by R L Medina
He grunted. “So, this shouldn’t matter. Take me to the shifter.”
I bristled at his order. Even without the compulsion ring, he was shouting commands and expecting obedience.
His face softened. “Please.”
Woah. Maybe he was trying to change. It was obvious adding the simple word was hard for him, but he’d done it.
“Okay, but maybe I should check with Michael first. I’m not sure the wolves will let us just show up.”
Tío sighed. “Do it then. The sooner the better.”
They looked at me expectantly. I pulled out my phone to send the wolves a message.
“Michael says to come tomorrow. Rafael is going out and we should come by then.”
I fought the urge to shudder as I remembered my conversation with him on the beach. Tío’s annoyed sigh snapped me to attention.
“First thing in the morning, we leave.”
With that he stormed away, leaving me and Javi alone.
“Are you okay?”
I turned at Javi’s worried tone. My heart twisted. I wanted to tell him about Rafael, but my promise to Grayson came back to me. Would my cousin still look at me the same if he knew the truth? It hurt that I couldn’t tell him. Couldn’t trust him with my secret.
“I’m fine.”
His eyes narrowed at me. “Rose.”
I tried to turn away, but his arm shot out and stopped me. With a huff, I turned back to him and frowned.
“I’m fine, Javi.”
Rafael was the first to greet us. His eyes flicked to me and the others. My heart raced, hands reaching for my sword. At first, I didn’t think he was going to let us in. That I’d ruined any chance of being allowed back after telling him the truth.
He sniffed and moved, motioning us in. I blinked in surprise as I followed the others. I paused by his side, waiting for him to say something. He glanced at me gave me a nod of his head. What did that mean? That he wasn’t going to kill me? That I was off his kill list and back to being in his good graces?
“Rose.” His smile was tight and didn’t quite reach his eyes, but at least he wasn’t snarling at me.
“Hi.” I waved, watching him carefully. Was that it? His way of saying he accepted our relation, but wasn’t going to tell the others?
I stopped myself from snorting. Talk about emotionally unstable.
“Where is he? The shifter?” Tío interrupted.
Rafael strode up next to him. “He’s my captive. You will not take him.”
Tío frowned. “If I wanted to take him, I would, and I wouldn’t need your permission.”
I bit back a groan. Really? He promised to help and here he was already causing trouble with the wolves?
Rafael flashed him a smile. “You wouldn’t last 30 minutes against my pack.”
Javi and I looked at each other.
The door to the basement flew open. Lucian’s eyes darted between us and landed on his Alpha.
“He’s dead.” Lucian’s words were a punch to the gut.
Rafael whipped toward him. “What? How?”
Not waiting for an answer, he bowled past Lucian. I followed after. Javi and Tío right behind.
My ears rang and my head pound. Dead? How could he be dead?
We tumbled down the stairs and stood beside the table.
I stared at the body.
Numbness spread inside me. Manny was dead, but it didn’t matter. There was still a gaping hole inside of me, a hole that I had thought would be healed once the monster was punished.
It wasn’t.
“There was a note left. Along with this.” Michael held something up to me.
My eyes flicked up to the necklace. An icy rush of fear filled me. It was the rose medallion. The one I’d lost in the prison to the fairy. A fairy who was now dead. Killed by the same person that killed Manny?
“What does the note say?” Tío demanded, swiping the necklace from the wolf.
He responded in a strange language, I didn’t know. I looked to Javi.
His face paled.
“What does that mean?” I nudged him.
He met my eyes, fear shining in his. “A promise made in blood cannot be undone.”
Anger filled me. The blood oath again. I hated hearing it over and over, each time felt like another nail in my coffin.
“The coven. They’re coming for you.”
A shudder ran down my spine as I remembered being trapped against the altar. I inched closer to Javi, glancing around the room as if something were going to jump out from the shadows.
His words rang in my ears. A promise made in blood cannot be undone.
Grayson’s face flashed in my mind, making my chest tighten. In my dream, he’d warned me they were still coming after me. After us all. The only way out of the blood promise was to destroy them before they could destroy us. Without the wizard or any clues to his whereabouts, there was no other choice left.
I gripped the air where my sword normally was. “We’ll find them. And we’ll deal with them.”
Javi stared at me. His eyebrows rose in surprise and though he didn’t say anything, I knew I had his support. I wasn’t doing this alone. I glanced around at the others. For a girl who’d lost so much, I’d gained more than I ever imagined possible. An ache spread inside me. I still missed Papi, and I knew I always would, but these were my friends—my family now—and I would not let the witches take anyone else from me.
I would be ready.
That night, I tossed and turned, trying to sleep. It was Manny’s face I saw in my dreams and not Grayson’s. Ash, Jesse, Cleo, and Papi. All dead because of me. Because of the coven. I tried to will the images out of my head, desperate to see Grayson. To know if he was okay.
“Rose.”
I shot up at the sound of his voice. His form wavered before me, his brow furrowed.
“Grayson.” I ran to him.
