Blood for blood Read online

  “Thank you. I would appreciate that very much. Would I be able to bring Hawk along? I don’t like to be around wolfbloods without my Protector…”

  “Even though you, yourself, have their blood running through your veins?”

  Fuck. He had some sense about him, how had she forgotten that? She had thought he was just trying to flatter her earlier, but perhaps he could tell something and just made up the rest. But he didn’t look as disgusted as most witches who didn’t know her did…

  “Um, it doesn’t really do anything for me. The wolfbloods notice it, but they don’t acknowledge anything but my witch blood. It helps me with hunting, but it doesn’t disguise me.”

  He nodded. “Very well, Protector Hawk may join us when I accompany you to the place my men discovered, but any other time we converse, I ask that you come alone. You will be safe, you have my word. Unfortunately, I must conclude our conversation, because soon it will be night, and night is when I work the hardest, I am sure you understand.”

  “Um…. Alone?”

  “Yes, Little Red, I will not have them coming back here with you, unless we are embarking on our wolfblood adventure. That is nonnegotiable.”

  With that, Hammer stood and led her back to the room where Dameon and Tank waited, not waiting for a reply, and she knew he probably wouldn’t listen to one anyway. A young woman was sitting and chatting poor Tank’s ear off, while Dameon looked like he was ready to murder anyone who said ‘boo’ to him.

  “Brother, wonderful to see you as always. Protector Hawk, your lady is well, calm the dragon in your chest. Little Red,” he took her hand and kissed it, “you and I shall speak again very soon.”

  And with that, Hammer was gone. Tank was on his feet, Dameon was at Lupa’s side, and the young woman was leading them out practically drooling on Tank’s arm.

  Was it ok?

  She looked over at Tank, unsure whether she should share much with him, then looked at Dameon and smiled.

  Yeah, think we have something, wait til we get back to mine to talk properly, I don’t know if Tank really wants to be involved with his brother.

  Dameon reached out and squeezed her hand, the door was opened for them and they stepped back into the rain, Maccabee nodding at them as they left.

  ⃝

  “Are you fucking crazy? Now you fucking owe him?” Dameon was pacing in her apartment, while Lupa poured them a drink.

  “So what? They know where a fucking pureblood, or at least close to, nest is. Do you know how big that is? The Organization doesn’t believe Slasher when she said our lookouts had seen them. They didn’t even believe there were many purebloods in Black City. This is fucking massive. So what if I owe him, he said it wouldn’t be anything I couldn’t give.”

  “And don’t you think it’s just a little fucking dodgy he wants you to come alone? Fuck, Lupa. This is dangerous. I’m not sure I can agree with this.”

  Lupa pushed the glass across the bench towards him, narrowing her eyes. He didn’t have a fucking choice, she’d done it now. And she was going to stick with it. She took a deep breath, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.

  “Dameon… it’s not ideal, I understand that you’re not happy about it, but it’s done now. Besides, Tank would fucking kill him if he hurt me. This is what I… this is how we find these fuckers.”

  “Not fucking ideal? Fuck. Fuck this.”

  She opened her mouth to respond but her phone ringing stopped her. She went to her bag on the couch and pulled it out. Fucking hell, it was Darwin.

  “Hello?”

  “Oh Miss Greenstone, so lovely to hear you sound well. I was just down at headquarters and I heard about your little altercation in the supermarket, how are you doing?”

  Slime ball. She bet he had been asking about her too, seemed like the thing an investigator would do, but hadn’t the day been long enough? She sighed in her head and looked out the window at the dark sky.

  “I’m fine, thank you, sir, we dealt with the situation as needed.”

  “Of course, of course, what brave actions you took. Now I was wondering, how would you feel about dinner on Friday?”

  “Sorry, sir, I actually have dinner plans already on Friday,” she hesitated, should she offer another night or hope… fuck it, “What about lunch? Or I could do dinner tomorrow night?”

  “Tomorrow evening would be splendid, Miss Greenstone. Meet me at the hotel? The Opulence Hotel? Say around seven? They have a simply delightful dining experience here.”

