Light the Shadows (A Grimm Novel)

by Clay, Michelle

  Easing the door open, she slipped through then closed it as quietly as possible. Save for the soft snick of the latch, she made no noise. Her heart skipped a beat as she entered the study. At least six shadows lined the walls. They seemed poised, waiting for Natalie’s signal to attack. The closest ones looked awfully antsy as they leered at her. She expected the girl to bark an order, to force them to attack, at any moment.

  Natalie sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor, her back facing Micah. Her father stood behind her while Sully stood directly in front of her. Sully’s scythe rested next to the girl’s right knee.

  Thomas still attempted to reason with his daughter. His words were spoken in a low, soothing voice. “Please, sweetie.”

  Micah moved next to Thomas, figuring it smart to have two Grimms fighting side by side. His fingers brushed against hers then gripped her hand.

  “Oh good,” Natalie said with a wicked laugh. “Looks like you’re all here.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Micah asked, but didn’t attempt to keep the contempt from her voice. “Maybe if we understood…”

  The girl laughed at that. She twisted her head around to stare at Micah. Her dead, doll-like eyes narrowed. “You couldn’t begin to comprehend.”

  “Help me understand,” Micah said. Maybe if Natalie was kept preoccupied, she and Thomas would be able to do the job they’d come to do. “You said something before about them giving you power? What do you need it for?”

  Natalie grimaced. “By taking their energy, it allows me to stay anchored to this plane of existence.” To prove her point, she beckoned to one of the shadows. The man moved away from the wall with just a glimmer of hesitation.

  Natalie gripped his sleeve then rose to meet him. “It also makes me stronger.”

  The man’s image began to fade as he was pulled closer. His entire arm disintegrated into the girl’s chest. Realizing that he was in danger, the man began to struggle. His eyes widened, and he began to moan a little. He dug his heels into the plush burgundy carpet and tried to pull away. Natalie growled in anger then gave one final jerk. In a blink of an eye, the man ceased to exist.

  Something demonic flickered in the girl’s eyes. She turned to study the shadows waiting against the wall as a tiny smile lifted the corner of her mouth. “Who’s next?”

  Thomas gasped then let go of Micah’s hand. Finally, he must have realized what everyone had been telling him. Natalie was no longer his little girl and probably hadn’t been in a very long time.

  The dagger slid into Micah’s hand, and she noticed Thomas had his as well. He swung his blade just as Micah cried out and plunged her own into Natalie. Or rather, the space she had just occupied. Micah stumbled forward in confusion. “Where is she?”

  Natalie reappeared behind Sully then laughed maliciously. Micah screamed a warning, giving him just enough time to dart out of the way. He lunged forward and swiped his scythe off the floor then turned to meet her.

  The girl’s fingers were crooked like claws as she made a run at him again. Her teeth were bared, and there was an evil twinkle in her eyes. She screamed at the shadows waiting against the wall. “Get them!”

  The angry spirits scrambled, darting around the room and reaching for any living person. Fingers groped and pawed at Micah. Teeth snapped close to her face. Whispers full of malice filled her ears. Papers and debris blew around the room in the frenzied stampede of shadows.

  One knocked Micah backward. She landed solidly on her butt, and it took her a moment to get up. Each time she tried to rise, another knocked her down. Sully and Thomas fared no better. Every time they swung at a shadow, the resentful spirit would dash away or disappear.

  One of the bookshelves teetered beneath a grinning shadow’s hand. It fell forward, crashing against the floor. Micah barely had enough time to scramble up and out of the way. Unfortunately, she’d penned herself in a corner. Two shadows advanced on her, their teeth bared and their eyes glowing with the promise of cruelty.

  From somewhere in the room, Natalie yelled, “She’s mine! Keep her there.”

  Micah used the wall against her back to push herself up into a standing position. She had to break through the shadows, had to put an end to Natalie. She turned her palms outward and blasted light at them. One was struck in the chest. The light burned him away until nothing remained. The other witnessed this, shrieked then darted away. Now Natalie filled their emptied space.

  “You’re the strongest. I think I’ll take you first.” Natalie grinned.

