I sat across from him and kicked the desk. “I would be good there.”
“I’m not saying you wouldn’t. But you’ve had a hunter on nearly all of your cases for the past two months. I can’t take the chance that he’s tailing you. He could disrupt the case. I’m not doing it.”
I grumbled even though I knew he was right.
“Look, a hobgoblin has been spotted near Arronston Market. Can you go check it out, please? Try not to get bit or let anyone else get bit. They’re dangerous enough with their venom that you might have to shoot it on sight.”
“Now you’re giving me grunt work?”
“This isn’t grunt work. You think I’d send in just anyone for a hobgoblin? Their venom kills within minutes. I trust you can take it down without letting it close enough to hurt you.”
I sighed. “Fine.” I stood up and headed for the door, then turned around to say over my shoulder, “I’m sorry my cases keep getting so screwed up. I’ve only ever wanted to do a good job here and make you and Ailin proud of me.” I slipped out the door before he could respond.
I knew he wasn’t trying to be a dick on purpose, I knew he was stressed, but he didn’t have to keep making me feel like the asshole here. I was doing the best I could. It wasn’t my fault that fucking hunter kept getting in my way. And excuse me for not wanting that asshole or anyone else to get hurt in the process. Yeah, everything ended up messier, but I was bringing in more of the perpetrators than Grim was taking from me—mostly because I stole them from him when I could—so that had to count for something, didn’t it?
With a sigh to myself, I asked Blaze to transform into his dragon form and fly me over to Arronston Market to take care of this stupid hobgoblin. Luckily, my Bonded did as I asked, so I climbed on his back. He was just about the only one not pissed at me for something I had no control over.
It only took a few minutes to get there, and I wasn’t surprised that the entire street in front of the market was void of people. It was a good thing they went inside the surrounding buildings to avoid being bit. I wasn’t too sure how easily I could save someone from a hobgoblin bite. In fact, I probably couldn’t save them. One of my younger brothers or my brother-slash-dad would be better for that kind of thing, to be honest.
As I slid off Blaze’s back, I scanned the area for any sign of the pest. It was clear it had been on the street because there was goo all over the place, but I didn’t hear or see it.
Blaze transformed back into his bearded dragon form and climbed up my body to settle on my shoulder. I absently scratched his little head as I walked. Then I heard it, grunting. Since everything else on the street was silent, I followed the noise down a small alley between two buildings. I expected to find the hobgoblin eating a human, but I stopped short at the sight before me.
The hobgoblin was there alright, but he was very clearly dead. Unfortunately, that meant the fucking hunter that seemed to be every-fucking-where was hovering over it.
Bile came up my throat as I watched Grim cutting one of the hobgoblin’s fangs out of its mouth. He had chopped off the thing’s fingers—its claws—already, and now was working on its fangs.
Why in the fuck would someone want its venomous fangs? Unless… holy shit, he wanted to poison someone, didn’t he?
“What the fuck are you doing?” I finally said.
Grim froze, slowly tilted his head up to me so I could see his eyes under that damn hood, and said, “What’s it look like?”
“It looks like you killed the fucking hobgoblin—good on you, asshole—and now you’re fucking desecrating its body.”
Grim’s jaw clenched. “Why the fuck do you care what I do with its body? It’s dead, it’s not gonna hurt anyone anymore. Your work here is done, witch. Go home.”
“I’m not going to let you chop up a body in the middle of the fucking street!”
“Then I’ll take it with me.”
“No, you won’t.”
His entire body tensed as he stood. “Why?”
“Because it’s a dangerous creature that needs to be cremated after the BCA takes a look at it.”
He rolled his eyes and said, “I have a use for it, yet you’d rather see it go to waste?”
I wrinkled my nose. “It was a living creature, not an inanimate object. What the fuck could you possibly need it for?”
More anger flashed behind his eyes. “Clearly, a witch wouldn’t fuckin’ understand.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Do you wanna leave now or do I have to take you in for questioning?”
“Questionin’ for what?”
I gestured to the hobgoblin. “You’re chopping up a body, Grim, what the fuck else do you think I mean?”
He clenched his jaw, shook his head with a humorless laugh, then nodded once. “I hope you get cut by his other fang, shadow boy.” Mother of All, I hated when he called me that. He’d started about a month ago, and as soon as he’d realized I hated it, he’d been using it more often. Ass.
“Fuck you.”
He started walking by and chuckled. “You wish.”
I gaped at his retreating back, but couldn’t think of a response before he disappeared. Such a fucking asshole.
When I glanced at the hobgoblin’s body, I cringed at all its missing body parts. What the hell was he going to do with them? What if he hurt someone with them because I didn’t force him to empty his pockets of fingers and fangs? I shuddered as I pulled out my phone and dialed Alec’s cell.
“What’s wrong this time, Basil?”
I rolled my eyes. “The hobgoblin’s down. I’m gonna throw a shield over its body that Jor can knock down if you send him.”
“And why can’t you just bring the body back here?”
“Because I need to follow a lead.”
He sighed. “Do I want to know?”
“Probably not.”
He huffed. “Fine. Be careful, call if you need backup.”
“Will do.” I hung up and pushed a shield out to cover the body, then said to Jorah through our link, Can you take care of a hobgoblin body for me? I need to follow someone.
Sure, but… do you need help?
Nope, I’m good. Following people is my specialty.
You realize that sounds stalkerish, right?
I snorted out loud as I walked down the street to find Grim. Whatever, you know what I mean. My shadow magic comes in handy, makes it easier.
I know. Be careful.
I will.
I cut off the conversation since I sent Jorah a mental image of the body’s location as I finally caught sight of a brown-haired head making his way down the street.
Pulling my magic over myself, I sighed as I sank into the shadows. This was probably a bad idea. A very, very bad idea.
But I didn’t care because I had to know more about the asshole who was making my life hell. I had to know more about why I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Chapter Five
Basil
This guy was making me crazy, and I had a feeling he was bad news. What kind of person desecrates a dead body like that? It was sick.
Clearly, I was a very rational person, seeing as I’d decided to follow him. I rolled my eyes at myself. I was being a fucking idiot, and I knew it, but whatever. Sometimes you just had to do crazy shit. It worked well for me, anyway.