by Lyla Oweds
The Grimm Cases
Blood
By: Lyla Oweds
The rights of Lyla Oweds to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him/her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it was published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Cover Design by
Crimson Phoenix Creations
Edited by
Heather Long and Becky Lynn
Copyright© 2019
All rights reserved
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
The Author
Chapter One
Julian
Think
“I want to tell you about Bailey so you can understand the Dubois brothers. And know why I’m wary of them.” Damen’s words echoed throughout the room, causing the tension to spike.
It never failed to annoy me when Damen allowed his hatred of Bryce Dubois to overshadow his common sense. “Will you stop with this? He didn’t kill Bailey,” I interjected. And Bianca, who had startled in surprise at Damen’s earlier statement, glanced back at me.
Great. Stupid Damen. Now she was scared again.
“Bryce isn’t bad,” I said, trying to put her at ease. “He was a victim of circumstance. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bryce and Brayden broke protocol. Instead of waiting to see their brother, they went ahead. Bailey was already dead by the time they saw him. Don’t be frightened of Bryce.”
“I’m not scared of him.” Bianca’s eyebrows furrowed, as if she couldn’t comprehend the thought. “I hate him. We’re mortal enemies.”
I was somewhat stunned, unsure how to respond to such a statement. She hadn’t even been on campus for a month. I couldn’t imagine what Bryce might have done to make her feel that way.
“There’s your proof!” Damen nodded toward Bianca dramatically. “She hardly knows the man, yet there’s such strong emotion. She hates him because he’s wronged her in a past life. It’s instinct.”
“That’s the problem,” Miles said. “We aren’t reincarnated that quickly. It doesn’t make sense that she’d hold a grudge against him for that reason. Besides, that doesn’t explain how Bailey was the Xing and so is Bianca. There’s plenty of other reasons to hate the man.”
I peered at her in question. She shifted under the weight of our sudden attention, before she finally shrugged. “I don’t know. I just don’t like him. Do I need a reason?”
Damen shot me a victorious look as Miles frowned. I rolled my eyes and braced my elbows on my knees, trying to piece all this together.
Damen and Titus had always been so certain, and they were the ones who’d been there. I had been too young at the time. Miles as well.
Perhaps if I’d walked in on the same scene, I’d distrust Bryce Dubois as much as Damen. It would have been traumatizing for a child to witness. And terrifying for them to lose such an essential person in our quintet in that close of a vicinity.
But being on the outside looking in, I couldn’t agree with their scathing feelings toward the brothers—but especially Bryce. Damen had always blamed Bryce for Bailey’s death, but you couldn’t place that kind of responsibility on another child. There was something off with the entire situation.
According to the medical examiner, Bailey had been suffocated. Outside of the newborn, only two people had been in the room: Bryce and Brayden. When discovered, Bryce had been holding the body of his newborn brother.
Neither one of them would talk about what had happened that day.
The only things known for certain were that Bryce had been crying, admitting to his fault in Bailey’s death. And Brayden wouldn’t speak of it at all.
But I personally didn’t believe that Bryce killed Bailey. He’d been too excited at his mother’s pregnancy, had always dreamed of being the Er Bashou.
Despite the death of their Xing, Bryce and Brayden continued to work toward their goals. Almost as if they were preparing for something. Something that wouldn’t happen with their Xing deceased.
Damen, however, always assumed their dedication had been from guilt.
In either case…
I glanced at my watch again. We had to hurry this along. We had other priorities today, items to attend to. And we had an eternity just to be close to her, allowing her presence to soothe the wounds of the past.
Damen, especially, was affected. Now that we knew who she was, he couldn’t get enough of her. He didn’t seem to realize he’d lost his ridiculous charade, nor how he stared at her as if she was the center of his universe.
It didn’t seem to matter if she only held his hand or was tucked beside him. He had already latched on to her, needing that connection. But I didn’t blame him. He’d been alone for so long, supporting us all, that he must have been desperate to feel this was real.
To know he wasn’t on his own anymore.
He was getting worse at hiding it. Every cycle, the mask cracked further.
In our group, Fire ruled supreme. Huo was powerful, a leader. The emperor. And Mu was always his right-hand man. The Wood archetype was a planner, a doer, and a creative thinker. All qualities that made him excel as the high-adviser.
Bianca carried those traits within her, and now it made sense. She was the Wood Xing, and it was impossible to un-see the similarities between them. She had anxiety and many fears, but if they could be controlled, she would be an excellent strategist with her out-of-the-box thinking.
And she’d also defended Damen, worried for him. Now her stance against the hyenas made sense—running away and leaving Damen alone went against her very nature. In the scheme of things, it was her job to protect him.
