Free Summoned Chaos by Joshua Roots

one sec,” I said, rising, but Steve was already on the move.
    He came at me like a hurricane of speed and strength. I spun, narrowly avoiding the massive fist that brushed past. Rotating with the move, I gripped his wrist, rotated my hips, and swept his legs out from under him. My attacker fell forward, thumping heavily to the ground.
    “Ha ha!” I cried dramatically. “First blood is mi— Oh crap!”
    He popped upright, caught me around the waist, then hurled me like a discus. I made two full rotations in midair before crashing to the floor. Thankfully, I was able to twist just enough that my side absorbed the majority of the impact, distributing the blow across my entire body like my old Judo instructor had taught me, instead of on a single point.
    Not that it did me a whole heck of a lot of good.
    The shock of connecting with the solid ground rattled my bones. The inertia of being a human Frisbee carried me several feet before I finally slid to a halt. I gasped and struggled to rotate back toward my attacker.
    “That’s what you get for gloating,” Steve grumbled as he swung his massive boot at my face. I raised my hands instinctively, but as my palms made contact with the steel toe, I tapped my emotions ever so slightly.
    Power flooded to me as I dumped some of my pent-up frustration into my arms. It wasn’t enough power to stop the boot’s motion, but more than enough to prevent it from reshaping my face.
    The move paid off. Rather than being kicked into the nearby wall like a bruised, pink soccer ball, I sailed backward gracefully. As soon as my feet connected with the concrete, I launched myself forward into the Minotaur’s abdomen, knocking us both to the ground.
    The beast landed on his back with a thunderous boom. I scrambled sideways, raised a fist, and drove it down into his chest.
    Which was stupid because it was like punching a battleship.
    I cursed as pain exploded up my arm. Before I could pull my arm away, however, Steve grabbed my shoulder with his massive palm and yanked me forward.
    Horns passed on either side of my skull as he drove his thick, furry forehead into mine. My ears rang while my body went limp.
    Without pausing, he shoved the open palm of his free hand against my chest and flung me backward. I slammed into the wall before flopping hard onto my ass.
    Steve huffed, hopped upright, and stomped over to me. He lifted his boot, hovering it over my head.
    “You give up?”
    I nodded.
    “Say it.”
    “Listen, you win, so—”
    “It’s not official until one of us says it.”
    I mumbled a curse under my breath, then said, “I’m the prettiest princess of them all.”
    Steve grunted with satisfaction, lowered his boot, then offered me a hand. I gripped it and was yanked to my feet as if I was made of nothing but feathers. The world spun and the Minotaur only released me when I finally was able to walk without stumbling.
    “Thanks. I’m good now.”
    “What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded with a scowl. “Normally you put up more of a fight. You’re completely off your game today.”
    I caught the towel he threw at me. “Long night.”
    His expression changed to one that was hungry for gossip. “Quinn? Because if I had a woman like her, I’d be a worn-out zombie, too. Probably buy stock in Red Bull or something.”
    “I wish that was the issue. There was an incident at HQ last night. I was up late debriefing one of the Elders.”
    “Council crap?”
    “An attack.”
    Steve huffed. “I’m surprised it took someone this long.”
    I gave him a dirty look, but had a hard time disagreeing with him. Minotaurs like Steve were one of the numerous paranormal creatures that, after countless millennia evading human hunting parties and even geosynchronous satellites, were slowly emerging from the shadows. Unlike the Skilled, which were almost entirely human, the paranormal world was a hodgepodge of clans of mythological species. And although the Skilled included all