Grim Read online

  “Revenna, why’s Thorn sleeping in your bed?” I ask, turning toward her.

  She blows out an exhausted sigh. “Well, see, here’s the thing …” She starts wringing her hands again, and my frustration nearly soars through the roof.

  “What’s going on?” I growl, inching toward her, letting my eyes darken.

  Her eyes widen, and she stumbles back, yet she somehow manages to say, “Wow, your eyes are so cool when they do that.”

  My lips spasm as annoyance burns under my flesh. “Tell me what’s going on before I lose my control.”

  Her lips part, but then her eyes dart to the right toward the bed.

  “Stay the hell away from her,” Thorn’s voice echoes across the room.

  A blur zips in front of me, and suddenly, I’m shoved back so hard I hit the wall.

  Blinking a few times, I regain my composure and straighten, taking in the scene in front of me.

  Thorn has positioned himself in front of Revenna, his arms spread out to his sides protectively. Black veins map his skin, his eyes are blood red, and fangs stick out from his gums.

  “What the hell?” I dare a step toward him, but my sensors get clouded with confusion. “What are you?”

  He laughs a hollow, disdainful laugh. “You’re asking me what I am? You should be asking yourself that question.”

  “I have asked myself that question many, many times,” I assure him, crossing my arms. “It’s part of the reason I’m here.”

  He laughs again in a way that makes my fingers itch to grab him, yank him to me, and consume every inch of his soul. The problem is, from what I can smell, his soul probably isn’t tainted enough for me to drink. But, how is that possible? Clearly, he’s some sort of creature …

  “Seriously, what are you?” I dare another step toward him. “And how have I ever not noticed this about you?”

  He rolls his eyes. “You’re too self-involved to notice anyone but yourself.”

  “Lies, lies, all lies,” I mock with a grin. But despite my joking demeanor, I’m a bit on edge since the last time I crossed paths with a creature, I wound up passed out in the forest. “I mean, yeah, I’m a bit self-involved, but I’ve noticed you enough that it seems like I should’ve caught on that something was different about you.”

  He scratches his arm and shifts his weight, appearing uncomfortable.

  Revenna steps to the side of him, her gaze gliding to him, and a smile tugs at her lips. Thorn shoots her a harsh look, but Revenna’s grin only widens.

  “Whatever,” he mutters to no one in particular, then focuses on Revenna. “Do you want to explain why the hell she’s here and why the hell you didn’t tell me she was coming over?”

  “And while you’re at it,” I chime in, “can you explain what the hell Thorn is?”

  Revenna’s gaze dances between Thorn and I, then she lets out a loud sigh. “Fine, I’ll explain, just as long as you two promise to behave,” she says, then waits for us to nod.

  Neither of us make any effort to do so. Instead, we glance at each other. Thorn glares at me while I smirk. If he thinks he’s going to intimidate me, he’s so wrong.

  Revenna throws her hands into the air. “Oh, my God, will you two stop the whole alpha thing and just chill out? Neither of you are going to do anything to each other. You’re all dirty looks and that’s it.”

  I glance at her with my brow cocked. “You think I’m all talk? Ha! Clearly you don’t know anything about me.”

  As she rolls her eyes, I’m a bit taken aback.

  She’s not afraid of me. At all.

  That’s new.

  “I’ve watched you enough, Remi, that I know you’re not going to hurt me,” she says. “Although, I’m still trying to figure out where you get your food source. From the character analysis I made of you, I’m betting you’ve found a place to drink evil souls, but I’m not sure where. My best guess is that you’ve found an underground club that supplies souls.”

  My brows dip. “There’re underground clubs that supply souls?”

  A frown forms on her lips. “Well, I’m not positive … I’ve never had any reason to research it. But Thorn gets his blood from an underground club, so I just assumed …” She trails off as Thorn shoots her a dirty look, blood now trickling from his glowing red eyes.

  “Your eyes are bleeding,” I say, a bit impressed. But then I rewind over what Revenna said and … “Wait. He needs blood …? So, does that mean …?” I study Thorn as he hurriedly blinks his eyes and wipes the blood away from his cheeks. “You’re a vampire?”

