by R L Medina
Swallowing my feelings, I strode up to the others.
I stopped in front of James. “Why did you come back? Why are you here?”
His eyes flickered over me. “Jimena caught everyone. Everyone who escaped, except me.”
Everyone. His words chilled me. All those young witches?
“Where did they take them? We can still save them again.”
A harsh laugh escaped him. “Save them? They’re dead. Drained just like Ash.” His voice tightened.
I flinched. The memory of the poor witch flashed in my mind. Anger and disgust rose inside me. We’d tried to save them, but they’d been recaptured and killed, anyway.
“But they didn’t get you. Or me. So, they couldn’t complete the ritual then.”
He gave me a flat look. “Wrong again, sherlock.”
I glared at him. “But they needed all of our blood.”
“And they got it. They just didn’t get all of yours and mine, but they got enough to complete the ritual.”
“Do you mean, they never needed all of our blood in the first place? That… that they didn’t have to completely drain the others and Ash?”
“My God, are you stupid,” he muttered.
“Hey.” Javi stepped between us. “Show her some respect or—”
“Or what? You’ll beat me up, GRIMM?” James sneered.
Shiloh shot a look at Brady, who seemed to be enjoying the scene play out. I frowned at him.
Noticing our stares, he sighed and pulled James to the side. “Let’s all take a step back. Breathe. In. Out.” He motioned for us to follow.
I huffed.
“What James means to say here is that the ritual is done. Over. We were too late to stop it,” Brady drawled.
My heart sank. “But does that mean…”
“Yes. The supreme is all juiced up on young witch blood and has now become the wickedest witch of them all.”
“But she doesn’t need Rose anymore then? She’s free from the blood promise?” Javi asked.
James snorted. “Don’t any of you know how a blood promise works? All of our blood belongs to the coven whether it’s still inside our body or not. A promise made in blood—”
“Yeah, I know. I don’t need you to spell it out for me, James,” I snapped.
He sneered. “Apparently you do.”
“Enough. None of this bickering is going to get us anywhere. Just tell us everything you know so we can plan our next step,” Shiloh spoke up.
“I think I can help with that.” Michael’s voice made me jump.
We all turned to him. He was back in human form, his eyes meeting mine.
“The wizard?” I asked.
He nodded. “Now is the time to go. If you don’t want the GRIMM following.”
I glanced at Javi and Shiloh. They gave me reassuring nods. Brady and James exchanged a look I couldn’t decipher.
“We have to be careful though. My informant… is dangerous. Crafty.”
“In other words, not human, right?” Javi asked.
Ignoring his question, Michael looked to all of us. “This was only a rumor I picked up on. I don’t know if it’s true. I can’t guarantee this will lead anywhere. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
“I know. But we have to try,” I answered.
The GRIMM and Los Reyes could deal with the cleanup. Grayson needed me. Waiting for the others to pack up last supplies, I watched the front door nervously. Hoping Tío and the others had forgotten about us.
It was nearly nighttime and once they were done dealing with the recent attack, they’d be looking for us.
“How are we going to get past all the GRIMM?” I asked as the others gathered by the door.
“Cloaking spell?” Javi offered.
“That could work if none of them are paying close enough attention,” Shiloh added, turning to Michael. “You could drive us in your car, and they’ll just assume it’s just you running an errand for your alpha.”
“All of us in a car? That’s a bit tight don’t you think?” Brady’s nose wrinkled.
Michael grinned. “I’ll take the catering van.”
I gaped at him. “You guys have a catering van?”
“Let’s go before they start looking for us,” Javi interrupted.
Following the others, I let them place the spell on me, feeling strange as it tickled my skin.
“It’s a cloaking spell for sight only. So, keep your mouth shut and don’t make a noise,” James snapped at me.
“She knows that, asshole,” Javi answered for me.
I didn’t, but I appreciated his support.
