GRIMM Academy : The Complete Collection

by R L Medina

  “Like you brought Ash?” My fists clenched.

  Unfazed, she smiled. “Better. He’s only been dead for a little bit. I can retrieve his soul before it ends up wherever your human souls go. He is human, right? Like one hundred percent?”

  I glared at her. “Of course.”

  “Hmm. I could have sworn there was a faint drop of fae in his blood.”

  “No way.” Javi frowned.

  The fairy shrugged. “He wouldn’t be the first human with mixed blood.”

  “Shadow magic is forbidden,” one of the GRIMM interrupted.

  Princess Maloret laughed. “Maybe for you mere mortals.”

  She turned to me. “You need to hurry up and decide. If you want him back. He hasn’t been gone too long.”

  Hope stirred within me. Was it a trick or could she really do what she said?

  “Do it.” I nodded.

  She grinned. “Of course, if I do this for you, you’ll owe me a favor. Of my choosing.”

  “Rose, no.” Javi scowled.

  I ignored him and faced her. “Yes. Fine. Whatever you want.”

  “Within reason of course right, Aunt Maloret?” a new voice interrupted.

  “Princess Ren,” Shiloh whispered in my ear.

  Princess? She looked more like a warrior dressed in that golden armor. She couldn’t be much older than I was, but my GRIMM senses were on high alert. Was she fae like the others then?

  Her eyes met mine as if she heard my thoughts. I schooled my face.

  She turned to the smaller fairy. “You’ll save him with no strings attached. Nothing shady.”

  Princess Maloret sighed. “I don’t need your help in this matter, sweetie.”

  The younger princess narrowed her eyes on her. “Just making sure you aren’t planning any tricks. We’re here to help them.”

  “Help the ordinaire too, huh? That’s your human side showing Ren, darling.”

  I blinked in surprise.

  Noticing my confusion, she turned to me and smiled. “I’m a halfling.”

  Swallowing hard, I turned to the dark fairy. “Please. Just do what you need to.”

  We stepped back as she flicked her wrist over Grayson’s body. I squeezed Shiloh’s hand as we waited. My eyes darted to the crowd that had gathered. GRIMM agents and students milled around along with the fae. I spotted Rafael and his wolves among other extraordinaire.

  A loud gasp brought my head back around. Cries of surprise and alarm echoed behind us. I blinked back my tears as Grayson’s body was restored.

  “Reversal spell?” I asked Shiloh.

  She nodded, tears welling in her own eyes. We stood together and waited as the fairy worked her magic. I held my breath, barely able to believe what I was seeing.

  Though I doubted she was helping us out of the kindness of her heart, I was grateful for her actions. Even if it meant I had to spend a whole year in her creepy shadow court, it would be worth it to have Grayson back.

  My heart raced as shadows leapt all around us.

  “What’s happening?” I glared at the fairy.

  Her eyes were closed in concentration.

  “It’s okay. He’s coming back. Look,” the younger princess answered.

  I sucked in a breath as Grayson stirred. Letting go of Shiloh’s hand I rushed to his side.

  His eyes blinked open and a cry escaped me. I threw my hands around his neck, letting the tears flow.

  He returned my embrace and leaned into my ear. “Why is everyone staring at us?”

  I smiled. “Because they’re happy to see you. Alive.”

  Grayson withdrew himself from my hold and frowned. “Was I dead?”

  Before I could answer, Shiloh and Javi joined the hug. Brady walked up behind them. Disbelief mixed with relief flashed in his eyes.

  “Brady.” Grayson rose to his feet.

  “Gray.” The emotion was thick in his voice.

  I had to blink back my own tears as I watched them embrace. They were the closest thing to brothers as either of them had ever had.

  “As heart melting as this all is, I’m late for an appointment,” the dark fairy interrupted.

  “Does this mean you aren’t going to help us?” The halfling princess frowned at her.

  The fairy shrugged a shoulder. “Not my world. Not my war.”

  “Sacha is leading the elves.”

