by R L Medina
“Thanks.”
Her support warmed me, though the words brough back memories I didn’t want to relive. If I hadn’t been able to heal so quickly with Ash’s temporary spelled metal, would I have bled all the way out on that stone altar? The young witch’s broken body and blank eyes flashed in my mind. My chest tightened. Neither her nor Jesse had been recovered from the fire, and I hated thinking about them. They didn’t deserve such a horrific end.
“Rose?” Shiloh’s voice broke my thoughts.
Her eyes roamed over me with concern. “You okay? You want to take lunch outside? I can text Javi.”
I glanced around the noisy room and nodded. “Sure.”
Without Brady, it was just us three. Not everyone at the school was a douche bag, but I was happy with our little crew and not interested in adding anyone else. I just wanted Grayson back. Brady too.
We put in a quick order, including something for Javi and took our food outside. Javi met us at the park with a nod for me and a dramatic hug and kiss for Shiloh.
“Is that really necessary? You just saw each other this morning.”
Javi grinned and tore the lunch bag from my grip. “Of course, it’s necessary. What did you get me?”
Seeing them together was still weird for me. I was happy for them but watching their romance bud just made me all the more aware of missing Grayson. What was happening to him? Was he okay?
“Thanks,” Javi mumbled with a mouthful of sandwich, startling me out of my thoughts.
We sat down at an empty picnic table and spread out our lunch. I barely had time to dig into my sandwich before Shiloh brought up the subject of Brady again.
She tossed her long, dark hair over one shoulder and looked from me to Javi. “Rose and I are going to pay a visit to Brady.”
Javi’s eyebrow arched. “Brady? So, you heard from him finally?”
Shiloh frowned. “No. That’s why I’m so worried. No one has heard from him.”
“We’re going go to his mansion to get some answers. I’m sure he’s okay. He probably just needs his space.” I tried to offer my reassurance.
My cousin gave me an incredulous look. “You want to go back to the headmaster’s island?”
I shrugged. “If we have to.”
He blew out his breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “Why do I have a bad feeling this isn’t going to go well for us?”
Shiloh patted his arm. “I thought you said you were up for anything?”
His eyes slid to her. “That was a different context.”
I opened my mouth to question him but decided I didn’t want to know.
Shiloh folded her arms across her chest and frowned at him. “This is important, Javi.”
He sighed and glanced at me. “Okay. Okay. I’m in. You know I’m in, but when we get in trouble…”
“When are we not in trouble these days?” I scoffed.
He smirked at me. “You more than anyone.”
I finished my soda and slammed the can down on the table. “It’s not my fault trouble always follows me.”
Javi sobered and met my gaze. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Averting my eyes, I shrugged off his concern. There was no use in focusing on all the bad stuff that had happened to me—and there had been a lot of it lately. I was tired of life screwing me over again and again.
I was ready to fight back. Whatever that would mean.
“I don’t want to go to class,” Javi groaned as he checked the time on his phone.
“We could skip and go to the island instead,” I suggested.
“No. That would be too suspicious,” Shiloh, ever the voice of reason, replied.
“When are we going to Brady’s then?” I asked.
“Today. After classes end,” Shiloh answered.
Javi whipped toward her. “I thought we were going out tonight.”
“This is more important, Javi.”
He pursed his lips together but didn’t argue. I stood up to throw away my trash. A painful realization struck me as I watched my cousin and friend together. We were in high school. Going out, complaining about classes, and worrying about exams is what we were supposed to be doing. Not gearing up to face Luna Negra. Not hunting down missing friends.
With a heavy sigh, I grabbed my backpack and followed the others back to the classroom building.
My lessons were the last thing on my mind. Questions played on repeat in my mind. Where was Brady? Where was Grayson? How long until the witches came for me again?
2
Try as I could to pay attention to class, I didn’t retain anything the professors blabbed on and on about. There were still so many things I needed to learn about the GRIMM and the extraordinaire, but my mind was too preoccupied and worried about Grayson and Brady. Not to mention the crazy ass witches who were on the loose planning who knew what horrific thing next.
