Grim Tempest

by Amanda M. Lee

  “We need to end the spell sooner than that,” Mom prodded. “This can’t go on any longer. You agreed.”

  Green’s smile turned into a sneer. “I only agreed because the spell didn’t work the way I thought it would. When I approached Turner about doing this he said he was open to it because he hated paranormals, too. He said he had the perfect thing. The spell was his idea.”

  “And it backfired on you,” I surmised. “You wanted to aim it at us, but didn’t know enough about magic to realize that it couldn’t be aimed at us because we’re naturally immune.”

  “Why do you think I call you abominations?” Green’s droll tone was irritating. “You should’ve gone down quickly. You’re always out and about and dealing with dead things. It should’ve been easy to eradicate you.

  “Heck, I figured the storm would force you out into the open more than usual,” he continued. “More fighting means more death, which means you guys will be out in the open and vulnerable. You’re reapers, right? It took me awhile to figure it out. Harry knew what you were, though, and he initially told me to back off.”

  I was surprised. “He did? Why?”

  “He knew quite a bit about paranormals. I was nervous about approaching him. The only reason I risked it was because of the stories about his mother. I always ignored them, chalked them up to workplace gossip. But I knew there was something completely wrong about all of you, so I approached him.”

  “And he knew what we were?”

  “He knew the moment your father showed up at the police station after I dragged you in for questioning,” Green replied. “Harry heard him on the phone. He said reapers weren’t good or evil. They just were and provided an important function. He told me that going after you was a mistake.

  “I didn’t like his response, but I played along because I was at a disadvantage when it came to knowledge,” he continued. “I didn’t know enough about you at the time to fight. I pretended to go along with Harry and came up with the weather spell to draw you out. I told him I was only interested in you, Aisling, because you were clearly evil. He ultimately agreed even though he initially fought against me and we put our plan in motion.”

  “So he cast the spell with his mother’s stuff?” I asked, desperately trying to put the rest of the story together. “Why did it only activate with his death?”

  “Because Harry didn’t understand the true nature of the spell,” Mom answered. “He didn’t realize that the blood sacrifice mentioned in the book was more than a drop. Whoever added their blood to the mix would die once the spell was brought to fruition.”

  “Which is why I was called to his house right after and the storms started that day,” I mused, rubbing my chin. “That’s also why he was so worked up about me touching the stuff on his shelf. I thought it was weird for a police chief to have so much metaphysical stuff, but it makes sense given who his mother was.”

  “I was supposed to sneak in and get the disc before his body was found, but you were already there when I arrived,” Green said. “I saw you through the window. I thought you were talking to yourself until I realized you were talking to Harry’s spirit.

  “At first I was worried that he would admit what was happening,” he continued. “He didn’t expect to die – although I knew he would because I took the spell to some witch in Ferndale for clarification on a few things and she told me it was a death curse – and I thought he might be bitter.”

  “He didn’t tell me. He seemed agitated, but I wasn’t paying attention. I had other things on my mind.”

  “Yes, well, I figured that out eventually,” Green said. “I was too afraid to go in the house after you left, and that turned out to be a good move because once Harry didn’t show up for work his administrative assistant stopped at his house to check on him. After that, cops and paramedics were everywhere.”

  “So you couldn’t get inside to look for the disc until later,” I deduced. “But it was already gone.”

  “Clearly someone took it during all the activity surrounding his death, but I have no idea who,” Green admitted. “At first I wasn’t bothered by that. I thought it would show up. Then I realized you were immune to the spell and that you’d figured things out much quicker than I gave you credit for.”

  “That’s when you realized you needed help.” My eyes landed on Mom, but her face remained impassive. “You went to Mom because you thought she’d help you end the spell and maybe even work to end us.”

  “It was a hope. I knew she was the outsider in your little group. I also knew she had a death certificate on file. The witch pointed me in her direction, called in a favor and put me in contact with Rogan. We’ve been working together ever since.”