“Kids. Kids. Let’s keep it civil, huh?” Brady drawled.
Michael blinked at us, unable to see us through the cloak. Though I could see him and the worried look on his face.
“Is Rafael okay with you taking us?” I asked him.
He turned to the sound of my voice. “I didn’t ask. I’ll fill him in later.”
I blew out my breath. “Bold move.”
Michael shrugged and led us outside. We followed him and filed into the van as he discretely opened the back door for us.
I moved toward the only window on the back door as we started to roll. My eyes scanned the crowded streets. GRIMM were everywhere.
As we drove slow through the crowd, I glimpsed Rafael heading our way, looking pissed. Miss Weatherstone followed, mouth moving as if they had been in deep conversation. She turned, her eyes looking straight at me.
I yelped and ducked.
“What?” Javi demanded.
“I think Miss Weatherstone saw me,” I flushed.
James grunted.
“Well, it’s too late now. We’ll be in LA before they can send someone after us,” Javi assured me.
It was well past our curfew by the time we made it through the traffic to get to the city. Michael—trying to make up for lost time—parked on a side street, and let us out to walk the rest of the way.
I sighed, taking in the city nightlife. Cars whizzed by and people passed us. I was struck at the normality of it all. They weren’t aware a crazy coven of witches had declared war. That their city was under attack by supernatural monsters.
A twinge of jealousy filled me. Tourists and locals alike, they only saw the one side of LA with its eclectic shops and graffitied alleys. I watched a group of people not much older than us sitting outside a vegan coffee shop, laughing, and eating under the twinkling lights—being normal.
And there we were. I glanced at the others. GRIMM. Witch. Werewolf. On our way to see a fairy about a wizard. It was like the start of a bad joke. But it wasn’t a joke. It was my messed up, freaky new reality.
“What I’d give to be one of them right now,” I muttered.
Javi frowned. “Why?”
Irritation filled me. “Haven’t you ever wanted a normal life, Javi? Like ever?”
His brow furrowed. “Who would want that? Even they don’t want that, Rose. Why do you think they spend so much time looking for ways to escape their ‘normal’?”
I grunted. In a way, he was right. They thought they wanted what we had—a life hunting monsters, but it was easy to idealize something you thought was only fantasy. Nobody but us understood the reality of it.
The danger. The burden. The fear.
I stared up at the old, rusted sign. Fairy’s Nook—Potions, Poison, and More.
“This? Are you kidding me? Isn’t that like the most obvious hiding place?”
We stepped into the little shop and a strange, pungent smell hit me. I covered my nose, fighting the urge to gag.
“What is that?” Javi was the first to speak.
“It’s my dinner,” a soft voice answered.
We turned to find a spikey haired girl. She didn’t look much older than us and she looked like she had just come from a rock concert concert.
Her brown eyes flashed to black pools and her smile revealed rows of sharp teeth. I stumbled back as the glamour disappeared.
/>
She wasn’t a girl at all. It was the fairy-elf. Michael’s informant. My suspicions rose as she smiled at me.
I fought the urge to shudder. Whoever had started the idea that fairies were cute had been dead wrong. They were terrifying.
“What can I do for you guys?” She smacked her gums loudly.
“We’re looking for Princess Maloret.” Michael spoke up first.
She eyed him with interest. “I don’t like to use that name here, wolf boy.” She winked at us, “Too conspicuous. Call me Mal. Or hmmm. How about Our Esteemed Lady of Midnight? Too much?”
“We’ll call you whatever you want. Please, we need your help.” I broke in, not wanting to go down a rabbit trail.
Her gaze slid to me. “I remember you. The baby witch. Where’s your boy toy? The one with the shadow magic?” She scanned the others.
“Shadow magic?” Javi asked.
My skin flushed. “That’s why we’ve come. He’s been captured. By a wizard and we need your help to find him.”
She sighed. “It’s always we need, we need. Help us. Us poor unfortunate beasts. What about what I need? Does anyone ever ask me that?”
