Grimm Consequences (9 page)

Demetrius laughed and spread his arms wide. “You say that as if I were an honorable man, Maximus.”

“Fine,” I spat. “Then I will.”

I dematerialized to the Judge, and grabbed his throat, my fingers puncturing his flesh to grasp his larynx. “Live or die?” I hissed.

The Judge blinked. He tried to swallow. Couldn't. With a snarl, he dematerialized.

“It's too late!” Demetrius cackled, doing an erratic little dance of triumph. He howled with laughter. “Just
look
at you!”

I turned my head slowly to look at my reflection in the oven window. There was nothing human left of me. Just a shadow of a skull peeking out from churning darkness, red eyes blazing with fury and hatred and vengeance. The man that was Nate Grimm was no more. All that was left was the Death Bringer.

There was a flicker of movement behind me. I dragged my eyes away from the horrific reflection and met Tess's gaze in the window. She was alive, her soul back where it belonged. I'd succeeded.

Only one thing left to do.

“This ends here, Demetrius,” I informed him.

He was suddenly at my back, his arm around my throat. He spun me around to face Tess. I didn't fight back. There was no point in hiding my monstrous self from her. She'd already seen me for what I really was.

“Aww . . . look at her,” Demetrius cooed in my ear. “She's so confused, so distraught. Can't imagine how painful it is for her to see you like this.” He giggled. “Take a good look, Ms. Little! This is what you've been fucking all these months!” He shook me a little. “This
abomination
.”

She shook her head slowly. “No.”

“I'm so sorry,” I said, the look on Tess's face cutting through me, tearing my heart out as surely as I'd torn out the heart of the Judge. “I love you, Tess.”

“So touching,” Demetrius mocked in my ear.

Tess shook her head again, her lips pressed together in a determined line. “No. Nate—”

“Remember that,” I interrupted. “I just need you to do one last thing for me.”

Tears glistened in Tess's eyes. “Anything.”

“Press the button.”

I saw her confused look just before I turned on Demetrius and dematerialized into the crematorium oven, taking the bastard with me.

“What the fuck?” he cried, his voice panicked.

I wrapped my arms around his chest, keeping him where he was, refusing to let him out of the fiery tomb. A frantic pounding on the window drew my attention.

“Nate!” she screamed. “What the hell are you doing! Get outta there right
fucking
now!”

I met her gaze calmly, my grip around Demetrius tightening as he realized what I had in store for him and began to scream and struggle to get away. I could've snapped his neck, ripped out his heart, as I'd done to the others. But he couldn't come back, not ever. And as powerful as he had become, as mad as he was, there was only one way to ensure that. He had to go down in flames. His soul had to be damaged to the point it couldn't recover. And I had to be the one to take him out.

“Press the button, baby,” I ordered. “You need to let me go.”

“What?” she cried, horrified. When she saw I was serious, she pounded on the glass, trying desperately to work the handle to open the door. “Are you
crazy
? Get out of there, goddamn it!”

Demetrius's screams intensified, becoming roars of rage as his darkness overtook him. I didn't have much longer. Soon he would be too strong to hold, and my own darkness was creeping into my consciousness. Soon I'd be lost in oblivion, all thought, all memory, gone. I would be nothing more than a shadow that wandered the night, movement in the corner of someone's eye as they walked down a dimly lit street, the boogeyman who scared little children.

“I'll never let you go, Nate Grimm!” Her sobs were frantic. “Do you hear me?”

I fought against the ache in my heart, damning the fates for their seriously fucked up timing. Finally, after all these years of watching over her, protecting her from harm, loving her from a distance, I had everything I'd ever dreamed of. My beautiful Tess. The woman who'd saved me in so many ways. Now, I needed her to let me do the same for her.

“I love you, Nate,” she said, her palm pressed against the glass, her eyes pleading with me. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she held my gaze through the glass “
Please . . .
I
love
you!”

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the words wash over me, cleansing my soul. Tess loved me. That was all I needed to know.

“Do it,” I ordered through clenched teeth, fighting to keep hold of Demetrius. I opened my eyes, gazed at her one last time as a tear scalded a path down my cheek. “Now!”

The words drifted to me like a whisper on the wind, dulling the pain of the flames that seared my soul, drowning out the screams of the Reaper whose soul I had claimed.

I knew he'd been evil. I knew I'd done my duty in acting as his judge, jury, and executioner. I knew I had been protecting someone.

But who?

There were those words again. They meant something to me. Why? Who could possibly love me—the great Death Bringer, Reaper among Reapers? I wasn't worthy of love. I deserved condemnation, damnation, contempt. And yet . . .

Do you hear me, you stupid ass? I
love
you!

Something about that voice, that saucy tone . . . Why did I know it? Why did it bring me a different kind of warmth than that of the flames that ate away at me? This warmth was soothing, healing . . .
familiar
.

The darkness slowly began to recede; images began to take shape before me. More specifically, one image. A woman—petite but strong. Her long inky black hair was disheveled, her face dirty and bruised as if she'd been fighting. But her eyes—oh, those amazingly blue eyes—were bright and clear. And frightened.