That would make for an interesting development, considering that Damen had already been half in love with her without realizing who she was. His feelings were almost as obvious as Titus’s obsession with her. It had been comical to watch Damen act like a moron these last few days, trying to get her attention.
I couldn’t imagine how he’d feel when he remembered she was his knight in shining armor, not the other way around.
I couldn’t wait for the realization to hit.
We’d have to talk to Titus, and soon. With Bianca’s unstable emotions and mental state, she might have trouble controlling her powers. And it was not only his job to defend her physically, but also to monitor the use of her abilities.
It was obvious she was in an emotional state
at the moment, and extreme fluctuations in her environment could set off her powers. In fact, it was probably best that she let me handle one of her triggers—Finn.
After all, it was my job to support her. Not that the idea was difficult to accept. I’d been drawn to do so from the very beginning.
“Bianca,” Damen said, “Miles has to leave for class, but come with me and we can get breakfast. I’m dropping Julian off at the hospital. Could you avoid speaking to Bryce alone for now? Just until we discuss this as a group. I would rather he not know anything yet.” He shot me a look, and his worry was evident.
“I don’t talk to Bryce,” Bianca replied, tilting her head. “I just glare at him.”
Damen sighed, ignoring her statement, and held my gaze. “Julian, I know you don’t want to hurt his feelings, but you need to talk to your brother. Now more than ever. Maria will help us, and Jin obeys Miles without question. But we’ll need Anthony.”
Jaw locked, I pulled myself out of my musings. I didn’t even look at Miles, who I knew watched me knowingly. And I could almost feel Bianca’s curious eyes studying me.
I couldn’t help my reaction—the last thing I wanted was to get into another argument with Anthony about his job performance.
“You have a brother?” Bianca asked, cautious excitement coloring her tone. “What’s his name? Is he a better brother than Finn? Probably.”
Well…
I glanced back to her, meeting her eager eyes. She looked expectant.
She wasn’t wrong. Any brother in the world was a better brother than Finn. Except maybe the Biblical example of Cain. It was difficult to beat killing your own sibling. But Finn was certainly up there. He had the manipulative, sacrificial aspect mastered at least.
“Everyone has siblings, or something like it.” Bianca sighed, dropping her chin onto her fist. “Miles collected an older sister; Titus has Maria. I’m jealous. I wish my sister and I were close.”
I watched her, amused. She spoke about family as if they were possessions.
A particular expression had fallen over her face, too, and I figured she was daydreaming again. What did she think having siblings was like? I almost wanted to ask, but the answer might be frightening.
But there was one thing of which I was certain—the answer was most likely a twisted version of the truth. You could see it in her eyes. They were too star-studded for her to be basing her fantasy in reality.
Miles shot me a glance—he wasn’t certain if he should say something. Colette was probably the least annoying of all of them, but she was moody. Besides that, should we ruin her daydream? I shrugged, not sure. We could always let her figure it out herself.
It couldn’t hurt.
“If you want, you can ‘claim’ my brother.”
Anthony was a pain in the ass, and lazy to boot. But as far as siblings went, he wasn’t terrible. Besides, it could work. It would give him incentive to help us. He had always wanted a younger sibling. Growing up, he’d dressed up our cat, Oprah, in girl clothes and called her his baby sister.
Bianca shook her head, coming out of her thoughts. Her eyes met mine. “I can?”
“You know…” I was suddenly inspired to track down my brother. He would love this plan. “I think I’ll go look for Anthony.”
Damen waved his hand in the air, his focus still on Bianca. “I understand. But Julian, you do need to…” He paused, and his shocked face turned toward me. “You will?”
Bianca watched me, and Miles seemed wary. But Damen continued before either could speak. “What are you going to talk to him about?”
I paused, halfway through folding the afghan I’d been using. “I thought you wanted me to talk to Anthony?”
“Don’t kill him.” Miles’s face was blank. “I know he’s messed up, but you promised Bianca he could be her fake brother. That would ruin everything.”
Now I was offended. “I’m not going to kill him.” Miles’s gaze turned away, and the ire I’d been suppressing swelled in my chest. “Why are you acting like I’m only ever one of two extremes? I loathe people who actually deserve it.”
“You stay angry for a long time,” Miles replied, his voice so low I almost missed it.
“You mean people like Finn?” Bianca pipped in, glancing between the two of us. “Can we hate Finn?”
No. I didn’t want her to ruin her focus by harboring negative feelings toward that moron. It was my job to take care of matters like these.
Damen had flinched at her question, a movement so miniscule I’d only barely caught it. Despite being angry at his brother, he still felt that Finn was redeemable. It hadn’t escaped my notice that he’d been trying to reason through Finn’s behavior from the beginning.
How optimistic.