  “Thank you, sir, that would suit well. I shall see you then.” She hung up the phone without waiting for a reply, smiling to herself as he was probably a bit put out that he didn’t get the last word in.

  “Don’t think I’m going to drop this,” Dameon said, putting his empty glass back down on the bench. “I bet fucking Karl wouldn’t be happy about this either.”

  “Dammit, Dameon. It’s done. You need to fucking drop it,” knocking her drink back she poured herself another one, “Karl might have been unhappy about it, fuck, he probably would have felt the same as you at first, but he would have fucking trusted me, which you need to do right now, ok? You need to fucking trust me, and if you can’t, you need to get the fuck out of my life. This bond isn’t just about trusting me with your life, you need to fucking trust me altogether. Do you think you can do that?”

  Her words were harsher than she meant, but Karl was gone now, it wasn’t fair of Dameon to try and use him against her like that. She looked over to him, that damn fucking thumb running down his chin. But he did look calmer.

  “Ok. I do trust you. But… I want you to be safe, y’know? I just… fuck, Lupa, you see what I’m saying don’t you? This guy can’t be trusted just because he’s Tank’s brother. Hell, the fact they don’t talk should be a massive fucking sign that he can’t be trusted.”

  Lupa shook her head, she knew he was right but what other choice did she have? Roam Blackwater on their own and hope someone would know something? Surely it was more dangerous to wander around a drug lord’s turf without permission.

  “I get it, Dameon, but it’s just the way it has to be. He said you can come along when we look for the place where they followed some of the pack to.”

  He nodded and grabbed his jacket off the lone kitchen chair. “Ok, I get it. Sorry. But I want there to be some sort of safety measure in place. But I gotta go. Need to help Dad with packing the shop tonight…”

  “Ok. Well… call me tomorrow, alright? We’ll come up with a plan?”

  “Yeah. Sure.” He gave her a half smile as he left, “And sorry. Chat tomorrow.”

  She sighed. Yes, it was all a big fucking deal, but she needed to do this. She finished her drink and flopped onto the couch, lighting a smoke at staring at the ceiling she knew so well. It was so quiet. Too quiet. She sat up and switched the radio on, trying to let the grungy music drown out the emptiness of her apartment.

  Lupa’s phone beeped, a message from Grey asking if he could come over. She bit her lip and responded asking if she could come to his instead. He agreed. She got up and went to the bathroom to check her makeup. Not too bad, she added some more eyeliner, switched her cardigan for her hoodie and grabbed her bag.

  ⃝

  Lupa arrived at Grey’s just before the rain started pelting down. She would have driven, but then… she kind of hoped that she might get another ride on that bike of his. Knocking on the door, she pulled her hood down, shaking her hair free.

  “Hey there, Red, come in. Did you walk?”

  Stepping through while he held the door for her, she could smell something cooking. Uh oh. “Yeah I walked, just missed the fucking rain too. How’s things?”

  Grey grinned with that cheeky look in his eyes, stepping past her into the kitchen. Yep, he was fucking cooking something, she seriously hoped that he didn’t think she’d come over for a dinner date or some shit. Fuck, he even looked like he’d dressed carefully, his hair was combed back from his face, and he wore a black shirt that
was just a little too small, showing off his definition...

  “I’m good, you hungry?”

  Not fucking really. Lupa smiled uncertainly, “Um… not much. I guess I could eat a little bit though…”

  “Trust me, when you try this, you’ll love it,” he winked at her.

  Grey passed her a beer and pulled two mismatched plates out. The food did smell good, but she didn’t like the idea he might be… expecting something more from her. He pulled the pan over to the bench and started serving up the pasta. Her eyes widened as she saw how much food he put on the plate. Fuck, now she couldn’t just nibble it and move it around to appear as though she’d eaten more, it looked like enough food to feed her for a week.

  “Uh, Grey, I can’t eat that much, not even if I was starving.”

  He pushed the plate over to her any way. “Come on, I’ll chuck a movie on while we eat.”

  Her stomach clenched as she took the plate, could this get any fucking worse? Dinner, a movie, fuck! Were they going to go on a fucking moonlit walk next? Fucking hell.