I gaped at her and glanced at the others, unsure if we were supposed to answer.
“No. They don’t,” she answered for herself and started turning away.
Was she leaving? My stomach dropped. No. She was our only chance.
“Please. Wait. What do you need?”
The fairy turned slowly and smiled, her sharp teeth making me nervous.
“Ash,” she called.
James sucked in a breath behind me. I stared at her in confusion. What was she talking about?
“Come out here, Ash.” she called again.
My heart leapt into my throat as a familiar figure shuffled out of the room. James ran to her first, words flying so fast, I couldn’t make them out.
The air left my lungs. Was this for real? Ash? How? An image of her lying broken and drained on the stone floor flashed in my mind. She was dead—I saw her with my own eyes, yet there she was standing. Breathing. Alive.
The fairy smiled as if reading my thoughts. Hell, for all I knew, she could read them.
“A fairy’s deal is not broken lightly.”
“What is going on?” Michael frowned in confusion. I couldn’t answer him. I was still in shock.
I gaped at Ash. A whimper escaped her, and her pupils were dilated. Dread coiled in my gut. Something was off. This wasn’t the same Ash I remembered.
14
“What did you do to her?” I glared at the dark fairy.
She shrugged a thin shoulder. “Brought her back.” She turned to Ash and frowned. “Mostly.”
“What the Hell does that mean?” James demanded.
She chuckled. “Sometimes resurrection doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. Side effects. Like anything.”
Horror filled me. I turned back to Ash. The girl shook her head at me, eyes wide.
“What is it? What’s wrong, Ash?” I took a cautious step toward her. James was by her side, holding her hand.
The fairy clucked her tongue. “She can’t talk, silly.”
I whirled on her. “Why not? What did you do to her?”
She gave me an exaggerated sigh. “Must we go over this again? Your questions are bo-ring.”
Anger burned my chest. “You can’t keep her like this. It’s not humane.”
Laughter erupted from the fairy-elf. “Not humane?” She cackled once more and gave me a mocking look of pity. “I’m not human, sweetie.”
I glared at her. She was the reason the GRIMMs were necessary in the first place. Creatures like her that didn’t operate with things like human decency.
She rolled her creepy black eyes at me. “Humans have done much worse. So, let’s not pretend you’re the innocent ones here.”
My face flushed. “I haven’t hurt anyone.”
“But you will. Just give it time. GRIMM, aren’t you? Little murderer in training. Just like the rest of you.” She giggled, eyes darting to Javi and Shiloh.
Her words struck a nerve. The images of the shifters flashed in my mind. I had wanted to kill them before. I pushed them away, not wanting to think about them. The world was much grayer, and lines more blurred than I’d ever thought.
“Why did you bring her back?” I changed the subject.
The fairy ran her hand over Ash’s hair and smiled at me. “We had a deal. Did you think a silly little thing like dying would break it?”
Ash shook her head again and pity filled me. I wracked my brain trying to come up with a way to help her.
“What can… Is there any way to release her from your deal?”
Black eyes narrowed at me and the smile that spread on her face was one hundred percent wicked.
“You wish to take her place?”
I cringed. No. I couldn’t. There was still so much left to do, and I couldn’t bring myself to become slave to the fairy. But if she had Grayson, it could be my way to get to him.
“No. She’s not.” Javi spoke for me.
“But there has to be another way. Isn’t there something we can give you?” Shiloh asked.
She gave me a thoughtful look and glanced at Ash. “Your first born?”
Her words chilled me. What did she even want with a human child? If I never had kids would that free me or would she only find something else to take from me?
“No. Something else.” Horror echoed in Shiloh’s voice.
Michael stepped between us, fists clenched by his sides. “Listen, Fairy. I—”
“Mal,” she corrected the wolf.
“Sorry, Mal. We were told you knew where to find the wizard. Can you help us or are we wasting our time?”
