Origins (The Grimm Cases Book 1)

by Lyla Oweds

  My heart pounded as my mind mentally screamed encouragements. Nothing bad would happen; professors were good people. Besides, I was already growing as a person, just by stepping outside of my comfort zone. I could do this. Just, please Lord, please don’t let him be ugly.

  I caught myself, wondering why the absurd thought even crossed my mind. Him being ugly would only help this confrontation. If only slightly.

  After wiping my sweaty palm on my thigh, I raised my hand to knock. I could do this. With a deep breath, I moved my closed fist toward the door, only to freeze.

  Please don’t laugh at me.

  Closing my eyes, I raised my hand again. Come on, Bianca. Knock.

  My eyes flew open. What if he wasn’t here? What if I’d done this all for nothing?

  My heart thundered, feeling as if it would pound out of my chest.

  Actually, it was unlikely he was here, come to think of it. There was a staff meeting, but Damen was kind of a staff member. And the noise that I heard coming from the office could be audio feedback. He was probably back home since it was a Saturday.

  I’d come back another day.

  I spun around to leave and hadn’t made it three steps before the door opened behind me.

  “Who the devil are you?” a sharp voice demanded. Abrupt and unfriendly, it stopped me in my tracks. It was just my luck that Damen was meaner than I’d expected—and older.

  “Turn around, girl, and talk to me,” the voice demanded. “I haven’t got all day. I’m not allowing any new transfers into my classes, if that’s what you’ve come about.”

  My mind screamed at me to run away, but my body obeyed the man’s stern command. It was too late to hide now. He had seen me and the secretary had my name. There was no escape.

  “Mr…Abernathy?”

  The tall, elderly man narrowed his eyes as he touched his wire-rimmed glasses with a manicured finger. “Damen Abernathy is not here; this is my office. What do you need? I have a consult to attend, so make it snappy.”

  This must be Dr. Stephens, then. But weren’t professors supposed to be kindly?

  “I’m sorry to interrupt…” I pulled at my sleeve as I focused on his brown loafers. “I need to talk to Damen Abernathy for a minute, if that’s at all possible. My name is Bianca Brosnan, and I’m friends with Finn. The secretary told me…”

  “Finn?” Dr. Stephens interrupted me, his voice curious.

  I glanced up. He appeared to be deep in thought.

  “Are we talking about the ‘Finn’ who happens to be Damen’s shithead little brother?”

  I frowned.

  That seemed to be enough of a response for Dr. Stephens, and he continued. “I didn’t know he had any friends. Who the hell would be stupid enough to put up with him?”

  I wasn’t even sure how to respond. I didn’t generally argue with authority, but that wasn’t very nice.

  “You must not be…” He narrowed his eyes, studying me. “Why are you here, again?”

  He forgot already? Perhaps he was senile—he did seem extremely old. “I need to talk to Damen. Do you know where he is?”

  Dr. Stephens waved his hand in the air impatiently. “Yes, I got that much already. But why are you looking for him?”

  I blinked at him—he was very nosy. Perhaps, since he was Damen’s mentor, he was interested in the paranormal too? Maybe he’d understand and might be able to help?

  “Because if you are here to ask him on a date, I’ll have you know that he has no time for games.” Dr. Stephens scrutinized me appraisingly. “You are a very attractive young lady. But before you have your heart broken by the follies of youth, I need to warn you that…”

  “I’m not here to ask him on a date!” I blurted out, horrified that he would think such a thing. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and I stared at a point over his shoulder to avoid looking at him.

  “Then what is it, girl? Hurry it along.” He crossed his arms impatiently. “Out with it. Clearly something is upsetting you.”

  “I’m being haunted!” My skyrocketing anxiety had me blurting out everything in a rush. “I mean, again. I’ve always been able to see things, but now it’s getting worse. No one believes me. I tried to tell Finn…He said that his brother did ghost hunting stuff, so I thought that I could…”

  My words slowed as the reality of what I had just done slammed into me. I hadn’t been thinking, as usual. The fear at what was happening to me had temporarily overshadowed an even darker fear. And the expression on the professor’s face was less than comforting.