“You don’t need to hate anyone, darling.” I put the folded blanket aside and gathered my bag. I’d worn casual clothing to sleep, so I was already prepared to leave. I’d change at the hospital.
If I hurried, I might be able to catch Anthony while he was still at the morgue.
Bianca’s gaze turned cautious. “Why?”
“Because I’ll take care of it.” I swung my bag over my shoulder and snatched Miles’s Jeep keys off the table.
“Julian…” Damen’s voice held a warning.
But I ignored him, touching Bianca’s hair instead. As much as it pained me to leave, I’d have to catch up with her later. Hopefully, we’d have Anthony on our side at that point.
Her gaze held mine, and even though she sat beside Damen, it felt as if he wasn’t even there. She looked lost, small. Completely unsure. Not like who she once was.
We hadn’t had any time, and she had no idea what she had been thrown into.
“Let me take care of it,” I told her again. “You guys focus on today.”
I wanted nothing more than to the remove all uncertainty from her until she was filled with only confidence. I wanted her to feel safe enough to talk about the things she held back.
But it was too new, and she didn’t trust me yet. One day, we’d get there.
Before I could lose my nerve, I kissed her forehead. It was forward, considering. But I wouldn’t see her all day, and I needed something to hold me over.
“Let me know if something comes up or you need me.” I straightened, addressing Miles and Damen. “Otherwise, I’ll see you later.”
Chapter Two
Bianca
Controller
Julian strode out of the room, but I was taken aback. What had he been talking about, with Finn? And he had kissed me, but I had no idea why.
“What just happened?” I asked.
“He took my keys!” Miles suddenly sat up in his seat. “And my car!” he added as the sound of the receding vehicle reached us. He frowned, crossing his arms and slumping back into his armchair, since it was obviously too late to stop Julian now. “Espèce de connard!”
“Did you just curse in French?” I couldn’t stop my curiosity. It might not have been a curse, but he sounded angry. So, I assumed…
I hadn’t expected foul language to sound so… sexy.
I wasn’t generally a fan of cursing. But if it was Miles, with that accent, perhaps it wasn’t terrible to listen to.
“When did you learn how to curse in French?” Damen’s mouth thinned. “Weren’t you a bit young for that?”
Miles’s face contorted in shame, and his panicked eyes met mine. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not polite. I won’t ever do it again.”
Oh, and now I was sad. That’s not what I wanted at all.
My attention returned to Damen, hoping there’d still be one last saving grace of the day. “Are we still getting breakfast?” I hoped so. I had begun to keep a mental tally of how often Damen promised me food and didn’t deliver.
His redeeming points weren’t stacking up as of late.
“I don’t want to walk to class.” Miles grumped under his breath, continuing with Damen’s previous instructions to him. “I want to get food too.”
/> “You’re walking to class.” Damen didn’t show any pity for Miles’s dilemma. “We’re only three miles from school. You’ll survive. Besides, a little exercise isn’t going to kill you.”
Miles’s bottom lip pushed forward. “Why can’t you just drop me off?”
Damen didn’t pause to consider it. “No.”
I glanced between them, taking in Damen’s muscular, but lean, frame. And then back to Miles. Comparing them, I was more lost than before. If I hadn’t misinterpreted, it almost sounded like Damen was calling Miles fat.
But that was ridiculous. If anything, Miles was exceptionally more fit than Damen.
Damen sported a six pack and a thin waist. His arms were large, the shape accentuated by the tattoo wrapped over his left arm and across his chest. He was definitely in-shape.
But Miles’s form was bigger. He was stronger. You could see it in his arms, his chest, and his stomach. Even his legs seemed like solid trunks of muscle, outlined beneath his silk pajama bottoms.
And he was fast too. I’d noticed yesterday during his soccer practice. The fact that he ran had been surprising, actually. Because of his appearance I assumed he was more of a wrestling type.
Now, if they were to fight against each other… I would have to say it wouldn’t shock me if Miles broke Damen in half. So, who was Damen to—
“Miles really likes food.” Damen was on his feet, rummaging around in his overnight bag. “A lot. And he hates watching what he eats. He also has a slower metabolism. If he doesn’t stay active, he puts on weight. That’s why he plays soccer; it forces him to run. He needs cardio.”
“I can’t help if running is the devil, can I?” Miles narrowed his eyes at the other man, who was not even paying attention to him. But he didn’t seem to argue with anything that Damen had said. “No one in their right mind finds it relaxing. But it does help. What are you looking for?”
I watched them, my eyes wide. It was funny that Miles should mention that. He was a witch. Didn’t they worship the devil?
“This,” Damen replied, holding up his wallet before he flipped it open. He moved to my side, showing me the contents. “This is what happens if you don’t stay on Miles’s case. He begged for assistance, and he’s gotten it.”