  “How cozy for all of you,” I drawled, shaking my head. “You knew and you didn’t tell us, Mom. How could you think that was a good idea?”

  “I thought I could end things without you knowing,” Mom replied with a shrug. “It seemed easier than dragging you into it.”

  “We were already in it. Jerry and Griffin were already in it.”

  “Don’t take that tone with me,” Mom chastised. “I didn’t cast the spell. I was merely trying to clean up the mess this idiot created and protect you in the process. I wasn’t part of the original plan, so don’t get snotty with me. I don’t deserve it.”

  What she did or did not deserve wasn’t up for debate. We had bigger problems, and one of them had been niggling at the back of my brain for the better part of five minutes. “How is it that you’re not affected, Detective Green?”

  Redmond shifted a bit at the question. It obviously hadn’t occurred to him to ask. “Crap! I didn’t even put that together.”

  “That’s because I’m the smart one in the family.” I offered him a wan smile. “I’m going to remind you of that later, by the way. As for you, Detective Green, how is it that you’re out in the storm and not trying to kill anyone?”

  “Maybe I’m immune, too,” Green suggested. “Have you ever considered that?”

  I remembered his face during the misting event, the way he looked sick and struggled, and shook my head. “No. You were at a crossroads the other day. Something else is going on today.”

  “He has a protective talisman,” Mom supplied. “It shields him from the storm, but only for short bits of time, which is why it was stupid for him to come out in this.” She gestured toward the steady rain. “This isn’t ending soon and you’re at risk, Detective Green. You need to get out of the storm.”

  “And leave you to handle this situation on your own? I don’t think so.” Green puffed out his chest. “I believe I’m the one who has to take this matter in hand and put the plan back in action.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that. “And how are you going to do that?”

  Green grinned. “By ending you and your brother, of course. How else do you expect me to do it?”

  My blood ran cold as Redmond tensed. We were outnumbered. I could probably take Mom if it came to it – she looked frail a lot of the time, after all – but she was magically pumped up and looks could be deceiving. There was no way Redmond could take both Green and Rogan, and everyone knew it.

  “So that’s your new plan?” I challenged, glancing around in the desperate hope Dad and the rest of the cavalry had showed up during the talk. “Now you’re just going to murder us because your storm plan didn’t work?”

  “I don’t see another option … and I won’t live in a world with the likes of you. You don’t belong here. You never did. It’s time to take you out of the equation and let humans handle their own affairs.”

  I opened my mouth, a hot retort on the tip of my tongue, but I knew it was fruitless. Luckily for me Mom decided to make her move during the pause in conversation.

  “If anyone doesn’t belong here, it’s you,” Mom said, taking me by surprise when she reached around Green’s neck and yanked at a necklace. “It’s time you learned a bit about what magic can really do.”

  Green’s face went ashen w
hen he realized Mom had removed his talisman. The fury fueling him was fast and fierce. “You bitch!” He launched himself at Mom so quickly I didn’t have a chance to react.

  Redmond didn’t waste a second as he turned to face Rogan, his hands bunched into fists at his sides. “Run, Aisling! This is your only shot to get out of here.” He didn’t turn to see if I obeyed, instead flaring his nostrils like a bull and charging Rogan. They collided in a loud and vicious ball of swinging arms and snarls, so much so I had no idea who was winning.

  It was then that I remembered the tranquilizer gun in the back of my pants. I grabbed it with shaky hands and moved to point it in their direction, intent on helping Redmond, and then I realized Green had moved away from Mom – who was prone on the ground – and was facing me.

  I shifted the gun and pulled the trigger, but he slapped the weapon out of my hand, causing it to skitter across the ground out of my reach.

  “I should’ve killed you the first time I laid eyes on you,” Green growled. “The world would’ve been a better place.”

