Page 44 of Revenge of the Blood Pack

Slowly, I nod. “Yeah, I think we have more than one here. And with the violence of this killing, I’m not sure that the other one would have left town.” I look at Asha, whose expression is carefully neutral, because, of course it would be. “Whatever’s going on here, I have more questions than answers.” Then, I make a decision that’s likely terrible. “Asha and Braxton, I want you to carefully move around the crime scene and see what you can put together.”

They do, and I hate that deep down I’m just trying to make sure there’s an excuse for her scent to be here if anyone else picks up on it. At least until I figure out what’s going on here. Because if this is really her mind snapping, I’ll have to turn her in, whether I want to or not.

My phone rings, and I tear my gaze away from the guilty party and answer. It’s Carl. “Get your ass to Main Street and Ashwood Avenue. The Blood Mage is in the middle of town and things are bad.”

“Yes, sir,” I say, but he’s already hung up, so I stand. “The other Blood Mage is at Main Street and Ashwood Avenue, and things are bad.”

The other team of Enforcers all stiffen, and then we’re heading for our cars. I barely let Trouble, Braxton, and Asha in the car before I’m squealing off, racing down the street, hoping like hell we won’t be too late.

“Asha.” My voice is a growl. “What are we going to see when we get there?”

I glance at her as she stiffens beside me. “I don’t know what–”

“Fuck!” My fists pound the steering wheel making them both jump. “Start talking!”

“Max, calm down. She probably doesn’t know anything,” Braxton says calmly in the backseat.

“Shut up,” I tell him, and jerk my gaze back to her. “We both know that I figured out what happened there, so you’re going to start talking. Got me? I can live with you killing one of those fuckers, but if innocents die because of this game you’re playing, I’ll haul you off to prison and lock you up myself.”

She looks shocked but then stutters out, “His name is Clinton. He’s young, not even eighteen. He’s just a kid. He was lost and confused. I thought he was just being manipulated by the Blood Mage… so I helped him, and he swore he’d leave town and never hurt anyone again.”

“The other Blood Mage was one of the ones who… hurt you?” I ask, my voice a little softer.

She nods.

Relief rushes through me. “Then I’m glad he’s dead.”

A little of the tension eases from my shoulders. So, she killed one of the people who tortured and imprisoned her. I can live with that. And she didn’t just let this kid go, she actually thought he was on a straight and narrow path. It was a mistake, but one I can understand.

“Let’s just hope we reach him before Grim.”

“He’s here?” she asks, and now she sounds really worried.

“Grim?” Braxton sounds confused.

“Another Enforcer. A good one. I heard he was in town, and his goal is to kill all the Blood Mages. In fact, he has more casualties than any Enforcer ever, but also gets jobs done that no one else can, so administration mostly looks the other way with his… ruthless way of handling things.” That’s all I’m goingto say because saying more wouldn’t be good for Asha right now. Except, “Braxton, you are to stay at her side from now on. Don’t let her out of your sight. I don’t trust Grim with her.”

And he’ll be there. We just need to get there first.

We screech around a corner and find a ring of police cars surrounding a building. Outside of the building… bodies litter the ground. Men, women, even children, and it’s obvious that they’ve been drained of blood. There’s at least half a dozen of them, and my head spins as I stare at the scene.

Old images slam into me. Of coming home to find my parents’ bodies on the living room floor. Blood had splattered the walls. There were two chairs, chairs they’d been tied to, tortured on. Their faces were beaten to the point that I could barely recognize them.

Braxton had gone to a friend’s house that day. And as much as I might have desperately needed him there, I was glad he wasn’t. No one should ever have to see their parents like that. So, I’d called the authorities. And after the scene had been cleaned up, I’d spent hours cleaning the blood off the tile, off the walls, and off of the furniture. I’d cried the entire time, cried my heart out, but I couldn’t imagine Braxton coming home to that.

Now, all of these families would know that same heartbreak. Mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters would get a call. They would lose someone they loved today.

And as I climb out of the car, I’m aware of that to my very soul. It’s almost as if all of their ghosts are haunting me as I rush to the lead Enforcer, a man who is easy to recognize. I ignore Braxton, Trouble, and Asha, but I sense them behind me.

“Max Blackwell,” I tell the man in front of me.

The huge demon’s head swings to me with a frown. “Your boss said you’re the man for the job, but I don’t know how you’re going to get past that wall of dark magic any more than the rest of us.”

I look at the apartment building with a frown, then inhale slowly. This time, the dark magic isn’t overwhelming, but it’s there, buzzing in the air in a way I’ve never experienced before.

“He’s put up a wall around the building,” Asha says near me, and her voice is filled with awe. “No one will be able to get close.”

The huge demon gives her a curious look, but before he can say more the devil himself steps around the car, followed by his three lackeys. Grim. Grim is not a big man by any means. In fact, he’s half-leprechaun, which means the top of his head doesn’t even reach the top of my shoulder, but he’s the kind of man whose presence fills a room. He wears a white tank top and dark jeans. Tattoos cover his arms and his neck, and his dark brown hair is slicked down hard on his head. Behind him, his demon crew dwarfs him in height, but they follow a step behind for a reason.

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