The Gramm Curse (The Night Watchmen Series) (2 page)

“Gavin’s on his way in,” I say, smirking on the inside.

He groans when he looks back at me and drops to a squat. After unzipping his bag, he pulls knife after knife out, sliding them into their holsters along the sides of his pants. “If I’m running this shit, then it needs to be a clean sweep. I go in, pose the distraction, and you three follow with the ambush.” He pulls out a small revolver and a tin filled with sanctified bullets meant for killing Incubi and Succubi. “Cassie has the humans. Make sure Jezi sticks with us.” He puts the bullets in the chamber, closes it, slides it in its holster, and repeats the steps with another revolver. After standing, he hands me the other revolver and grins. “I want to be done in time to catch the morning infomercials. You know, the ones with the sexy chicks on the exercise shit.”

“I heard that,” Cassie says dryly, both hands cupping her hips.

“And I was kidding,” Gavin tosses over his shoulder with a laugh.

I connect to Jezi mentally and shove a brief thought at her.
“Be ready and be on it.”

“Okay,”
she responds shortly through our link, and then closes herself back off. I stupidly look over at her. She quickly looks back at Cassie, pretending she was never even looking at me. High school shit. It’s obvious she’s upset with me. Oh well.

“She’s good,” I tell Gavin, letting my eyes follow my words. “And you won’t miss your infomercials,
perv.”

He smirks and claps his hands together. “All right then. Let’s run a tally on this one. Whoever kills the most wins a round of beer. Deal?”

“I don’t drink,” I state plainly.

He slaps my back, his smirk deepening. “I know. It’s beautiful, right? See you on the flip side.” After whispering something to Cassie, he kisses her cheek and jogs across the street with his flux in his hand, laughing smugly the whole way. I can’t help but think of all the days I spent under his watch, studying his moves and envying his ability to let go of what happened to our parents, envying his ability to live his life.

Stop it
, I command myself, gripping the hilt of my flux tighter. I pull it out and cross the street. The Witches are already on the steps, guns in hand.

“He has their attention,” Cassie says, her eyes seeing past the front door. “I’m going to spell the exits to keep anyone from leaving when we get in. Jezi, keep the boys safe in case they miss.”

Jezi sucks her teeth. “Which really means I get no action. Awesome.” She pulls her chocolate-colored hair back into a ponytail, making sure to throw angered glances in my direction. I brush it off and look away from her.

“They’re cornering him,” Cassie says, anticipation diving off each and every syllable.

I drop my gaze on the door as volation ripples down my arms in electric spikes.

“Good, let’s go.”

THE MOMENT I RUSH THROUG
H
the door, I spot Gavin pressed up against the wall by one of the Succubi. “A Gramm,” she hisses hotly. “How lucky am I?” Her tongue flicks out, grazing the side of his cheek, burning the top layer of flesh away as she rubs her body seductively against him.

A surge of adrenaline fuels my steps, and she drops almost too easily the moment my dagger-like flux connects with her heart.

Me one - Gavin zero.

“‘Bout time,” Gavin says, touching at his cheek. Cassie sends a quick spell out to heal it.

“Quit whining and fight,” I reply as I spin around and quickly count everybody in the room; two Demons in suits with black eyes set on me, and an Incubus wearing a cruel smile guarding four humans. The rest must have run up the stairs.

I crack my neck, dropping into a fighting stance.
Bring it.

Both of the Demons lunge for me with growls of anger ripping past their pointed teeth as Gavin goes for the Incubus. Reflexively, I pull out my throwing knives, wearing the grin of a predator. With aimed precision, I center myself and release the daggers, one after the other, each hitting them dead center of the chest. Just enough to stall them so I can finish them off

The Demons fly backward, slamming into a couch from the force. I rush for them, my flux already in my hand, and aim for each stigma. Their skin is covered in black ink markings meant to hide the stigma I’m looking for- the mark that will send them back to Hell should I drive my flux through it.

The first Demon picks himself up, cursing and swiping at me just as my flux plunges through his thigh where his stigma rests. I spin around in a flurry, stabbing the other Demon through the side of his neck, straight through the center of his stigma. Dark, stinging blood juts out, spraying across my arm and face and onto my chest as they both go up in black flames.

Three ahead to Gavin’s zero now.