  Micah glanced up to see where her guys were. Sully battled three shadows while Thomas used the dagger on another.

  Micah said, “Killing me won’t make you happy. You’ll still be dead. You’ll still be a shadow.”

  Natalie stalked closer. “Who said anything about killing you, Kelly?”

  The dagger faltered in Micah’s grip. How the hell had the girl known that? “What? How?”

  “You’re not the only one who does research.” Natalie laughed then made a grab for her.

  Micah’s dagger arced toward the girl, who had just enough time to jump backward. Natalie threw up a hand to protect herself. The blade came nowhere close to slashing the girl. Micah sliced at her again and again, but the girl managed to stay just out of reach.

  The child said, “Maybe I’ve underestimated you.”

  This time, the dagger bit into the girl’s right arm, just above the shoulder. A burning light poured from the wound like blood. Micah reveled in Natalie’s screech of agony. Still, it wasn’t a killing blow, and it only seemed to slow her momentarily.

  Thomas had just disposed of a shadow when he turned to see Micah’s dagger in action. This time, he didn’t flinch or falter. This time, he surged forward to drive his blade into Natalie as well. The blade sank into her back, all the way to the hilt. Burning light shimmered beneath her skin and trickled over Thomas’s fingers.

  Natalie threw back her head and screamed. She disappeared then winked into sight next to the downed bookcase. “I’m going to kill you all! Then I’m going to eat your souls,” the bedraggled girl yelled in anger. Fury danced in her eyes as she bared her teeth in a snarl.

  The remainder of Natalie’s shadows dissipated beneath the blade of Sully’s scythe. He strode forward, forcing Natalie to either meet him head on, back away, or disappear. Surprisingly, she scuttled backward toward Micah and Thomas. Sully continued to advance, forcing her even closer.

  Some part of Micah wondered if Natalie thought Thomas might still try to protect her. Thomas cast a quick glance at Micah. The beginnings of uncertainty clouded his features as his dark brows dipped in a frown. Micah snarled at him, hoping he understood that even if he chickened out, she would do what was necessary.

  “Now!” Sully yelled when he’d backed her as far as he could without actually forcing the girl to trip over them. She had only a second to glance over her shoulder before Micah sprang into action.

  Micah surged forward, Thomas only seconds behind her. Together, they plunged their daggers into Natalie. The girl threw back her head and let out an anguished cry before falling to her knees. Resting her hands on the debris covered floor, she glared up at her attackers.

  Thomas hadn’t moved. In fact, he looked positively ill. The hand holding his dagger trembled slightly, and Micah feared he might drop the weapon.

  “Get up.” Sully loomed over the girl. “Let’s finish this.”

  Natalie scrambled up to her feet then glared at Micah. “You’re gonna be sorry.”

  “You started this,” Micah said in defense. “It doesn’t have to be painful. You can go with the light or the dagger, but either way, you have to go.”

  “Please, Nat.” Thomas’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. The dagger was still in his hand. “Don’t make us destroy you.”

  Natalie bit her bottom lip, seeming to weigh her choices. She slanted a glance at her father then dropped her gaze. Her cheeks tinted pink, and she thrust her bottom lip out in a pout. Finally, she to
ok a deep breath then stepped forward to meet Micah halfway. “Okay. I’m ready.”

  The dagger disappeared, and Micah lifted her palms toward Natalie. She curled her fingers, urging the girl forward. “Take my hands. Everything is going to be okay.”

  Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Natalie lifted her gaze, a smirk on her face. The girl stopped just short of touching her fingers to Micah’s. With a cry of desperation, Natalie twisted away.

  Panic set in, and within a blink, the skull dagger appeared in Micah’s grasp. She and Thomas lunged forward, reaching for the girl. Natalie’s small body bounced off her father’s, and she ran for any exit. Micah knew she’d disappear given the chance.

  “Hurry,” Micah yelled.

  Thomas snatched at his daughter, but she began to flicker. Any moment she’d be gone.

  With an irritated growl, Sully lunged forward to grasp the kid by the injured shoulder. She squealed in pain then dug in her heels. Her eyes widened, and she slashed at her “uncle” Sully with crooked fingers. “Get off me!” she screamed. Shadowy darkness seemed to leak out all around her and swallow the room. Some of it crept across Sully’s hands and twined around his arms.

