Grimm Consequences by Kate Serine Read Free Book Online Page B

even among Reapers, Demetrius was known for his sadism. Most of us went in and did the job we were given. Everyone and everything died eventually. We were just the instrument of that universal truth. But not Demetrius. He relished the killing. He reveled in it. It fed his soul, made him stronger and completely heartless. And I’d nearly followed the same path. Until the day a scheduling snafu had brought me to a patch of woods in Make Believe. Until Tess.
    I shifted uncomfortably, my muscles stiff from sitting for so long. At least, that’s what I told myself. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the sins weighing heavily on my soul. Maybe I should’ve been in the AA meeting with Tess and Lavender, facing my demons with everyone else.
    Hi, my name is Nate Grimm, and I have a problem . . .
    I laughed out loud in the confines of the car. God, even my name was a lie. I couldn’t even tell the truth about something that basic. How in the hell was I going to tell Tess everything else? The last time I’d tried to come clean, things between us had nearly ended before they got started.
    I ran my hand down my face, suddenly weary. I wondered how she’d see me, what she’d think of me, when I finally grew a pair and spilled my guts to her. I imagined the first thing she’d do was clock me. Then she’d probably spit in my face and tell me to go fuck myself. And I couldn’t blame her if she did. If I’d had even a modicum of integrity, I would’ve left her alone, stayed away instead of insinuating myself into her life and becoming an integral part of it. It would serve me right if she left me and never looked back.
    As I sat there waiting for the meeting to end, I hardened my heart with resolve, vowing I’d tell Tess everything, share every ugly secret I harbored. And suffer the consequences. Because there was no doubt I’d suffer one way or another.
    At that moment, the doors to the cathedral opened and my beautiful Tess emerged into the evening sunlight, breathtaking in her loveliness even from where I was parked across the street toward the back of the lot. She briefly lifted her face to the summer breeze, inhaling deeply, her lips curving into a contented smile. She loved the wind on her face, I knew. I’d seen her lift her face this way on many occasions over the years when she thought I wasn’t looking.
    Tess was so afraid to be seen as weak, vulnerable, that few people ever got a chance to glimpse that softer side of her—the side that ached when her friends were hurting, that wept when she’d failed to protect the ones she loved, that would say a few kind words to a woman struggling with her guilt and grief and give her hope on a night when years of being buried in a bottle could no longer numb the pain.
    But I saw it all, had witnessed it that day in the woods when I’d seen the depth of her love for her fellow Tales. And I wanted to feel that love, to wrap it around me, immerse myself in its healing warmth. Over the years I’d seen Tess save more lives than I could count. And I prayed that maybe—just maybe —she could save me, too.
    My God, she was everything to me. Maybe one day I’d actually deserve her. I sure as shit was going to spend the rest of my days trying.
    I got out of the car and took in the surroundings at a glance, searching for any threats, but aside from the cab driver who seemed to think he was in a race car instead of a bright yellow minivan, it was all clear. When she caught sight of me, her smile grew.
    Ah, that smile .
    No matter what kind of day I’d had, I knew as long as I saw that smile, all was right with the world. I jerked my chin in greeting.
    And then he was there. Standing just behind her. His eyes aflame with deranged glee.
    Oh, God.
    â€œNo!” The word burst from me in a roar as I bolted forward. I tried to dematerialize to get to her more quickly, but I couldn’t. What the fuck? My