My mind runs on a loop with one single message: "Grim, I need your help! Please!"
I pray he will hear my call and come immediately. Considered I've only "called" Grim twice with my mind--and I don't really even know how--the chances of him actually appearing are small. I just constantly repeat that same message over and over in my head. The first time I called Grim was when I needed to talk to him in my room and he appeared. I look around frantically for the gloomy raven or something to tell me Grimm is on his way.
Nothing.
It's just emptiness.
Even the bones of those creatures disappeared.
Just like Azrael.
Azrael slowly fades in my hands, his power draining. My heart mourns for him. He is in obvious pain.
The second time that I called Grim, I was in a sort of dreamland. I chalked it off to me passing out and contacting him, but I wonder if I was awake? I cannot remember much of that night. My mind is fuzzy. I was tired after I was pushed out of my dreamland and utterly terrified as the clown stared at me.
I wet my lips as I try to call Grim again.
"Grim!" This time, I shout the words as well.
I'm so focused on calling Grim that I am unprepared for a bang to resonate from somewhere in the house. Azrael tenses in my arms, seconds before his image of a snake flashes. My eyes widen as I look down, seeing a boy. He has sugar white hair and sunken in cheeks. His eyes are shut and his chest is bare.
Actually, he's entirely nude.
My eyes widen more.
Is that...Azrael's true form? Just as fast as it showed up, the image of the boy disappears and in its place is the snake.
Another bang comes from somewhere. My head turns to look out the kitchen window. What I see makes my heart stop. Sitting there, perched delicately on the kitchen window, sits a raven. Its feathers look a dark blue in the sunlight and its black eyes are focused on me. It caws once before looking below it and turning. It flies away.
Seconds after it disappears, I start to anxiously look around for Grim.
He's on his way. He's coming.
Just he needs to come faster.
A black mist fills the room in front of me, and then he is there. Grim's impassive face appears in my vision, his black eyes set in stone. I think I see some color inch back into Azrael. "What happened?" Grim looks to me shortly before bending down. He crouches in front of Azrael. I look down as well, biting my lip as I see another flash of the sugar-haired-boy.
"Something attacked us. Dog skeletons? I don't know. But he got hurt," I motion to Azrael. "He said you would help him."
Grim nods once. Then his head tilts to the side. His gaze flies to the kitchen window. "Cassie, Ruby. She's in the cellar." My eyes widen. Can he hear her? Of course, he can. Grim looks down at Azrael again. "Go get her while I deal with him," he points to Azrael. Azrael lets out a weak sigh as Grim touches him. Some green power leaks from the skeleton into the snake's body. I get another, dim flash of the boy before Azrael is suddenly getting sucked up. I gasp and hold my hands to my mouth. Grim's eyes meet mine in a flash. "Don't worry about him," he hisses. "Get Ruby."
With a firm nod, I turn and run out the back door. A bang comes from the cellar as I approach, and I hear Ruby's voice. "Cassie?"
"Ruby! I'm here! Hold on!"
"Oh thank God! Grams!"
Her grandma is down there? Oh, of course, she is. The dog skeleton was probably pretending to be Marge. My fingers shake as I unlock the door and pull it open to reveal Ruby's familiar face. It's a little bruised and dirty. "Ruby!" I cry in relief and run forward to wrap her in my arms. She winces a little, but her arms wrap back around me and she starts crying.
"Oh my God! Cassie, I don't know what happened. There were these...monsters! I know that sounds crazy but I swear. They molted to look like Grams and me," Ruby pulls away to hug her grandma, and Marge looks at me, nodding. My heart mourns for them. "I know it sounds so crazy, but they were like "we need your bodies" and then--BAM!--we ended up locked down here. How many days have past?!" Ruby's looks at me, her brown eyes filled with fear. I shake my head and calmingly pat her shoulder.
"I don't know. How long ago was this?"
"It feels like hours, but it couldn't have been that long," Ruby points to me and the sun. "It was probably around sunrise when they showed up."
"That's because they cannot be in sunlight in their true form," Grim's voice makes me freeze. My eyes widen, something Ruby notices. Hers widen as well and she stuffs Marge behind her. Luckily, Marge has some common sense and doesn't fight Rubies hold. I turn toward Grim and send him a look. He just nods at me before turning to Ruby and Marge.
"Don't worry, Cassie, he won't hurt them," Azrael's familiar voice makes me almost melt in relief. I actually run toward the snake slithering down the stairs the moment I spot him and hug him to my chest. Azrael tenses in my arms before rubbing his head against my neck. I hadn't realized how attached I had actually gotten to the little thing. "He's simply going to clear their minds--if possible."
"He's going to Men in Black them?" I look at Azrael. His scaley eyebrow raises.
"I don't know about that, but maybe. He's just going to make them forget about...the hounds."
"Hounds?" My mind suddenly sets on fire. "Like hellhounds?"
