Page 37 of Grim

He kept quiet and reached under the bed, pulling out a cot to fit his enormous frame. It was already made with a pillow and sheets to cover him.

He would sleep so close to me. I could just reach out and touch him if I wanted.

“Who are you?” I whispered. “Am I in a dream?” I felt the tears forming, but I held them back.

This guy didn’t need some weeping mess, but somehow, he already knew what I was feeling. He cupped my face, both of his large, calloused hands rubbing my soft cheek. His thumbs wiped away the treacherous tears that ran down my gaunt face.

“I’m your protector, your guardian. Never again will you feel afraid and alone.”

Chapter Thirteen

Grim

Theroarsofthebikes caught my ear. They were far, maybe miles away, but the familiar sputter from Locke’s bike let me know it was my brothers returning to the club. The bar was quiet, too quiet for a Friday night. That only meant one thing—another letter.

Locke called and said that the same off-white letter with its usual branding sat on his desk this morning. It was yet another clue to find the fuckers that had been bringing in not just supernatural women but humans as well.

Someone was playing in the human world, bringing in women of the weaker species because they knew they weren’t as strong. Since we found the mayor at a supernatural hub, and no one cared he was there, he must have been a frequent visitor. Who was keeping their mouth shut about this human? Were there more?

As Journey slept, Locke kept me informed of what Switch had found out about the mayor. It was hard to keep my growls repressed hearing about what an idiot he was betraying his own species.

Mayor Stockton’s previous slogan for his election campaign was, “Cleaning up the town.” Meaning, putting those who were homeless in shelters, finding them jobs and housing. He was praised and quickly re-elected for his new ideas. But where did these people go? Even the battered women’s home was empty with no documentation of where they went after they were sent away.

Switch did his digging and quickly realized the relationship between the fae.

Mayor Stockton was supplying humans from both homeless shelters and battered women homes to help fuel the fae’s dirty work. With Mayor Stockton getting rid of his problems and handing them to the fae, he was taking the extra profits from not funding those branches and putting the money straight into his pocket.

Thank fuck for Switch. If it wasn’t for his ability to hack into the mayor’s private computer, we would still be lost. Because right now, this fae community were like ghosts.

For the Mayor’s silence, it was believed he was given Fae Dust. It was a drug which would give a high without the hangover human drugs could give. Fae Dust was a hot commodity in the supernatural world. For witches, it gave an added boost to spell casting. For shifters, a surge of strength. For humans, they got an unexplainable euphoric high. Whether he used it for himself or to drug helpless women or men into his bed was the question.

The dust was odorless, tasteless, and left no signs of usage in a human’s body. The perfect drug for him to use while in office.

My cell buzzed in my pocket. I reached for my side, keeping Journey tucked close to my body. She had been in a coma-like state for days.

She woke up enough for me to lead her to the bathroom to relieve herself and get food into her. My mate had been fighting off a high fever that panicked my wolf. We did the best we could, giving her medication and soothing her with a cool cloth.. Unfortunately, it had become too much and had become too difficult for us to manage on our own, so we had to have Bones intervene.

My cell buzzed again. I growled, pulling it from my sweats. Journey groaned, her body seeking and reaching for me to stay. The multiple nightmares while she slept were too much for me to bear. I did the only thing I could think of, and that was to curl my body around hers. Hold her close and with the bond we shared, it was only then that she settled.

My wolf purred, satisfied with her body understanding the bond, but I knew once her mind was clear of the fever, we would have to start again with her trust.

“What?” I muttered into the phone, trying not to disturb her.

“How’s Journey doing?” Locke asked with a clipped voice. That could only mean one thing when he gets in one of his moods. He’d brought someone back, and he needed answers. Me being an unofficial executioner and interrogator meant I would have to be present.

“Fever is breaking. She’s sweating out the sickness,” I mumbled.

“Fuck, I don’t want to take you away from her, but I need your help. We caught a fae that helps run the operation. There are more women, Grim. More human women like Journey in these damned cam girl centers.”

“Shit.” I scratched my forehead.

“Can you control your wolf, leave her and help us out just for a few hours? I’ll bring in trusted brothers to hold down your apartment. You should be back before she wakes.” Growling low, my wolf paced inside my head.

Leaving her would be difficult. My wolf was unsettled with our mate being sick, and we had yet to knot and mark her.

“An hour.” I leaked my scent on the nest. Pulling blankets and pillows around her, she snuggled in deeper, deeply breathing in my musk.

“Sizzle is still on probation, but he’s next door, too. He’s happy for you man, knowing that this is real.”

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