Warlocks & Warfare_A Grimmer Legacy novel Page 6

  “Perfectly understandable. You know as long as they’re with you you’re protected.” Clearly, she had perfected the nonjudgmental doctor look.

  “That’s why I became so obsessed with training, I wanted to be able to feel like I didn’t need protection but I still do.” It was surprisingly easy to talk to Lucy, she was a genuinely nice person and she was duty-bound never to repeat a word I told her.

  “Are you're still training as much?” she asked as she started to idly brush her fingers through my hair. Being a quarter Fey she didn’t have the same personal boundaries as most people, she was careful about it with her patients but since we were family she didn’t bother. I didn’t mind, it felt nice if a little awkward.

  “Not really, Avon took me away for the weekend and we spent most of the time in bed.”

  She grinned, “About time you got some, was it good?” Her eyes gleamed with curiosity and I knew she wanted far more detail that I was willing to give, but I also knew she wouldn’t push.

  I bit my lip, “It was fantastic, we even did it in the car on the way back.”

  She laughed, “Damn girl. You know, I’ve heard Daemon’s have really good stamina, like a werewolf during the full moon good stamina.”

  I chuckled too, “Not sure I’d go that far, but he does bounce back fast.” I bit my forefinger as I tried to tear myself away from thoughts of the Daemon and his impressive stamina.

  She grinned, “When are you seeing him again?”

  “Tonight, he’s coming over.”

  “Are you going to do anything special?” she asked.

  “You think I should?” I glanced up at her. I was relatively new to this relationship stuff and I found myself feeling uncertain about the most random things. Sex was easy but when it came to emotional entanglements and shows of affection I could really use a roadmap.

  She shrugged, “He did take you away for the weekend.”

  I thought about it she did make a good point. While we’d been gone he hadn’t let me pay for anything. “You’re right, he’s been so great. What could I do, though?”

  “Well if it were me I’d panda to whatever little kink they have but then again I do like the kinky ones.” She winked at me.

  I grinned back at her,

  Chapter Nine

  “What’s with the dress?” asked Tom, reaching to tug at the knee length hem as he studied me with a perplexed expression that was kind of amusing. He looked bewildered.

  I really didn’t wear skirts very often. “It’s a strategic choice, get your paws off.” I batted his hand away.

  “Hold on, I have to get a picture.”

  I tossed my hair over my shoulder, a gesture that seemed fitting in my current attire. “Do as you will, I look great.” To be fair I hadn’t gone completely girly, I also wore black combat boots and brown leather wrist guards that covered most of my forearms.

  I was pretty but I could still kick ass, especially since the wrist guards were enchanted. They were one of my proudest creations and I had spent years making them. Sometimes it was good to be a witch.

  Jackie smiled at my appearance, “I’m not certain they’ll believe you're one of us in that getup.”

  She wore one of her long, fitted trench coats. It was a fashion choice she had gravitated to since losing her left leg from the knee down. Or so I had been told, the incident happened before I was born.

  You never would have guessed from her easy stride that one leg was prosthetic but she must have felt the long hem helped disguise whatever small differences there might have been.

  “That’s the idea.” I smiled. “I’m the likable one, if you can’t trust this-” I gestured to myself. “Then who can you trust?”

  “The only thing I’d trust you to do is lead a troop of girl scouts,” said Tom.

  I rolled my eyes, “Shotgun,” I said in retaliation before diving in the front seat.

  He growled but open the back door and slid inside. Jackie climbed in too and pulled away. “If you two do most of the talking I’ll just step in when things start going bad.”

  “When?” Jackie raised an eyebrow at me.

  “I fully intended to say if,” I lied.

  “Sure you did,” she murmured as she pulled away.

  Neither of them asked why I had been at Lucy’s, which was surprising, Tom was probably eager to make a few jabs about my mental stability. For once, though, he held his tongue, probably worried about my fragility.

  I wouldn’t have minded, his brutish ways were sort of endearing, in a weird way. There was always something very honest about him and I found that comforting.

  The Griffins owned a few buildings in downtown, including a larger chapel, which is where they had asked us to meet them. The building was an impressive sight to behold. As a Witch, I had been raised Wiccan and we tended to worship the Goddess who was known by many different names but we tended to just refer to her as ‘the Goddess’ or ‘the mother’. We didn’t really do organised religion, we were just taught the value of keeping balance and or respecting the world we lived in, and each other.

  The family was pretty lax on religious views and we always had the option to pursue other faiths but none had really appealed to me. I understood the value or the sense of community that came with religions such as Christianity but to me, faith felt like an intensely personal thing, not something I wanted to announce to the world.

  That being said, they made pretty buildings.

  A group of men walked down the aisle between sets of pews, walking towards us. I didn’t know it the Griffins were particularly religious, nothing like that had been mentioned in the file, or if, like me, they just appreciated the architecture. They probably also valued the building for its high ceilings.

  “Ah, Grimmers, thank you for honouring us with your presence,” said the leader of the group of men, who I recognised as Dutch. There were four of them, including Dutch, the others seemed much younger, two looked to be about my age whereas I’d put the other at maybe thirty. I smiled politely at them.

