Demons & Hellholes_A Grimmer Legacy novel

by Eleanor Rousseau

  Just as we stepped out of the car, upon Avon’s return, my phone started ringing. “Who is it?” asked Avon.

  I checked the screen, “Cas, he probably wants an update.”

  “Tell him everything went fine and you killed the bastard,” instructed Grant.

  I smiled and answered, “Hello.”

  “How’d it go?” came Cas’s voice.

  “Super, easy as Pie.” I’d never really understood that expression.

  “Really?”

  “I’m a little beat up, no worse than what the werewolf did to me.” Which was true.

  “Uh-huh, you didn’t have any trouble?” His voice sounded concerned, he was good at this.

  “Nope. I mean, he didn’t fall for the spiked drink but that one only ever really works on the really dumb, except when I figure out a way to get behind the bar. Anyway, it worked out, tell the council they won't have to worry about him anymore.”

  “Will do, you take it easy now, Kia.”

  “You too, bye.” I hung up and smiled at the two men.

  “Good girl.” Grant wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my cheek before Avon led us to our room.

  We had a single room with two separate double beds. I wondered idly how that was going to work, the nuzzling was nice but I wouldn’t really go through with sleeping with him. I turned to Grant expectantly. He smiled, “Not tonight, dove, it’s been a long day.”

  I frowned a little. I was glad I wasn’t going to have to sleep with him, don’t get me wrong, but it really didn’t make much sense. As far as he knew I was ready and willing. The only reason he wouldn’t take advantage of that would be because he had a conscience, which didn’t sit well with me either. Maybe the baggy hoodie had worked better than I’d thought it had, or maybe he liked blondes.

  Hopefully, it was the latter, I didn’t like thinking my marks could be good guys, I could hardly handle not having the moral high ground. Well, maybe he was gay. I put those thoughts from my mind and sat on the bed. “What do you want me to do now?”

  “You just relax, get some rest, Avon and I are just going to talk business.”

  I sighed softly and began to take off my boots, and then my hip holsters.

  They walked around the end of the beds and Avon perched on the other bed while Grant sat at the head of the one I sat one. After removing my jacket I lay down and let my eyes fall shut.

  “You sure bringing her was a good idea?” asked Avon. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about them talking about me like I wasn’t there but it wasn’t like I could confront them on it.

  “Look, I don’t like it but she was going to kill you, besides we’re not going to hurt her. If I just keep her under the spell she’ll happily go along with anything we want.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about. Grimmer’s aren’t bad guys, she was just doing a job, so don’t you dare take advantage of her,” growled Avon.

  Shit. Neither of them was evil.

  “Relax. I can control myself for long enough to get through this. Besides, I wasn’t the one who made her take her shirt off,” Grant said with amusement.

  “It was the only thing I could think of to prove she was under your spell. Grimmer’s usually aren’t so easy to take off guard.”

  “She’s young, I’ve mostly heard about the older, more powerful Grimmers but someone once told me the youngest is almost powerless in comparison to the others.”

  “Why would they let her come after me on her own? I have a fairly extensive reputation as a ruthless killer.” Avon sounded suspicious. Not good.

  “Maybe she pouted those full lips and everyone fell over themselves to let her do what she wanted.” Grant chuckled.

  “They must have had faith in her,” murmured Avon.

  I made a soft sound and shifted against the covers, letting my mouth fall open a little and my breathing become heavier. Living with my family I’d learnt early on how to fake sleep.

  “We should talk about the mission.”

  There was a pause and I imagined Grant nodding. “I’m not sure we can wait until Sunday like we planned, word’s out that we’re looking for the Axitross, others will be looking too.”

  “There could be other advantages to having her, she could make a good distraction.”

  I could totally do the distracting thing. This was in the bag.

  Chapter Three

  I was awoken by a crash of glass and before I was even aware of what was happening I had drawn the handgun from my ankle holster. Grant had also been woken but he was beneath the covers and it took his longer to gain his bearings. My gun was aimed at the figure who had burst through the window. I clicked the safety off.