  I flicked my eyes to Mom to see if she would get up but she was completely still. She was either dead or knocked out. Ultimately it didn’t matter which because she could offer no help to me. I would have to handle Green on my own.

  “I could say the same about you,” I shot back, turning on my heel and booking toward a hill that led away from the mausoleum. Redmond would have to fight Rogan on his own. I needed a change of scenery if I expected to hold off Green. “You’re the evil one in this equation, not us.”

  Green didn’t expect me to run, so his reflexes were delayed by a few precious seconds. I managed to get ahead of him, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to sustain my lead because his legs were longer and I wasn’t known for my athletic prowess. If I could get over the hill, though, I would have the high ground, and maybe that would help if I turned the tables and fought.

  That idea lasted exactly five seconds, until I crested the hill and came face to face with Griffin. He was completely soaked, the umbrella discarded somewhere. His eyes were wild and his shoulders squared. And the look on his face when he saw me was enough to destroy my heart.

  “Oh, no!” I feigned moving to my left, but it was too late. Griffin grabbed my arms and hauled me up in front of him, his eyes lighting with interest when he saw my face. I could feel his heart pounding against mine as he pressed me against him, and I had no doubt things were about to fall completely apart. “Griffin … .”

  “I’ve been looking for you,” he gritted out. “I have some things to say, to do.”

  “Crap! No, no, no!”

  “Yes, yes, yes,” Green taunted from behind me. “Now you’re finally going to get what’s coming to you. This is what I’ve been waiting for. Rip her apart, boy!”

  Griffin looked as if he wanted to do just that. I had no options. I couldn’t even fight because of the way he had me pinned against him. All I had was my mouth … which was often my best weapon. I decided to use it now.

  “No matter what happens, I love you.” Tears mingled with rain as water cascaded down my cheeks. “If something happens, if I don’t get back up, don’t blame yourself. I know you didn’t mean for this to happen and … I’m okay.”

  Griffin stared hard into my eyes.

  “I want you to be happy,” I continued. “Well, not too happy. Like … if you kept a shrine to me in the townhouse that would be good. I don’t want you to be alone, so you can find someone else, but make sure you love me better … and make her look at the shrine a lot, because that will make me feel better.”

  Something shifted in Griffin’s eyes, and I couldn’t hold back a sniffle.

  “I love you,” I repeated. “Just remember that.”

  “She loves you,” Green sneered. “She thinks love – even though I don’t believe she can feel it – can overcome this spell. That’s not what’s going to happen, though, is it? Finish it, Griffin. You can finally be saved if you finish it.”

  Griffin continued to stare into my eyes for a long moment, and then he viciously tossed me to the side. I hit the ground hard, forcing myself to roll away from his frantic feet because I was certain he would pounce. Griffin was gone, and the wall of fury I was certain had been building in his chest was no longer directed at me. It was pointed at Green, and the detective was too full of himself to realize it until Griffin was on top of him.

  Fury met fury and rage toppled rage. I forced myself to look away as the fight turned brutal … and ultimately deadly. I could hear the sounds of death as they filled the afternoon air, but I didn’t look – couldn’t really – until the screams ceased, the sounds died down, and I felt a presence move in at my left.

  Griffin, his fists bruised and bloody, dropped to his knees next to me.

  “Griffin?”

  “Don’t touch me, baby,” he rasped. “I’m afraid if you touch me I’ll lose control. I … I’m barely hanging on here.”

  “It’s okay.” I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close even as he fought. “I have faith.”

  “Don’t, Aisling. I … can’t.”

  “You can. You already proved that.”

  Griffin exhaled heavily as he rested his head against my chest. “Listen to my heart,” I instructed, exhaling heavily as the clouds above us began to clear. “Just listen to it and focus. It’s almost over.”

  “I’m sorry.” He choked on his tears. “I’m so sorry.”

  “For what? You saved me.”

  “I hurt you.”

  I snorted. “Please. I scraped my knee. Things could’ve been much worse.”