My eyes burned by the end of my last class. I threw everything into my pack and raced to meet Shiloh and Javi. Somehow, my cousin had been able to secure a boat for us on such short notice and though she didn’t share how, Shiloh had been able to secure us passes off campus.
It was a surprising feat seeing as how strict the academy had become with the recent attacks. We, of all the students, were the biggest targets. I, especially, shouldn’t have been allowed to go anywhere, but I was thankful to escape. Without Grayson and with the witches lying in wait, school life had become even more of a useless drag.
I didn’t care about the tests or grades like the others did. I still wasn’t sure I wanted to be a GRIMM.
“Ready?” Shiloh smiled as I approached.
She pulled away from my cousin’s embrace, face beet red. I stopped short, feeling awkward interrupting whatever, they’d been doing.
“I’m ready.”
Javi led us to the dock outside the school. It was the same one we’d met him and his goons at before the Halloween party.
I glanced at him. “Wait. Whose boat is this? Is it—”
He smirked. “Tyler’s.”
“He’s letting you borrow it?”
His smile widened. “Sure.”
Shiloh adjusted her giant bag on her back and shook her head at Javi. “We aren’t going to get in trouble for this, are we?”
Javi snorted. “Not any more than we will going to the headmaster’s island uninvited.”
I glanced out over the water at the giant mansion in the distance. Would we find Brady there? Or were we just wasting more time when we could be hunting down Grayson?
The sun was beginning to set by the time our little boat made it to the island—hopefully unseen thanks to Shiloh’s shielding spell. Her magic skill was crazy good, and I was a tiny bit jealous of how easy she made it look. I was still stuck trying to master the simple chants so the next time we faced Luna Negra, I could at least get my sword’s protection barrier up.
“Javi, can you get the wards?” Shiloh pointed to the beach.
Even with ‘the sight’ I had a hard time seeing through glamour and you’d think with werewolf ancestry my eyesight would have been better than theirs.
“Got it.”
I watched closely as my cousin’s hands flew and a stream of unintelligible words came pouring out of his mouth. Warm air swirled around us and though I couldn’t be certain, I thought I heard a slight popping sound.
“Thanks.” Shiloh stood and moved to help Javi tie up the boat.
“Anything for you, baby,” my cousin crooned.
I made a face at them, stepping onto the dock last. Shiloh’s cheeks reddened as she adjusted her backpack and followed Javi. Trailing behind them, I took a glance around the coast.
Memories of the Halloween party flashed in my mind. Had that really been only a few weeks ago? It felt more like a different life. Pain flared in my chest as Grayson’s face appeared.
He’d barely known me, but he’d been willing to help me go after Javi in the prison. What if something had happened to him? My stomach turned
at the thought.
No. Happy thoughts. He’s going to be okay.
“Rose?” Javi’s voice brought be back to the present.
I’d fallen behind. They paused at the top of the hill and waited for me. I blinked in surprise at the mansion. Though I’d seen it before, I’d forgotten how impressive it was.
It was even more majestic in the daylight. Sculpted white stone and shiny glass windows. It didn’t look like the home of a school headmaster. It looked more like the freaking white house.
“We’re not supposed to be here.” Javi’s eyes darted across the well-manicured lawn.
Shiloh frowned at him. “We’re not doing anything wrong.”
“But we’re not allowed to be here without permission.”
She scoffed. “Oh, so it’s okay to sneak over here for a party, but now you’re so concerned about the headmaster? Brady needs us, Javi. He’s in trouble.”
Javi winced. “We don’t know that, Shy. He could be just avoiding us. You know how he is sometimes.”
“I’m not leaving here until I see him.”
Sighing, Javi followed as she took the lead. I kept walking, mind getting lost in darker thoughts. What if something had happened to Brady? What if we were too late to save Grayson too?
