Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Alexis

I was going to tell him about Blair’s location, but upon seeing that frenzied look on his face—the same look he used to have after escaping from Edward’s manor—I thought against it. If I shared that intel with him, he’d try to fight Blair all on his own.

He was my mate, and I could not risk losing him again. Once was bad enough.

“What is it?” Will asked again, impatiently looking at me.

“The Clandestine Order,” I said. That was going to be my other suggestion. “We have these bodies to show them. We can tell them that Blair’s got people turning into werewolves. They’re going to want to intervene. After all, this is a matter that concerns supernatural beings. These soldiers who died, they’re effectively werewolves. That makes it a concern of the Clandestine Order. We have to tell them.”

“And go through their bullshit bureaucracy? Think about what you’re saying, Alexis!” Will said. His tone had not gone down ever since he’d discovered that the feral werewolves had attacked the Grimm Abode. He was resorting back to that anger that I found repulsive.

“Yes. We have to do it. If they refuse, then we can go find Blair and deal with this problem ourselves. But first, we have to get word to the Clandestine Order,” I said firmly.

“Fine,” Will said, calming down a bit. He headed to his home. As I followed him, I realized that the pattern he had mentioned earlier was right. Whenever we left Fiddler’s Green for some vacation time, something terrible happened in our absence. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was fate’s way of telling us that we belonged perpetually in Fiddler’s Green. Could fate be so cruel as to condemn me to a place I yearned to escape?

“Do you know a way to get in touch with the Clandestine Order?” I asked once we were inside the house.

“Yes. I have Rogelio’s phone number,” Will said, taking out his phone.

“That snarky emissary?” I asked.

“Yeah. Do you want to talk to him? I’m feeling all hotheaded right now. I’m not sure if it would be very wise if I talked to him. I’d end up screaming at him or something like that,” Will said, handing me the phone.

“Fine. You just rest. Go into the bedroom and lie down. I’ll make you something to eat. Don’t worry, Will. We’re all here with you.”

He went into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. I wanted to find out what was going on in his head and even contemplated using our bond to prod around in his mind, but that felt like an invasion of his privacy. Instead, I dialed Rogelio’s number.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Wilhelm Grimm,” Rogelio said, picking up immediately after the first ring.

“It isn’t, as a matter of fact,” I said. “I’m his mate, Alexis Richards.”

“That’s strange. Why are you contacting me on his phone?”

“Because we have something to show you. Something that concerns the Clandestine Order. Will you come by?” I asked.

“Miss Richards, I am not one to make house calls like a delivery boy. I am a very busy person employed by the Clandestine Order, and as such, have several responsibilities,” Rogelio said.

“Yeah, yeah, I get how important you are, man. Just come down here? Otherwise, your bosses will be pissed that you let something this big fly under your radar,” I said.

“What is it?”

“Werewolves. We were attacked by more than a dozen werewolves. And we have their bodies to show for it. I’d appreciate it if you came down and analyzed this situation on your own. Because if we take the matter into our hands, you and your precious bosses will get your panties in a bunch,” I said.

“Mind how you talk about the Clandestine Order, Miss Richards. You are bordering on blasphemy,” Rogelio said.

“Are you coming or what?”

There was a long pause on the phone, after which Rogelio finally said, “I’ll be there in a few hours.”

As I waited for Rogelio to arrive, I thought it best to leave Will alone for some time. I understood what he was going through. In his way, he was blaming himself right now for all this. He thought that if he hadn’t allowed himself to be captured by Edward Beckett, none of this would have happened. He needed to rationalize his thoughts for some time.

If he would calm down, I’d finally tell him that Maliha had given me Blair’s location. Maybe then we could go there and confront him together.

***

Rogelio arrived exactly five hours later. He came in a Rolls Royce, unlike last time. As he got out of his car, he took his sweet time looking around and being ceremonious.

Will was in a hurry to take him to the stables.

“Come. Follow me,” Will said, leading him to the stables.

“What? And no manners? Will I not be even offered something to drink?” Rogelio said, scoffing loudly to show his disdain.

“You can drink all the wine you want after I’ve shown you what I need to show you,” Will said sternly.

“My, my, what a temper on this one,” Rogelio said, looking at me. Today, he was wearing a beige assortment of clothes. He had even matched his cane with his coat and boots. Now more than ever, he looked like a character out of some high-fantasy anime.

“Let’s not concern ourselves with Will’s temper right now. We have much more important things to discuss,” I said, scoffing back at him.

When at last, we were at the stables, Will waved his hand and pointed at the pile of corpses.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?” Rogelio asked, taking off his spectacles.