  He was staring at me as if I’d grown another head.

  My heart raced as I screamed internally at having told a professor—a psychology professor—my absurd problems.

  I had to make this better before I ended up locked in an asylum.

  “April Fool’s.” I tried to laugh as I waved my hand in the air playfully.

  I had to get out of there. I began to step back, and his expression changed from shock to acute amusement.

  “It’s September,” he deadpanned.

  I nervously laughed as I continued to inch backward, ready to make a run for it. He had to think it was a joke. Hopefully, I would never have a class with him. “Let’s just forget that I was here, all right? Sorry to bother you.”

  “Wait,” he commanded, and I froze. His face was carefully neutral. “Don’t move.” He turned around and walked back into his office.

  I was in agony. I wanted to run, but he was a teacher. He said not to move. He could track me down.

  And now, because of my big mouth, I was going to be institutionalized.

  But if he had called the police, he’d done it quickly, because seconds later he was back.

  “Here.” He handed me a folded piece of paper. “Damen is gone today. But he has a meeting tonight for an outside association of which he is a member. There’s only a few in the group, but I’m certain that they’d be interested in hearing your story.”

  I glanced at the paper which had a single address scrawled on it. As if that wasn’t creepy. “Do I just—”

  “It starts at six,” Dr. Stephens cut me off. “Don’t be late. Now, I’m sorry to rush you, but I really must be going.” He pulled on a dark trench coat before nodding as he passed me in the hallway. “Don’t get into trouble today, and we’ll hope to see you there.”

  I glanced back at the paper, stunned, then looked up at his retreating form.

  What did he mean, we?

  Chapter Two

  Strange

  If anything was inconvenient about small towns, the lack of public transportation would rank high on the list. Of course, after looking up the address on my map app, I knew I’d have to step outside of my comfort zone…again. The university shuttle only went so far, and then I would have to walk a mile and a half to make the meeting. Which was fine. I’d never been a fan of some random picking me up in his car, service or not. I could walk.

  I was going to have to walk in the middle of nowhere, in the mountains, when the evenings were getting colder. This was going to suck.

  I should have mentioned to Dr. Stephens that I didn’t have my license. Most of the students had a car, even if they were required to park off campus. However, my parents and Finn never wanted me to learn to drive because of my anxiety. As he repeatedly reminded me, it was safer that way. Normally, Finn was the one who drove me anywhere I needed to go.

  But now I was on my own and had no choice. It wasn’t as if I could ask Finn to drive me to meet his brother at a weird address for a cult meeting. He’d never agree, and it would ruin my plan of secrecy.

  No, I had to go alone. It was risky. But if I perished, then it was for a greater cause.

  All this angst for a meeting.

  Perhaps it was a sign. Perhaps I shouldn’t go. Hadn’t the metallic banging noise stopped a short while ago? Surely, that was a good thing. Maybe the ghost had given up and moved on?

  Probably not. Just two hours before, I had face-planted into the co
rner of a table when a stool was jerked out from under me. That had kind of sucked.

  I tried to conceal my bruise as best as I could for the meeting and attempted to dress for both warmth and to impress. I generally didn’t wear pants unless gardening. But with the sage green sweater, my jeans looked passable. After all, I did want to make a good impression on my potential, future brother-in-law.

  Outwardly, I appeared somewhat decent. But inside, I was a mess. Being brave was quickly becoming old, and I hoped the rest of the evening wouldn’t be too stressful. Otherwise, I had no idea how I’d hold it together.

  One of the best ways to discourage small talk was to keep your nose buried in your phone. This skill also had the added benefit of allowing the user ample time to research. And I did like to be prepared for anything.