  “As always, we are happy to help,” Jackie assured them. “Why don’t you tell us more about the problems you’ve been having?” she suggested.

  “Of course, please come this way.” He led us off to the side where an office waited with a comfortable sitting area. Dutch and Jackie each took a seat and I made a split second decision to stay standing, though I made sure to keep my posture relaxed so they wouldn’t think I was feeling defensive. I also glanced around curiously for added effect.

  Tom stayed standing too, equally as relaxed. I should team up with him more often, he seemed to know what he was doing.

  “We’ve been experiencing some trouble within our community. I trust that you know this information can go no further than us,” Dutch said, glancing at each of us in turn.

  Jackie nodded, “We’re not ones to air other’s dirty laundry in public. In all likeliness we’ll be able to keep the information you give us to ourselves, if we’re not enough to do the job then we may have to inform a colleague but that will be as far as it goes,” she explained.

  He quirked a brow, “You don’t think three Grimmers will be enough?” He challenged.

  “That’s not something I can judge until I know the full extent of the problem, I’m just being upfront with you.” So it turned out that Jackie kicked ass at diplomacy, who would have guessed?

  Dutch nodded, seeming pleased. “Very well. As I’ve said, some of my people are causing trouble but it seems very out of character so we believe it’s the effect of an outside influence.”

  “A magical influence?” Jackie pressed.

  The Griffin leader nodded, “We are concerned that someone may be casting spells or maybe even drugging our people.”

  “Griffins, you react to drugs and alcohol the same as regular shifters don’t you?” I asked.

  He nodded. So to have had an effect on them it was probably less of a drug and more of a potion. “Hence why we are pretty sure the source is magical
in origin.”

  He used the word hence. I liked him.

  “Can you describe exactly what happens to your Griffins?” Jackie asked.

  “They just completely lost control and attacked anyone who tried to get close.”

  I shared a brief look with Tom. This could definitely be the work of a strong potion but if it was becoming a serious problem then there would need to be a constant supply. Potions weren’t easy to make because if you used just a pinch too much of something it could literally blow up in your face. They weren’t typically brewed in large quantities and they were expensive enough to buy that they usually weren’t considered worth the cost.

  Not to mention the fact that creating potions to increase aggression was illegal. If someone was making such potions then we had to put a stop to it.

  “Is there a particular group that’s being targeted?” Jackie asked.

  Dutch shook his head, “Although it all seems to be near a particular apartment building we own.”

  Jackie pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Is there any pattern to when these incidents occur?”

  I knew what she was getting at. If a person was doing this there probably would be a rhyme or reason to it. People were creatures of habit, for the most part, and they might have a job to work around or, at the very least, a sleep schedule.

  The Griffin considered this before looking to one of his men, who discreetly shook his head in response. “No, I don’t believe so, the outbursts seem entirely random. Yesterday it happened at three in the morning and the day before it was just gone noon.

  My aunt glanced at me and quirked an eyebrow, apparently, she wanted to test me. Nothing particularly noteworthy was going on with the lunar cycle so that crossed off a few possibilities. I went with the most likely option. “Are any particular artefacts stored in the warehouse?” I considered what had been said before adding, “Maybe something of Norse origin?”

  He tapped his knuckles against his knee as he thought about it. “A month or two ago we had a group of griffins move here, we put them up in the apartments there, I know they brought items from their old clan, though I haven’t looked them over.”

  One of the younger Griffins cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “I’ve seen some of the items.”

  Dutch looked at him expectedly, “Well? Out with it, what did they bring?”

  “I just saw a few old decorative vases, a small tapestry, a ratty old wolfskin rug and some chunky silver necklace.”

  I perked up. “Was it a rug or a coat?” I asked. He shrugged helplessly. I thought back on my knowledge of Norse mythology and, specifically, the Berserkers. There was a group of them called the Ulfhednar and they were known for their wolfskin coats.

  My gaze turned to Jackie and she gave me a small smile. “We’re going to need that rug.”

  Chapter Ten

  The meeting was just about over when the back of my mind buzzed. Dutch’s gaze swung my way and he studied me closely, “Are you alright, miss? Your eyes-.” He frowned.

  “Kia?” Jackie asked but I was already moving.

  I turned and ran, almost on autopilot, slamming through the doors on my way out. I leapt over a car in a single bound and sprinted across the street. I wasn’t usually so reckless, and I had never indulged in parkour, despite the feats I was accomplishing as I practically flew through the city streets.

  No thought came to me, instinct had taken over completely and it seemed that my body knew how to move independently of both thought and physics. I was possessed, only able to think of my next step.

  I skidded around a corner where the road was jammed with traffic and the pavement was packed with people. Without a moment's hesitation, I began to run over the cars, leaping easily from one to the other.

  It was very unlike me to do something that would attract so much attention. Luckily, I was moving fast enough that I doubted anyone would get a good look at me.

