Grimm: A Novel In The Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Series (The Temple Chronicles Book 3) (37 page)

A nearby dragon watched to make sure the wolves left the property. I patted my pocket and frowned. One of the amulets was missing. When had
that
happened? I muttered a curse of frustration under my breath as I pulled out my cell phone, and dialed the only number in the world that mattered.

Death.

He answered on the second ring. “Is it finished?”

“Where is Indie?”

The line was silent for a moment, and then I heard a voice from Heaven. “Nate? Are you guys okay?” It was
her
. My heart seemed to shutter to a stop and then pick up double time.

“They didn’t take you!”

“Um, no. What are you talking about?”

“The Grimms. Wilhelm. He said he had taken you.”

“No, I don’t really know where I am, but I’m with Death. He’s reading a book,” she paused. “
Through The Looking Glass
. Is everyone alright?”

I nodded, throat tight, then realized she couldn’t see me. “Yes.” I thought of Ashley. “More or less.” Then I thought of Misha and Tory. “No. I guess we’re not.” Indie knew me well. She waited for me to speak rather than hammering me with questions. “Misha is gone.” Indie gasped. “And Ashley was infected with the werewolf gene. We don’t know how her body will react.” I trailed off, and heard Indie let out a soft sob.

“I’ll be right there. Death can get me there fast.”

“Absolutely not.” I snapped. For one thing, now more than ever, I realized how important my proposal was. I had to do it. Tonight. We had until tomorrow to confront the Grimms. And after that… well, I wasn’t giving up, but odds seemed pretty likely I wasn’t going to see the sun set. Perhaps I wouldn’t propose, but I desperately needed Indie to know my intentions. But to do that, I needed to bake a cake first. With Dean’s help, of course. Which meant that Indie needed to stay put.

After this fight, I didn’t think I would have any problem encouraging everyone to recover in private for a few hours, to grieve, and prepare for tomorrow morning.

“The Grimms want you dead. They already kidnapped Ashley. Geri wasn’t whom we thought, but was in fact Wilhelm. He was also the reason Temple Industries folded. He can shapeshift into other people entirely. It was Wilhelm in front of the cameras announcing my resignation. It was Wilhelm impersonating Ashley to get on that flight. I’m going to make him pay in blood.” I promised.

The voice on the other end went silent, not arguing. “How?” She asked softly. I began to answer, and then remembered how our unhackable phones had been hacked. And that anyone could be listening to us right now. Even with new phones, I wasn’t taking any chances. The Grimms had known my every move so far. Time to change tactics.

“Somehow.” I answered cryptically.

Indie got it. “When do I get to see you? When do we confront the Grimms? Why didn’t they end it today?”

“They want the Armory. We have until tomorrow at sunrise. We meet at
Chateau Falco
.”

“What about me?” She asked.

“You will prepare for a date. Tonight. I’m hungry.”

“What! A dinner date?
Now
?”

“Pretty woman don’t argue with man. Or man club pretty woman and drag her to cave.” I grumbled in my best caveman voice.

“I’m open to that.” She teased.

“Just get ready. Death can help if you need anything. He’ll know where to take you. Hand the phone over to him?”

“I love you, Nate. See you at dinner, tiger.” Her voice dripped promises that I wished I had time to explore.

“Yes?” Death answered. I told him where to take her and at what time. It would give me a few hours to bake the cake. Or cheat if I failed spectacularly, which wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. He grunted acknowledgment. “And keep her safe. They already took Ashley from under our noses. She is my
everything
.” I spoke harshly, remembering his wandering gaze earlier.

“I know. See you soon.”

And he hung up. I glanced up to see I was entirely alone. Gunnar – carrying Ashley – and Tory – carrying Misha’s now human corpse in her arms – entered the home, heads bowed. Raego approached me on silent feet, glancing here and there at the property to assess damage and verify that his dragons stood guard. He stepped up beside me, not speaking.

