by R L Medina
My head spun as I took it all in.
“You can set your sword there.” Rafael nodded toward a glass side table.
My grip tightened.
He smirked. “Suit yourself. Let’s sit, shall we?” Without waiting for a response, he led me farther in, past a living room and giant kitchen.
Glass walls revealed the majestic view of the beach. White leather couches and glass coffee tables dotted the room, and strange black and white artwork covered the opposite wall.
“Come sit with us. Do you want a drink?” Rafael called me over to the couches.
“Sure.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “We have water and juice. Tea?”
I gaped at him. Why was he being so hospitable? My gaze slid to Lucian, who stood, arms crossed, still frowning, and still wearing his sunglasses though we were inside.
“Just water. Thanks,” I finally responded.
Rafael snapped his fingers and Lucian disappeared down the hall. I sank into one of the seats opposite the werewolf, my stomach fluttering.
I didn’t like the way he kept studying me. As if sizing me up.
“Rose. What brings you here? How did you find us?”
His smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Swallowing my fear, I squeezed the hilt of my sword harder and forced myself to meet his stare. “I was told you could help me. I’m looking for a wizard.”
His eyebrow arched. “A wizard?”
Lucian returned at that moment, holding out a glass of ice water to me, face stony.
“Thanks,” I murmured, taking the cup from him. I gulped it down as they watched, grateful for the cool liquid quenching my thirst. It was a long walk on foot and from what I could tell, I’d missed breakfast and lunch.
“Lucian, take the glasses off. You’re scaring our guest.”
His shoulders stiffened. “I can’t.”
Rafael stilled, his gaze flicking to him. “Take them off. Now.”
Lucian sighed and removed them. Dark brown eyes stared back at us, but there were red rings around his irises. What the? Was this part of my sight too? But Rafael didn’t have the demon eyes.
The alpha sat forward, interlacing his fingers together and smiling at Lucian. A vicious, dark smile. “What have you done, Lucian?” His voice was soft.
“They asked for a demo.”
In one move, Rafael had him across the room and against the wall, hands around his throat. The sound of Lucian’s head slamming against the drywall made me jump, spilling water all over myself and the couch. It happened so fast. One of the paintings crashed to the floor with a thud.
I set the glass down on a table and stood, clutching my sword. My knees bent, going into a defensive stance. Thank you, Professor Cassiano, for at least some training.
Holding the weapon in front of me, I edged closer, watching as Lucian struggled against his alpha’s hold.
“Stop it! What are you doing? You’re going to kill him!” My panicked voice echoed around us.
“I said no demos, Lucian.” Rafael’s words were deceptively soft.
A chill went up my spine. This wolf was dangerous. What were you thinking sending me here, Mom?
Lucian choked, hands flailing in the air. Why he didn’t fight back? He was the bigger werewolf.
Rafael tossed his head to the side, moving dark curls from his eyes as he gripped his beta. With another toss of his head, he released Lucian, letting the man slide to the floor in a coughing, gasping heap.
My heart raced, body thrumming. Ignoring my fear, I swung my sword in front of me. “What the hell was that about?”
Rafael sniffed. “Private matter.”
I glanced at Lucian as he struggled to his feet. His dark eyes bulged, the red rings more prominent. Fur spread across his cheeks, his face morphing before me.
An icy rush of fear filled me.
I started to back up. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here. Thanks for your time.”
Rafael turned to me. “Why did you come, Rose? Aren’t you a little young to be a GRIMM?”
My eyes widened. What did he know about me?
“I… I was told you could help me, but now… I seriously doubt it.”
His eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled at me. How could the guy go from mister nice guy to murderous tyrant so quickly? Freaking Psycho.
“Rafael. Is everything okay?” a voice called from behind me.
I turned to see another muscular man bound toward us. His gray tank was covered in dark red streaks. Panic shot through me.
Blood.
