Two, this was fixing to get a whole lot messier.
“What—wait a minute—what’s this compelling thing mean?” I asked, not faking the quaver that entered my voice.
If they started messing around in my mind, my secret was going to get out. I didn’t know much of anything of this supernatural stuff, but I was certain that wasn’t going to be something I could hide from them.
Tamsin’s mother stood and gracefully made her way down the stage and over to us. She paused directly in front of me, giving me a friendly smile. Then she leaned forward and sniffed me, her pupils dilating as she leaned back. “She’s telling the truth,” Tamsin’s mom declared. “I can smell his lust all over her. Sadly, it seems they were interrupted before they reached climax. How tragic.”
I could feel the blood rush to my face. It was one thing to get caught dry humping Graves and another thing to have to talk about in front of his dad and frat brothers. I risked a glance at him, annoyed that he looked entirely unfazed.
Seriously? Am I the only one suffering here?
Huffing, I rolled my eyes. “If somebody knew more about female anatomy it might not have taken so long.”
Snickers filled the room as Graves tensed, his eyes shooting daggers at me as he finally looked my way.
I lifted my shoulder in the tiniest shrug. There. Now we were both humiliated.
“I’m sorry to hear that my son disappointed you,” Daddy Graves said, barely hiding his own smile. “Dominick, it seems this was all a misunderstanding.”
Dom’s face could have been carved from stone. “Sir, I must respectfully disagree. Only a powerful supernatural could have set off those wards. And it wasn’t until this one,” he gestured to me, “reached the third floor that the second ward was triggered. Their story doesn’t add up, sir. Not timing wise, and not with where they were located when we found them mere minutes afterwards. I think there’s something else at play here.”
“If the girl was a supernatural, she would have been registered. The Council has no records of Salem Kaine, outside of her birth and relation to Shepard Kaine.” Graves’ father turned to look at a burly man with a scar running down the length of his face and bushy gray hair. “Have any of your pack bitten a human recently?”
“No, Alexander,” the man replied in a gravelly voice. “Any human attacks must be reported within twenty-four hours of occurring to ensure that none have been turned.”
He was Alexander too? I wondered, confused until I remembered Graves had mentioned he was a “third,” meaning he shared his father’s exact name. That had to get confusing growing up. How did they ever know which one was being spoken to?
Even though they were talking about me, it was hard to get myself to pay attention.
“Desdamona?” Graves’ father asked, turning to the vampire.
“No. We have not turned a human in almost five years.”
He nodded, as if he’d expected the answer. “Then I suppose we must call upon your services, Yasha.”
My eyes turned to the woman on the far right of the table. She was lovely, in that timeless plastic surgery kind of way. Her silver hair was braided and hung down her back as she stood and made her way down the stage.
“What are you doing?” I asked, glancing sideways at Graves and Tamsin. Graves’ jaw was clenched. The muscle ticked. He watched with hard eyes as Yasha came to stand before me. Next to him Tamsin looked troubled.
Yasha must not have deemed me worth answering because she reached forward and grabbed my hand. Her fingers were cold as she turned mine over.
“Hey! I asked what you were—” Using her free hand, she jabbed one of her pointed nails into my palm.
Blood welled in the shape of a half moon. She lifted her nail, now coated with it.
I watched in trepidation as she leaned forward. I half expected her to lick it at this point, but she did something even weirder. She muttered a rush of words I didn’t understand and the blood on her finger ran black.
Yasha’s eyebrows drew together. She looked confused as she turned and presented her now blackened nail. The Council members faces turned stricken.
“That’s impossible,” Alexander said.
“The blood does not lie,” Yasha replied softly.
“Perhaps the spell—”
“There is nothing wrong with the spell,” she said with a bite.
“Here,” Desdamona said, waving her hand toward her. “Let me taste it. I can tell you if the girl is what she seems.”