  Lupa sat on the couch as far away from him as she possibly could, nervously pushing the beautifully prepared pasta around on the plate as Grey put on a cult classic film. He even had the fucking lights down. She took a small mouthful… Had he got his hands on real cream? She looked over to see him watching her expectantly.

  “Um, this is really nice… thanks, Grey.”

  He grinned and started tucking into his own massive pile of pasta. Lupa drank down the rest of her beer, keeping her eyes glued to the TV. Shit, this was awkward. She ate a few more mouthfuls, it was delicious, but she couldn’t deal with it, and it really was way too much for her, not just the amount of food either.

  “I can’t… I’m full thanks Grey, mind if I grab myself a drink?” she stood up so he couldn’t see exactly how much was left on her plate.

  “Yeah sure, beer in the fridge, or there’s a couple of bottles next to it if you want something stronger, did you like dinner?”

  She went to the kitchen, placing her almost full plate on the bench and then poured herself a strong drink. “It was nice. I’m just… I just wasn’t that hungry. Thank you though.”

  She tipped back the drink while he was still eating, and poured herself another one. Lupa wondered whether maybe she should leave before shit got fucking weirder. Grey didn’t seem to notice she was still standing in his kitchen drinking, so she finished the drink and poured number three. She’d have to buy him a bottle to repay him, but if she was going to hang around she needed a lot more alcohol in her system. A lot more. Maybe even something else to take the knot of unease out of her stomach, although she suspected she wouldn’t find anything to help that. Fuck, and she’d thought that it was going to be an interesting night instead of an awkward one.

  Going over to her bag and rummaging around the bottom, hoping there’d be something in there to kill this feeling. Shit shit fuck. Nothing. Well, not nothing, one tiny tablet she wasn’t sure what it was, but fairly certain it wasn’t for stomach cramps. Fuck it, couldn’t make things worse right? She hoped it wasn’t just aspirin.

  “You alright, Little Red? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

  “Oh…” she looked down at her glass, pushing the tablet into her mouth and finishing the drink off, “I’m just a bit… uncomfortable about having dinner here… I … uh… wasn’t expecting it…”

  Grey got up with his empty plate, placing it on the bench as he walked over to her. Fuck, she sure hoped he wasn’t going to grab her face again. Lupa stepped away from him, careful to not look as though she was trying to escape.

  “Sorry, I should have asked,” He said quietly, standing very close to her, “I didn’t really think about it. Fair Light used to come for dinner all the time without… I guess I just didn’t think about it.”

  Lupa looked up at him, had he gotten closer to her? She felt her heart pick up a bit, no! No! No! Grey’s charming smile spread all over his face as he plucked the empty cup from her and went to pour another.

  Shit. Should she say something? “Um… ok. But… I don’t usually do dinner… with friends… least not without expecting it, you know? Just… felt a bit…” fuck, she sounded like an idiot, “Never mind. It was just strange. Give me some warning next time, would ya?” Lupa pulled her cigarettes out of her bag and lit one.

  Grey handed her the drink, but continued standing close to her, putting his hands in his pockets. “I like you, Red, and I know that it’s not your style to get involved with someone from work, but if I was trying to get more from you, I’d ask. I wouldn’t try and sneak around it, ok? I just thought it’d be nice to cook for you, I was going to be cooking for myself anyway. Relax, I’m not like asking you to be my girlfriend or some shit, just being friendly, right?”

  Slowly she looked up at him, that gorgeous smile on his face. Right, she was the fucking idiot here. “Cool. Sorry for being… weird.”

  He just grinned at her and went back to grab a bottle of tequila, two shot glasses and returned to the couch. “How about we play a drinking game then, hey?”

  Now that she could do. “Sure, what’d you have in mind?” she sat back down, this time not perching on the far end of the couch, she was starting to feel much more relaxed now. The alcohol was working.

  “Well, what about a bit of a ‘get to know you’ type thing? We each ask a question and the other has to answer it honestly, if you don’t want to answer, you have to take a shot?”