  I unashamedly burned through my network’s data usage as I searched the internet for various phrases such as: ‘Do college professors need to have thorough background checks?’ and ‘What should you do if you suspect that you might be used in a cannibalistic ritual?’.

  A young girl couldn’t be too cautious. And despite the fact that a—supposedly—reputable professor invited me, planning for the worst-case-scenario was the best thing to do. Always.

  Besides, what kind of well-intentioned professor writes down a cryptic address on a piece of paper and tells a young woman to meet strangers at said location the same evening? I had read enough crime and mystery thrillers to know how this scenario might end.

  Nevertheless, I couldn’t afford to pass up this opportunity. I was desperate, and this might be my only chance to get any help. So I was going to do my research and be prepared.

  I also brought along my pepper spray, just in case.

  However, when the shuttle dropped me off at some god-forsaken stop in the middle of nowhere, the alarms in my head went off again. While I had known I’d have to walk, I hadn’t expected to travel through such a densely-wooded area. The houses here seemed almost abandoned, for the most part. At least, I thought it would have been a bit more residential.

  Still, I stupidly trudged forward, reminding myself about the background checks.

  The farther I walked, the fewer homes I saw. The woods thickened. Eventually, the sidewalk ended and street lamps vanished. At this point, I could only see the occasional mailbox at the end of a dirt driveway for homes that were far back off the road.

  My map application was telling me that I was in the right place, but could there really be a meeting out here in this remote location? It didn’t seem likely.

  Unless, Dr. Stephens had faked his background check somehow. It was entirely possible he had lured me out here to murder me.

  I was about to turn back when the sound of an approaching motorcycle startled me from my thoughts. Suddenly, it became vital for me to remain unseen. But of course, I wasn’t so lucky. My heart raced as the motorcycle pulled to a halt behind me.

  “Hey you,” a man called. His tone was commanding, though not unkind. But I’d already almost reached my stress limit for the day and the threat of confrontation froze me with terror.

  I peeked over my shoulder, unsure of what to do. My already racing heart accelerated as my vision took in the newcomer. The beginning of every horror movie I’d ever watched flashed through my mind.

  It was hard not to notice his imposing stature. But as he removed his helmet and shook his head, it was even more impossible to not be entranced by his long, silky locks as they fell gently around his chiseled face.

  His movements mesmerized me, and I couldn’t seem to pull my gaze away as he used a glove-covered hand to slowly flip his hair back over his shoulder. He was wearing a torn, plaid shirt, extremely faded jeans, and a few days’ worth of stubble, and the look worked for him.

  I was an idiot, admiring the person who was probably going to kill me. Then again, it was impossible not to watch him. He was so gorgeous that I could almost hear a choir of angels harmonizing in the background. His physique was molded from God himself. His face was perfect seduction. I wanted nothing more than to explore every inch of his smooth, olive skin.

  I wasn’t stupid. No one that beautiful had good intentions. This was clearly a trap. Much as it normally was in the way of natural selection. This must be how he distracted his victims: dazzling them with his looks. I was certain, because despite all the above, something about this guy screamed danger.

  There was something off about him. This was as certain as coffee was the greatest beverage known to mankind.

  “Do you need any help? This isn’t the greatest place for a beautiful young woman like yourself to be wandering around alone.” His large green eyes twinkled as he grinned at me, showing off his perfect teeth and adorable dimples. Despite his friendly words, my breath caught. A familiar warning rang in the back of my mind.

  Yes, unless I did something drastic, I probably would end up dead. I couldn’t let a lumberjack kill me. That would just be ridiculous.

  “I’m all right, but thank you,” I somehow managed to say. I was barely able to look at him anymore. I’d had just about enough of strangers for the day, and I hadn’t even made it to my destination. There was no choice but to move forward; I couldn’t turn back, now that he was there.

  Maybe if I ignored him, he’d go away.

  “Why are you out here?” His deep, melodious voice drifted after me like a caress. I took the risk to glance back again and almost fell to the gravel.

