Apparition.
She glanced up and saw his phone lying on the ground.
“DOSA emergency line is in my contacts,” he said. “Tell them to hurry.”
Shawn pushed off the roof and into the air as Apparition fumbled with the phone.
“Look, I don’t want to hurt you in front of your daughter—” Shawn said.
Mythcreant gave a barking laugh. Apparition’s heart jumped into her throat, and she nearly dropped the phone. She somehow managed to hit the right contact and then the call button.
“DOSA Emergency Response. Identify yourself,” a man’s voice said on the other end.
“Daughter? She’s not my daughter. She’s a mistake, a waste of time I spent a decade trying to mold into something of value.”
Apparition froze.
“Hello? This is the DOSA Emergency Response line. The system recognizes this device as belonging to a DOSA agent. Identify yourself.”
“I’m done with her,” Mythcreant continued.
“But not with you, Park. Your father cost me everything. I’ve spent the last decade plotting how I could hurt him the way he hurt me, and I’m not leaving here until I’ve sent his son home to him in a bodybag!
” Mythcreant’s body shimmered, darkening until it faded into the shadows of the night. Shawn balked.
“This is Surge’s phone. We need help,” Apparition managed to hiss into the phone. “We’re on top of College City’s city hall, please, send help.”
“Who is this? Identify yourself,” the voice continued to harp. Apparition pushed the phone to the side and pulled up her powers, ready to jump to Shawn’s defense.
For a moment Shawn hovered over the rooftop, his eyes searching the darkness, then he dropped to stand beside Apparition and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“I called for help,” she whispered.
“Good,” he murmured. “I don’t like this. He could be anywhere ... but I know he can’t fly, so maybe our best bet is to get out of here. I can carry you—”
A shadow passed through the light given off by the Surge Signal. A few feet away, the net shooter lay.
“Over there!” she gasped.
She threw a burst of illusion in the form of a wall of fire.
It sprang up between the shadow and the net shooter.
The shadow dove through it, shrinking smaller but not losing speed.
Her stomach clenched. Her father knew how her illusions worked.
He wouldn’t be cowed by them. She had no way to fight him.
“Shawn, he’s going for the net shooter,” she shouted.
Shawn half-jumped-half-flew, his body tensing then releasing in a majestic spring that crossed half the roof in a single bound.
He landed beside the shooter and kicked it away from the shadow’s reaching hand.
He then sent another blast straight into the shadow’s face.
Mythcreant’s illusion snapped as he hurtled across the roof. He landed and lay still.
Apparition cried out in terror as she stared at her father’s crumpled body. What had she done? Yes, she’d wanted to escape him, to stop him from hurting Shawn, but not for him to get hurt. He was her dad! He’d raised her!
“Nikki, don’t!” Shawn shouted, but she ignored him. She skidded to a halt beside her father. To her horror, blood darkened his shirt. A metal spike, part of a railing that went along the edge of the roof, penetrated his chest.
“Dad?” she whimpered. “Can you hear me?
Her father’s eyes fluttered open and hate filled his gaze. Panic gripped her though she wasn’t sure why.
“Dad, hold on. We’ll get you help,” she stammered.
He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her down. His hot breath singed her ear as he rasped, “Your mom escaped me, but you won’t. Maybe I can’t kill Park’s son, but at least you’ve given me the chance to break his heart.”
“Dad?” Apparition gasped. Sharp pain jolted through her, and she jerked away, crying out in agony.
Her hands flailed for her stomach. Warmth seeped through her shirt and down her belly.
She stared uncomprehendingly at the knife hilt sticking out from her gut.
The world wobbled, going gray about the edges.
Mythcreant sneered at her one last time before collapsing, his eyes rolling back in his head.
“Nikki!” Shawn’s arms surrounded her, pulling her off her father’s body. She clutched at him. Pain radiated from her midsection in agonizing waves.
“I’m sorry,” she rasped. “I didn’t ... I didn’t think he ...”
“Hold on,” Shawn said. “I’ll get you help.” He kissed her forehead. “Don’t leave me, Nikki. Please, not now.”
In spite of everything, she laughed, the action causing her wound to throb. “It’s Kacey, you idiot.”
“Kacey,” he said. His dark eyes pleaded with her as her awareness slipped away.
She focused on his mouth, trying to find the words.
What was it she wanted? Something to do with his mouth .
.. something warm and sweet and precious.
Instead she drooped against his chest as the wind rose up around her and he flew into the night sky with her in his arms.