  The figure sneered at me, “Your little toy won't hurt me, child.” He bared elongated fangs at me.

  Vampire. Shit.

  “My bullets are laced with silver and contain a pocket of holy water that is released three seconds after the bullet is fired, bitch.” I bared my teeth too.

  That gave him pause. See, I was a good actor.

  “I’m so hard right now,” murmured Grant and I felt his gaze on me.

  I didn’t take my eyes from the vampire but he turned slowly to Avon. “Give us the Axitross and we will forgive past transgressions,” he said.

  “If your intel was any good you’d know they don’t actually have them,” The Demon Blood replied

  “An oath is as good as the real thing,” said the vampire.

  “You’re outnumbered and outclassed, back the fuck off before I put a bullet through your chest and show you what true death looks like,” I growled.

  “I’ll be back with others,” he snarled, baring wicked looking, curved fangs.

  I leapt forward and snagged the blade from my other ankle sheath mid-air. I landed in front of him with the dagger to his throat and the gun over his heart. “You will leave and tell the council whoever comes will be sent back as ash, or if it’s more convenient for you, you can be the one we send back in a cookie jar,” I said viciously.

  He raised his hands and backed away. People, even vampires, tend to forget they have the advantage physically if you take them off guard and show them some crazy. He was retreating but his gaze was filled with hate. That wouldn’t do. As he leapt out the window I shot him in the calf. He hissed in pain and then he was gone. The bullet really was laced with silver so it would hurt like a sonofabitch.

  I turned to the amused males in the room. I frowned deeply. “I’m not a morning person,” I said, in my defensive.

  Grant grinned, “Why’d you shoot him?”

  I shrugged, “He was pissed, he probably planned to ambush us when we left. Plus, the bastard woke me up before-” I glanced at the clock. “Four am! He deserved to be shot.”

  Avon smirked, “And where’d the gun come from?”

  I raised my right foot and slid it back into the holster, then I did the same with the blade in the other one.

  “Nice,” Avon appraised.

  “Damn, that was hot, why don’t you come here and you can get some more sleep?” said Grant suggestively.

  I took a step back towards the bed when Avon snagged my wrist. He shot Grant a glare and nodded to the bed he had been occupying. “Rest there,” he said softly.

  I glanced at Grant but complied. I dropped on the side he had been sleeping on, it smelt like him, weird.

  “Spoilt sport,” murmured Grant.

  “Someone must have heard the glass shatter, we need to get moving but first you need to talk to whoever is at the front desk and explain what happened and pay for damages.”

  Grant huffed but threw me a wink as he left the room.

  Avon stepped up to the window, playing guard. “You are pretty badass when you want to be,” he murmured just loud enough for me to hear.

  I smiled, “Coming from a Demon Blood that’s quite the compliment.”

  He chuffed softly.

  “He’s headed back this way, you should get your things,” he said moments later, lifting
my hoodie from where I had left it on a chair. He shook it out and pieces of broken glass fell off. “And watch your feet,” he added.

  I was still wearing socks so I had some protecting but I still avoided glass as best I could until I reached him. He held out the hoodie and I put it on before turning to him.

  “We should probably keep this out of sight.” He carefully untied the fabric from my upper arm and slid it into my pocket. His eyes met mine suddenly and he studied my face as if he were trying to see right through me.

  I had seen how most humans act under the influence of a Fey, they were blindly obedient but they also went to lengths to please their perceived master. I had the obedience part down but I wasn’t sure what else I should be doing.

  I smiled vacantly and reached up to touch his cheek. He closed his eyes and allowed the touch. “Do not allow either of us to take advantage of you, little one.”

  I gave a little, confused smile, “Why not? I want it.” I stepped closer.

  I saw the temptation in his gaze. Shit. “Because, it’s not what you really want, and we’re no good for you.”