He stopped short as he saw me. Worry flashed in his hazel eyes. “Sorry… I didn’t know we had company?” His gaze returned to Rafael.
“Rose, Mateo. Mateo, Rose.” Rafael introduced us.
The werewolf gaped at me. Unlike the other two, he was smaller. Not small by any means, but he looked more like your average gym obsessed douche than the freaking hulk. His longish, brown hair hung in clumps against his sweaty head.
“Uh. Hi?” He waved.
“Hi.” I returned the wave, realizing I was still holding my sword.
He turned to the others. “Raf, sorry to interrupt, but you’re needed downstairs.”
I frowned. Something to do with all the blood on his shirt and sweats?
“Lucian.” Rafael nodded.
The big man strode forward and followed Mateo across the room to a closed door. A scream came from that direction, making the hairs on my neck stand up. Dread filled my gut. The mob—my mom led me to the freaking werewolf mob.
I was acutely aware of the eyes watching me. Squaring my shoulders back, I turned to face Rafael.
“There isn’t anything illegal going on here is there?” I tightened my grip on the sword, “Because I’d hate to have to report you.”
He laughed. My face burned, but I held my ground. What if they had some innocent ordinaire back there?
“You’re welcome to investigate, Rose.” His eyebrow arched in challenge.
Throwing on my best F-U face, I followed the others. Rafael sauntered after me, his amused grin still plastered on. My heart sped up as I got closer to the door. A blood-curling howl struck my every nerve. That didn’t sound human.
Rafael stepped forward and turned the knob. Sucking in a breath, I raised my sword and entered first.
Please, oh please, don’t let this be a trap.
2
A dim light swung overhead, casting a golden glow on the sight below. I stopped short, nearly losing my balance on the stairs.
They’d led me to some kind of basement. Straight from a crime show.
I shuddered, trying not to think what all the tools and weapons hung on the walls were used for. That wasn’t what drew my attention, though. Strapped to a table in the middle of the room was a man. His back arched and his screams echoed off the thick stone walls. Dried blood caked his bare skin even as fresh blood dripped down his chest and legs mingling with it. My stomach lurched at the sight.
His screams filled my ears, numbing me.
Lucian, Mateo, and another man stood behind the table. They looked up at my approach. Their eyes glowed bright yellow and for a second, fur and fangs replaced their human appearance. I backed up, colliding with Rafael.
“Don’t tell me this is your first interrogation? I thought they started you GRIMMs off early,” he spoke into my ear.
His words sent a shiver up my spine.
“We found this cub outside your school. He won’t tell us why he’s here. In our territory. Maybe he’ll talk to you.” Rafael gripped my shoulder and pushed me forward.
My feet slipped as I tried to get out of his grasp. He held me up, my skin bruising from his iron hold.
“Let go of me!”
He released me, shoving me toward the table. My stomach churned at the grisly sight. I threw a hand over my mouth, fighting the urge to retch.
The man’s body contorted, shifting from human to whatever else he was. Cougar? Light fur covere
d his shoulders and face, his fangs appeared. A pained hiss escaped him, and his eyes were clenched shut. Was it the same one that attacked me outside the school gates?
“Why are you doing this?” I turned to Rafael.
My hands trembled around the hilt of my sword.
He stared at me. “Don’t tell me you have a soft spot for shifters.”
Manny’s face flashed in my mind. I shuddered. As much as I wanted justice for Papi, what they were doing felt wrong. So inhumane. I didn’t dare look back at the battered body. I did have questions, but I couldn’t stand and face him. Not now.
“Just turn him in. To the GRIMMs.”
Rafael scoffed. “The GRIMMs? They’d do much worse.”
Chills crawled along my skin. The words from the vampire came back to me. My body will join the millions that you’ve mutilated and tossed aside. Is that really what the GRIMM did? Is that why my mom had left?
“What do you want us to do, Raf?” Lucian’s voice broke through my thoughts.