  Oh fuck, she’d probably be passed out in thirty minutes, fuck knows what he wanted to know about her. Whatever. Could be interesting right? She shrugged and took a drag of her almost wasted smoke.

  “I’ll go first,” he said, “When’s your birthday?”

  Not what she was expecting. “Don’t know really, but Slasher gives me a birthday present on the date she found me, November 4th. That’s what’s in my records too… Um… how long you been drawing?”

  Grey smiled, “Since a kid, found it to be a good way of letting out shit in my head instead of overthinking it. You really don’t know your own birthday?”

  “That’s cool. Nah I don’t, think Slasher asked me, but I was only four and pretty shaken up over everything. Kids aren’t the most reliable at that age apparently. What are your parents like?”

  His eyes darkened and he took a shot. Oops. “Have you shown any wolfblood traits?”

  “No. Well, not really. I’ve got a pretty good sense of smell, and I seem to get stronger around pure wolfbloods. But that’s about it I think. Not actual physical traits… How did you find out you were a witch?”

  He went to pour another shot then stopped. “I burnt my mum with the bloodfire. I’m not… particularly strong with physical magick or anything, but that’s when my parents told me. What did it feel like to kill your first wolfblood?”

  She took the bottle and poured herself a shot. It had been fucking terrifying, the creature had actually cried, asking how she could betray her own kind. But they were not her fucking kind. She was a Hunter. She was a witch. She would never… that creature had been pathetic.

  “Where’d you learn to cook?” She hoped her voice wasn’t shaking.

  “My sister taught me. She’s an amazing cook. Have you ever thought about leaving Black City?”

  “What? Why would I do that?” Lupa stared at him, he just shrugged and waited, “No way. Where else would I go, my whole life is here… is your sister a Hunter?”

  “No, she was strong enough, but she didn’t want to join The Organization. She lives in Central now with a husband and three kids. What were your scores in the magickal exams?”

  “Hey! That’s a bit sneaky!”

  He laughed at her. “Well you don’t have to tell me, the shot glass is right there.”

  “Ok, ok, what about I take a shot and half tell you?” he filled the shot glass for her, she was proud of her scores, but she didn’t like to boast about it, “My scores ranged between 13 and 20.”

  �
�No shit! I didn’t even know anyone could score 20, I thought that… wow, you are way better than I thought. What the fuck are you doing in Black City then? You should be in the Dark Squad or some shit.”

  She blushed and took her shot. “What were yours?”

  “Fuck, now I don’t wanna say! Ok, mostly 8’s but also two 12’s, one in my physical skills and the other in my power senses. Wait, if you scored so high how did you not notice I was a witch when we first met?”

  Lupa took another shot. She couldn’t exactly admit to him she didn’t really know, perhaps it had been the alcohol, or the depression over Karl’s death, or even that she just wanted a sexual distraction and wasn’t thinking too much about who. Definitely too embarrassing to say, she wasn’t quite that drunk yet.

  “Did you know who I was when you came over to talk to me that night?”

  Grey coloured slightly, “Sort of, I mean, I wasn’t absolutely sure at first, there were too many people in there to separate the magick and wolfblood I was sensing, it could have been someone else there… you know… do you ever want to have kids?”

  “Prick,” she laughed nervously, “Um… I don’t know really. I don’t think I do, I can’t ever imagine leaving The Organization and… I just don’t think I could provide a very stable life for a child as a Hunter... I don’t know if I would want to risk passing on my fucking wolfblood either. Besides, I don’t think I’d do very well at relationships…” Shit, she should have just taken a shot. “What about you?”

  Grey looked at her for a lingering moment, something lonely in his eyes, then took a shot. Dammit, she should have taken that easy way out herself. Lighting another smoke she pulled her hoodie off, the alcohol was making her too warm, or was it this fucking conversation?

  “What does this tattoo mean?”

  He put those long fingers on her thigh, pointing to the lynx tattoo that curved around her leg. Grey didn’t move his hand, just looked at her, she moistened her lips, was her heart fluttering a little? Ah shit.

  “Well… secrets… sight,” she was finding it difficult to answer, her mind clouded by the feeling growing in her.