Alexander didn’t look happy with this plan of action, and not gonna lie, I wasn’t thrilled by it either. However, if it kept them from having Yasha jab me again, I wasn’t going to say shit.
Yasha walked up the platform and next to me Tamsin’s mom looked between the witch and I, worry filling her expression. Was she worried for me? Or about their secret? Or was it because they were fixing to know I was a freak of nature?
I still wasn’t sure when Yasha extended her hand. Desdamona grasped her wrist and brought the other woman’s finger to her mouth. She licked it gingerly.
Her eyes flared wide.
“The blood does not lie,” Desdamona repeated, clearly shaken.
“It cannot be,” Alexander said, trying to remain staunch in his opinions, though it was clear they were beginning to wane. “We’ve never had a female.”
“Well you do now,” Yasha said, taking her seat.
All eyes were on me as Tamsin’s mom, Sarah said, “Salem, did you know that you’re a reaper?”
There was an odd tone to her voice. The world seemed brighter for a moment. The air fresher. Beyond it, something I couldn’t name touched me. Making me speak. I couldn’t stop myself, even if I wanted to.
“Yes.”
17
Blood Rite
The room erupted around me, but I was focused only on the woman standing before me, still ensnared by her compulsion. Until Sarah saw fit to let me go, her will was mine.
“Sarah, ask the girl how she died,” Desdamona instructed, peering at me intently. After a confirming nod from Alexander, she complied.
“Salem, how did you die?” Tamsin’s mom asked in the same odd tone.
“Car accident.”
Brows furrowed; Sarah pressed. “What caused it?”
“A werewolf.”
The werewolves grizzled representative frowned. “No one in my pack reported any such activity.”
“Lies are impossible under the compulsion,” Sarah reminded him.
“You will investigate this breach,” Alexander said to the alpha wolf who merely nodded his agreement. “Continue, Sarah.”
With a nod, she turned her eyes back on me. “Salem, how long have you known what you are?”
“A few weeks.”
Another explosion of whispers and outrage.
“Who else knows what you are?”
I didn’t want to answer. To betray the two people who have tried so hard to keep me and my secret safe, but I was utterly useless against the succubus’ compulsion.
“I did,” Graves answered, shocking the hell out of me and everyone else in the room. “I found her right after she turned. I was the one who told her to keep it to herself for now. Since I wasn’t sure it were even possible for a female to become a reaper, I have been waiting for her powers to fully manifest before bringing her to you. I did not want to cause chaos until I knew for sure.”
He said all of it matter-of-factly, as if he had not just admitted to what I was certain was supernatural high treason. He willingly broke a law—probably several—by keeping my secret.
The dull roar of voices faded as Alexander regarded his son. “That was not your call to make.”
Graves nodded. “I know, but I did what I thought was best. I will not apologize for doing as you taught me.”
Alexander’s eyes narrowed. “As your father, I can appreciate you standing by your convictions. As the head of the Council, I cannot stand by and allow you to flagrantly defy our laws. It is up to
the Council to decide what is best for all supernaturals. Not you. You should have come to us immediately.”
Graves dipped his chin in the barest hint of a nod. “Yes, sir. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit for my behavior.”
Aw hell. He was going to martyr himself for me. I couldn’t let Graves throw himself under the bus like that. Unfortunately, Sarah still had me bound. Until she released me, there was nothing I could do to stop this train wreck from happening.
Ice crawled down my spine as voices rose up once more.
“The only punishment I’ll accept is a public lashing,” the werewolf replied.
“That’s barbaric,” a member said, speaking for the first time. She had jewel-green eyes and dark blue hair. From her back, two beautiful butterfly-like wings protruded. “Violence is not the answer. He should be re-educated in the ways of the Council and stripped of his status as a reaper.”
“No, we should put him to work in the diamond mines,” a small but well-muscled man interjected. “A few years of hard labor should help drive the point home.”
