As soon as Masquerader's car is out of sight, I start walking towards my house. Now that I don't have Calen to worry about, I have no reason to run. They will pay for trashing my house. They will pay for thinking they could ever overpower me. And believe me, they will pay for trying to hurt my Kitten.
Bradley tries to stop me by grabbing my arm. I whirl around and close my hand around his throat, squeezing harder than I ever did to Falcon. His eyes widen and in them I see the glowing reflection of mine. He tries to get away from me as he gasps for air, but I don't let go until his eyes are glazed over with fear, when I drop him unceremoniously to the ground.
I turn and stalk away, growling as I do. "Don't follow me.
When I make it back to my house, having walked above ground, I stalk right inside and toward my five fellow Villains standing in the wreckage of my living room. They shut up fast when they see me, their hands shifting closer to their weapons.
"Who's idea was this?" I snarl, watching sharply as they all shuffle and avoid my glowing gaze. I clench my fists at my sides, feeling the pleasant warmth of flames licking at my knuckles. "I will not ask again."
Finally one of them speaks up, though not with the answer I want. "We all agreed we needed to get rid of Falcon, he's been terrorizing us for too long!"
A low growl rumbles from my throat as my gaze flicks between them. "Tell me where he is," I demand, snarling it again loudly when they don't answer the first time.
One I recognize as Timer, or Gabe as some people know him, bravely steps forward. "We don't know where he is, we still assumed he was with you."
I let out a huff of annoyance, the warmth on my knuckles slithering up and over my wrists. "Masquerader took him," I say as I flex my hands a bit, knowing drops of fire are falling from my hands, only to be extinguished before they hit my floor. "and I want to know where," I finish, my voice dropping into a chilling calmness, one I always feel right before executing a mission.
The flames turn a raging blue as I begin stalking toward them. They scramble backwards, but I don't stop until they're backed into my kitchen and I'm blocking their escape.
Timer speaks up again, sounding much less confident than before. "Probably the... the Guild." His haze flicks worriedly to my forearms, which are completely covered in my flickering blue flames.
I snarl and whirl away from them, stalking toward the door. "I'm no fool, and neither is she. I'll find him myself, and when I do you better pray there is no hair on his head misplaced," I don't turn around as I stalk out the door and to the road. With a flick of my wrist the door slams shut behind me.
I retrieve my emergency suit from the trunk of my car. It's a simple black trench coat and mask, not stylized like my favorite suit but it will work. I flip the deep hood up, move to the middle of the street, and start floating into the sky.
I can't fly in the same way Falcon can, nor as fast, but it will be quicker than walking or driving. Even though I know Masquerader won't stop at the Guild, that is where I will start my search.
***
I could instantly feel she wasn't at the Guild, but more importantly I could feel Calen wasn't there either. It must have taken me half an hour to get to where I am, standing on the highway going out of the city. I feel a tugging sensation, like I'm being pulled away from the city. I'm not unaccustomed to this feeling.
It comes when I'm tracking my prey, a constant reminder I'm going in the right direction to find them, that I will catch them soon. Normally the feeling brings me satisfaction, but now I just feel a grim sense of determination.
This time when I find my prey I want them alive. This time I want them unharmed. This time my mission is to protect them.
And like all my missions, I will not fail. I take a few steps to gain speed, then launch into the air and continue in my flight. I soon angle away from the highway, following whatever direction the pull guides me. I'm surprised by how far from the city they made it. Masquerader must have been speeding rather heavily.
Finally I feel the pull lesson as I fly over a farmhouse, so I drop to the ground. I assess the area, sneering when I find no traps or precautions. Masquerader always was too cocky for her own good, like how she assumed I wouldn't be able to find her here. How foolish.
I stalk up the steps onto her porch, then pause in front of the door for a short moment before kicking it open. It was obviously locked, and I can't imagine a single reason I wouldn't want her to know I'm here. I step inside, a smirk making its way onto my face when I see her standing in a doorway, looking a bit shocked to see me.
"Did you think I wouldn't find you?" I purr menacingly at her, sauntering forward. "I never took you for a fool, yet here we are."
She doesn't move, but her expression grows more calm. "I suppose it was foolish of me to try and hide," she admits, but her expression shows no sign of defeat. "I didn't hurt him, you know," she says when I turn away to follow the last remnants of the tug, which are leading me to Calen. "I swear to you I didn't hurt him, and I have a proposition."
I pause, looking back at her. "What could you possibly offer that I would want?" She opens her mouth to answer but before she can I stride forward, backing her into a wall and looming over her. She reaches for her knife but before she can stab me with it, I grab the blade.
The violet flames that suddenly flicker over my hand are so hot they instantly melt the thin blade, as well as burn Masquerader. Not too bad as they were only there for a fraction of a second, but it was long enough to leave her stunned.
"Think very carefully about your next words," I warn, letting the ruined knife fall from my grasp and clatter to the floor.
She gazes a bit despairingly at her knife, then meets my gaze with a steely expression. "Look, I know we've never really got along or understood each other," she begins. I raise a single unimpressed eyebrow. I appear calm to her, but I am anything but. One little thing wrong, and I will snap.
Normally my eyes would not be glowing anymore, as there doesn't appear to be any imminent danger. However, sometimes I can't snap out of it. It depends on how riled up I get on a mission. If it goes well and without a hitch I can calm down pretty quickly. But if it goes badly or if it was particularly stressful, I stay alert like I am now. My powers don't regress into whatever part of me they are normally locked in, and I'm stuck feeling all the rage and hopelessness I always feel when I am Macer.
I must admit, Masquerader is staying calmer than most others would if I was standing over them with glowing eyes and flaming hands. Like the other so-called Villains that we're in my home. If they had half a brain they wouldn't have been standing there dumbly wondering where I went, they would have been out searching and regrouping for a second effort. Like Masquerader was when she took my Calen.
She takes a deep breath before continuing. "-but I do understand that you don't want Falcon to know you are Macer. If you go gallivanting in to save him, he will know immediately. Just let me take care of him until you've... calmed down a bit," she reasons, and I'm forced to admit she's right. I don't want him to know. But...
"What do you mean take care of him? He should be fine on his own for a few hours," I growl, though in the back of my mind I know what she will say next.
"In the state he's in? He just started shaking and mumbling to himself, like a flashback. When he came out of it he had cat ears. I must admit though, he makes an adorable Kitt-"
I clamp my hand around her neck threateningly, cutting off her air momentarily to shut her up. "Call him Kitten and it will be the last thing you ever say," I hiss, surprised at the possessiveness that washes over me.
She holds up her hands, and I slowly release her throat. She runs it for a second before asking, "Do we have a deal?"
My mind flashes through all the possible outcomes. This seems to be the only one where he doesn't find out I'm Macer. But I still have my doubts. "Why do you want to look after him so badly?" I demand.
She shrugs. "I don't know, curiosity? I will not harm him, you have my word. I'll sate my curiosity, and you won't have to explain why your eyes are glowing. It's a win win."
Finally, I agree. I've never known her to go back on her word, and she wouldn't dare do anything to him with me here. I can only pace restlessly and wait for myself to return to normal, while she gets the water and food she had been making in the kitchen.
And IÂ can only watch as she walks down the stairs into her basement.