Dangerous Promise by Gwendolyn Cease Read online

  “We need to get the body to medical and have someone look it over,” Grimm said, touching his earpiece to contact the PIA about body retrieval.

  Styx shook his head. “This is getting fucked up. If one of us had run up on this thing, it might have killed us before we even knew what was happening.”

  “Then we need to be more prepared.” Grimm said. “We can’t treat them casually anymore, and we can’t track them alone.”

  “Fuck,” Styx said. “If we have to stick together, we won’t be able to cover the ground we need. No more nights off for any of us. I’ll let you tell Talon that since you two are so close.”

  Grimm rolled his eyes, knowing how the most volatile member of their team would take the news. Since he’d found Joelle, Talon was more focused on getting her naked than running around looking for bad guys. Of course, Grimm couldn’t blame him. If he had a woman at home, he wouldn’t want to be out every night, either.

  Without thought, his mind went back to the woman he’d danced with in the club. Kate. Her scent still invaded his dreams—explicit dreams that in the morning found him with tangled sheets and a raging hard-on. Even in the dirty alley with the dead body of a rotting vampire, he could conjure up her scent. He rubbed his face. Fuck, he needed to get laid.

  A car pulled up at the curb near the alley and agents got out. Styx waved one over and began explaining how to transport the body and where to take it. Once that was settled, the two men glanced at one another and disappeared back to headquarters.

  * * * *

  The research library was up a level from where the Hunters lived and looked as if it was pulled directly from an English manor home. Rich wooden floors, thick carpets and small groupings of chairs created an ambiance of quiet elegance. Grimm sighed as he entered and wondered if Quenton would still refuse to speak to him. The two of them had had a falling out after Grimm had said some things that he heartily regretted. He’d apologized, but Quenton had frozen him out completely.

  “You look like hell,” a voice denoting the English upper crust declared.

  Grimm glanced around to find Quenton watching him. The man was dressed in his usual style of frock coat, white shirt with elegant cravat, and leather pants. On some it would appear a costume, but Quenton owned the look. He always completed any ensemble with round, wire-rimmed glasses with black lenses, which hid the red irises of his eyes. The eyes, inherited from his demon father, were just one more reason why Quenton fit in perfectly at the PIA.

  Grimm slumped in a chair. “Quenton, I don’t know what the fuck is going on. Styx and I ran into one of the blood-addicted tonight, and it could climb walls.”

  “Excuse me?” Quenton pulled off his glasses to stare at Grimm.

  “Yeah, climb walls. Like a fucking spider. The thing was majorly fucked up.”

  Quenton came to sit across from him. “Obviously, this is why Kenshin called all of you here tonight.”

  “Yeah, we had to kill it, but it took both of us to do it. We brought the body back so somebody could figure out what the shit was wrong with it.”

  Before Quenton could reply, Reaper walked in. The big redhead glanced at the two of them and Grimm noticed Quenton color just a bit. Well, hello, what’s going on?

  “Do you know what this is about?” Reaper asked as he settled himself on the arm of Quenton’s chair.

  Grimm nodded, wondering what the hell was up between the two men. He knew Quenton had a thing for Reaper—fuck Grimm himself had blurted it out and that’s what had caused all the issues. But it seemed as if Reaper was making some kind of move. Damn, Grimm didn’t want Quenton to get hurt. If the man thought Reaper would settle for just one person, he was going to be out of luck. Reaper went through bed partners fast. He liked variety, and he wasn’t averse to sharing his bed with two or more people at a time.

  Styx came in with Charon and Aislinn trailing behind. The small, auburn-haired woman carried her custom-made naginata and held Charon’s hand. She often went out with them and Grimm was impressed with her fighting. Charon had done a good job training her. Now that they worked out every day, and she was drinking his blood, she was faster and stronger than ever. Grimm didn’t know how Charon let her fight—hell, if she were his woman there’d be no way. But the two of them made a good team.

