by R L Medina
Pushing away the thought, I pressed forward with the others. Javi led us down a side street and into a back alley. He stopped short. I stumbled into him.
A man stood in the middle of the pavement, blocking our way. GRIMM? Human?
He threw his hands up and began chanting. Fear struck me cold. Luna Negra.
Before we could react, a powerful force struck us. I flew backwards and collided with Grayson.
He gripped my arm and stepped in front of me, shielding me with his body.
The others shouted chants. Guns fired. I felt useless standing there while my friends protected me. Shame burned my face. It was my fault we were in this mess. My fists clenched. I needed my sword. My sword that was still with Michael. Pain flooded me at the thought. Michael.
Another figure moved toward us. My heart raced. A third hooded person stepped from the shadows. Luna Negra.
“Here,” Grayson urged.
Cold metal slid against my hand. I glanced down to find a knife—the same one he’d given me in the prison.
I took it and squeezed it tightly. We were going to need a lot more than our weapon skills to get away from the witches. The others knew how to do magic, but I hadn’t mastered many chants, and I didn’t even have my conduit anymore.
“Stop. You don’t want to do this.” Javi’s voice rang out in the alley.
“Just go and we won’t turn you in,” he added, sounding way too confident for the reality of our situation.
They didn’t respond. Chills crept up my spine.
Grayson fired, the movement jolting me. I peered around him, but I couldn’t tell if it hit any of the witches. They continued moving toward us, arms raised. The air grew warmer and then cold. Cold as ice. A strange bitter taste filled my mouth.
Brady swore.
“Bone magic is forbidden.” Grayson broke the silence.
I couldn’t help but smile at his affronted tone. As if criminals breaking the law was such a big shocker.
“She doesn’t have any skill with magic. Just leave her alone.” Javi’s tone was during desperate.
My breath hitched. It was a foolish hope. They were never going to stop hunting me.
“Give us the girl and we’ll let you live.” One of the witches finally spoke.
He sounded young, but without a good look at his face, I couldn’t tell for sure. Grayson stared him down, not budging from his protective stance in front of me.
“She’s not going with you,” Javi answered.
Brady sniffed. “I think you witches have the wrong girl. Better scurry back to your coven before every agent in LA shows up.”
My heart warmed at his support. I loved them all for trying, but I couldn’t let what happened to the wolves happen to them.
“This street is warded. No one’s getting in.” The witch sounded amused.
Anger stirred within me. All the trouble just for me. Why? Why was I so damn important to them?
“The GRIMMs—”
“Are not coming.” The witch leader cut Grayson off.
The others crept closer, faces hidden beneath hoods. They clasped hands and stood in a circle. Goosebumps dotted my arms. Witches were human, the same as us. Human, but with a deep connection to magic and I could sense it within them.
Their power was real.
Shiloh and Brady chanted something in unison and sent one of the witches reeling back, breaking their ring. The other two moved toward us.
I pressed myself closer to Grayson, mind racing. We were trapped and the GRIMM wouldn’t make it in time.
Something crackled in the air. One by one, our weapons dropped. I glanced at the others. What were we supposed to do now?
Their bodies jerked in unison. It was as if a string was pulled, their bodies flailing and flopping. An icy rush of fear filled me.
They chanted, their words overlapping each other, before their mouths snapped shut. I watched in horror as they struggled against an invisible hold.
“What are you doing? Stop!” I moved forward. My heart skipped. I wasn’t locked in place like them.
I dove for Grayson’s gun, but it moved out of my reach. It whipped through the air before landing beside the witch. The rest of the weapons followed.
“It’s time to go.” His words sent a shiver through me.
“What did you do to my friends?”
He lifted a hand and threw another chant. My friends flew back, their bodies striking hard against the pavement.
“No!”
Anger burned in my chest. I couldn’t let anyone else get hurt because of me.
“Stop it! I’m coming.”
I glanced back, hoping to see them on their feet. Were they okay?
Please be okay.
A giant portal appeared before us, filling me with dread. The witch grabbed me and yanked me away from my spot. The other three followed.
I pulled my arm out of his grasp. “I said I’m coming. Don’t touch me, you—”
His hand whipped out so fast and struck me hard against the face. Anger surged within me. Pain spread across my cheek.
I clenched my fists, wishing I had my sword.
His eyes narrowed. “Get in.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. Who knew where that portal would take me? Once I stepped through, would I ever see any of my friends or family again?
The witch grunted and shoved me forward. I sucked in a breath as I went tumbling through the air. My stomach did somersaults. I was falling. Lights and sounds clashed around me. As many times as I’d experienced portals, I didn’t think I’d ever get used to it. It was the most unsettling sensation.
After what felt like an eternity, the sounds faded, and I stopped spinning. My body collided with something hard. Pain shot through me like a bullet. Everything went dark.
12
Voices echoed from far away. Strange, urgent voices.