"Precisely," Azrael hisses in my mind. My eyes widen. He then slithers so he wraps around my neck and I slowly walk to Ruby's side. She instantly grabs my wrist and pulls me away from Grim, her eyes wide.
"Ruby, it's okay, he's not going to hurt you."
"Says you! Look at hi--his face."
'What about it?" I look at Grim. A line forms in my eyebrow as I realize Ruby cannot see it.
"He doesn't have one! It's just black!"
Ruby squeezes me to her before screaming as Grim reaches out to me. I let his hand land on my shoulder and pull me to his side. I look up to see his eyes narrow, his head tilting. I think he is looking at Ruby, but when he turns to look up the stairs, something makes my back bristle. He hears something.
I look at Azazel and Azrael nods before slithering down my leg. "Oh my God! A snake!" Marge cries, practically fainting. Ruby jumps to catch her hysteric grandma as Azrael goes up the stairs, growing as he does. I look back at Ruby, biting my lip as I wince.
"Cassie! What the hell?! Who is--why--what's happening?" I just look to Grim. He is already staring at me.
"Wipe her mind."
"It's not that simple," Grim mutters. My eyes widen.
"Oh, it's not that simple, huh? For the almighty--"Grim's hand is on my mouth in seconds.
"I don't suggest you continue that sentence unless you want me to follow the rules and slaughter your friends right here and now," he points to Ruby and Marge. My eyes widen before I push his hand off of me. I guess that through all my time of knowing him, I had forgotten that killing things is normal for Grim.
Ruby and Marge slowly rotate around so they are backed into the corner. I glare daggers at Grim before turning to Ruby.
"Believe me, you don't have to fear him. He's my..." I trail off, glancing over my shoulder at him. "Acquaintance." I know it's childish, but I'm angry he silenced me before. Right when I was about to insult him too. And he did it because he actually thought through what I was going to say. He knows me better than me. Grim twitches when I call him my acquaintance and swiftly turns on his heel.
"You can explain it to them," Grim hisses angrily before walking up the stairs. "Azrael," I hear him call before he disappears. I glare after him. Ruby immediately runs to my side.
"Who is he?" She gets in my face. "Should I call the cops?"
"No," I shake my head. Ruby stares at me. I realize she really wants answers, but I am unsure how many I can give her without signing her death sentence. "Just...I can't explain everything to you. The only thing I can tell you is--what we once thought was fake, is real."
"What?" Ruby's mouth opens like a fish.
"The Grim Reaper..." My head tilts. How do I explain this to her? "Remember him? Yeah. How I saw him everywhere?" Ruby nods her head, her lips still opening in an "O". "I wasn't crazy," I hold her shoulders, making her stare at me. Her eyes widen and she looks like she doesn't want to believe me.
I know she will though. She cannot deny that there are things in this world we didn't think existed. Whatever was upstairs, she saw it first hand. She knows that there are things that can take her body as their own.
"You maybe should call the cops. I mean...your house is destroyed because Azrael kind of fought those things off."
"Azrael? Who the hell--"
"My snake...he's got some really strong venom."
"You have a snake?!" She practically screams. I let a smile float across my lips. Of all things to be shocked about, she's shocked most about that.
"Yes. And he just saved your life," I nod to Marge. Not going to lie, Marge doesn't look good. Her face is pale and her brown eyes are dim. "Marge?" I ask shortly before coming up to her side. Marge looks at me before nodding faintly. "Uh, Ruby, it may be a good idea to let her rest," I look pointedly at Marge. Ruby nods, agreeing with me.
"Yeah, great idea," Ruby wraps her arm around Marge's shoulders, securely keeping her beside her. Ruby flashes her eyes over to me before arching her eyebrow. "We aren't done here. You have a ton of explaining to do, starting with him," Ruby nods her head to the staircase. I turn to look up it, almost choking on my spit as I see Grim standing there. Normally I wouldn't be so shocked, but Grim looks...hot. His shirt is lifted up and his breath is ragged. I've only seen his chest once and I never thought that I would see them again. But now, his abs are on complete show. I bite my lip and look down, a deep blush coating my cheeks.
"Who is this?" Grim yanks someone over to him. My eyes widen as I take in familiar brown hair covered with a light beanie.
Warren.
I glance at Ruby before she gets the idea and scrambles up the stairs and away from us. I slowly walk up the stairs, my sights never leaving Warren. "He put up a good fight, and Azrael tells me he's been following you." Grim turns on Warren. Warren winches, pulling away from him. Grim just yanks him down by his collar. "Who are you?" Grim spits his words out darkly. My back prickles at his tone.
"My name is Zeuxis and I can explain everything," Warren--Zeuxis--rambles out, shaking against Grim's hand. I glance at Grim just as he glances at me. We both share a look before Grim looks back down at Zeuxis.
"Perfect," Grim says.
___