“Come back to me,” she ordered, her voice shaking a little as if burdened by impending tears as she extended her arm, her fingers trembling.

I was floating, I could tell. Nothing more than a cloud of mist and smoke and shadow. But she was not afraid of me. Not really.

“You can hear me,” she said, relief flooding her voice. “And you see me now, too. I know you do.”

She took a tentative step forward, her fingers reaching out to me, inching closer.

“And I see you,” she assured me. “I see
you
.”

This knowledge took me aback. Of course she saw me. That was obvious. But it was more than that. She
saw
me. Through the darkness.

Why was that name familiar? Why did the thought of it make me buzz with . . . with . . .
hope
?

“Come back to me,” she said again, moving closer, more confidently now.

I stared at her, trying to puzzle her out. I knew her somehow. That much was clear. I felt something for her. What? My gaze traveled over her beautiful face, down the curve of her throat, to the bosom that was heaving in measured breaths. Images suddenly assaulted me, flashing through my thoughts in rapid succession. I was laughing with her, kissing her, making love to her.

Cool fingers touched my hand, snapping me back to the moment. She was standing inches away from me now, her blue gaze searching mine. Her fingers tightened around mine, grasping my hand as if it was a lifeline. But not hers. Mine.

I turned my gaze to our clasped hands, more than a little surprised to find that I actually
had
a hand. I was taking shape, my body taking form as I watched. Skin turned from ashen gray to pale white to olive in a matter of seconds.

The woman laughed on a sob. “That's right,” she said, nodding. “Come back to me, Nate Grimm.”

I blinked at her, something about that name triggering memories that lingered just on the edge of my consciousness....

“Tess,” I whispered, the word coming out on a dry rasp.

She took my face in her hands. “That's right,” she affirmed. “And you were once Marius Titus Maximus, a courageous warrior who made men tremble with fear. Then you were a Reaper called the Death Bringer. And now you are Nate Grimm. The man I love. And you are everything to me.”

She pulled my face down to hers and pressed her lips to mine. I started to pull away, not sure I deserved such a beautiful, precious moment, but then my arms went around her, pulling her into my embrace, holding her tightly. And then I was kissing her back, reveling in the sweet taste of her, my body burning for hers as the kiss deepened.

And then I remembered.

All of it. Every moment, every second. It all came rushing back to me—the longing, the waiting, the happiness, the heartache. The dying.

I abruptly broke the kiss and grabbed her arms—her scarred arms—and held her away from me. “I died. I mean, I
really
died.”

Her mouth hitched up at one corner. “You don't think a little death could keep us apart, do you?”

“But the fire . . .” I said, shaking my head. “I felt it consume us. I felt it when Demetrius's soul was cast into oblivion.”

“But yours wasn't,” she said. “At least, it must not've been. I mean, I thought you were gone, but then you just showed up here. Kind of like some massive shadowy slingshot.”

Benedict had kept his word and had restored my connection to Tess, apparently just in the nick of time. As soon as Demetrius was gone, my duty fulfilled, the tether catapulted me back to my anchor in this world.

I bent forward to press my forehead to hers, wishing I could explain, but a lump was lodged so securely in my throat there was no way words could get around it.

“I love you,” Tess whispered. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner.”

I kissed her then, a long, unhurried kiss. Because, thank God, we had time. And I sure as hell wasn't going to waste it.

 

 

“Well, Jabberwocky is back where he belongs in the Asylum, and I think that's the last of the ashes from . . . whatever the hell happened here.”

“Thanks for helping with the cleanup, Trish,” I said. “I owe you one.”

She grunted. “You two should have that engraved on a plaque.”

“Anytime you need a favor, you just let us know,” Tess insisted, slipping an arm around my waist.

“Oh, don't worry,” Trish tossed over her shoulder as she left the room, “you two will be the first ones I call.”

I draped my arm around Tess's shoulders, keeping her close by my side as we followed Trish out of the building and into the cemetery. It was still dark, but dawn would be coming soon. For a split second, I felt the familiar jolt of fear at what might be waiting to come at me in the darkness and steal my happiness. But then Tess pulled me to a stop and looked up into my eyes, a sly smile curling her lips.

“You know, I've been thinking . . .” she drawled.

I laughed in a loud burst, not able to contain my mirth. Just to see her standing there, to feel her in my arms, was more joy than I could contain. “Should I be worried?” I asked, not giving a damn what scheme she had up her sleeve. If she was part of it, I was in.

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

But before she could fill me in, there was a polite cough. “Pardon the interruption.”

We turned together, Tess grinning from ear to ear when she saw the man standing there. “H. D. King!” She laughed. “I'll be damned! What the hell are you doing here?”

“You know him?” I frowned.

She went to him and hugged him. “Of course I know him. He's an old friend of Gran's.” She slugged him playfully in the shoulder. “A friend we haven't seen in years.”

He patted her affectionately on the cheek. “Forgive me, m'girl. I've been absent far too long.”