  He had gotten off of his bike and was strolling after me as he pushed it beside him.

  …Was this for real?

  I could probably outrun him, if I had to. I was fast. Despite his attractiveness, he didn’t look well off. I doubted that he’d be stupid enough to leave the expensive-looking bike behind just to chase me.

  There was also the possibility that I was wrong. Perhaps he was a good Samaritan—albeit a persistent one. If he was going to kidnap me, wouldn’t he have done so already?

  I slowed down, giving him a wary look. He couldn’t be planning on following me the whole way, could he?

  He grinned, realizing that he had regained my attention. “I’m just curious. We don’t get strangers in this part of town. There’s nothing out this way except private residences and trees.”

  My anxiety rose as I fought to maintain composure. There wasn’t a reason for him to smile during this discussion. He was totally preying on me. And his words, wasn’t that the same as him saying that no one would ever find my mutilated body?

  I had to do something. I discreetly searched my purse until I held the tiny can of pepper spray. I was ready. If this guy tried anything—if he even tried to touch me—he would never know what hit him.

  “You didn’t answer, angel. Where are you headed?” He continued to trail after me, managing to become more persistent with every passing moment. “I can walk you there, just to make sure you’re safe.”

  I stopped walking entirely—I certainly couldn’t show up at Damen’s with this interloper in tow. “I’m seriously fine.” I tried to reassure him in my nicest voice. To show no fear. “You don’t need to bother with me. Besides, I don’t even know who you are.”

  “It’s not a bother at all.” He flashed another blinding smile. “And I guess I should introduce myself. It’s a good thing to be wary of strangers. My name is Titus Ducharme. You might have heard of me; I own Jinshu Security.”

  Never heard of it. I pursed my lips, listening to him continue on. If anything, I was even more suspicious now. I highly doubted that this man was the owner of anything resembling a respectable corporation. He was far too young and too wild.

  Titus—if that was his real name—didn’t seem to notice. “I’m perfectly legit. You can ask my assistant. But I can’t tell you how happy it makes me when I see a young woman asking questions. You have a good head on your shoulders, it would be remiss of me to not see you to your destination.”

  I raised a brow skeptically, unable to come up with a response. He thought I was smart because I aske
d a question? It almost sounded as though he was making fun of me.

  “Let me take a guess and say that you are headed…” He glanced up and pointed in the direction that I had been walking when he pulled up. “…that way. What a coincidence! I’m going that way as well, so this works perfectly. I’ll escort you.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond. He was being so stubborn. It was time to take some action.

  He had at least a foot-and-a-half on me and over a hundred pounds of muscle. I had no chance in hand-to-hand combat. There was only one thing for a woman like me to do in this situation.

  Yet, despite my fear, I felt guilty. “Titus—”

  He grinned warmly as I said his name, as if he loved hearing the sound. The action made me feel even worse for what I was about to do.

  I’d give him one more chance.

  “I’m seriously fine.” I leveled my most severe glare in his direction, in case he was just a persistent dude with no clue. “You can leave now, please.”

  He sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable. “I don’t think that you understand. These streets…I can’t just leave you here alone. I really should—”

  Titus didn’t see it coming. The second he refused to leave, I pulled out the weapon and aimed the pepper spray right at his eyes.

  Once I had downed the attractive stalker, I ignored his screaming and took off like a bat out of hell.

  I had only this chance. According to the maps, I was close to my destination. Between my speed and Titus’s temporary incapacitation, hopefully he wouldn’t catch up to me before I reached safety.

  Even if Dr. Stephens sacrificed me in Damen’s secret cult-meeting, it was better than a more immediate demise.

  The sounds of pained curses grew farther away, but I didn’t stop until I had rushed up the winding driveway.

  The mysterious address brought me to a massive Victorian home, way past its prime. The lot itself was overrun with foliage. Everything about the place was worn and decrepit, even the wrought iron fence surrounding the visible property and the dirt driveway circling toward the back of the home.