“I checked. They have your bargaining chip. Tory did her best to keep them away, but after Misha…” His eyes grew dangerous. “After that, well, she kind of lost it. That’s when they took it.” My shoulders sagged.
Operation White Knight
, my failsafe, had done failed. I couldn’t blame Tory. This was on me. I shouldn’t have left such a big responsibility to Raego and his crew. I shouldn’t have let Raego out of my sight.

Dwelling on that wasn’t going to solve the predicament though.

“We must rectify that. Or we’re all dead.” Raego merely arched a brow as if to say,
how is that any different than our current situation
? I grunted in response.

“Indie safe?” He asked. I nodded. “At least there’s that.” He muttered. “So… sunrise?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I have a few things to say to these sons of bitches.” His body rippled slightly, his dragon beast threatening to break free. I smiled sadly.

“Just make sure you speak loudly. I think they have hearing problems.”

“Oh, I’ll speak very loudly indeed.” His eyes twinkled with malice.

“I need to run. Get everyone ready. I know this seems callous, but none of us stands a chance if we don’t fight tomorrow. We must use our grief as armor. Or as a weapon.” Raego nodded, eyes fiery. “
Chateau Falco
an hour before sunrise. I want to go over a few things before shit hits the fan.”

He nodded. “We’ll be there a few hours before sunrise then. Just to be sure they aren’t setting up an ambush.”

I grunted. “I really don’t think they have any reason to do so. They already have almost everything they want. They just need my…
me
to show up.” I changed my words. Raego studied me thoughtfully, but didn’t press.

He extended his hand. I grasped it, squeezed hard, staring him in the eyes with a silent promise. “We’ll make them pay for this, Raego. All of them.”

He nodded, grinning expectantly. “Aye.”

Then I made a gateway back to
Chateau Falco
, leaving my friends behind.

Chapter 38

O
nce back in the comfort of my own home, I had made some cell phone calls. To Othello. Achilles. Tomas the dragon hunter. Jeffries the FBI Agent slash walking lie-detector.

No one answered.

Then I made a magical
call
. The Minotaur.

Nothing.

Which was probably for the best. At least for them. Then again, these people had been one-time allies and could have already been under threat of annihilation. Perhaps that was why they hadn’t answered. Or, more likely, they had heard that I was persona non grata and that any interaction with me would be bad for their health.

I hoped it was the latter.

Either way, it left me on my own. With the players I already had on the table.

And they all had a vested interest in our Grimm problem.

People had died…

That hit me hard. It was essentially my fault. Putting myself at risk was one thing. I was willing to pay the price. But now my friends had paid the price. And my secret operation may have just made me the biggest threat to the Academy in recorded – and unrecorded – history.

I had been debating on whether or not to propose to Indie, but after the recent fight, and the deaths, I decided that timing be damned. I wanted her to know how I felt. She didn’t have to
answer
me. But she
did
have to know how I felt. Some may call that cruel. Selfish.

So be it.

My death would hit her hard no matter whether I proposed or not, so I had made an executive decision that I wanted her to know my feelings. That we weren’t just boyfriend and girlfriend.

We were
more
.

If that was only known for a few hours, so be it. I could carry it to my grave with a smile. A weight off my shoulders. No regrets.

Which meant I needed a baked good of some kind since the bakery had fallen through.

I stared at the mess that was now my kitchen. Egg shells, loose flour, and various other spills marred the counter. I was no baker. But it sure smelled good. I clutched the towel around my waist, my only garment as I was fresh from the shower, and strapped on the
Avengers Infinity Gauntlet
oven mitt Indie had gotten me as a small gift, knowing damn well I didn’t cook.

Heh. I would show her…

The
Infinity Gauntlet
had almost given Thanos, the mad Titan, the power to overcome the Avengers.

Surely its power could help me bake a cake. I leaned down to the oven door, gazing inside to check on my masterpiece. The timer was almost up. I smiled to myself, lifting my
Infinity Glove
oven mitt into the air in a fist. “The world is mine!”