  Micah and Thomas approached, both daggers held at the ready. The girl squirmed in Sully’s grasp. Micah wondered if the deadly daggers she and Thomas wielded had weakened her. She’d been cut and stabbed multiple times, and the wounds still shimmered with a scorching glow.

  Finally, just as Micah slashed at the girl’s throat, she managed to twist out of Sully’s grasp. She stumbled backward, disappearing in a cloud of shadowy darkness before she smacked into him. Sully was knocked back by the force of it. He fell backward then grunted when Micah fell atop him.

  Micah’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open in shock. The blade had pierced Sully’s shirt and formed a bead of crimson on the skin beneath. Careful as she could, she sat up and started to pull the blade from his chest. She hadn’t hurt him too badly, as only an inch or so had sunk into him. As a Reaper, he’d surely heal.

  Something dark flashed in Sully’s eyes. His hand shot up and curled around Micah’s fingers. “Do it,” he demanded through gritted teeth.

  “What? No!” She tried to pull her hand from his.

  Thomas knelt next to Sully’s head. Using his thumb and forefinger, he peeled one of his friend’s eyelids up to peer inside. “What’s going on, Sullivan?”

  Sully seemed to struggle to find the words. He shut his eyes and sucked in a sharp breath through his nose. “She didn’t disappear. I think she’s inside me.”

  “Is that possible?” Thomas asked as he continued to study him. “I’ve never heard of this happening before.”

  Micah noticed that a fine sheen of sweat had formed on Sully’s forehead and upper lip. His cheeks were flushed, and his entire body trembled beneath hers.

  Tears sprang to her eyes as she used her free hand to brush fingers against his cheek. Now she understood why he had urged her to use the dagger on him. Only, she didn’t think she had it in her to plunge her dagger into the heart of the man she loved. It might not even work.

  Sully’s fingers tightened around Micah’s. It took everything within her to prevent him from pushing the blade deeper. Her voice cracked with emotion as she said, “There has to be another way.”

  “Maybe, but I won’t risk hurting you.” His light grey eyes gazed up at her with resolution. “Do it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sully gritted his teeth as pain spiked through his chest and radiated all the way down his spine. Somewhere in his brain, a little girl’s giggle echoed. This was bad and would probably get worse before the night was out if they didn’t do something and quickly.

  Micah leaned over him, searching his face. The pain and uncertainty of loss he saw reflected in her eyes made his heart ache.

  He fought to find a smile, but his laugh came out a bit forced. “It probably won’t even kill me, doll. Don’t think about it. Just do it.”

  Moisture leaked down Micah’s cheeks then dripped onto the front of his shirt. She whispered, “I can’t.”

  Thomas rested a hand on Micah’s shoulder. He looked pale and unsure. His dark eyes met Sully’s gaze. “I’ll do it.”

  “No,” Micah said with a sob.

  Sully pushed her hand downward, forcing the blade deeper before she realized what he was doing. She gripped it tighter then closed a hand over his. “Maybe if Azrael—”

  “We don’t have time, doll.” Sully sucked in air between his teeth. Maybe if he could get angry, he could work around the pain. “I feel her squirming around in my brain, trying to gain control. We can’t let that happen.”

  “Fight it,” Thomas said with hope. “Fight her, Sullivan.”

  “No. We have to put an end to this,” Sully said, fingers curled tight around Micah’s hand. He pushed the hilt downward again. His next words were breathy and full of pain. “Deep as you can, Micah.”

  “No, I can’t do it. What if it kills you?” She turned to glare at Thomas. “He’s your best friend. Talk some sense into him, please!”

  Thomas shrugged helplessly. “If Natalie somehow found a way inside him … it might end her.”

  “We don’t know that for sure!” Micah cried out.

  “I’m pretty much dead already,” Sully said softly. The darkness within him was closing in, clutching at his brain. His heart thundered as it tried to crawl inside there as well. “I’ll bounce right back. You’ll see.”

