by R L Medina
The next day was dreary and gray. On lockdown at the school, I decided to spend the day in the training facility with Professor Cassiano. If I was going to see more action, I needed all the skills I could muster.
When I arrived there, the professor just blinked at me. Though I felt as if I’d proven myself, he still watched me with his wary eyes. Soul searching eyes that always seemed to be weighing and judging me.
His eyebrows knitted together. “You’ve gotten sloppy with your footwork.”
I scoffed. “It’s not like I had time to practice while I was running for my life.”
“Hardly an excuse, Miss Vasquez. When one finds themselves in a high-risk situation, that is when one finds if their training has been sufficient.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “Well, I guess mine clearly wasn’t.”
He clicked his tongue and shook his head as if I said the wrong thing. I’d forgotten how annoying he was.
“Did you forget everything I taught you?”
“No.”
His eyes bore into mine. “Well, I should hope not. I am a highly sought-after mentor and I don’t take on just any student.”
“Why did you take me then?” I bit back the rest of the snarky comments that came to mind.
“I wanted to see if you were anything like your mother. She had great promise.”
My mouth dropped. What? All the time we’d spent sparring and running drill after drill, and he’d known who I was? Who I really was?
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” I glared at him.
He sniffed. “Why didn’t you?”
“You know why I couldn’t. The GRIMMs hated her.”
A sad smile spread on his face. “No, Miss Vasquez. They loved her. Spoiled her. Indulged her.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, loved her so much they erased her very existence from here.”
“It was the only choice we were left with.”
I sucked in a breath. “You? You were the one who did it?”
“Me and some others.”
“Did you know the whole time? Who I was?”
“Yes. Unlike the others, my memories remained untouched.”
“But they remember her too.”
He shook his head, “They remember her existence and what she did, but they don’t remember her. Who she was to them. I do.”
My heart twisted. “Who was she to you?”
“My mentee. My most promising student.” He smiled wistfully. “You could never hope to have the same skill with a blade that she did. Everything she did was so connected to magic. She could have been the next greatest wizard.”
His words rattled me. Wizard. Did he know something about the wizard from her letter?
“So, why did she join the coven instead?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she thought they were the only ones who could help her delve into the most forbidden magic, hone her craft.”
I sighed in relief. He didn’t know about the werewolf. No one did and no one could. I couldn’t even tell Javi.
Mistaking my sour look, Professor Cassiano sighed. “You’re worried about your friend? Mister Chapman?”
Pain pinched me. Grayson.
Taking my silence as an answer, Professor Cassiano nodded and folded his hands in front of himself. “You believe he’s dead?”
My eyes shot to him. “No. Don’t say that. He’s not.”
“We all have to die some time, Miss Vasquez.”
Heat spread up my neck. “He’s not dead.”
He gave me a thoughtful hmm. “You are holding onto the hope he’s still alive. That you can still save him. What if you can’t?”
My fists curled. What the hell was he trying to do? Get me to admit Grayson was gone, and it was my fault?
“I will save him.”
A small, pitying smile spread on his face. Anger burned within me. I wanted to wipe the look right off his arrogant, uncaring face.
“I’m not just going to give up on him. I don’t care what you or any of the others think.”
He cocked his head to the side as if I was the most interesting specimen. His superiority fueled my anger. I pushed the emotions away and steeled myself.
“Do you know anything about a wizard?”
He blinked. “Wizard?”
I nodded. “My mom left a note before she… died. The wolves were supposed to help, but none of them remembered a wizard.”
Professor Cassiano gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Los Reyes? What do they have to do with a wizard?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged.
His eyes followed me. Not believing me or did he know something?
“They couldn’t help you?”
I shook my head no and met his gaze. “Do you know anything about wizards?
“There hasn’t been a wizard in years. Whoever gave you that information was mistaken.”
His voice hardened, a glint of steel in his blue eyes. My mouth dropped at his harshness. It was a simple question so why was he acting so weird about it?
Before I could press the matter, he dismissed me, and I couldn’t get another word out of him. I spent the rest of the day in and out classes, trying my best to ignore the stares and whispers. I hadn’t exactly been miss popular before, and now that the truth was out, the other students openly hated me. None more than Javi’s old friends.
I stuck with Shiloh and Javi as best as I could, but it was hard to be the third wheel, especially when my mind was still on Grayson. Brady didn’t show up for classes, having given up completely. He avoided Shiloh’s calls, and me, the coward that I was, couldn’t find the strength to face him.
If Grayson was dead, like he believed, it was my fault. Why would he want to see me?
The first day back was over quicker than I expected, and I was grateful. When Shiloh tried to coax me to go out with her and Javi, I was adamant to stay.
Nodding in understanding and promising to be back soon, she left. I ate dinner alone in silence and poured over the latest textbooks I’d found on shadow magic, hoping for a clue.
Before long I was drifting in and out of sleep, but the grief was still there. The sorrow I’d been carrying since Papi’s death had grown since Grayson.