I turned as he strode forward. His eyes flicked to me, making my heart leap into my throat. They were bright yellow like the others, but the red rings shone brighter. He flashed his canines at me and growled.
“Control it, Lucian. Or you’ll find yourself strapped down like the cub,” Rafael snapped.
An icy rush of fear filled me. Control it? What did he mean?
Lucian turned away from me and stared at Rafael.
The alpha sniffed. “Leave the cub. We have company and he can wait.”
One by one, the wolves obeyed, leaving me alone with Rafael and the shifter.
“Come, Rose. Let’s finish our conversation.” He waved a hand to the door.
Ignoring my instincts, which begged me to run, I stalked up the stairs, sword still in hand. The metal was warm in my sweaty grip, but I refused to set it down. Who knew when I would need it to protect myself against the wolves?
The door slammed behind us as Rafael led me back to the sitting area. I glanced out the sliding, glass door at the crashing, blue waves and sparkling sand. Such a stark difference to the horrifying scene I’d just witnessed.
“You can excuse yourself, Lucian.” Rafael’s sharp voice cut through my thoughts.
I turned to see Lucian stiffen, his face morphing from human to wolf. My heart slammed against my chest. What was happening to him?
He fled the room, not wasting another second.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Had a taste of something that didn’t agree with him,” one of the wolves answered.
Apart from the shaved head and chin stubble, he looked exactly like Mateo. I blinked in surprise as they stood side by side.
“Twins,” Rafael explained, noticing my stare. “Mateo and Leo.”
My eyebrow arched. “Rafael. Lucian. Mateo and Leo. Are those your real names?”
They frowned at me.
“Of course,” Rafael answered.
I shook my head. “Sorry, it’s just… never mind.”
No way was I going to tell them their names were a cliché of every paranormal romance I’d read before.
“And Ángel. You might meet him later,” Leo replied.
Mateo frowned. “Michael is his real name.”
I wasn’t sure what to think of their nickname for him. Ángel? These wolves were far from angelic.
“What do you want, Rose? You mentioned something about a wizard?” Rafael interrupted.
All eyes turned to me, making me wish I could sink into the floor. Fighting the urge to run or hide, I steeled myself.
“Yes. I was told to find you. That you could help me find a wizard.”
They continued staring at me, revealing nothing. Did they know anything? I couldn’t help but wonder if my mom had gotten it wrong. It wouldn’t have been her first mistake.
“And who told you this?” Rafael’s voice was calm and measured.
I met his eyes. “My mother. Rosa Vasquez Ruiz.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. The twins stilled, eyes widening. So, they did know who I was.
“Did you know her? Do you remember her?”
Rafael sniffed and moved toward me. “Oh, yes. I remember your mother. She was a whore.”
My eyes widened.
Fury rolled through me and my face flamed. “Don’t call her that.”
He scoffed. “Don’t you want to know who she was? Who she really was?”
The front door opened, breaking the tension. Rafael and the others looked up as someone strode in. Unlike the other wolves, this guy had blue eyes, blonde wavy hair, and lighter skin. Ángel. I could see it now.
His gaze darted between us. “Raf.” A slight frown appeared on his face.
Rafael smirked. “What’s wrong, Michael? Are you scared I’m going to hurt this little girl?”
I bristled at the insult. Asshat.
The man turned to me and offered a tentative smile. “Trust me, whatever you’re looking for, you’re not going to find it here.”
My eyebrow arched. “What?”
Rafael chuckled. “She’s not here for the drugs, Michael.”
I gaped at them. Is that what they did? Werewolf drug dealers? Is that what Lucian was talking about when he mentioned a demo?
Michael frowned. “What are you doing here?” His eyes dipped to my sword, which was starting to get heavy.
“Now don’t be rude. You haven’t even made introductions,” Rafael drawled. “Michael, this is Rose. Rose, Michael.”
“What is she doing here, Raf?” The wolf’s eyes narrowed on his alpha.