  Finally, Talon and Joelle walked through the door with Kenshin following close behind. It was odd to see the pair before Kenshin showed up. They usually straggled in well after everyone else had arrived, with satisfied smiles on their faces. Grimm mentally shook his head. No, Joelle had the smile. Talon would glare around, daring anyone to say anything to upset her. It was comical really how fast the man had fallen for her. Grimm wondered if that’s how an Ancient/Liaison relationship went. Charon and Aislinn had experienced the same quick fall. He shivered at the idea of being trapped so utterly and completely. He wondered if the men had fought it or just accepted the slide into the inevitable trap.

  “Something happened tonight, and I want to make sure everyone knows,” Kenshin, the director of the PIA, spoke. “Grimm, Styx, please explain to everyone what you discovered.”

  Styx gave Grimm a subtle signal that he wanted him to talk.

  Grimm shrugged. “I was out patrolling and got the scent of a blood-addicted vampire. I met up with Styx, who had apparently smelled the same thing. We ended up in an alley behind a bar. At first, we couldn’t see the vampire, but I finally looked up. The fucker was clinging to the side of a building—”

  “Wait,” Reaper interrupted. “Clinging? Like with some kind of climbing rig?”

  “No.” Styx cut in. “Clinging like a spider or something. There wasn’t anything holding that thing up there but its own hands and feet.”

  Aislinn made a face. “That sounds like something from that movie Joelle and I watched. Um, the Dracula movie where the guy starts out looking really old. He climbs down the side of his castle. Totally creepsville.”

  “Just like that,” Grimm said. “Styx hit it with four throwing knives, and the thing fell off the wall but didn’t die. Hell, it barely slowed it down.”

  “Fucker came at us,” Styx said. “It was snapping at me like some kind of crazy animal. I stabbed it in the side, nothing. Grimm dragged it off and threw it into a building, but it still wouldn’t stop.”

  Grimm nodded. “Styx finally stabbed it in the heart. That’s what killed it. But, it took six knives, and two of us. If either one of us had faced it alone, we might not be here. It was that strong.”

  Chapter Two

  The room was silent after Grimm made his pronouncement. They all usually went out alone unless a call specified a problem. There were only five Ancients who hunted, and they couldn’t afford to lose anyone.

  “How is this possible?” Joelle finally asked. “I know when Juan came to my apartment, he didn’t do anything freaky like that. I mean, if he had, I would have had a total conniption and run around screaming.”

  “All the other blood-addicts were strong,” Reaper added, “but nothing we couldn’t handle. So what’s different?”

  “The lab is running tests on the body you brought in,” Kenshin said. “I hope they’ll have something to report within the next day or so.”

  Quenton held up his hand. “What’s different?”

  “I just asked that,” Reaper said.

  “Yes, and it’s a good question so let’s think about it. What’s different? What do we know now that we didn’t know before?”

  “An Ancient is apparently involved,” Aislinn put in. “Isn’t that right? Didn’t one kill my brother?”

  Talon nodded. “Yes.”

  Joelle sat up straight. “Hey, what happens when regular vamps drink Ancient blood? I know they don’t stink. At least, I don’t remember that they did. But do they get special powers or something?”

  “They were stronger,” Talon answered her, referencing the vampires who’d held him and fed on him until Joelle had freed him. “But none of them manifested anything like Grimm and Styx
describe.”

  “What if they’re drinking both human and Ancient blood? Would that make a difference?” Joelle took Talon’s hand and leaned against him.

  “Would that combo make a vamp into a wall-climber?” Reaper tossed in.

  “I can’t see how drinking Ancient and human blood would make a blood-addict gain those kinds of powers,” Quenton said.

  “Could it depend on the age of the Ancient?” Aislinn asked.

  A thought flashed through Grimm’s mind. “Okay, this might sound crazy, but what if the Ancient’s not only old but also has a true Liaison? I mean, what kind of changes does that make in an Ancient’s blood?”

  No one said anything as looks were exchanged. Finally, Reaper broke the silence. “Is there a way to test Talon or Charon’s blood without every asshole within the entire PIA finding out?”