A pain spread in my chest at the thought of him. I hadn’t seen him again since he’d told me about the wizard, and it worried me. What if the witches had done something to him?
Pushing away the negative scenarios my mind insisted on rehearsing, I walked up the front steps to the beautiful French doors and knocked. Maybe the headmaster would have answers for us.
Javi and Shiloh stood on either side of me.
Footsteps echoed from inside as we waited. I glanced at the others. Would we find guards waiting for us? Or the headmaster himself?
Grayson’s confession replayed in my mind. The GRIMMs had chipped him with a permanent conduit. Like he was some lab rat. The thought made my blood boil. I just knew the headmaster was behind it. Could he be behind other things as well? Was he the mole?
My thoughts were scattered as the door swung open.
A short, golden skinned man stood in the doorway. He looked harmless, but my GRIMM instincts were kicking in.
Not human. Danger.
I squinted, trying to see past his glamour. Why couldn’t I get a good look at him?
“Fairy,” Javi whispered into my ear.
The man’s eyes shot to us. I flushed in embarrassment at my cousin’s big mouth.
Shiloh gave him a tentative smile. “Hello. I have Brady’s homework. Our professor asked us to bring his work here to him.”
She pulled out a stack of papers from her bag. At least one of us had come prepared.
The fairy stared at Shiloh. “You can leave the work with me, thank you. I will ensure it reaches Master Brady.”
Shiloh glanced at me. Like I could change the fairy’s mind.
Javi clicked his tongue and straightened to his full height. “Thanks, but we want to see Brady for ourselves.”
“He’s missed classes and we just want to make sure he’s okay. We’re his friends,” Shiloh was quick to add.
The fairy’s eyes roamed over us. He cleared his throat and sniffed. “I’m afraid seeing him won’t be poss—”
“We’ll make you a deal,” Javi cut in.
My eyes widened at my cousin’s brash words. A deal? He ignored my questioning look and continued watching the fairy. I glanced at Shiloh whose forehead was wrinkled with worry.
The brown-haired man’s lips were pursed, but interest shone in his gaze. “I’m listening.”
A smug smile lit up my cousin’s face. “We’ll give you twenty bucks if you let us in to see Brady.”
The fairy laughed. “I work for Headmaster Rutherford. I don’t need money.”
“What if we help you escape? Be free?” I asked.
His eyes turned to me and narrowed. “I’m not a slave. I could leave any time I wanted.”
He started to shut the door. Shiloh, badass that she was, shoved her sandaled foot in the doorway before he could close it all the way.
“What do you want then?” she asked.
Javi and I exchanged glances. There was no denying that determined gleam in her eyes. She was not giving up so easily.
After an unnervingly long moment of silence, the fairy smiled. Sharp little teeth and ink drop eyes replaced his human glamour. I inhaled too quickly, stumbling back. Seeing the creature beneath the magic in a simulation was one thing but seeing it in the real world was freaky as Hell.
His gaze darted to me, skin stretched unnaturally in that wicked grin. Shiloh and Javi remained unmoved. Is that what they had seen all along?
“That. I want that.” His bony finger pointed to my black medallion.
Javi frowned. “No way. That’s a family heirloom.”
I snorted, drawing my cousin’s attention. He met my eyes and gave me a questioning look.
“I don’t care about this, Javi.”
“But it was Abuela Carmen’s.”
“Yeah, someone who never accepted me as her family. I don’t need it anymore with this new ring, anyway.”
Javi’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. He turned back to the fairy and nodded. “Fine.” His eyes slid to me. “Just hope my dad doesn’t find out about this.”
The fairy snickered. “A promise made in blood cannot be undone.”
My insides turned to ice. Images flashed before me. The stone. The fire. The witches. Jimena and her blade. Grayson. Papi.
Javi’s hand shot out, grabbing the man by his neck. “What did you say?”
The fairy’s eyes widened. His face turned red, and the glamour flickered off and on like a bad movie effect.