The twins continued to watch with blank faces.
“Ask her yourself,” Rafael answered with a shrug.
Michael turned back to me, forehead wrinkled. Concerned about me? The fact a complete stranger was worried for me made me shudder. He knew these wolves better than I did.
“I’m here because I was told you could help me find a wizard.” How many more times were they going to make me say the words?
He blinked at me and glanced at the others as if to see what the joke was. My cheeks flushed. The sword brought me there, so they had to know something. I’d never have come on my own.
“A wizard?”
“Yes. Can you help me or not?”
I lowered my sword, arms growing weak. Frustration welled inside me. I was tired. I needed sleep, a shower, and time to process all the events that led me there. Everything was moving too fast.
“There are no wizards here in Malibu. Whoever told you to come here was wrong. What do you need a wizard for?” Michael answered.
My eyes shot to Rafael. “So, you’re not going to help me?”
He smiled. A small, triumphant smile. “Help you? Even if I knew where this wizard was, I wouldn’t help you. Do you want to know what your mother did? How she betrayed my family?”
Without waiting for an answer, he continued. “She came to my father, looking for help. Just like you. Pretended to love him so that he’d do her bidding.”
My chest tightened. “No. That’s not true.”
He laughed, the sound humorless. “It is. She got what she wanted and left him to die at the hands of those bitches.”
I glanced at the others. They watched with stony faces. It couldn’t be true. My ears rang, and a numbness spread through me. No. No. No. She loved Papi.
“But… why did she tell me to come here? Why did she think you would help me find the wizard? She told me to find Los Reyes.”
Rafael sneered. “I am alpha now and I will not make the same mistake as my father. You GRIMMs cannot be trusted. Tell me, why do you need a wizard’s help, Rose?”
Silence filled the room. All eyes watched me as I stood, reeling at the revelation. My mom betrayed so many people. Anger swirled inside me. She’d left her mess for me to clean up and now because of her actions, I was the one suffering.
“Well?”
“If you’re not going to help me, what does it matter to you?”
He shru
gged. “It doesn’t. But I’m not a complete monster. We’ll take you back to your school. As far as finding this wizard, you’re on your own.”
“What? No. I’m not going back to the academy.”
He snorted. “Fine. Then see yourself out.”
“Raf…” Michael interrupted.
He spun toward him. “Show her to the door.”
Michael stiffened. “Are you sure, Raf? I think…”
“I don’t care what you think, Michael. Get her out of my sight. Take her to the beach if you want but leave her.”
The wolf straightened. “Yes, Raf.”
I glared at them, holding my sword between us. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
He sighed. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
I didn’t budge.
“Get out of my house, GRIMM. Before you regret it.” Rafael’s eyes drilled into me.
Backing up slowly, I kept my weapon trained on them as I made my way to the front door. Michael followed. My heart sped up, as I made it outside.
Hot tears pricked my eyes. I blinked them back, refusing to let him see me cry. They were my only clue in finding the wizard, but it had all been a game. Rafael was never going to help me.
The sun shone warmly, the sky bright and blue. In the distance the rush of the ocean waves sounded. Weariness filled me. What was I supposed to do now?
Michael stood, watching me.
“What?” I snapped.
His eyes widened at my outburst. “Are you in some kind of trouble? What are you doing looking for a wizard? I thought the GRIMM wiped out all of them.”
Dread unfurled inside me. Did that mean the wizard my mom had meant was dead? Along with my only chance at freedom?
“It’s a long story.”
“Why can’t you go back to the academy? Did something happen?”
I frowned at him. “What do you care?”
He flinched. “I’m just trying to help you.”
“Well, you can’t. No one can.” I swallowed the lump in my throat.
His face softened. “Except this wizard?”
“Yeah. I don’t know. He was supposed to be my only hope of getting out of a blood promise.”
Michael stilled. “Blood promise?”
I sucked in a breath and nodded. “Yeah. To some witches.”