He smiled. “I think I’m healing. Wherever my body is. It’s healing.”
“Good. I promise we’re still looking for it. We’ll find you.”
He nodded. “I know. There’s something else.”
My heart stilled. I was too scared to ask.
His blue-gray eyes stared into mine. “I think I found the wizard.”
To be continued…
Acknowledgments
Once again, I have to thank my editor at Cate Edits for her help, Open World Cover Design, and my family for their never ending support. I also want to thank all the readers who have inspired me with their kind words and continue to take this journey with Rose. If you enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a review and if you didn’t enjoy it, I’d still love to know your thoughts. Thank you!
Witches and Wizards
GRIMM Academy Book 3
Copyright © 2021 by R. L. Medina
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
For my ‘Grama’. It’s so hard to know that you’re gone and with the dementia, it felt as if I’d lost you already. I wish I had been able to say goodbye and give you one last hug, but I know I will see you again someday. I will miss hearing your sweet laugh and beautiful voice, but I know you are up there singing with the angels and it brings me peace to know that you are whole again. Love you always.
1
A creepy alley. Classic.
It wasn’t the first time Cassiano had chosen a dirty Los Angeles street for my simulation. The roar of engines and honking horns sounded real enough, but if I stared too closely at the moon, the edges became too sharp and the colors too vibrant—too perfect for reality.
My sword, re-enchanted with all the priciest extras, felt weightless in my grip. That was one of the upgrades Tío had chosen for me. It wasn’t enough to make up for his compelli
ng me and years of asshole behavior, but I wasn’t going to turn down anything that would help me survive their world. Not with Luna Negra on the loose.
The fact that I was actually getting good—or at least was no longer so pitifully bad—with my mom’s sword made me proud. Not like I was going to win any competition’s or anything, but I could hold my own next time I was attacked.
Because there would definitely be a next time.
We were GRIMMs. Slaying monsters was what we trained for, and as much as I still hated the idea of pledging my allegiance to them, I needed them. They were using me, but I was using them too. Where else could I go to learn everything, I needed to face Luna Negra?
Yellow eyes appeared in the shadows at the end of the alley. All thoughts of the GRIMM vanished. My chest tightened and my pulse quickened.
It’s not real.
Even the simulations were enough to trigger my flight or fight response. I knew I was technically safe, but I couldn’t stifle the urge to run. That was a natural reaction for someone who was still grappling with the reality of the supernatural, right?
Ignoring the fear, I crept closer. My hand was ready on my sword. The solid metal filled me with a little comfort.
Eyes on the target. Don’t let it get the upper hand… or claw?
The creature watched me from the darkness, eyes narrowed. What had they chosen this time? Shifter? Werewolf? A chill spread up my spine. Vampire?
My weapon thrummed in my grip as I braced myself. After a million simulations like this, you’d think I’d be used to it, but it was the waiting that did it for me. Waiting was the worst. The moment right before it attacked, my body tensed up. I couldn’t breathe. Dread filled my stomach, but I took a step forward.
This is what you’ve been training for. Don’t screw it up now.
Sweat coated my skin. Car horns blared and music blasted in my ears, but I couldn’t pay attention to any of that. The creature would be on me in a hot second.
As if on cue, a giant streak of black bounded toward me. The hairs on my neck bristled.
It’s not real. It’s not real.
There was no time to figure out what exactly they’d conjured for me. It was kill—or be killed. I knew the drill, yet my body still trembled as it raced toward me.
My sword thrummed with power, the golden light illuminating the hulking creature before me. It looked like a werewolf only bigger and meaner, beastlike, and otherworldly with moonlight glinting off razor sharp fangs.
Its yellow eyes swore violence.
The faces of Los Reyes flashed in my mind. The street gang of wolves weren’t exactly on the right side of the law, but they weren’t monsters. Not like this.
It howled at me. A deep, eerie sound that chilled me to my core. This wasn’t one of Los Reyes. There was nothing that hinted at humanity. A creature of nightmares. Fake, but still programmed to attack me.
It lunged forward so suddenly, I barely moved back in time. It let out another howl. The sound tore through me, cracking my resolve.
Focus. You got this.
I stumbled backwards. The sword vibrated in my grip, ready for battle. Without it, I was helpless. If the wolf had been real, it would have already made its move, but Cassiano was behind this and who knew what the cranky old GRIMM planned for me.
Widening my stance, I took a deep breath and focused on the beast before me. A large, clawed hand swiped at me. My instincts took over and I skittered back even farther, waving my sword at the beast.
It roared once more. The sound becoming nearly deafening. It moved in a blur, held back only by my sharp metal slicing the air. This creature was faster than any of the others I’d faced in simulation. How was I supposed to fight something I could barely see?
My back slammed against something solid. I swore, thinking the wolf had me.
Not the wolf. The wall. How did I end up cornered against the building?
It was in front of me. With a wide sweep of its claw, it tore my sword out of my grip and sent it flying through the air.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
There was nowhere to run, and my sword was useless now. It had me. I failed.