  He confounded me. Where was the heartless killer? And what would lead him to believe he was no good for me? As far as he knew I had tried to kill him and I’d just shot a freaking vampire. How was he failing to get the sociopath vibe I was putting out there?

  “You should get your boots on,” he said, nudging me gently towards them as the door opened.

  I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on the boots and then I fitted my hip holsters into place, even though they were still empty. Avon gently took my wrist and led me back down to the car.

  We had been driving for a while when I noticed idly that Avon kept glancing at the rearview mirror. “We’re being followed.” It was a question and statement all rolled into one.

  He glanced at me, “Yeah, and unfortunately it’s not just the vampires this time.”

  “It’s worse than vampires?” I demanded.

  “Much much worse, it’s Demon Blood’s,” said the Demon blood.

  “Why are they after you?” I asked, confused.

  “Let’s just say Avon and the other boys from down under don’t often see eye to eye,” said Grant.

  I glanced out the back window. “Super.”

  “What’s the range of your metal melting power?” asked Avon.

  “I might be able to do some damage. Excuse me.” I climbed carefully onto the back seat. I pressed my hands against the back window and let my magic reach out. It was like lifting an object twice my size. “Can we get closer?” I asked, straining.

  The car slowed. I pushed harder. It was a wonder the glass didn’t break beneath my fingertips. My magic touched metal and I threw my power at it but the magic left me in a rush so fast that something inside me tore. I blacked out for a moment.

  “Stay with us, sweetie, now’s no time to nap. There you are, has anyone every told you that you have beautiful eyes, grey like a storm cloud.” Grant held my head with both hands, probably to keep me upright.

  “Long distance, not my thing,” I breathed.

  He smiled, “You did amazing, are you okay?” Genuine concern sparked in his gaze.

  I felt my magic and I felt the ragged edges of a tear. It would take time to heal. “I won't be using my magic for a while. Did it work?”

  He grinned, “The front half of their truck suddenly went splat against the road, it was awesome.”

  I smiled then let it drop. “One problem, the other Grimmer’s will undoubtedly learn of that, they’ll instantly recognise my handy work and there will be a lot of uncomfortable questions.”

  “How long until they learn about this?” asked Avon.

  “Not long, supernaturals in the city can’t sneeze without them hearing about it.”

  He glanced back at me, “We’ll figure something o-”

  A truck suddenly swerved ahead of us, stopping across the road, right in front of us. There was no way we could have missed it and we didn’t. The last thing I remembered was being thrown forward as the windshield shattered.

  Chapter Four

  “Kia, wake up, come on, you have to get up.” It was the Demon Blood’s voice and he sounded urgent.

  I sat up abruptly and snarled through bared teeth.

  “Is your dad a werewolf by any chance?” asked Grant.

  I leapt to my feet and slapped the metal bars that kept us contained, “They caged us!” I was a freaking Grimmer, you didn’t cage a Grimmer! It wasn’t done. The panic was almost enough to block out the pain of the injuries I had sustained during the crash. Almost.

  I started to use my power but landed on my ass when pain tore through me. I huffed but gave myself a moment to recover.

  “You alright, dove?” asked Grant.

  I pouted and sniffed, “No, we can’t stay here- we can’t-” I took a deep breath, I was losing it. Give me a fleet of vampires any day. I stood up again and peered through the bars. Our cell had two walls made out of some kind of rock and the other two were metal bars.

  I peered closer at the bars, they were some kind of iron alloy. I probably wouldn’t be able to melt them even if I was at full strength. Damn iron. We were in a long room with a row of cells to the side of ours.

  At the other end of the room, two guards stood on either side of the door. All I needed to do was stay calm and I could fix this. Stay calm. Form a plan. I turned back to the others. “Tell me about the guards.”

  “They’re both Daemons and won't move an inch unless told to by a superior,” supplied Avon.

  I growled. “Why are they holding us?”

  “They are probably letting us stew before one of them comes to interrogate us.”