  Micah’s fingers loosened on the hilt, but he refused to release her. His other hand reached up to rest on her back. At first, his fingers caressed her skin then stiffened against her. Her body tensed beneath his touch, but she could do little to prevent what happened next. With the last bit of strength he owned, he pulled her down on top of him as if they were merely hugging. Her body drove the blade home.

  Sully could do little more than gasp at the shockwave of agony that pulsed through him. Natalie’s presence seemed to scuttle away, to the darkest recesses of his mind. Had they managed to kill her spirit, or had this all been for naught?

  With a wail of anguish, Micah pressed her face against his shoulder and cried. Warmth spread from his chest as blood bubbled from the wound. Life ran down his side, past his ribs and onto the scuffed wooden floor.

  Thomas tried to haul Micah off him, but she clutched at Sully’s shirtfront. Her face was a wet, blotchy mess. His blood soaked through the right side of her shirt, the material damp and clinging to her skin.

  After a few moments, she sat up and caressed his face and hair. Her gaze roved over him, but refused to look at the dagger buried deep within his heart. He experienced trouble focusing on her as she continued to stroke his hair.

  “I love you, Sully,” Micah said through her tears.

  The darkness within him receded just a bit, but continued to scramble for a place to hide. Natalie’s presence leaked away as if she lived in the blood running from the wound. His heart quivered in spasm, protesting the cold metal entombed within it. Either that or he really was dying.

  Just as quickly as she’d taken over, Natalie winked out of his mind. He gripped the hilt in his blood slicked fingers, but didn’t have the strength to pluck it from his chest. When he opened his mouth to ask, blood bubbled past his lips.

  Thomas gripped the handle in one hand then yanked it out. The strange suctioning sound of the blade slipping from his flesh made Sully wince. Blood spurted out then ran beneath his body. Just how many times did he have to die anyway?

  “Sully?” Micah asked, fear and hope battling each other in her voice.

  His pained chuckle burst the blood bubble resting on his lower lip, and it spattered Micah’s chin. “I think she’s gone.”

  He was fading fast. The room and the people in it had begun to fade. Voices seemed to be distorted and distant as if his head was under water. As long as Natalie was gone, he’d accept this fate.

  Micah’s fingers caressed his cheek as she leaned close to
press a kiss to his temple. “I can’t lose you, James Sullivan. Not now. Not ever.”

  Sully’s heart sputtered and attempted to heal. The pain of it sealing itself and forming new muscle and skin nearly sent him spiraling into the blackness of oblivion. Why did death have to hurt so damned much?

  Micah’s lips rested near his ear. Her words carried a hot breath full of emotion. “Come back to me, Sully. Don’t you dare leave me.”

  His eyes fluttered shut despite his best efforts to keep them open. The heart inside his chest no longer sputtered. In fact, it had stopped altogether. He released the last breath held in his lungs and eased into nothingness.

  He vaguely heard Micah’s cry of desperation.

  Thomas’s baritone was muffled as his hands grasped Sully’s shoulders. He was dragged across the floor then lifted onto something soft. That was the last he remembered.

  ****

  Later, when Sully awoke, he spotted Thomas kneeling next to a bucket of sudsy, pink water. He scrubbed at the floor with a cleaning brush and cursed as rivers of blood raced across the grooves.

  Micah appeared from the direction of the kitchen, providing a new bucket and a mop. She swirled the mop across the floor, effectively sopping up the mess. She looked so heartbroken and exhausted. His blood still stained the front of her shirt and the knees of her jeans.

  Using his elbows, Sully pushed himself up. His chest felt tight, each muscle feeling like it might pull apart at the seams. He stopped mid-motion to gasp for breath.

  When Micah spotted him on the couch, she dropped the cleaning supplies then dashed toward him. Crashing onto her knees next to him, she smoothed hair from his face. “How do you feel, baby?”

  “Like hammered dog shit.”

  Micah reared back to stare at him, her eyes huge. When she saw the half-smile on his face, she chuckled then stood. “Do you feel like … yourself?”

  Sully pushed up into a sitting position then touched the dark, stained hole in his t-shirt. “Yeah, I’m fine, doll. I told you I’d bounce back.”

  She leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his cheek. “Rest while Thomas and I finish cleaning up.”