So I looked rather ridiculous when Dean entered the room and blinked at me, eyes widening, mouth opening to speak but no words coming to mind for a second. He wore neat slacks and a pressed shirt, impeccably tailored. He even wore a tie under his matching vest. The chain from a pocket watch glittered conspicuously.

He cleared his throat and tried again. “Does the Mad Titan need assistance baking his cake?” He was the King of Deadpan.

“Pff. I already did the hard part. Icing it will be a cinch.” I pondered that. “You do know how to ice a cake, right?” I asked, turning back to the oven and opening the door.

“Yes. I will return shortly with the icing. Need anything else while I’m out at the store?” I shook my head, reaching into the oven to clutch the cake and pull it out. “Okay. I will deliver the cake to the restaurant once finished.” I grunted acknowledgment and heard the door close as he left.

I studied the cake with a proud whistle after setting it down on the counter. It needed to cool for a while, so I would go get ready while I waited. I went to the counter to pour myself a small glass of wine, needing to fortify my courage for the upcoming proposal.

Listen, I wasn’t scared.

Per se…

More, I truly wanted this to be a momentous… moment. I wanted the gravity of my feelings to be expressed properly. I did better with winging these kinds of things rather than having a prepared speech. More heartfelt. Organic. Genuine.

Like Indie.

I was pouring the wine when I heard the door open. Likely Dean had forgotten something and had returned to grab it. I set down the bottle and turned to tease him. The towel dropped as I picked up the glass, exposing my danger zone. Before darting to pick it up in embarrassment, my eyes caught on the two figures standing in the doorway. And I stopped. They were smiling.

And neither of them was Dean.

Grimms.

They wore black leathers, looking like a cross between special ops gear and stealthy hunting garb. Like thieves in the night. It all looked new too; I could smell the freshly oiled leather. And here I was all naked.

God damn it. I snatched up my towel. “Cold, Maker?” One asked in a honeyed drawl. His face was a cinderblock, complete with scars and a stubble blonde beard.

“Looks like it.” The other answered. He was leaner, face drawn, and he wore a perfectly curled mustache. But he still looked tough. Just fashionably tough.

“What are you doing here? We have an appointment for tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, about that.” One, the beefier blonde one, answered.

Mustachio finished his sentence.
Tweedle Dumb
and
Tweedle Dumber
. “We wanted to talk to you about two of our brothers. It seems you accidentally killed them.” He said. “Outside the hotel.”

“No accident, I’m afraid.”

“You should be. Afraid.” He clarified. His hand twirled his mustache out of habit.

I kid you not.

I scowled. “Let me get this straight. You two clowns are here to get a little revenge on me for defending myself against two ill-prepared assassins who tried to punch my ticket the other day? Do you realize how idiotic that sounds?” I thought about setting my glass down, but wasn’t sure if that would signal a reaction on their part. So I took a controlled sip instead, trying to hide my nervousness. Being outnumbered was dicey. Being outnumbered and naked was worse. Especially in your own home. “Anyway, I spoke to Jacob and Wilhelm. They need me in one piece tomorrow morning. And he will probably need you two in one piece to be used as cannon fodder when I put an end to you guys for good. You know, take a few bullets for them so they can last a few seconds longer.”

The beefier blonde shrugged. “We can leave you in one piece. One bloody and bruised piece, more or less functional.” And he began to advance with slow heavy steps.

Unbelievable. Here I was, stark naked, still wearing the
Infinity Gauntlet
mitt, and a glass of wine in my hand, and these two chuckleheads wanted to scrap.

Fine. I’d had enough. I’d oblige.

I didn’t even wait for the telltale pulse of blue to tint my vision. My power was now familiar to me, and I knew I could call it at will. Even though I wasn’t as diverse in my use of it as I had been with my wizard power.