I opened my eyes and looked around. Where was I? Candles were lit all around the room, casting an eerie warm glow and shadows. A large, old-fashioned tub stood in the middle of the room. Weird. My eyes snagged on the lacy, white curtains that covered a wide window behind it and the floral wallpaper that was faded and peeling. A weathered looking rocking chair sat in one corner, and there was a giant bed on the opposite side with a little cradle next to it. On the shelves beside the bed, creepy glass dolls and tattered stuffed animals stared back at me.
What the… a child’s room? It looked like a freaking scene from a horror film. I rose to my feet and shot toward the door.
Pain speared up my leg. I was caught on something. Turning, I found myself chained to the ground with a metal ring around my ankle.
Fear filled me.
“Hello? Where am I?” I shouted.
Where did the voices come from? Was I going crazy?
“What do you want? Where are you?” My voice bounced back to me.
A cold settled in my bones. I tried to ignore the eerie feeling creeping over me. Sucking in a breath, I steeled myself.
Think. Think. There has to be a way out of this.
No bright ideas came to mind, but I wasn’t going to let fear take hold. At least not completely. I needed to keep a level head and play this smart.
“Are you going to just keep me here? They’re coming for me you know. The GRIMM are coming.”
Still no response. Anger burned inside me. All that trouble and violence just to leave me chained in some crap hole? The fiery images of the club flashed in my mind, making my chest tighten. What if the wolves didn’t get out? What if the GRIMM didn’t come in time?
What if Javi and the others were… dead?
I pushed away the dark thoughts and let my anger roll through me. If the witches hurt my friends, not even the chains would stop me. I’d find a way to make them pay for all they’d done.
The door opened.
It was the guy who’d brought me. I glared at him. I still owed him for the strike he’d given me. My fists clenched at the memory.
He sto
pped before me, just out of reach. “Prepare yourself.”
“For what?”
“To meet your supreme.”
That word I knew from my nearly failed witch class. Supreme meant head witch—the boss.
My lip curled. “I don’t have a supreme.”
He raised his hand toward me, face unmoved. My stomach knotted in fear. What was he going to do to me? Could he compel me? I’d been controlled before and the idea of being a slave once more to someone else made me nauseous.
“You have little affinity for magic.” He finally spoke, lowering his hand.
I blinked at him. “What?”
“Magic. You don’t have skill with magic.”
“I never said I did. So, can you let me go now?”
He frowned. “Your blood is weak, but it still belongs to the coven.”
Like hell it did.
“You can tell the coven to suck it. I don’t want anything to do with you witches.”
The door burst open again. I lowered into a defensive stance, difficult to do with one leg chained to the ground. My heart pounded against my ribs. Were they all coming now? The whole coven?
With their magic and me weaponless, I didn’t stand a chance against them. My throat turned dry. A group of them sauntered in. My eyes scanned them. Six. Six of them, all with some type of conduit. Power and danger emanated from them and it was all I could do to keep myself rooted and not curl into myself like a coward.
One woman led the pack. My eyes bulged. The woman from the picture. Her harsh face looked unchanged from the image, but how was that possible? Did witches live insanely long lives?
Instead of the old-timey dress, she wore tight, black pants and a black shirt that made her look more like an assassin or spy than a witch.
Her dark eyes fell on me. A smile lit her face.
“Supreme,” the guy witch gushed.
I braced myself as she walked toward me. My fingers curled, wishing I had my sword or that I could actually do magic.
“We’ve been waiting for you.” When she spoke, her voice sounded older than she looked.
The others smiled as if she’d said something clever. I snorted. Isn’t that what every villain said in all the books and movies? If the situation wasn’t so real and serious, I could almost find it funny.
I glared at her. “What do you want with me?”
“You’re one of us.”
“I’m not a witch. I can’t even do magic. Just ask your creepy friend here.”
She laughed. The harsh sound echoing in the room. Chills crawled over me. Crazy witch.
“It’s not you, we want. It’s your blood. The blood that was promised to us by your mother.”
I shrank back. My blood? I doubted it meant a simple prick of my finger. No. Not if they’d gone to such lengths to find me and capture me.
Pushing back my fear, I held her gaze. “Yeah, about that. She made a mistake. Meant to sign me up for girl scouts instead. Sorry.”
Her thin eyebrow arched. “She made several mistakes.”
I paused, her words striking me. What was she talking about?
“What do you want with my blood? I thought only vampires collected blood.”
“We have big plans, Rosita. Big plans.”
Hearing my name on her lips filled me with dread. Their eyes devoured me as if I was, the juiciest piece of steak on the table. My throat turned dry. I was completely on my own, caught in their net now, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
My body thrummed, ready to go into attack mode. If I was going to die anyway, I had to at least fight back, right?
“Do you like the room?” Her question caught me off guard.
I blinked at her. What the hell was she talking about now?
Her lips curved into a feline smile. “It’s where all the mothers give birth. Except yours. I guess it wasn’t good enough for dear Rosa.”
A lick of anger curled in my chest. I didn’t respond. She was baiting me, and I was not about to give her the satisfaction of an answer.
“Well, I can’t blame her. The vineyard was a much better choice.”