  “Don’t sugarcoat it, Avon,” said Grant sarcastically.

  I took another deep breath and then shrugged out of my hoodie, tieing it low on my waist. Then I tugged my shirt down, revealing more of my breast. A girl had to know how to use her assets.

  “Planning on seducing them?” asked Grant, raising an eyebrow.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes so know that when I inevitably screw you over I do intend to come back for you,” I whispered. Who knew how good the guards hearing was.

  I ran my fingers through my hair and began to pace, working up a few tears.

  “Hey, it’s okay.” Avon had risen to his feet and attempted to comfort me. He tenderly wiped a tear from my cheek. He really was a good guy.

  “Oh, good, if you’re buying this they definitely will.” I heard the door open and I winked at him as I shoved at his chest. He rocked back but didn’t stagger, he was stronger than he looked.

  “Get away from me! Both of you just stay the hell away,” I stammered between sobs.

  They looked at me with almost identical expressions shock as I pressed my back against the metal bars.

  “Trouble in paradise?” asked a silky smooth voice at my back. I cringed visibly and jerked to the floor, away from the voice.

  There was a pause. “I told you could couldn’t keep her under your spell for this long,” murmured Avon to Grant. He got it.

  “Well there’s no point wasting energy on it now, she’s not going anywhere,” Grant replied.

  I sniffed loudly and pretended to suppress a sob.

  “If you’re finished, we have matters to discuss,” said the newcomer.

  “Tax, I should have known you were behind this. It’s alright, Kia,” Avon reached for me but I jerked back.

  “Don’t!”

  He sighed softly.

  “I guess your whole ‘high horse’ act falls apart when it comes to a pretty girl who can’t say no.”

  Avon shot him a glare. “What do you want, Tax?”

  “You know what. Tell me where it is.”

  “You know I need it a hell of a lot more than you ever could.” Avon’s voice was deep and the aura of darkness flared around him. The tremor of fear wasn’t hard to fake.

  I had to avoid looking directly at him.

  �
��You’re a child, Avon, you wouldn’t know what to do with that much power. The family want it. You’ve embarrassed them enough, give me the location and I’ll tell them you complied.”

  “Go screw yourself, Tax.” A primal growl emanated from his chest.

  I closed my eyes and pressed further back against the bars.

  “Back away from the door, boys, I want to talk to your girlfriend.”

  “Don’t involve the girl in this,” said Avon.

  “You involved her in this, now move back or you’ll get a taser to the chest.”

  I heard shuffling footsteps as they reluctantly moved back. “Come on, girl, we won’t let the bad men hurt you anymore,” said Tax, voice soft and coaxing.

  I peered up at him, bit my lip and let tears build up in my eyes. “Please-” I hiccuped.

  He smiled, keeping one eye on the boys, and slid a key in the lock, “Come, quickly now.”

  I scrambled out as soon as he had the door open. I grasped his arm, tears spilling over as he slammed the door closed. “Thank you,” I hiccuped. “Thanks very much.”

  At my sudden tone change, he froze. I snatched the keys and tossed them through the bars. Tax’s eyes widened in outrage and he pulled the trigger of the taser. When nothing happened he glanced down at the deformed barrel of his weapon.

  That’s right, I still had a little juice in the tank.

  I smiled, “Next time you put a girl in a cage, make sure your not a gullible idiot.” He looked back at me with a stunned expression, then I kneed him in the crotch.

  It was that moment the guards rushed over. “Take a note, boys, I don’t like cages,” I told them, shoving their boy casually to the floor.

  “You bitch,” gasped Tax, his expression strained but still furious.

  I just crossed my arms as the guards reached us. Luckily just as they were about to grab me the cell door swung open, hitting them with surprising force.

  I glanced sideways at Avon, “Nice timing.”

  “I think I’m in love,” said Grant, just behind Avon.

  They both stepped out and Avon pressed his body against my back. “Your acting wasn’t that good back at the bar,” he murmured against my ear.