By the time I stand and wipe off what I can, Gavin roundhouse kicks the Incubus in the stomach, using the advantage to pull out his revolver. The Incubus stumbles over an end table, crashing down to the floor with it. With a loud growl, Gavin jumps and lands on top of the Incubus, pinning him down by the neck. “Bye-bye, blood-sucker.” He presses the revolver against the Incubus’ chest and pulls the trigger. Screams fill the room as the humans huddled in the corner behind me make a run for the stairs.

“Jezi!”

“On it,”
she returns telepathically. Her hands fill with magic as the words of her ancestors pass through her lips. Every human freezes in place as their eyes squeamishly move back and forth.
“GO!”

“I’ll stay with them,” Cassie says as she steps into the room, working her own magic. “Get the rest.”

Gavin roars a cry of war, the hollow, angry, maniacal sound bouncing off the walls. I feel the sound all the way to my bones, lips curling with anticipation. We meet at the stairs and take them two at time, determined to end whatever else lurks in these halls.

Halfway up, I sense a Succubus above us and to the right, so I tap Gavin on the shoulder to distract him. I want this kill. I pull out my revolver from the holster inside my jacket and race the rest of the way up. With careful precision, I turn, aim, and fire. The sanctified bullet passes through her heart at the same time her whip connects with my arm, knocking the gun from my hand. The leather strands wrap around my forearm, the magic within them burning through the leather of my jacket.

“Jezi!”

“Are you that
hellbent on winning?!” Gavin says as he picks up my gun and tucks it back into my holster. “Serves you right.”

The poison eats through my flesh just below my affinity mark, entering my system. Seconds is all it will take until I’m paralyzed. “Shove it,” I force out through chattering teeth, trying to remain in control. “You’re just jealous. Four to one. Who’s the loser now?”

He looks at my shaking arm clutched against my chest, and then back up at me, wearing a look of triumph. “Umm, you are, smart ass.” With a wide-ass smirk, he takes off down the hall, calling out like an uncivilized wildling to the rest of the paranormal scum. He enjoys this shit way too much.

Jezi’s halfway up the stairs by the time I lose control of my legs and drop to my ass. Pain rips across my entire nervous system as her magic encompasses the whip, removing it from my arm.

“You have to let me heal you before the poison spreads to your heart.”
Her words are calm and assertive. I can always count on her to keep it together. She takes my arm, her face all business, and places a hand over the wound. She whispers a spell I’m having a hard time focusing on.

Searing pain lances through my veins as my eyes roll back in my head. The poison from the frayed ends of the whip is already taking a toll on my thoughts, pushing me into a stupor I’m trying so desperately to fight off. I can’t let this break me. I can’t lose.
“Jezi!”

“Hold still, damn it!”

Slowly, the poison lifts from my skin, relieving me from a pain-induced hell. By the time my eyes open and I can focus again, I catch the last few drops of poison bleeding down the side of my arm and dropping into a vial Jezi holds out.

“You’re good,” she says without looking at me, tucking the vial into her pocket.

It takes a few moments for my breathing to return to normal; for my mind to return to its controlled state. I stand, testing my footing. Everything feels fine. I reach down and pull out my flux, feeling clearer and sharper. Turning, I pause for a moment, contemplating what I should say to her.
Thank you? You did good? Way to go, champ?
I exhale.
What the hell am I doing? What the hell does it matter?

I inwardly groan and turn from her without saying anything. Sulfuric fire bursts in the room across the hall. Gavin’s taken down another Demon. That leaves four Incubi and the remaining humans. That also means we’re four to two.

With a growl, I push out a small wave of volation. Colored auras emerge in the room down the hall; three Incubi and five humans. I clench the hilt of the flux and march in their direction. Gavin strides out of the room next to me.

“Catching up to you, little bro,” he says with a cocky laugh. “You good? Ready to finish this shit?”

I nod, ready to get the hell on with it.

“Good, let’s go.” He jogs down the hall and kicks the door in with two pistols already raised and aimed. By the time I make it into the room, he’s already dropped two of the Incubi.

Four to four. Shit.

The humans scream like maniacs as I sprint for the remaining Incubus. I’ve pulled every bit of electricity in the room into my volation, and I slam it through his well-suited chest. My flux drives deep through him, and I keep running until he’s pinned up against the wall. A guttural growl rips through my throat as I pull out my revolver, shove it against his chest, and pull the trigger.

I quickly look away as blood splatters everywhere, all over everything, coating me like the savage I am. I pull my flux out, enjoying the chaotic pounding of my heart as the mangled body drops to the floor.