  He narrows his eyes. “And you’re a cursed grim. Who the hell cares?”

  “Is that why you’re so moody?” I wonder, disregarding his dirty look.

  “I’m only moody around you,” he insists. “Because you’re so damn annoying.”

  “Thanks. So are you.” I pause as the muscles in his jaw spasm. “What can you do? I mean, other than drink blood? And what other kinds of paranormal creatures exist? And how old are you? And how did you become one? And how—”

  “Stop with all the annoying questions,” he cuts me off.

  “Thorn,” Revenna scolds him. “Stop being a jerk to my guest.”

  Thorn’s gaze slides to her. “You think Remi is your guest?”

  She puts her hands on her hips. “I invited her over, so yeah, she’s my guest.”

  “She’s only here for selfish reasons,” Thorn states coldly. “You do understand that, right?”

  “She’s here because I invited her over, because I saw her using her powers today and want to help her figure out more about herself,” Revenna replies, giving him a pressing look. “And I know for a fact that you were in a similar position at one point in your life.”

  “But I never had anyone to help me figure stuff out.”

  “I know, but you always say you wished you did.”

  He frowns. “Yeah, maybe.”

  She steps toward him, tipping her head up to meet his gaze. “No, yeah maybe. You know it’s the truth.”

  Frowning, Thorn grumbles, “Fine, whatever. You can help her. But I’m staying here while you do.” His red eyes cut to me. “And if you do anything at all to even try to hurt her, I’ll destroy you, understand? I don’t give a crap if you’re immortal. There’re ways around that.”

  “Really?” I start. When he glares at me, I roll my eyes. “Fine. I guess it doesn’t matter right now. But just so you know, I’m not planning on hurting Revenna.” Just as long as she doesn’t do anything to hurt me.

  He must sense what I’m thinking, because he stresses, “I’m serious, Remi. One threatening look or remark and I’ll make sure your kind is one step closer to extinction.”

  I pause. “Wait. My kind is close to extinction?”

  Thorn sighs, yanking his hands through his hair and moving back over to the bed.

  “Go ahead, Revenna, give her a history lesson,” he says as he flops down on the bed, lies down, and shuts his eyes. “I’m done with her.”

  I look at Revenna. “Is he sleeping?”

  She shakes her head. “Nah, he’s just meditating.”

  “A vampire that mediates?” I say. “Is that normal?”

  “Who said I was a vampire?” Thorn mumbles without opening his eyes.

  “He is,” Revenna mouths then motions for me to follow her as she exits the room and returns to the room with all the shelves.

  So, Thorn’s a vampire. Huh? I wonder what other creatures could be roaming around at my school.

  Stepping out of the room, I follow Revenna to the tallest of the bookshelves and slant against the wall beside it with my arms crossed.

  “So, how did he become a vampire?” I ask, figuring she’ll be more likely to answer my questions than Thorn the Grouch.

  She runs her fingers along the titles of a row of books. “He was bitten by another vampire. Drained dry, actually. And then they took a piece of his soul.”

  Took a piece of his soul?

  “Is that t
he way to become a vampire?”

  She shakes her head. “There’re a few ways, but the way Thorn was changed was the most painful.” She pauses, glancing at me. “From what I’ve heard from Thorn and from what I’ve read in books, getting a piece of your soul stolen is one of the most painful experiences, but I think you probably know that.”

  I swallow hard as I recall the scorching pain I felt the night I changed. “Did I lose some of my soul, though?” Because I’ve never really been sure. I always just assumed.

  She gives a reluctant nod as she pulls a thick, ancient looking book off the shelf. “It’s part how cursed grims are created.” She opens the book and fans through the pages. “Someone has to be on the brink of death and their soul already shredded, probably from something awful done to them.” She doesn’t look at me as she speaks, her fingers slightly trembling. “Then the grim reaper shows up, takes a piece of the broken soul, and replaces it with his.”

  I pull a face. “Ew, is that what happened to me?”

  She glances up at me. “According to these books it is. But, why did you say ew?”