  “Yes,” Quenton said, “as long as Talon and Charon don’t mind. If not, then I’ll call Maeve.”

  Neither man commented, but Kenshin rolled his eyes. Maeve was not Kenshin’s favorite person. Kenshin labeled her totally unprofessional and difficult to work with, which Grimm found laughable. The man worked with Joelle every day and took the shit the woman dealt out but never complained about her. Of course, he might also hold his tongue due to Talon’s temper.

  Quenton pulled out his cell phone and dialed. His conversation was brief, but when he snapped the phone closed, he nodded. “She’s coming right down.”

  “Have I met Maeve?” Joelle asked.

  “If you had, you’d remember,” Grimm replied. “She’s…unique.”

  Quenton gave a small laugh. “She’s Fae, they’re all unique.”

  “Fae? Like fairy Fae?” Aislinn asked.

  “Do not call her a fairy,” Quenton advised. “She’s rather touchy about that, and before you ask, no, she doesn’t have wings.”

  Aislinn slumped back against her chair. “Damn.”

  A moment later a woman walked in and, just as Grimm had said, she was unique. Her hair was black with streaks of hot pink, and she had it in two ponytails that barely brushed her shoulders. Heavy pink-streaked bangs hung right above her almond-shaped green eyes, which were heavily lined with black kohl. Her pierced nose was small and pert, and her full lips were painted something that danced between purple and black. If all of that wasn’t striking enough, she had two small horns that curved up from the top of her head. Other than that, she wore her usual outfit of black combat boots, black tights, short black skirt and a tight black shirt. Grimm imagined she didn’t have issues finding anything to wear or match.

  Maeve dropped the black case she carried on the table. “So, what do you want?” she asked, as she cracked and popped a wad of gum. Her voice was rough as if she had just come from cheering on her favorite team, but it was always like that. From what Grimm could figure, Maeve didn’t follow sports. Hell, he doubted the woman even owned a television.

  “We need you to test Talon and Charon’s blood,” Quenton said, “but no one can find out.”

  Maeve studied him then glanced around at everyone in the room. Slowly, she moved over to a trashcan and spit out her gum. Grimm knew she only did that when she was going to get serious.

  “What are we looking for?”

  “Anomalies,” Grimm told her. “We want to see if their blood is now different from the rest of us.”

  She nodded and opened the case, pulling on a pair of gloves. “I’ll take blood from all of you in case anything has changed. And I want to test the humans, too.”

  Talon growled low.

  Joelle nudged him. “I think that’s smart.”

  “Good. Who’s first?” Maeve asked.

  Talon held out his arm and Maeve set about drawing blood. The rest of them watched as she took three vials from everyone then packed them in her case. She popped off the gloves and stored them in a hazardous-waste bag.

  Kenshin finally broke the silence. “No one can know about this.”

  “Yeah, I got that.” She snapped her case closed.

  “I need you to understand just how classified this information is,” he said, sitting forward in his chair. “No one can know you took blood or tested it. Tell people you went to the restroom or took a break, but no one can know you saw us. When you get the results call Quenton. He’ll tell you where to meet us so you can give us the results.”

  She eyed all of them. “I’m doing the blood work on the vamp that was brought in. Should I be looking for anomalies there, too?”

  Grimm spoke before anyone else could. “Let’s just say the vamp exhibited some mad skills, and it wouldn’t hurt if you gave his blood a second and third look.”

  She nodded. “Right. Got it. I’ll call.”

  She walked out, toting her case, and Quenton shook his head. “You know we should take her into our confidence.”

  “Not until I know where the leak is coming from,” Kenshin said.

  “Not her,” Reaper said. “She would never leak classified information. Ever.”

  “I agree,” Quenton said.

  “Let’s wait until we know something before we make any decisions,” Kenshin said. “It could be that all our suppositions are wrong.”

  “Could be,” Grimm agreed, “but I don’t think so. I have a bad feeling about all of this.”