  It occurred to me that this wasn’t normal and that I should perhaps try and fight the strange compulsion but even that thought was impossible to keep ahold of. Clouds had gathered in the sky and a sudden breeze kicked up at my back, almost propelling me forward.

  What could be so damn important?

  I finally reached a bar that I was familiar with and shoved the doors open with enough force for the glass to crack as they hit the wall. My hands cracked with energy and I glanced down at myself.

  Shit, had I just done all that it a skirt? Thank Goddess I had made sure to wear leggings, otherwise, I probably would have flashed more than one driver.

  It took me a moment to process the scene before me. A man was pointing a knife at a young couple by the bar. “Well this is surprisingly mundane,” I murmured.

  The guy span to me, pointing his knife threateningly. Needless to say, I was a tad underwhelmed. “Stay back.”

  I prowled closer on light feet, “Put it down before you hurt yourself.”

  He un-holstered a gun from the back of his jeans and pointed at me, “I’m not bluffing.”

  “Please shoot, attempted murmured will get you much more time than assault.”

  He paused for a brief moment before pulling the trigger twice in quick succession. I raised my hands and a metallic liquid splattered harmlessly against my skin. I barely missed a beat as I approached and I was about a foot from him when he went to pull the trigger but the gun melted into liquid, dripping down over his hand.

  His eyes widened in astonishment before the manic gleam returned and he lunged with the knife he still held but that melted too. It was good to be a Witch. He stared at what had used to be his weapons in shock, “What are you?”

  “I’m a witch and for some inexplicable reason you have incurred my wrath, so congrats.” I punched him square in the jaw, it was a good solid punch.

  Lightning sparked up from the wristguards, at least that’s what it felt like for me. What happened was that the density of my limb was increased dramatically. It was basically like he was getting hit with a bowling ball and he responded accordingly, by collapsing like a sack of potatoes.

  “Kia?” asked the young man.

  He was the bartender and I was a regular at this place so I recognised him but I couldn’t remember his name, maybe I’d never heard it. “Did he hurt either of you?” I asked.

  The woman shook her head, “We’re fine, he- I thought he would kill us,” she said, relief making her tremble slightly.

  “He won’t be hurting anyone anytime soon.” I started glancing around the room. Something had drawn me here. By what? What could have a pull that strong and why had I been the one to answer that call?

  I couldn’t sense any magical energy. What the hell was going on? I wasn’t psychic, I couldn’t have sensed that a crime was in progress. Turning back to the couple I noticed that the guy was speaking into a phone, presumably to the police.

  I studied them both for a moment, the guy was in good shape, lean but muscular, he had rich brown hair and pale green eyes. He was handsome but I couldn’t see anything otherworldly about him.

  She was cute, a petite little thing with large brown eyes, naturally red hair and a nose peppered with freckles. Pretty but also not magically inclined. What was I missing?

  “What happened?” I asked idly, maybe the sequence of events would somehow clue me in.

  She blushed and shook her head, “He and I... we dated for a while and he turned abusive, I got out but apparently, he couldn’t let it go.”

  I gestured her over, she hesitated but cautiously approached me, edging around the unconscious body. I gestured to him, “This is your chance, kick him in the nuts.”

  Her cheeks reddened, “I couldn’t.”

  “Come on, it’ll be therapeutic,” I told her.

  She pressed a hand to her mouth, I suspected to suppress a giggle.

  “There are a few guys I’d like to kick in the nuts,” I murmured. For instance, my father.

  “Really, I couldn’t,” she insisted.

  “W
ell... you’re a better person than I.” I kicked him in the nuts, not as hard as I could have but he’d feel it when he woke up. He wasn’t Misha but he was a bastard. “I don’t know about you but I feel better already,” I told her.

  She smirked a little.

  Her man stepped closer “The police should be here soon, thank you so much,” he said gratefully.

  I waved my hand dismissively, “No worries, the guy had it coming. You sure you’re both okay?”

  They nodded “How- how did you do that thing?” she asked, eyes glittering with curiosity.

  “Oh, like I said, I’m a witch. We do freaky shit sometimes.” Like, run across a city to stop a crime that I didn’t know was in progress. What was up with that?

  “The hell, Kia!”

  I turned to face Tom who was studying the scene, his eyes lingered briefly on the bartender before moving to me.

  I pointed to the limp body, “I caught a psychopath.” The word may have come out sounding a little defensive.

  “I can see that... why?” he asked, bemused.

  “I have a personal vendetta against psychopaths, gained from my father. Not because he’s against psychopaths but because he is one.”

  He walked closer and inspected the body, “Why this psychopath?”

  “I don’t know.” I hadn’t considered that maybe it was the bad guy himself who had drawn me. Maybe he was a mass murderer and the cosmos had finally had enough of him. I studied him but all I could perceive was that he looked like a jerk, although I was probably bias about that. Otherwise, he was completely unremarkable.

  Tom approached me and studied my eyes, “They’re back to grey,” he murmured.

  “What?” I asked, suddenly remembering what Dutch had said.

  “The went a metallic silver colour and you pupils disappeared.”

  “That’s weird, has it ever happened before?”