“Rose,” a familiar voice called from far away.
I blinked and sat up, head spinning. The books were spread out before me and moonlight shining in through the window.
“Rose. It’s me.”
A figure stood in the middle of the room. My heart twisted at the sight.
“Grayson.” I shot to my feet.
He smiled. Was this real? I pinched myself and winced in pain.
“Grayson!” I threw my arms around him, only to find empty air.
His form wavered and floated out of reach. An icy rush of fear filled me.
“Grayson. What happened to you?”
Don’t say you’re dead.
His smile faltered. Dread struck me cold.
“No, I’m not dead. I’m just not here with you. Physically.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m casting. My subconscious into yours. It’s called dream walking.”
“So, you’re okay then?”
He nodded.
Relief flooded me. A strangled sob escaped me. “But why didn’t you come sooner?”
His face was stricken. “I couldn’t find you. I’ve been looking. Trying to make my way to you.”
I sucked in a breath and wiped furiously at the tears. “Where are you?”
“I don’t know. I can’t get back to my body. I think… I think I’m injured. Maybe with the coven?”
My fists curled. “We’re going to find you. We’re going to get you back, Grayson. Let me get Javi and the others.”
“No, wait, Rose.”
I paused.
“Don’t worry about me right now. If I’m in here, the witches can’t block our communication. This is the perfect opportunity for me to be a spy. I just have to find my way back to my
body.”
My eyes widened. “What? No! If they find you, they’ll kill you, Grayson.”
“No. They won’t. I’m… valuable to them.”
“What?”
His eyes darted away and back to me. “I’m the first GRIMM to be successfully programmed.”
I gaped at him.
He sighed and reached out for my hand. It hovered on top of mine, but I couldn’t feel anything.
“You remember how I told you I had a conduit when we were trying to get out?”
A bitter taste filled my mouth. “Of course, I remember. You… tricked me into thinking we were both getting out of there.”
He winced. “It was the only way to make you go.”
I blinked back the tears, not wanting to remember the scene. He was alive. That’s all that mattered.
“Well, it’s true. I do have a conduit. It’s chipped inside of me.”
Nausea rolled in my gut. “What do you mean chipped inside of you?”
“The GRIMMs have tried for years to invent something that we could use to do magic without carrying a conduit. Something that would make it harder for the extraordinaire to overpower us. None of the other test subjects… something always went wrong. The chips would burst with overuse and…”
“And what, Grayson?”
I held my breath.
“It would kill the GRIMMs. So, they kept trying and when the headmaster found me… I was an ideal candidate.”
Anger pulsed through me. Ideal candidate? Is that why the man had brought Grayson to the academy? My stomach churned. Is this the kind of work Grayson was doing for him? Being their freaking guinea pig?
“So far, it’s worked. I’ve been able to adapt with the chip, but I still have to take things slowly.”
My eyes met his. Slowly? Since I’d met him, he’d been fighting off monster after monster. A numbness spread through me.
“The shadow magic? Is that what it is?”
He nodded. “Yes. One of the few types of magic that works best with the chip.”
“But what do the witches want with you?”
Grayson traced his finger along my face, but I couldn’t feel it. Pain grew in my chest. Would I ever get to feel him again?
“I don’t know. I don’t even know if I’m there with them. All I know is there’s some powerful magic around my body, but I can’t tell where it is.”
Chills crawled over me. “What can I do?”
His gaze fell. “There’s nothing you can do, Rose. But now that I’ve found you, I’ll be able to come back. When you’re dreaming.”
I pinched my arm again and winced. “I’m not dreaming. I’m awake.”
He shook his head. “No. You’re not.”
27
“Grayson, you have to get back to your body. Can’t you use your magic to escape?”
“I’m trying.”
“You have to promise you’ll escape. Promise me you’ll make it out.”
A sad smile flickered on his face, the truth in his eyes crushed me.
“You know I can’t promise that, Rose, but I do promise, I’ll do everything I can to survive.”
His thumb rubbed my chin, and I wanted so badly to feel his touch, his warmth, but it never came. Tears filled my eyes. Why could I feel my own pinches and not his touch?
“Rose, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you have to be involved in all this.” He took a sharp breath.
“You’re sorry?” A bitter laugh escaped me. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m sorry you were dragged into it. I never meant for anyone to get hurt.”
“We’re GRIMM. This is the kind of stuff we signed up to do.”
My lip curled. “To be chipped and expected to follow orders even if it means risking your life?”
His face fell and immediately I wished I could retract my words. Why had I gone there? Before I could apologize, he was back to business.
“There is a way for you to break the blood promise. I think I’ve found the way.”
I sucked in a breath. My heart skipped, hope lighting within me, but I couldn’t let it grow. I didn’t think I could take another let down, another dead end.
“You have to destroy the coven. Completely. All the witches.”
My hope plummeted. “Destroy all the witches? I don’t even know how many there are.”
Grayson’s forehead furrowed in thought. “It would take time. To track them all down, but not impossible.”