Its howl shook me, and I couldn’t help but think of it as a victory chant. Yellow eyes bore into me and its gaping jaw moved toward me. A tremor ran through me. I threw my hands over my head and shrank into myself.
A loud whooshing cut off its last cry. I looked up and blinked. The creature’s face disappeared, replaced with Cassiano’s scowling one. Simulation over, I was safe back in the gym with my mentor and judging by his knitted brow and pinched lips, he wasn’t happy.
The GRIMM let out a heavy sigh. “Where did you fail this time, Miss Vasquez?”
Pushing myself to my feet because somehow, I’d fallen on my ass, I evaded his question.
“Hmm?” He prodded, eyebrow raised in his usual ‘I’m superior’ manner.
“I let him corner me?”
“I’m sorry, is that a question?”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “I let him push me into a corner.”
His eyebrows drew together as he considered me. “Is this a joke to you, Miss Vasquez?”
“No.”
He threw his long, willowy arms out and gave me an exasperated look. “I can only imagine what your mother would have thought of you.”
My face heated. “Yeah, you and me both.”
I could feel the anger building up inside of me, ready to explode. It wasn’t the first time he compared my failure to my mom’s supposed perfection, and I was tired of it. I wasn’t my mom. I didn’t want to be.
He rubbed his forehead as if I’d given him a headache. As if I was the problem.
“How do you expect me to teach you if you won’t listen?”
I bristled at his words. No matter how much I improved, it was never going to be good enough for him.
“Well?” he demanded.
“I am listening.”
A look of disgust flashed across his face, making my anger boil. I bit back the snarky comment on the tip of my tongue and held his stare.
He looked away first, and I couldn’t help but feel the perverse pleasure of winning the glaring contest.
“You are dismissed. We will begin again first thing in the morning. Before classes.”
“Yes, Professor.”
Wasting no time, I stormed to the lockers to shower and change. My ears still rang, and heart still raced, my body trying to catch up with everything that it had been through.
Cassiano’s words replayed in my mind, souring my mood. I knew he expected more of me. Everyone did, but I was giving everything I could, and it still wasn’t enough.
Pushing away the thoughts, I took a quick shower and dressed quickly. I had more classes after lunch that I wasn’t looking forward to.
Why they insisted on making me take all the basics when we were in the middle of a supernatural war was beyond me. As if learning which plants had magical properties was going to help me against Luna Negra.
By the time I was ready to leave, Cassiano was nowhere in sight. I slipped my backpack over one shoulder and signed out of the gym just as a wave of students entered.
Their voices grew hushed when they spotted me. I ignored their stares and hurried out. That was one benefit of having one-on-one classes—I didn’t have to deal with the elitist jerks.
Outside, the sun was as brilliant as ever, but the air was chillier. We were only a month away from Christmas. My chest tightened.
The first Christmas without Papi.
I pushed away the thought before grief could weigh me down. I’d been so busy with training and searching for Grayson that I hadn’t allowed myself to think about the future. If Luna Negra captured me again and completed their ritual, I wouldn’t have a future to worry about.
Luna Negra. A shudder ran through me. I could still feel the cold stone beneath me and see Jimena’s face as she sliced me. It wasn’t something anyone could easily forget.
“Rose.�
� Shiloh’s voice caught my ear.
I turned to find her heading my way—alone, surprisingly. Since they’d officially become a couple, my cousin rarely left her side.
“How was training?” Her blue eyes flitted behind her glasses from me to her cell phone.
“Fine.”
“Cassiano still pushing you hard?” she asked, still looking at her phone.
“Nothing I can’t handle. What’s up with that?”
“What?”
“You keep staring at your phone. Is my cousin being an ass?”
She shook her head. “No. Sorry. It’s Brady. Have you heard from him?”
Brady.
Guilt pricked at me. I’d left a message to tell him about Grayson’s reappearance, but hadn’t thought about him since then. Shiloh was the one who’d been reaching out to him. Typical of her. She was the better friend.
“Not since… the shack.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I’m worried about him.”
“I’m sure he’s fine.” The words slipped easily from me but didn’t sound convincing to even my own ears.
“I think we should go check on him. At the island.”
The island. Where we’d been partying not so long ago. It felt like a different time, a different life altogether after what we’d been through.
“Will you come with me?”
“Of course.” I nodded to her.
She gave me a grateful smile as we made our way to lunch.
The cafeteria was as crowded as ever. I ignored the heavy stares and snide remarks thrown my way. The other students hadn’t been welcoming to begin with, but now not even Javi’s popularity was enough for them to overlook my parentage.
After the attack, I was labeled a witch. An outsider who didn’t belong. As if I was responsible for my mom’s mistakes. Worse, everyone blamed me for Grayson’s disappearance too, pretending like they actually cared about him and hadn’t been asshats to him too.
Shiloh shook her head, nose crinkled in what looked like disgust. “Don’t listen to them. They are clueless. As if any of them could have survived what you went through.”