  The fairy elf snorted. “And let me guess, Cindra and Des are in charge of the dragons?”

  My eyes widened.

  “They’re working with the GRIMM to glamour them before they’re released. We could use your help, Aunt Maloret.”

  I shuddered at the idea of being related to such a powerful being.

  “The GRIMM are willing to make a deal with you. A treaty could be signed.” One of the agents stepped in.

  The fairy elf smiled. “Are you promising to clear all my so-called charges? Give me free access and reign?”

  The GRIMM shuffled on his feet. “With the stipulation that you cause no harm to humans.”

  She frowned. “Poo. That’s no fun,” her eyes narrowed, “what about the extraordinaire? Will you let me have access to them?”

  “Yes.”

  My eyes widened at his quick response. How could he promise them away so easily to her and what did she want with the other extraordinaire?

  She laughed. “You would let me destroy them, wouldn’t you? Because they’re not human like you?”

  Her face sobered. “Everything to save those mindless beasts? Why? What is so special about them?”

  “It’s our duty to protect them. Protect this world.” His words were automatic.

  It was drilled into them from as early on as possible. We were GRIMMs. We were supposed to be the heroes.

  Yet in their eyes, we were the monsters. The thing that they feared. Would there ever be a future where we coexisted in peace or was that too much of a fairytale?

  “Pass.” She shrugged and turned to leave.

  “Wait. My… conduit.” Grayson held a hand up to her.

  Her eyes narrowed on him. “It was a ticking time bomb. Think of it like cancer. It would have killed you eventually, but I removed it. You’re welcome.”

  He frowned. “What did you do with it though?”

  She smiled and wagged her finger, “Uh-uh-uh. A magician never reveals their secret.”

  “You’re not allowed to have a GRIMM conduit.”

  A cackle erupted from her. She mimicked a contrite face and burst into more crazy laughter. “I’m not allowed? I’m not allowed to raise people from the dead either, darling. According to your law. Should I reverse that as well?”

  “No.” I glared at her.

  Her smile widened. “I thought so. Now, as much as I do love a good blood bath, I have other things to do.”

  With that she disappeared in a cloud of shadows.

  “Alright, listen up. We still need to assemble a team and finish preparations to face Luna Negra and the wizard,” a voice boomed over the noise.

  I grabbed Grayson’s hand and glanced at the others. Weariness washed over me. The supreme and Cassiano were still out there. The war wasn’t over.

  22

  After a much-needed bathroom break followed by coffee and food, I met back with the others outside the airplane hangars where preparations were underway.

  The cool autumn breeze blew around us as the sun lowered. It was surreal being there now and remembering the first day I’d arrived in that very spot. So much had changed since then, yet the problems were the same.

  Luna Negra was still out there and now they had Cassiano to help them. It was a depressing thought, but I was thankful all my friends and family were still standing. The image of Grayson’s death still haunted me. I’d lost him and though he was returned to us, I couldn’t shake the horror his death had brought.

  Finishing my coffee, I tossed it into a trash can before I returned to sit and listen to the GRIMM officer shout out orders. My eyes landed on Jesse as she lim
ped toward us followed by Ash.

  The older witch smiled at me and turned to address Grayson who sat beside me on the grass.

  “There’s something you should know. You were dead so magic will not work the same for you. Thankfully, the fairy was able to retrieve your soul pretty quickly, so you didn’t lose that connection completely, but it will never be the same. You will have to work twice as hard to do the same spells you could do before.”

  “I know.” The quietness in Grayson’s voice made my chest tighten.

  “Why didn’t she tell us? What does this mean?” I asked.

  Jesse looked to me. “It just means he will have to relearn magic, in a way. Figure out how to harness it with his conduit.”

  Grayson met my stare. “I’ll be fine, Rose. Most of the GRIMM weapons have their own spells already programmed in, anyway. I won’t need to cast right away.”

  “You can’t possibly be thinking of joining the others. You just died!”

  He took my hands in his. “But I’m alive now and I have to fight. I can still help.”