  I shrug. “Because I have a piece of the reaper’s soul in me, which just seems gross.”

  “Remi, you drink souls to feed yourself. And Thorn drinks blood. That’s grosser if you ask me. Having your soul repaired isn’t.”

  “Of course you can say that. You don’t have some creepy skeleton-looking dude’s soul crammed into your chest.”

  A beat of silence drifts by, and then she busts up laughing. “Is that what you think the grim reaper looks like?”

  I shrug, unsure why she’s laughing. “That’s what he looks like in books and photos and stuff.”

  “Yeah, but those were all created by people who haven’t seen him,” she says. “And didn’t you see him the night you were changed?”

  I shrug again. “I can’t remember much of anything about that night, other than some blurry images and the pain.”

  Her laughter fades and pity fills her eyes. “I’m sorry, Remi. I shouldn’t have laughed.”

  “You’re fine,” I assure her. “If I was bothered, you’d know.”

  She nods then shows me the page of a book. “That’s what the grim reaper looks like.” She taps a page that has a sketch of a guy with short, black hair, even blacker eyes, and surprisingly red lips. Tall and wearing a cloak, he looks like he could be around my age, but I highly doubt he is.

  “This is what the grim reaper looks like?” I question, glancing up at her. “He looks human.”

  “According to this book, he does. But it also says he can take on other forms, like a raven, smoke, and even a skeleton. But I think he generally uses this form.” She closes the book, returns it to the shelf, and then grabs another one. “This book has a couple of pages on cursed grims, but unfortunately, because your kind are so rare, there’s not a ton of information about you.” She turns to a page then hands me the book.

  The title reads: Cursed Grims, An Extremely Rare, But Deadly Creature. Below it is a paragraph of information that basically recaps what Revenna just told me. It doesn’t explain anything about my powers or why the grim reaper chose to turn me into a cursed grim.

  Slightly frustrated, I close the book.

  “I’m sorry it doesn’t say more,” she says, taking the book from me.

  “It barely says anything at all.” A frown pulls at my lips. “Like, why the grim reaper chose to change me into this. And supposedly, I should have more powers than I know about, at least according to…” I stop myself right there, not wanting to talk about Ellis and his team just yet. Partly because I’m still not sure I can trust her and partly because talking about them annoys the hungry grim out of me. And besides, since when do I tell people things? Even back in the day, when I was human, I rarely spilled my secrets to anyone.

  She slides the book back onto the shelf. “According to who?”

  “I’ve talked to a few other creatures, and they said I do,” I offer her the partial truth.

  “Really?” She seems intrigued. “What were they?”

  I lift a shoulder. “I have no idea. One had scales, one had hair of flames, one kind of looked like a dark faerie, and the other was shimmery.”

  Confusion crosses her face. “Well, I’m not sure what most of those could be, but my bet is the faerie is a faerie.”

  I lean against the wall and cross my arms. “I don’t know about that. He seemed super irritated when I called him one.”

  She sits down on the back of the sofa, facing me. “Maybe he’s an elf then. Or a pixie.”

  “So, all that crap from fairy tales and books and stuff actually exists?”

  “Yeah, pretty much. And a lot of other stuff that isn’t mentioned in books exists, too.”

  “Like me?”

  “Like you.”

  I push away from the wall and sit down on the back of the sofa beside her. “Why am I so rare, though?”

  “I’m not sure, but Thorn mentioned once when I started suspecting you were one that grim reapers rarely offer pieces of their souls to dying humans, so maybe that’s why.”

  I chew on my bottom lip, contemplating. “What else does Thorn know about me?”

  “If you want the answer, maybe you should ask me the question instead of her, since it applies to me,” Thorn’s voice sails from over my shoulder and rings with annoyance.

  I plaster on a snarky smile as I look at him. “All right then, bestie sidekick, what do you know about my kind?”