“You’re crazy, little bro,” Gavin says when I turn back around. He’s wiping off some of the blood that got on him. Jezi’s already spelling the humans to keep them in place. She expertly avoids my eyes. I know it scares her when my rage surfaces, when I let the Hunter in me fully emerge.

“Five to four. One left. Let’s go.” I brush past them, wiping the dark blood coating my flux against the leg of my pants. Cassie comes up the stairs and begins moving the humans back downstairs. I send out more volation and look up, following the sparking webbed tendrils. The last Incubus and humans are on the third floor, directly above us. I point upward and tell them to be quiet.

We quietly ascend the stairs, one at a time, careful not to rouse him. He could have the humans as hostages. No matter what, we can’t let them be harmed. Not a single human has ever been hurt on my watch, and I’ll be damned if it happens tonight.

By the time we make it to the third floor, the house has filled with an eerie silence; the kind of silence that tricks you into thinking nothing’s wrong. Gavin taps me on the shoulder and points his head to the door across from us. They’re in there- all of them. I brace myself, taking in a courage-filled breath, and kick the door in, my hand already wrapped around my revolver. The Incubus stands next to the bed in the middle of the room. He has his hand pressed against the chest of a human girl, teeth bared, as she trembles beneath him. Three human males stand in the corner in only their underwear, their eyes turned away from the bed.

“Come any closer, and I rip her heart out,” the Incubus says slowly, carefully. “It only takes one, correct? One human harmed to ruin your precious little reputation?” He tilts his head, black eyes scanning me over.

My jaw clenches. “Yeah, and it only takes one sanctified bullet to end your shit-filled life,” I say harshly, setting my eyes on his. “Let her go.”

The Incubus laughs, the sound pissing me off. She struggles a little, and he yanks her hard against him. “Let me leave, and then maybe I’ll consider letting her go.”

In this light, he almost looks…normal. He almost looks human. He’s tall, lean, clean-shaven, and well dressed, but that’s their edge. That’s how they trick these fools; appear good-looking, safe, and harmless; offer them words of comfort to erase the pain of their daily lives.

I make the mistake of looking the blonde girl in the eyes. Tears pour out as she pleads with her gaze for me to save her.

“No way,” Gavin says, taking a step for him, gun aimed and ready.

I catch his arm as the Incubus presses his hand harder against the girl's chest, digging his nails through her fragile flesh. She cries out underneath him as a fresh set of tears streams down her cheeks.

“Please,” she murmurs before he covers her mouth with his other hand, fingers digging into her skin.

All I need is one clean shot to his heart. I need her to move. How can I get her to move?

“What if I say yes? Will you let her go then?” I ask cautiously, tightening my grip around the gun.

Gavin throws me a weird look.
What are you doing?
he mouths.

“Jezi, he has a human girl. I need you to spell protection around her.”

“Coming!”

“Where’s your Witch?” the Incubus asks, his eye twitching. He takes a shaky step away from us, jerking the girl back against him. She cries out in fear, and it takes everything in me not to leap across the room and rip his head clean off.

“We left them behind to tend to the humans downstairs,” Gavin says slowly, carefully.

The Incubus laughs uncomfortably, his eyes jerking between us. “Yeah, I’m supposed to just believe that?”

“What choice do you have?” I prompt over the barrel of my gun. “You should have ran when you had the chance.”

His black eyes flick to mine. “I would have
if one of your Witches hadn’t spelled this place.”

The girl wriggles against him, and he loses his grip a little before quickly recovering, pulling her back to his chest like a shield.

He has to be a young one to make these sorts of juvenile mistakes.

“Tell her to remove the spell. Now!” he shouts in an obvious panic.

“Not until you let her go,” Gavin says.

“I’m
done bartering with you idiots!” He adjusts his grip on the girl, pulling her tighter against his chest, and digs his nails deeper into her chest. She faints in his arms the moment blood emerges on her dress, and nearly drops to the floor.

He wasn’t expecting this.

He strains to lift her dead-weight high enough to protect his chest.

“The spell is up,”
Jezi pushes through my mind.

“Time’s up,” I say. I leap through the air, using the bed for momentum, and grab his head. By the time my feet hit the ground, his head has rolled all the way to Gavin’s feet. “Six to four. I win.”

He rolls his eyes as the girl lets out a horrific scream. I walk past, not wanting to spend another minute inside the screeching sound. Jezi rushes into the room, already working a spell to calm her and remove her memories.