“These were once men. Plain old men. Of course, the Clandestine Order made it clear during the hearing that they don’t meddle in the affairs of men. But here’s where things get interesting,” Will said, talking ardently. “Blair Beckett infused them with a serum that turns them into werewolves. These werewolves attacked us out of the blue on two fronts. Nine of them attacked me and Alexis. The others that you see right now, they attacked the commune. Now does this problem fall under the jurisdiction of the Clandestine Order?”

Rogelio went to the bodies and bent down, inspecting them in great detail. No one spoke at that time. Then, he cleaned his hands with a handkerchief and came back out of the stables.

“Well?” Will asked.

“I am afraid that this matter does not concern the Clandestine Order,” Rogelio said.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Will practically roared, and he was right in doing so. Even I was feeling angry.

“These men who have died might have been werewolves, but there’s no proof of that. Besides, it’s Blair you have qualms with. Blair is still a human, and as we said before, we do not meddle in the affairs of humans,” Rogelio said.

Then he looked at me, scowling, and said, “If this was why you called me, then I am afraid your mission was moot. I am not going to bother the Clandestine Order with this trivial business. And next time you decide to call me, don’t.”

With that, Rogelio got into his Rolls Royce and drove out of the commune.

“That son of a bitch!” Will growled, curling his fingers into fists.

“Where are you going?” I asked, running behind him.

“There are bound to be other feral werewolves in the area. If the Clandestine Order has decided not to help us, we’re the only hope this town has. I’m taking the men, and we’re going to scour the area for any werewolves. We’re going to kill them. It’s time to take this matter into our hands,” Will said. It felt as if he was about to say something more to me, but the look of rage on his face prevented him from saying so.

“I love you,” I said. “Take care of yourself,” I spoke those unsaid words for him.

“I love you too. And for all it’s worth, I am sorry that I’ve been so short with everyone lately. This entire thing is fucking with my head,” Will said, giving me a short hug and kissing my forehead.

“It’s okay. This entire situation is quite fucked up,” I said. “I don’t blame you for losing your cool.”

His eyes lingered for a second as if he was trying to get me to say something. I was not going to tell him Blair’s location right now. Will would do something rash.

“Goodbye, Alexis,” Will said, heading out of the commune with the men. As they walked away, I could not help but notice that they looked like an army regiment walking across a battlefield. Brothers in arms, earned in blood.

***

It had been eight hours since Will and the rest of the men had left the commune. It was nighttime now. Everyone around the commune had gone to sleep. All the lights were out in the houses. I was the only one awake, with my head spiraling. Fifteen times I’d called Will’s number, but he had not picked up once. When I’d dialed Vince’s number, I’d gotten a line busy response.

The sixteenth time when I dialed Will’s number, I decided to leave a message.

“Hey, Will, I’ve been waiting eight hours for you and the guys to show up. The not knowing part is killing me. I’m wondering what you guys are doing out there. I’m worried about your safety. And it’s because I’m worried for you that I’ve decided to go and confront Blair. Maybe I can talk it out with him. Don’t worry about me. Just get back to the commune safely. Hopefully, by then, I’ll be back. Please don’t be mad at me. Love, Alexis.”

With that done, I headed out of the commune under cover of darkness, looking up Blair’s location that Maliha had sent me on my phone.

At this point, I was desperate. Desperate to put an end to things. Blair might not be expecting to see me walk through the doors of his secret hideout. He’d give me a chance to talk to him. Maybe there was some way that I’d diplomatically sort things out with him, have him call off his werewolves and soldiers.

What surprised me about Blair’s hideout’s location was how ridiculously close it was to Fiddler’s Green. It was fifteen miles south of the town beyond the forest. None of us had suspected that his base of operations would be there because that area was just one big research facility that the government had abandoned sometime in the 1980s.

When I came to think of it, it was the perfect hideout. He had been here all along, tucked away in plain sight.

As I headed down there on foot, I could not help but feel afraid of all the possibilities that could occur. Blair might not be tempted to talk to me. He could send his soldiers to kill me before I’d even get a chance to confront him. Or worse—he’d kidnap me and torture me just like his father had done with Will.

If Will had picked up any of my sixteen calls, I’d have asked him to come with me. Together, we would have held talks with Blair and discussed how this madness was spiraling out of control. I’d even waited for him all those hours.

It looked like I had to do it by myself.

The best-case scenario that could come out of this bizarre plan of mine was if Blair listened to me and called off his werewolves and soldiers. But there was less than one percent possibility of that happening.

As I treaded past the forest, the abandoned research facility came into view. From the outside, it was just as abandoned and unlit as ever. But using my wolf vision, I could see that there was movement going on in the furtive darkness behind those boarded-up windows.

There was no doubt in my mind that Blair was in there.