  * * * *

  Heavy clouds hung lifeless in the sky as Kate pulled into the parking lot of the bookstore. The passengers riding in the backseat cheered.

  “We can have a book, right, Momma?” six-year-old Olivia asked, bouncing in her booster seat. “And a coffee, too?”

  Kate smiled. Olivia’s coffee was actually a cup of hot chocolate, but since the bookstore housed a coffee shop, she insisted she was drinking java. “Of course. That’s the Friday night rule. We each get a book and a coffee.”

  “Cool,” Olivia declared. “I already know what book I want. It’s the new Calina the Vampire book.”

  Kate glanced back at Abby. “What about you? Do you already know what you want?”

  “Not yet. I want to look around.”

  Kate nodded in agreement. Abby was very much like Kate herself. She loved the process of wandering through the bookstore, touching the books and reading the cover blurbs. There was always excitement when discovering a new author or, even better, when a favorite author had a new book out.

  The three of them walked into the bookstore and Olivia immediately darted off toward the children’s section. Kate and Abby followed at a slower pace, stopping to browse along the way. The bookstore was the only place Kate would allow the girls out of her sight, since they came here so often. Everyone who worked there knew them, and the manager had told Kate she could be assured the girls were always monitored. In addition, Kate had also talked to the girls about strangers and what to do if someone approached. Smiling, she picked up another book and studied the back cover.

  * * * *

  Grimm slouched in a comfortable chair tucked into a corner of his favorite bookstore. He tried to get in every couple of weeks to just sit and read. Truthfully, it wasn’t really the books he came for, though. He had plenty of selection back at his place, but he liked being out. He liked watching people and, though, he didn’t want to talk or some kind of shit, he liked the connection being among humans gave him. Sometimes, he felt that keeping to themselves made the Hunters forget what they were fighting for, fighting to protect.

  A little girl came around the corner and crouched in front of a bookcase filled with kids’ books. She looked really excited as she slowly ran her fingers over the books. She crawled over to the next bookcase and searched those books, too. Grimm had never seen a kid concentrate so hard, but then again, he didn’t have much involvement with kids, any kids. Hell, he hadn’t even played with them when he was a kid.

  He watched her back up and move to her tip-toes, straining to see the top of the shelf. Smiling, she looked around, maybe looking for someone, then stepped onto the bottom shelf and reached her hand up. Obviously, there was a book
up there she wanted. Where the fuck were her parents? Why wasn’t someone from the store around? Tentatively, she stepped up onto the next shelf and Grimm already knew what was going to happen. He moved before he thought about it and caught her as she tumbled backwards.

  He set the little girl down, hoping like hell she didn’t start screaming. The last thing he wanted was to draw attention. Shit, he really just wanted to sit in a quiet spot and read. Usually, humans had a tendency to pass right over Ancients unless the Ancient wanted to be noticed. Quenton thought it had something to do with a predator hiding in plain sight or some kind of thing. All Grimm knew was if he didn’t want anyone to see him, they didn’t. End of story. But, obviously, that wasn’t happening since he didn’t want to watch some kid fall and bust her head open.

  Instead of screaming, the kid smiled brightly. “They put my book up too high.” She pointed toward the shelves she’d been trying to climb. “Can you reach it for me? It’s Calina the Vampire.”

  Grimm hesitated a moment and finally nodded. “Sure.” The book had a pink, purple and black cover featuring two young girls, one sporting a large smile complete with small fangs.

  “Have you read them?”

  The question interrupted Grimm’s perusal of the cover and he gave a shake of his head. “No, I haven’t. Are they good?” he asked as he handed the book to the waiting girl.

  “They’re so good. You should. You remind me of Calina’s dad, Stark. He’s really cool.” She clutched the book in her hands and smiled up at him.

  Grimm started to answer her, but froze. The scent coming off her was one he recognized. Kate. She smelled of Kate. She couldn’t, his mind argued. There was no way this little girl could smell of the woman from the club. He breathed in a bit deeper and knew for certain that at some recent point this child had come into contact with the woman whose scent had so captivated him.