“Or I can compel him to act as a servant of the Council,” Sarah said. “That way we can ensure he cannot defy us again.”
Alexander lifted a hand, staying the voices. “The laws are clear as to—”
“Sir, if I may?” Dom said, stepping forward.
“What is it, Dominick?”
“What if we invoke a blood rite?”
Instead of more whispers, absolute silence filled the amphitheater.
“Go on,” Alexander said.
“If the girl is a reaper, she will need to be tested. It is up to the head of the newly turned to oversee her training. What better punishment could there be than tying your son’s fate to hers? After all, he is next in line, and he saw fit to take the girl under his wing and hide her. So let him remain chained to her. Any mistakes she makes will be his; her failures as well.”
My breath caught in my chest. As far as punishments went, Graves seemed to be getting off easy. Force us to work together? Fine. We were already doing that. But my self-appointed mentor looked far less pleased about this suggestion. In fact, he looked like he was about to throw up. Apparently there was something more to this blood rite thing.
“If you invoke a blood rite, Salem and I will be tied together for more than just her failures,” Graves said. “It binds us in more ways than one. If I am hurt, she will be hurt. If she dies, I die.”
“Precisely,” Dom said. “Perhaps you’ll take your job as a reaper more seriously when your fuck buddy is on the line.”
“Dominick,” Alexander said sharply. “You’re president of the frat. Not the brotherhood. Mind your station.” Despite being more than a little worried about the prospect of this blood rite, I did a little happy dance in my head that Dom the Fuckface got his ass chewed out.
“All I am saying is that it is a punishment befitting of what they’ve done,” Dom said without inflection.
“Salem didn’t even know about this world a few weeks ago, or its laws,” Tamsin argued, piping up from the side. “Don’t you think it’s a little unjust to bestow this mega punishment on her when she doesn’t even get what being a reaper really means?”
The Council exchanged glances, and Sarah took that as a sign to continue.
“Salem, what is a reaper?” she asked, compelling the words forward.
“The supernatural police,” I said, seeming to please them. However, since she’d asked me an open-ended question I was allowed to speak more and elaborate. Temporarily relieving me from the forced vow of silence until spoken to. “They hunt down other supernaturals for minor crimes and rip their souls apart. Because of that the other supes are getting tired of their tyrannical ways and—”
“That’s enough, dear,” Sarah Cunningham said quickly. I got the feeling she was stopping me more for my sake than anything. One quick look at Alexander told me he was not happy with my outburst.
“Is this seriously what you’ve been teaching the girl?” His knuckles were white as he clenched his fists, staring at his son with condemnation. “If you dislike our ways so much, perhaps you are not worthy of inheriting my title.”
Graves sighed, struggling to find an answer.
“Hold up now,” Tamsin said, her cheeks a little reddened. “Salem never said Graves was the one who told her this.”
“Who told you this?” her mom asked me.
Like the puppet I was, unable to lie, I answered. “Tamsin did.”
“You also knew about this, succubus?” Alexander asked, his voice whisper-soft but ten-times scarier because of it.
“I did.”
Internally I groaned. Mayday. Mayday. This ship was sinking fast, and we were all going down with it.
“And yet you, too, did not see fit to share with the Council?” he asked.
“Salem is like a sister to me. I only wanted to protect her.”
Alexander drew in a long breath, his eyes dropping to the table in front of him as he considered her words. “Be that as it may, you partook in a deception against the Council, and as such you also will share in the punishment.”
Tamsin paled, but did not argue.
He then looked around the room, speaking slowly but clearly. “I am ready to deliver my verdict. Tamsin Cunningham, while the part you played was minor by comparison, you are far from innocent. You will spend the next month transcribing Farrow’s Square’s civil and criminal archives. Perhaps time spent reading our oldest laws will help you remember them in the future.”
Tamsin gave a small nod, looking solemn but relieved.