A harsh laugh escaped me. “I don’t have time to go hunting all the witches. I have to find you.”
“I’ll be fine. You have to protect yourself, Rose. The coven will be coming back for you. The GRIMMs could help you. We could find all their safe houses and destroy every single one.”
“Grayson, that’s crazy. What about the vampires and shifters on their side? Would we have to destroy them too?”
Ash’s face and the others came into my mind. Would I have to destroy the other firstborns too? They were Luna Negra. But unlike the others, they were innocent. I shuddered. I couldn’t go back and kill them after they helped me escape.
“What happens if I don’t comply with the blood promise? The coven can’t make me now that I’m free.”
Sorrow flashed in Grayson’s blue-gray eyes. “You’ll never be free if any of them live.”
Hot rage rolled through me. There really was no escaping them. Not unless I wanted to start a freaking war. My heart thumped loudly in my ears. They were the ones who’d started the war, allying with shifters and vampires. That left me with only two choices. Let the witches win or side with the GRIMM and destroy every last member of the coven.
My stomach knotted. Could I do that?
“She got some of my blood already. Maybe it was all she needed.”
“Not enough for the ritual. You healed too quickly.” He frowned. “How did you heal so quickly?”
I met his eyes, heart racing. “I don’t know, but it could be… because I’m one of them. Los Reyes. My mom was pregnant with me before she met… the man who raised me.”
Grayson’s eyes widened. “You… you’re a werewolf?”
His reaction made me pause, and I was struck with the realization that if I were, he wouldn’t be allowed anything to do with me. Not unless he was willing to break the GRIMM law and how could he if they had him chipped?
“No. I didn’t catch the gene.”
He sighed heavily and took my hand. “Who else knows about this? Your uncle?”
I shook my head. “No. The witches know, but not my family.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Good. Don’t tell them.”
I bristled. “They’re my family.”
“It’s not safe. If the GRIMMs find out about you—”
“But I just told you, I don’t have the gene. I’m completely human.”
His finger traced the side of my face, making me flush at the intimate touch.
“Not to them you wouldn’t be. They’d run test after test to make sure there was nothing… different about you. You can’t let anyone know.”
Anger rose inside me. “Javi would never turn me in. I can trust him.”
Grayson brought my face closer, eyes drilling into me. “You can’t risk that. Promise me you won’t tell anyone about it? Not the wolves, not the GRIMMs?”
My heart twisted. How could I not tell Javi? Not wanting to make Grayson worry, I nodded.
He looked at me, expectantly.
“I promise.”
We stared at each other in silence, the heavy weight of our situation filled the air. I reached out for him, tears burning my eyes as my touch went right through him.
His form wavered. “Rose. You’re starting to wake up. When you do, I’ll be gone.”
“No. Grayson. Don’t go.” I cringed, hating the desperation in my voice.
“Be careful, Rose.”
With that he disappeared, ripping a hole in my heart. What if he got caught, and that was the last time, I would see him? What if I was too late to sav
e him?
My chest tightened, my skin crawling as I remembered our conversation. Letting the tears spill, I tucked my knees up and rested my eyes. Just for a moment. One moment of weakness then I would have to pull myself up and figure out my next step.
I refused to abandon Grayson to the coven. He’d proven his loyalty to me over and over, and it was time for me to do the same.
Thoughts jumbled together and my emotions barreled through me as I digested his words.
Kill the coven. Kill the witches. Could I do it?
When Shiloh and Javi returned, I told them everything. Everything except the chip and me being related to werewolves. We tried to call Brady but had to leave a message instead. After seeing Grayson, my spirits were lifted, and my brain went into planning mode. I didn’t sleep the rest of the night.
The next day, I zoned out as I went from class to class. Questions raced in my mind and excitement filled me. Grayson was alive and I could see him once I fell asleep. When Cassiano made a big show of returning my mom’s sword to me, claiming it had been checked for hexes or curses, I barely noticed. I didn’t even notice the taunts and sneers of the other students or the cruel words they hurled at me. As if being pledged to the coven had been my choice.
By the time classes were over for the day, I was ready for bed. Ready to see Grayson again. Tía summoned Javi and me home for family dinner and I was too caught up in the questions I wanted to ask Grayson that I barely ate.
Did he know where his body was? Where we should look? Could the GRIMMs help find him? Besides my friends and Javi, I didn’t tell anyone else because I was afraid what it would mean for Grayson.
They chipped him, but they didn’t own him. I wouldn’t let them use him as some kind of weapon.
Though fear filled me at the thought of the headmaster getting his clutches on him once more. They said they were searching. What if they found Grayson before I did?
“Are you not hungry?” Tía’s voice broke my thoughts.
I glanced at her and the others. Tío was tied up at school. Apparently, they still hadn’t determined if he should step down from council. Though he’d broken the law, he had many supporters and friends on the council.
“Rose?” Tía called again.
Javi and the twins blinked at me. I saw the questioning look in their eyes. What was wrong with me?