  I knew there was no way to convince him.

  Brady snorted. “This is war. Did you think the GRIMM were going to let us heal and recover first?”

  “No, but this is too much.”

  ““Don’t do that, Rose.” Grayson’s voice caught my ear.

  I turned to him. “Do what?”

  “Don’t give up yet. We’ve come this far. We can do this.”

  “But your chip—it’s gone.”

  He shrugged a shoulder. “I can fight without it. I’m not completely helpless.”

  “But Cassiano is the strongest GRIMM.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Yes. And even the strongest make mistakes. We can do this.”

  “It’s a good thing I swiped this back from the fairy huh?” Brady grinned.

  I turned to see him dangling the metal tin she’d given us before.

  “Wait, what do you mean you swiped it back?”

  He met my gaze. “She took it back when you were captured. Said our time was up and she needed it back.”

  A grunt escaped me. “She never gave us a time limit with it.”

  “Fairies are crafty that way,” Jesse replied.

  Grayson took the tin from Brady, his eyes lighting up. “This is perfect. Cassiano is not going to expect us to have a wizard trap. Nobody even makes them anymore. We have the element of surprise.”

  “But we have to corner him first before we can even catch him.”

  “Easily done.”

  Javi frowned. “How?”

  “Distract him. Get him to slip.”

  Cassiano slip up? I’d never seen it happen yet. Though Grayson’s determination was inspiring, his plan sounded wishful. Impossible.

  “We can do this, Rose, trust me.” He held my hand and squeezed it.

  His warm touch flooded me, and I met his steady gaze. “I do, Grayson.” My cheeks flushed at his arched brow. “Trust you, I mean.”

  He flashed me a smile that I couldn’t help but return. I’d missed his stubbornness and dedication. His courage and strength inspired me to rise up to the challenge. Grayson believed we could do this, I had to trust he was right.

  There was no backing down now. This could be our only shot at stopping him.

  “Brady.” We turned to see the headmaster striding toward us.

  “I’ll be back.” Brady told us as he slunk away.

  We watched as they embraced each other in an awkward hug. I turned to Grayson to catch his reaction. His face remained stony, but his hand tightened around mine. A surge of protectiveness filled me.

  Grayson didn’t have family, but he had me. We had each other and our friends.

  His blue eyes searched my face, making my pulse quicken. The memory of his death flickered before me before I shut it away. I didn’t want to remember the image. Not ever.

  “They set up security in the dorm halls. You should get some rest before tomorrow.” Tío’s voice startled me.

  I turned to see him rub his forehead. He looked as tired as I felt, and I wondered if he’d had any sleep since the first attacks.

  All of us needed sleep and showers.

  “We will,” Javi answered for us and gave his dad a nod.

  My eyes wandered the crowd and landed on Rafael and his wolves. They were in deep discussion with Miss Weatherstone and other people I didn’t recognize. Michael noticed me first and waved.

  I waved in return but didn’t move from my spot beside Grayson. After what we’d been through, I couldn’t leave his side. Every time I caught his eye, I was afraid to find him gone. His resurrection just a cruel trick by the fairy.

  It was dark by the time we all returned to the dorm, none of us wanting to be separated. Even Jesse joined us as we discussed our plan for the next day. Our room was crowded, but none of the guards said anything.

  “The GRIMM have their own wizard trap.” Brady broke the news to us as we gathered around.

  “Several that they want to set up and try,” he added.

  “Did you tell them about the one we have?” Grayson asked.

  Brady’s eyes slid to him. “No, Gray. I’m not an idiot.”

  I bit back a smile at their banter. In reality it hadn’t been that long since we’d all hung out together, but it felt as if a lifetime had passed. My eyes landed on Jesse and James as they whispered together.

  “What is it?” I asked, catching everyone’s attention.

  Jesse turned to me. “I was telling James about my plan to defeat the supreme.”

  “The GRIMM already have a plan to stop her,” Javi interrupted.