“No, Tess, you don't understand,” I stammered, confused. “This isn't H. D. King. This is—” I snapped my mouth shut, not sure I should betray Benedict's true identity.

He gave me a quiet smile before saying to Tess, “What he's trying to say, my dear, is that my name is really Benedict. And, like Nate, I have been living among the Tales for quite some time.”

Tess gaped at him. “Benedict?” she repeated. “The Reaper Nate told me about? His boss?”

Benedict nodded. “I imagine I have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Damn right you do!” Tess shot back, folding her arms over her chest and pegging him with an expectant look.

“Why are you here?” I asked. “Is it Demetrius? Is he still a threat?”

Benedict shook his head. “No, m'boy. He is gone. For good? I cannot say. But I have a feeling if he returns, it will not be for quite some time. He has a great deal of atonement to make.”

“This is total bullshit,” Tess fumed. “How can there be two of you living as Tales?”

Benedict's gaze briefly flicked to mine. “We each have a reason to stay.” He smiled and took her by the shoulders, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I expect you will keep my secret as you have kept Nate's. And someday, m'girl, I will tell you everything. But I only came tonight to tell Nate how proud I am. So very proud.”

I was taken aback by the praise. “Thanks. I don't know what to say.”

“No need to say anything,” Benedict assured me. He clasped me briefly on the shoulder. “And there's no need to thank me. But if you wish to truly thank me, just live your life well. Take full advantage of the time you have here—and the love you've earned. And I'm sure you'll continue to make me proud, m'boy.” He gave Tess one last hug, then turned and strolled back down the path from which he'd come.

We watched him go, but a sudden thought struck me. “I'll be right back,” I said to Tess in a rush before jogging to catch up with Benedict. When I reached him, I grabbed his arm, bringing him to a stop. “Who is it? You said the woman you loved, the woman who you were tethered to, died. You can't have stayed here this long without being attached to someone. And you just said you had a reason to stay. So who is keeping you here now?”

Benedict smiled, his eyes sparkling with happiness. “The daughter of my love.”

“You don't mean . . . ?” I glanced over my shoulder.
“Tess?”

He chuckled. “No, no. Although, I am really quite fond of Ms. Little. She truly is a remarkable woman.”

“Then who is it?” I persisted.

He patted me on the shoulder. “It's neither here nor there. She's not aware of my history with her mother, and she never will be.”

“But, Benedict—”

“Good-bye, m'boy,” he interrupted. “Perhaps I'll see you sometime soon. Maybe at Sunday dinner?” He then peered around my shoulder and raised a hand to Tess, calling out, “Give Tilly my love, m'girl. I'll be by to visit soon!”

I eyed him, watching for a giveaway. “Tess's Gran.
She's
the one you've been watching over all these years. It was
Matilda Stuart's
mother who feared you.”

Benedict merely winked and then dematerialized, leaving me standing there in the middle of the cemetery, gaping like an idiot.

Suddenly, things that had never made sense before began to fall into place. That day in the woods of Make Believe I'd needed an ally, someone I could trust. I thought fate had led me to Matilda Stuart. But it wasn't fate. It was Benedict. Of course. It figured that when he sensed the reprieve I'd granted, Benedict would've led me to the Tale he trusted above all others, a Tale he knew to be kind and generous and loving and who he knew would take Tess in.

And eventually he'd stepped down as Reaper to the Tales to give me a chance at the happiness he'd had living among them, a chance to reclaim the humanity that had been stolen from me even before my dark days.

“Hey, you okay?” Tess asked, having come up behind me.

I nodded. “Yeah, I'm good.” I took her hand in mine and began leading her from the cemetery, glad to leave all the death behind me for the night. “Let's go home.”

“Yeah, about that,” Tess drawled. “That's what I've been thinking about. Seems kinda crazy for me to live at Gran's house but crash at your place every night.”

“Oh,” I said, my heart sinking, still raw from the emotional shit-storm I'd been through. “Well, you know, if you want to slow things down . . .”

“No, you idiot.” She laughed, giving me a playful nudge with her shoulder. “I'm asking if you think maybe we should . . . you know . . . combine households.”

“Move in together, you mean?”

She shrugged. “Well, you know. Whatever. You know what, never mind. It's a stupid idea—”

I grabbed her around the waist, sweeping her off her feet and into my arms, capturing her mouth in a lingering kiss. “I think it's a great idea.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, her beautiful face twisting in uncharacteristic uncertainty. “Because if you don't want to . . .”

I laughed, not sure one man should be allowed to experience the kind of happiness I felt at that moment. “What? Are you trying to get rid of me now? After all the hell we just went through? You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you wiggle out of this one, Tess Little.”

“Are ya kiddin' me, spooky?” She grinned, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I'm not letting you go. Not ever.”

I heard the directive in my head. Short, and ever so sweet.

And I knew. The directive I'd received that day in Make Believe had never been about taking Tess's life. It had been about taking the love she had to offer, embracing the happiness that was long overdue, experiencing the life I'd always dreamed of—without regret, without fear. And all I had to do was follow the order I'd been given and love Tess with all my heart.

So I did.