Veronica's Fallacy

40.

"I know stuff," He muttered when I wouldn't look away from him.

"Are we going to get any help from the Night court to get those humans out of there?" I asked, still thinking about Victor. I needed to get him out of there at any cost. After searching for him everywhere for months without a clue, I managed to find him at such an unexpected place. I'd be shattered if I couldn't get him out of there after putting in so much effort.

"Well, I can only hope the Arch Lord would do something," Grim muttered. His body seemed tenser than ever. I could tell he wasn't on good terms with the Arch Lord. It made me wonder why because it could affect my chances of getting Victor out of there alive.

"Are you not on good terms with the Arch Lord?" I asked carefully after a pause. He sighed deeply at that question, and his hand moved higher up my thigh until I could feel his fingers brushing the sensitive part of my inner thighs. I clenched my thighs as a tingle shot through my stomach, and something fluttered there. I couldn't tell if he was doing this to distract me from asking him too many questions or if he was doing this to soothe himself.

I felt it was the latter because he seemed very tense while driving. It was as if he was on the verge of snapping and unleashing his dark side. My wolf was constantly pacing inside me, wanting to get closer to him to soothe him, but I pushed her back. The more time I spent with Grim, the harder it got for me to distinguish my rational thoughts from my wolf's horny thoughts.

All she cared about was boning Grim and completing the so-called mating bond. I wasn't going to allow her to lead me with that delusion.

"Well... he and I don't get along well," Grim answered after a tense pause.

"Doesn't that affect your ranks somehow?" I couldn't help but ask. My curiosity to know as much about the Night Court was getting the best of me. I wanted to know more about this Arch Lord and his duties.

What kind of powers did he hold over the members of the Night Court, and what exactly was the Night Court, and how did it come into existence? I had a lot to uncover, and the questions constantly bubbling up in my head were slowly starting to overwhelm me.

"Well, it's complicated," He gave me a cryptic answer, making me huff. He was reluctant to tell me much.

"Will this complication work against us in this situation?" I asked. It had been bugging me for a while, and I was finally relieved to ask this question, but at the same time, I was anxious about the answer.

"I can't say anything about that, but all Underlords work on the same principle, including the Arch Lord," Grim replied, and I sucked in a breath. That meant that even if the Arch Lord agreed to help us in this situation, he'd ask for something in return. I didn't want to imagine what price an Arch Lord would ask.

"So what will you pay for the Arch Lord's help in this situation, Grim?" I asked.

"I don't know," His reply was sharp and curt. Though the look on his face said, he knew exactly what it'd cost him to ask for the Arch Lord's help. Even though I was buzzing with many more questions, I decided not to press him further.

I glanced out the window to see us driving down an unfamiliar path. We were still outside the central city, but now, we were headed towards the southern mountains. Grim turned his car away from the highway and took a road that threaded through the dark woods. Karrson was still following us in his car.

Soon, we entered a tunnel under the mountains. However, I noticed a strange sign on its entrance before entering the tunnel. It was of a wolf howling with its head thrown back and five stars above it, along with a crescent moon. Before I could notice more details, we were drenched with the tunnel's darkness.

Only the headlights of Grim's car were the light source in the tunnel. We abruptly stopped at a point, and Grim turned off his car and killed the light.

"What are we—" I was interrupted by a red laser scanning my face and Grim's.

"Unauthorised person detected," A female robotic voice announced. "Provide identification, or else you'll be executed for trespassing," I turned to Grim, gaping, but he spoke up on time. "She's my guest, Stella. Let us in,"

"Is that really you, Grim? I can't believe my eyes," The voice that spoke next was a female one, but it wasn't the previous robotic one. "And who's that girl with you?"

"Let me in, Stella. I don't have time for this. She's my guest. That's all you need to know," Grim replied, sounding increasingly impatient with every passing second.

"Wow, you show up to the Night Court after ages and want to be let in just like that? What is it, Grim?" Stella asked, sounding wary.

"I need to meet the Arch Lord. It's important," Grim replied.

"What? Grim, is that really you, or are you skincraver?" Stella asked, and Grim made an impatient noise beside me. I could tell he was on the verge of cracking, but this woman named Stella didn't seem to care.

"Stella darling, please let us in. I swear we're not here to kill Arkadius," Karrson's sweet, diplomatic voice echoed behind us.

Arkadius. There was the name again. I knew he was Grim's brother, but did he live in the Night Court? Did he have something to do with the Arch Lord?

"You definitely don't sound suspicious, Godwick," Stella replied. "But you need to give me a legit reason to grant you entry at this hour, especially you, Grim. You've long lost your privilege of representation and requesting a meeting at the Night Court,"

"What did you do for that to happen?" I asked in a whisper, and Grim ground his teeth.

"Personal stuff," Grim muttered before speaking out loud to Stella, "I request an emergency meeting with the Arch Lord. It's a time-sensitive issue. Please let me in, Stella," Grim was almost growling.

"I still have the privilege of representation and am requesting a meeting at the Night Court, so let me in," Karrson spoke from the back.

"I can let Godwick in, but I'm not sure about you, Grim. Especially with that guest of yours,"

"Fuck this shit, Stella!" Grim finally roared. "I want to meet Arkadius urgently. Let me in, or I'm letting myself in," Grim's voice echoed through the dark tunnel. In the darkness, I could see his glowing eyes simmering with rage. At that moment, I gently stroked his arm to calm him down. He shot me a heated look but said nothing.

"One wrong move, Grim, and you'll be banned from here forever," Stella finally responded. "And I cannot allow your guest to go past the reception. She'd have to wait outside,"

"Let me in," Grim growled.

"Stella darling, I told you today's not the day," Karrson's voice reverberated behind us before I felt a sudden jerk. I reached out for Grim, and he held me until the shock wore off and I realised that the car was descending underground.

"Welcome to the Night Court," The female robotic voice declared. 

~

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