Jared

She nodded. Women, they are strange creatures that's for sure. I could have worse choices in a girl that likes me though. I shouldn't cheat, the only reason I knew of her feelings was because when she came in for a checkup. When I checked her pulse and started talking to her, her heart rate became elevated, among other things, but I shouldn't use that knowledge to my advantage. Who am I kidding, I'm probably the last person on the planet who would abuse such knowledge.

I shook off the strange thoughts swarming my mind and focused in on the present. She was staring at me.

"Where'd you just go?" She asked. "You looked far away."

"I can get lost in my thoughts sometimes. My apologies," I replied.

"No apology necessary."

I nodded, "Good. Off we go then."

I donned my armor with a few modifications, so she had places to hold on easier. She wrapped her arms around my waist and grabbed a hold of the armor. I put my arms around her and began to fly off, somewhat slowly for me, to the grocery store. We needed more food for the next few weeks. I'd had plenty but more people came than I'd expected. I landed in the darkness of the parking lot and began inside.

She followed and whispered, "Are you planning on stealing food?"

"Yes and no," I answered. "I'm going to buy all the food."

"That's not stealing," Rachel concluded.

"With a fake credit card," I added with a smirk.

We took the next hour gathering food and headed outside with our prize, after paying. We went around the back where no one could see us and ran into five unfriendly looking people.

I cringed, "Hello guys, excuse us we were just passing through."

"Not without paying the toll," One of them reasoned. "You pay the toll and we let you and the beauty go."

"What's the toll?"

"All that food."

I considered, "Take it." I let go of the cart and started walking away with her in tow.

"Wait a minute," A different one said. "What if that isn't the whole toll?"

"What else do you want?" I turned slowly around.

"We want the girl," The same one said."

My eyes flared and I growled, "You can't have her."

The others had been mostly ignoring me and Rachel until I said that. They all turned to me, "Did you just tell us we couldn't do something?"

I turned to Rachel, "You're going to be fine okay? Just do that thing you're good at and come out when it's over."

She looked a little worried and nodded. A moment later she disappeared. I turned back to the men.

"Wo man, where'd she go?" One of them said.

Another one pulled out a gun and pointed it at me, "It doesn't matter. This guy thinks he can tell us when we can and can't do."

"Put the gun down," I said calmly. "Just put the gun down and I'll walk away as if nothing happened."

"You scared?" He took a step closer. "Are you scared of me?!"

"No," The cold reality of my response sent a shiver down his spine. "I'm afraid for you. You don't want me to do what i wish to do, but if you continue in this course I will have no choice."

The others pulled out guns and pointed them at me.

"No more talking," I said and snapped the first guy's arm, nearly breaking it completely free of his body. I caught the gun and dodged to the side as four shots pierced the air around me. I quickly altered the gun to emit a slightly different result. I fired and the bullet shattered in mid air and plastered one of them with shrapnel. They tried to follow me but they moved too slowly and I fired two more shots before one of them had a chance to fire back. The bullet struck me in the chest. I could feel it still inside and I forced it back out the way it had come.

The last one walked up to me and starting yelling profanities into my face. I didn't see what hit him but I did see Rachel standing behind him a few moments later. She put her face very closely into mine and said slowly enough for me to understand.

"I'll get you back safely."

She proceeded to shadow step back, with the supplies to the hideout. She went through the front door but stepped completely past the room with people and lay me on the bed. She treated my injury and shadow stepped me to my bed to sleep. It took her less time than it had taken me to fly there to get back.