  I frowned. “One that will actually work this time?”

  “She won’t be easy to take down. Her magic makes her just as powerful if not more than the wizard,” Jesse explained.

  “What is your plan?” Shiloh asked.

  “The reversal spell. We take back her power. Then the GRIMM can do whatever they want with her.”

  “How are you going to hold all that power?” Shiloh looked from Jesse to me.

  “We can distribute it. Among the coven.” James spoke up.

  “So, give her power to the other witches? That sounds like a great plan.” Javi scoffed.

  “Not the other witches. Us. We are Luna Negra too. Our blood is promised to the coven.” The witch pointed to me and Ash.

  Grayson’s eye shot to me. “That’s a risky move.”

  “We have to try it. If the GRIMM can’t stop her. We have to try something.” I squeezed his hand.

  “That could work.” Shiloh nodded her approval.

  “And what? The rest of us just hang back as backups?” Javi scowled.

  Brady grunted. “Backups? Yeah, right. It’s going to be a mess. You’re going to get plenty of kill time, don’t worry.”

  His words chilled me though I knew he was right. The GRIMMs were launching everything they had to stop this war and the witches weren’t going to just surrender like that.

  We stayed up going over our strategy long into the night. I listened for as long as I could before my eyelids grew heavy with sleep. I nestled against Grayson, forgetting to be weirded out by the fact that everyone was in the room with us. There was too much going on for me to be concerned about what they thought. Not that I cared that much, anyway.

  I snuggled closer to Grayson and sighed as he wrapped his arms around me. A lump grew in my throat as the image of him dying flashed before me. Pushing away the dark thoughts, I tried to focus on the happier things. We were still alive. There was still a chance to end the war.

  Early the next morning, we were summoned to the cafeteria. I looked around in surprise at the fancy dining area turned war room. Everywhere I looked, weapons were being charged up or cleaned. Students and agents alike were dressed in armor.

  The surrealness of it startled me. I geared up with the rest of them, wearing armor for the first time in my life. All the GRIMM seemed confident despite the losses we’d already faced. Even
the students were ready, determined we were going to crush Luna Negra and Cassiano.

  I wasn’t so sure. Both sides had already seen some losses and who knew what the witches had planned now. Despite the fae princess and her entourage, the supreme had more extraordinaire on her side. If magic would determine the winner, did we have a chance against the most powerful witch and wizard?

  My stomach was in knots as I tried to swallow down something. Grayson sat beside me, his presence giving me some comfort. The other students had swarmed him at first, wanting to hear everything about his death and resurrection. Thankfully, Brady had stepped up and silenced them with a curse that prevented them from asking their questions without literal frogs coming out of their throats. He’d received a mark for his actions, but it stopped the students from hovering around us.

  Even Tyler stayed away. I caught him glaring at me from a distance several times, but he didn’t approach. I had enough to deal with before I confronted him, but I hadn’t forgotten what he’d done.

  “Rose?” Javi’s voice broke through my thoughts.

  I turned to him and realized everyone was looking at me. A flush crept up my neck.

  “Are you ready to go?” Shiloh asked softly.

  Dropping my fork, I looked to her and nodded. We rose and headed outside where they were loading agents and students into armored trucks and vans.

  Javi led us to my tío who was rounding up his team. I recognized Miss Weatherstone and Agent Young among the other agents. Their words drifted around me, but I couldn’t pay attention. My heart pounded in my ears as Tío debriefed us on our task.

  I glanced at the others. We hadn’t turned in our own wizard trap, still keeping it as our last resort option if the GRIMM plan failed. I hoped we wouldn’t need it all. I didn’t want my friends putting themselves at any more risk than they already had.

  Though we’d beaten the odds multiple times, I was afraid of what was to come. I couldn’t help but doubt our success. As I looked around at the serious faces, I wondered how many of the others were as scared as I was but didn’t want to voice it.

  Even the well-seasoned GRIMM had to be second guessing themselves. This was a simple routine round. We were heading into battle.