My chest tightened.
“You were such a beautiful baby, Rosita. Ugly crier, but when you slept—”
“What is this? Some kind of mental game? You think I’m going to believe that you were there? My mom kept you psychos away.”
The witch laughed. “She tried. But like you said, she made mistakes.”
Her words rang in my ears. I couldn’t breathe. My head spun, and a tremor ran up my back. I thought I was done with the revelations. Thought my life was starting to make sense, but now?
“What do you want with me?” I cringed at my voice.
I sounded beaten and weak. Defeated.
She smiled. “I told you. I need your blood. We’ve been waiting a long time for it, and now we’re ready.”
“What are you going to do?”
Ignoring me, she turned to the others. “Leave her in here for the night. We’ll move her with the others when it’s time.”
Others? The shifters and vampires?
They started to walk away.
“Wait.”
The woman paused.
“My friends. The wolves and the GRIMMs. Are they okay?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “How should I know?”
With that, they strode out. The door slammed and clicked behind them. Hot, angry tears welled in my eyes.
“Bitch!” I called after her.
Not that she cared, but it felt a little better to get it off my chest. I paced the room, as much as I was able to with the metal digging into my ankle. They’d taken my boots and left me in the club dress. The flames flickered as I stirred the air with my movement. A strong waxy scent mixed with something medicinal filled my nose, making my throat itch.
It was their birthing room, she’d said. Suddenly the giant tub in the room made more sense. I backed away from it, stomach churning. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop envisioning the horrors of what had no doubtedly taken place there. Did they perform the blood oath right then and there before the babies came?
The coldness of the wooden floor seeped into my skin, but the candles gave off their warmth. Their supreme ordered me to stay for the night. A whole night in that freaky room. The thought made me want to rip my hair out.
“I hope you’re happy wherever you are, Mom.” My words bounced off the walls.
“This is all your fault.”
Silence enveloped me once more. I edged around the tub, trying to get closer to the window. My chain wouldn’t let me get halfway. I had no idea where we were. Were we even in the same state? Same country?
Same world?
That thought made me shudder. I couldn’t freak out now. Replaying my mom’s letter, I tried stupidly, to see if there was something I’d missed.
I found Los Reyes. Their faces flashed in my mind, making my chest tighten. They couldn’t help me find the wizard. Cleo couldn’t find the wizard either. Another shudder ran through me as I envisioned her black eyes and slit throat.
Anyone who tried to help me now would only be a target for the coven. I sighed and slumped down on the cold ground. I was alone, and I didn’t have my sword or my conduit.
Javi’s words came back to me. Being a GRIMM, meant I did have a connection to magic, same as the witches. He’d warned me to be careful to not accidentally perform a spell. Could I even do one if I tried? Hope flared inside me.
Now, if I could just get my hand on a conduit. I glanced at the metal around my ankle. Was it enchanted? Could it work?
If there was any chance of me escaping, this was it. I had to try. My mind raced, pulling up useless information I’d memorized from school. Magically drying my clothes or finding a specific book from a shelf was not going to help me unlock the chain.
Feeling stupid, I placed a hand on the metal ring and shouted chant after chant, all the words I could remember, but was pretty sure I wasn’t pronouncing c
orrectly.
When nothing happened, I wasn’t surprised. My shoulders slumped.
A loud pop sounded from the other side of the room, making me jump. I crouched, ready to defend myself. Two figures appeared.
They turned, eyes widening on me.
“Javi! Grayson!”
Relief flooded me as they rushed toward me. I struggled to my feet, wincing as the metal pinched my skin.
Javi made it to me first. “Are you okay?” His brow was furrowed in worry.
Grayson lifted his hand and chanted. “Rose?”
The chain fell to the floor. My cheeks flushed. It literally took him one try.
“What did they do to you?” Javi’s voice snapped me to attention.
“I’m okay.”
“Let’s get you out of here,” Grayson urged.
He grabbed my arm. I sagged against him and nodded. He tensed but didn’t move away. My cheeks flamed at his reaction. We were trapped in the hideout of the Luna Negra, barely escaped with our lives and yet there I was blushing like an idiot and he was back to hating me.
Before we could step forward, the portal closed.
A stream of curses came from Javi, and Grayson’s jaw clenched.
My heart sank.
Our only way out and it was gone.
“It’s going to take time for that portal to be operable again and by then…”
“It will be too late. They’ll seal it off,” Javi finished for him.
I stood between them, staring at the empty spot. “What do we do?”
“We get out of here,” Grayson answered.
His face was full of determination and confidence. A confidence I couldn’t understand. He was a GRIMM through and through, just like Javi.
My heart hammered against my ribs. Could I ever be one of them?
13
I looked to them. “Do you know where we are?”
Javi shook his head. “No, but let’s find out.”
I turned to Grayson. “Where are Brady and Shiloh? Are they okay?”
He stiffened. “I didn’t have time… I don’t know. We jumped into the portal right after you. If we’d waited. It would have been too late.”