Shiloh pulled at my cousin’s arm. “No, Javi! Stop. He doesn’t mean it like that. Let him go.”
He released the man, his body still tense. My throat was dry and hands shaky as I tried to block out the memories of those words.
Coughing, the fairy stumbled back and shook his head. “It’s just a phrase,” he wheezed out.
“Well, I don’t like it. Just… don’t say it again.” Javi’s fist clenched by his side.
Shiloh shot him a disapproving look before apologizing to the fairy. I was still recovering, heat spreading up my neck in embarrassment. Just hearing the words had left me frozen. Useless. What would happen when I faced the witches again?
After composing himself, the fairy fixed his glamour and ushered us into the mansion.
“Wait here,” he instructed.
We stood in the entryway, gaping at the lavish décor. The mansion screamed of wealth and privilege, and it reminded me of a museum or something from Home and Garden: Celebrity Edition. Had it ever felt like a home to Brady? Or Grayson? Being orphaned, he probably spent most of his off-campus time there doing god knew what for the headmaster.
The fairy returned and motioned to us. “You may follow me.”
“Thank you,” Shiloh replied first, remembering her manners.
Javi and I mumbled our gratitude after her.
“Wait.” The fairy paused and turned to me with an outstretched hand.
“The pendant.” He prodded.
I unclasped it and handed it to him. His eyes flashed to their eerie black as he pocketed the jewelry. What he wanted with a conduit, I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t care about it. Hopefully Tío and Tía wouldn’t notice it missing. I doubted they would be happy to learn I’d given away a family heirloom to some extraordinaire.
Following the fairy, we walked up the giant staircase and gawked around as he led us to the second floor which was just as richly decorated as the first floor.
French doors were open, revealing an office bigger than any of our dorms. Expensive portraits and statues filled the room. The fairy man waved us in and disappeared down the hall.
I stepped in first, head still spinning as I took all the décor in. How much did this guy make running the school? Shiloh and Javi
stood by my side, both looking equally flabbergasted.
Headmaster Rutherford sat at his giant desk, hands clasped together as he regarded us. For a brief second, I was reminded of Brady. He had inherited the same lip curl and haughty stare. Something, I guess, was a requirement for all rich boys.
His gaze flitted from Javi to Shiloh before landing on me. A muscle twitched in his cheek, his body unable to hide his obvious disdain for me.
I flashed him my widest smile. “Headmaster Rutherford.”
“What are you children doing here? You do know we are at the brink of war, right? I don’t have time to sit and discuss your petty problems.”
My hackles rose. Petty problems? Asshat. I’d been kidnapped and tortured by Luna Negra and was still being hunted.
Beside me, Javi stiffened. A storm raged in his eyes, but he was much better at suppressing it than I was. The dutiful son. Perfect soldier. He was GRIMM through and through.
Shiloh stepped forward. “We are sorry to bother you, Headmaster, but we’ve come about Brady.”
I watched the exchange, applauding her professionalism. The girl was going places.
“Brady? This is about Brady?” Headmaster Rutherford frowned.
“Yeah. You know Brady—your son?” The snarky words escaped me before I could stop them.
Shiloh shot me a pointed look, the equivalent of her telling me to shut up and let her handle him. I met Javi’s eyes. If anyone could appeal to his gentler nature it would be her. Not Javi and definitely not me. The man never liked me, not from day one and the feeling was mutual.
He gave me a sour look. “I didn’t realize you were acquainted with my son.”
I didn’t miss the disapproval in his tone nor the silent judgment in his eyes.
Before I could say anything else, Shiloh cut in, “Yes. We’re all friends. And we haven’t seen or heard from him. We just want to make sure he’s okay. Can we speak with him please?”
He studied us and sighed as if our concern about his son was bothersome to him. Irritation filled me. Why was he being so difficult about it?
“Where is he? Where is Brady?” Javi finally spoke.