  “I still hurt you.”

  He was a stubborn pain in the butt sometimes, but I was grateful for him. “You can pay me back with a massage and ice cream later. That will be your punishment.”

  “Aisling, I’m afraid. I can still feel it inside of me.”

  “There’s more than that inside of you. Trust me. It’s almost over. I can already feel the sun.”

  That wasn’t a lie. I could feel the storm passing, and with it the tempest inside him. We’d won again … although there was still work to be done.

  30

  Thirty

  Dad’s face was etched with concern when he climbed the hill twenty minutes later. He stopped next to Green long enough to look him over and then closed the distance. Griffin’s head remained pressed against my chest even though the rain had dissipated.

  “Are you all right?”

  I nodded as I ran my fingers through Griffin’s hair. “He didn’t attack me.”

  “I heard.” Dad smiled. “Redmond finished off the rogue and was racing to help you when he saw Griffin drop. It was clear you weren’t in immediate danger, so he figured privacy was in order.”

  “He’s okay. He fought the storm.”

  “I heard. That must’ve been some terrific willpower he utilized.”

  Griffin shook his head, finally stirring. His eyes were red rimmed and full of weariness when he lifted his chin. “It was the thing she said about building a shrine for her should I kill her.”

  “What?” Dad tilted his head to the side. “I don’t understand.”

  “She talked to me,” Griffin explained. “She said she loved me and that she didn’t want me to blame myself should she not get back up. That got into my head, but it wouldn’t have stopped me. It was what she said after that allowed me to take charge, the part about wanting me to be happy but not too happy, about finding love but making sure I still loved her more.”

  Dad pressed his lips together. “I see.” I’m not sure he did. “She wanted her memory to hang over your life forever.”

  “Pretty much.” Griffin stroked his hand down the back of my head. “That’s what jolted me out of it. I knew there could never be anyone else … and it was the way she said it, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.”

  “Yes, well, she does have a way about her.” Dad heaved out a sigh as he sat next to us. He looked as tired as I fel
t. “So, we’re going to burn down the mausoleum.”

  The announcement threw me for a loop. “I’m sorry … what? You can’t just burn down a mausoleum in the middle of the afternoon.”

  “The home office is on it.” Dad’s tone was pragmatic. “They’re sending a team down to clean things up. That’s them coming right now.” Dad pointed toward the pathway where twenty men strode in our direction. “We’re going to burn the mausoleum, pay off the cemetery workers and toss in everything that has anything to do with this storm.

  “I found your disc, by the way,” he continued, holding up the offending item as he shifted to make himself more comfortable. “I don’t want to yell at you for having it the entire time – especially because you’ve had a rough day – but seriously, how could you forget you stole the disc?”

  “I didn’t steal it,” I clarified. “I got distracted and slipped it in my pocket. To steal, you need intent. I had no intent.”

  “This isn’t like when you slipped the lipstick in your pocket at Sephora when you were a teenager,” Dad argued. “I’m not angry. I’m just … flummoxed.”

  “Good word,” Griffin noted, resting his chin on my shoulder as he rubbed his hands over my back. “I’m flummoxed, too.”

  “You look like you’re about to get handsy,” Dad countered. “I don’t like it when you get handsy.”

  “That won’t happen until tonight.” Griffin managed a watery smile for Dad’s benefit. “By the way, we’re staying at Grimlock Manor again tonight, just so I can be sure this storm thing is over.”

  “You fought the storm,” Dad pointed out. “You beat it. You don’t have to worry now.”

  “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But I’m not risking Aisling. We’ll stay at the manor another night.”

  “I’m fine with that. Although, to be fair, I’m not thrilled knowing you’re planning to get handsy in my house.”

  “You’ll live.”

  “I will,” Dad agreed, rubbing his palms against the knees of his jeans. “So, I heard the story from Redmond. It sounds as if Green was off his rocker.”