  He slants against the doorframe of Revenna’s bedroom, his hair rumpled, and his eyes not red anymore. “You’re reckless, selfish, have a temper, are soulless despite having a patched-up soul, you have bratty tantrums that can get you in trouble sometimes, and you’re cocky. All those traits combined together is part of the reason your kind is going extinct—because your irrational and careless behavior has not only made you hurt yourselves but has made other creatures target you.” He pushes off the doorframe and steps toward me, his eyes as dark as shadows and filled with malicious intent, like my eyes look right before I feed. “Those traits also make it dangerous for people and other creatures to be around you. You draw danger, whether intentional or not.” He stops just short of me. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you already have a target on your back.”

  I can’t help thinking about the threat Ellis made to me today.

  “What the heck, Thorn?” Revenna says, standing up from the back of the sofa. “Why are you being such a jerk?”

  Thorn ignores her, watching me with a cruel, arrogant smile twisting at his lips. “I’m right, aren’t I?” He shakes his head. “Figures. And still, you came here, knowing you could bring that danger to Revenna, which proves you’re as selfish as the rest of your kind. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, considering how you were before you changed.”

  Something about his smile and remark makes me snap. Or maybe all the emotions I’ve felt today are starting to screw with my head. Whatever the reason, I find myself reducing the space between us.

  “You’re right. I was and still am selfish. I’m also reckless, soulless, have an awful temper, am super cocky, and I just had one of those bratty tantrums you mentioned this afternoon.” I lean closer to him. “And you’re right about those traits making me dangerous, but not just for the reasons you listed.” I allow my eyes to shadow over with hunger. “But because I have and will hurt others. And I don’t even feel bad about it.”

  I don’t bother mentioning I’ve only hurt bad people. He wouldn’t believe me if I did.

  Besides, right now, I’m not trying to make myself look great. I’m trying to get underneath his skin like he’s doing to me.

  He leans so close our lips nearly touch. “Good for you. Now leave before I throw you out, something I can do.”

  “Guys!” Revenna cries out. “Knock it off. And Remi, you don’t have to leave. He doesn’t own this house. He gets no say.”

  “It’s fine.” My gaze remains fastened on him. “I pr
obably never should’ve come over here anyway.”

  “That’s the first smart thing you’ve ever said,” Thorn says with that stupid, arrogant smile again.

  Again, something snaps inside me. Breaks. I’m not sure what it is, but my loss of control is wilting quickly.

  Before I end up doing something stupid, I step back and swing by him to leave. Of course, me being who I am, I slam my shoulder into his as hard as I can and get rewarded when he stumbles.

  “Remi, wait,” Revenna calls out, chasing after me.

  I don’t want her chasing after me. I want to be left alone. I want to go back to not feeling anything instead of this breaking sensation inside me. So, I do the only thing I can think of.

  I spin around and fix my dark eyes on her. “Stay away from me. I got what I wanted from you and now I’m done.”

  Hurt fills her eyes, and that stupid gnawing guilt sensation fills my chest.

  Furious with myself—and Thorn—I bail out of the dark house and step out into the night with an out of control feeling consuming me.

  I May Have Messed Up and Accidentally Ate Something I Wasn’t Supposed to

  I wake up the next morning feeling hungover, like I spent the entire night gorging on souls. But that can’t be right? I haven’t found a new food source. Plus, I just barely ate a couple nights ago.

  But a dark cloud falls over me as I realize I can’t recall anything that happened past when I left Revenna’s house. I was angry; that much I remember. The feeling was making me really confused, too. Since when did I get so angry? Maybe Thorn did something to me, like used some sort of vampire power to toy with my emotions.

  The problem with that theory is that my emotions had been feeling weird all day yesterday.

  Maybe it was Ellis?

  “Remi,” my mom says as she knocks on the door, drawing me out of my thoughts. “Are you awake?”

  I don’t answer her right away. Once I do, I’ll have to move from this bed and go to school, which is the last thing I want to do.

  “You better be up,” she warns, knocking on the door again. “And I better not get another call from your school saying you were absent.” She gives a short pause. “You’re not even going to try to give me a good explanation? Goddammit, Remi, what the hell is going on with you? I don’t even recognize you anymore.” She mutters the last sentence so quietly she probably thinks I can’t hear.