She clucked her tongue at him. “Which wizard? I know many.”
“We don’t have a name. I just—”
Her hand shot up, cutting me off. “Just expected me to do all the work, right?”
She gave an exaggerated sigh, “I swear every generation of humans gets lazier and lazier. Stupider too.”
“Yes. We get it. We’re stupid and lazy.”
Her grin widened. “You forgot smelly too. Humans smell like death.” She said it as if it was a known fact.
“Now, did you come here for the witch or for the wizard?”
I met Ash’s haunted eyes. She shook her head no, emphatically telling me not to worry about her or desperately trying to get us to save her?
Guilt pricked at me. Grayson needed us.
“Choose one. I don’t have all day,” she snapped.
I looked to the others. Their faces appeared as horrified as I felt. It felt like a trap. Was she counting on us to choose Ash over Grayson? Did that mean she did have him?
“Wizard. We want the wizard’s location.” Brady broke the silence.
James scowled at him, but Brady didn’t look at him. Instead, he stared the fairy straight on.
Her eyes narrowed. “My help doesn’t come for free, sweetie.”
Brady met her cold smile with one of his own. “Name your price.”
She giggled. “Ooh I like this one.” Her eyes darted to me, her finger lifting in my direction.
“I want the boy when you find him.”
My fist clenched. “No.”
She pouted. “You must be really fun at parties. Where is your sense of wonder and adventure?”
I glared at her. “You caught me in a bad year.”
An inelegant snort escaped her. “I don’t want to keep him, dearie. I want to help him. Shadow magic is very tricky and well, I am the Princess of the Shadow Court,” she drawled.
“He’s not going anywhere with you.”
She sighed. “You can come too if you like. Keep an eye on him. I just want him to come my court for a little visit. That’s the deal. One day. That’s it.”
“No. Don’t do it, Rose.” Javi gripped his sword, eyeing the fairy with suspicion.
“Then no deal.” She shrugged and tur
ned away.
“Wait! Yes. One day. We will visit your court.” I rushed to agree.
“See that wasn’t so hard. Now, here you go.” She twirled to face me and waved a hand in the air.
Dark, smoke like tendrils wafted off her fingers. Noticing my stare, she smiled. “Shadow magic.”
Her words startled me. I remembered the last time I was with Grayson before the fire. She had sensed his magic. His affinity—shadow magic.
What did it mean?
The smoke vanished, revealing a rusty looking weathervane with a cartoonish looking wizard etched into the metal.
Javi grabbed it and turned it over. “How do we know this will work?”
Ignoring him, the fairy looked to me. “You’ll want something to hold the wizard too, won’t you?”
I blinked at her.
She let out a heavy sigh. “Don’t they teach you GRIMM anything anymore? I swear, every new recruit is stupider than the last.”
My face flamed at her insult. “Just tell me what you have.”
“Finding a wizard is one thing, but you need something to trap it. Hold it and keep it from casting. At least to give yourself enough time to torture it.”
Nausea rolled in my gut at her words. “I don’t want to torture anyone. I just have questions.”
She giggled. “Okay, GRIMM. Here.”
The smoke appeared once more and disappeared, revealing an old tin can. Was it a trick? How would a simple metal tin hold a wizard’s power?
“Looks can be deceiving, no?” She twirled the small object in the air and floated toward me.
“And the vampire queen?” Javi asked as I grabbed the can.
The fairy looked to him. “What about her?”
My cousin, clearly not willing to back down, gripped his sword. “You’re being hunted, and they have charges against you for your involvement in Queen Damaris’ disappearance. We should take you in right now,” Javi insisted.
Her eyes slid to him. Her giggles turned into harsh laughter. She pretended to wipe her eyes.
“Yes, I’ve been a very naughty fairy. Take me in. I’d love to see you try, darling.”
Javi’s face reddened. “You’re a wanted criminal.”