“Salem Kaine, since you are mostly ignorant of our laws, that must be taken into consideration. From this day forth, you are bound by the laws of the Council and will be trained in the ways of your species. Due to your transgression, you will be under strict observation until you complete your training and you’re on a one-year probation after your testing.”
Dom opened his mouth like he was about to protest, but a sharp glance from Alexander stemmed the words.
“Alexander, as my heir, you above all others should understand the importance of the Council and the stupidity of your actions. Your betrayal cannot be overlooked. I invoke the blood rite to be performed immediately. From this moment on, your fate is tied to Ms. Kaine’s. Teach her well; your lives depend on it.”
Tamsin sucked in a sharp breath while Dom was openly grinning at us. The rest of the Council seemed satisfied with these punishments, despite their earlier suggestions.
With an apologetic smile, Sarah finally released me from her compulsion. “This will all be over soon,” she murmured.
“But you just said I would get a lighter punishment,” I argued. “I’m still getting the same thing as Graves and you’re testing me. That seems like a double punishment.”
“The verdict has been made,” Alexander replied. “And you would do well to learn your new station in this world. Council, will you stay and act as witnesses?” Alexander asked, while the witch, Yasha, seemed to be digging through her bag for something.
One by one, each member agreed to stay and watch.
“Dominick, Samuel, Tamsin, you three are free to go. Please wait outside.”
Tamsin’s eyes met mine. She reached out and squeezed my arm as she was ushered out of the room. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her golden eyes bright.
“It’s okay,” I replied, but she was already past me. These guys were not wasting any time.
Sarah remained at my side, her hand resting on my shoulder as Yasha collected what she needed and returned to Graves and me.
“Hold out your hands,” she ordered.
Warily, I obeyed. Before I could so much as wonder what she was going to do, Yasha’s hand slashed out, a silver dagger making a deep cut in the fleshy part of my palm.
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered, jerking my hand back instinctively.
Yasha caught my wrist before I could pull away, repeating the motion on Graves. “Now, pres
s your hands together, palm to palm.”
“I don’t think that’s very sanitary,” I muttered.
Graves didn’t even flinch at the cut, although his eyes burned like blue fire when he turned to face me.
My arm shook as I tried to resist. That’s when I realized that Sarah wasn’t here for comfort. She was here to ensure that I obeyed. I sighed, knowing that I was seriously outmatched.
Blood dripped down my arm in sticky rivulets as I lifted my hand. Not waiting for further instruction, Graves pressed his hand to mine, his eyes never once looking away. His unwavering gaze gave me strength. As shitty as this was, at least we were in it together.
Yasha held out a white piece of cloth, tying it around our hands as she uttered words that sounded like some combination of Yiddish and Latin. I couldn’t make out any of them as she tied off the cloth and pressed her hands on either side of ours, saying clearly, “So mote it be.”
There was a flash like fire, and I gasped as pain burned through my hand and up into my arm. When I could see past the pain, I noticed the cloth tying us together was now black.
“It is done,” Yasha said with a small bow to Alexander.
“Test it,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
Yasha slashed out again, slicing through Graves’ forearm before I could even blink. Fiery pain licked at my skin as if she were dragging an open flame along the exposed flesh.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me right now,” I lamented. Even though she hadn’t come anywhere near me, blood dripped from the fresh wound carved into my forearm.
Graves’ hand spasmed where it was pressed to mine, but he did not cry out. The only sign of his pain was the rapid pulse of a vein in his neck.
“Excellent,” Alexander said. “Yasha, you may close the wounds. No need for them to bleed out in the Council room.” Before he was finished speaking, the witch was already murmuring under her breath, her hand glowing softly as she healed us. Before I could inspect my freshly healed skin, Alexander added, “Perhaps this will teach both of you to think more carefully in the future. Welcome to the Brotherhood, Salem. See that you don’t disappoint us again.”
Reaper's Blood (The Grimm Brotherhood Book 1) Page 14