“You okay?” Katie raised an eyebrow and turned the card reader toward Cheyenne.
“Just a weird night.”
“Weird like you took something?”
“What?”
The girl behind the counter lifted one shoulder in a halfhearted shrug and smirked. “Just ‘cause, you know, my brother comes by sometimes after he drops acid. And you kinda have the same look. Not gonna judge. I just didn’t think you were into that kinda thing.”
“I’m not.”
Katie chuckled. “Not what?”
“On anything. Or into it.”
“Okay. Sure. Just curious.”
Cheyenne ran her card to pay for her beer and snack, and the girl’s inability to quit smirking was contagious. Then Cheyenne managed a genuine smile, however small. “Are you?”
“I mean, I guess it—”
The door opened, and a guy in a hoodie with his hands shoved in his pockets and hood pulled up stormed into the convenience store. Both women glanced at him, then Katie pulled down the corners of her mouth and sucked in a breath. “Yikes. Looks like it’s a weird night for everyone.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Cheyenne grabbed her purchases and nodded. “Thanks, Katie. Have a good night.”
The other woman lifted a hand and wiggled her fingers, then glanced from Cheyenne to the dude in the hoodie, who was standing in front of the chips with his shoulders hunched. Nothing too weird about that, except Cheyenne could hear the dude’s heart hammering in his chest. He’s on something, or he’s about to do something stupid.
When she reached the door, she turned around to nod at Katie and push the door open with her back. It gave her a second to look at Hoodie again, and she found him glaring at her from beneath the hood shadowing most of his face. He looked away, antsy, sniffing, and shoved his hands deeper into his hoodie pocket.
She heard a click, then she stepped outside and let the door close behind her. He’s gonna do something stupid.
Chapter Twenty
Cheyenne rushed around the side of the gas station, dropped the beer and the Funyuns, and closed her eyes. This is the part where going drow on command is necessary. Right now. Come on.
She imagined Hoodie pulling a gun on Katie and shouting for her to open the register. She saw the gun that idiot troll had pulled on her. The gun Durg had pulled on Trevor first, then used on Ember.
Too many damn guns.
The searing heat flared at the base of her spine. Cheyenne didn’t have to let it build. She slipped into her anger and her power in two seconds and sucked in a deep breath as her ears tingled at their pointed tips. “People need to stop being so stupid.”
Whirling away from the side of the gas station, the halfling with dark-gray skin and white hair stormed toward the front door. She flicked her hand, the security cameras sparking and sputtering to a lifeless blackout.
She yanked on the handle a second after Hoodie pulled the gun she’d known was in his pocket and pointed it at Katie. Another quick flick of the hand before the cameras inside could record a drow on the premises.
“Empty the register.” Even though his voice was low and he didn’t shout, it squeaked at the end. “Do it.”
Katie stared at the gun with wide eyes and couldn’t move. The electric bell chimed, and Hoodie whipped his head toward the door.
“Put it down.”
The wannabe robber’s chest heaved as he weighed the drow halfling standing with her hands out, palms facing him and fingers splayed.
“What the fuck?” he said.
“I know. Sorry to crash your party. But seriously?” Cheyenne nodded at the gun in his hand, still aimed at Katie but trembling. “Chill out, man. Put it down.”
She sensed Hoodie’s heart going a mile a minute. Katie’s, too.
The guy glanced at the gas station employee, whose face had turned deathly pale, then he put his other hand on his pistol and trained it on Cheyenne instead.
The guy wasn’t a magical, or he’d be shouting something about a drow having no business breaking up his attempted robbery.
“Man, just drop the gun. I don’t wanna hurt you. Well, I kinda do, but I know I shouldn’t.”
“What’s wrong with your face?” Hoodie’s voice cracked.
Cheyenne snorted. “You know, I get that a lot.”
The guy’s hands were shaking so much, it amazed Cheyenne he could hold the weapon. To prove to her that he could, he fumbled the hammer back and swallowed. “Get away from me!”
“I thought you were here to rob the place. Don’t make it personal.”
Hoodie squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened.
Panting, he turned the gun over to stare at the safety. He fumbled with it, but before he could finish sliding it off, Cheyenne came at him in a blur. The air popped when she stopped, and the shockwave of her drow speed blew his hood away from his face and sent a stand of giant lollipops off the counter to scatter all over the floor.
The guy shrieked as the thin woman with bleached white hair, slate-gray skin, and glowing golden eyes unexpectedly invaded his personal bubble. He swallowed and simply gave his gun to her.
“You gotta cut this out.” She took the weapon, thumbed the safety on, and placed it on the counter. “Grab that,” she told the cashier.
“Sh-sure.” Instead, Katie’s eyes rolled back in her head, and she slithered to the floor, knocking her chair backward.
Cheyenne and Hoodie turned to see the girl pass out, then Hoodie started hyperventilating. He glanced at Cheyenne and barreled past her toward the front door. The bell dinged.
“Huh.” Cheyenne glanced at the gun and shrugged. “That was a little disappointing. Katie? You okay—”
The chime for the open door dinged again. Two guys stepped in, one after the other. Neither bothered to pretend they were looking for snacks. They both pointed guns.
Cheyenne narrowed her eyes. “Your guy didn’t pass his test, huh?”
The men in matching denim jackets opened fire on the drow halfling. Cheyenne ducked and found herself once more
