The suspect cowered on the ground, continuously shouting for mercy. I had Freki grab him by the collar and drag him back toward the restaurant. The giant wolf and the man screaming bloody murder drew in several pairs of eyes that dipped the moment we looked their way.

There was considerably more blood when we entered the restaurant than before we left. One man was pinned to the ground underneath Marcus’ boot, while another nursed a broken arm. Pinned man had blood dripping down his face--and judging by how he nursed his nose--had broken it upon the guard's fist.

Apparently, Marcus doesn’t mess around.

Marcus saluted, then lowered his sword and pointed it toward the rest of the staff. They stared with wild eyes, and more than a few shrank back like scared children while hovering around Irene. The matron, or whatever title she held, stood defiant but not boldly. She stepped up while the others shrank but kept her gaze averted and ignored Nathaniel’s pleading.

“What happened?” I asked as Freki tossed Nathaniel into a nearby booth.

The man hit the cushioned seat with an oomph and shrank into himself, gripping the table and tilting it toward the wolf like a shield.

“The ones who attacked Lady Alice tried to escape. I’ve thwarted their plans as ordered,” Marcus explained.

“Thank you.” I turned to Irene and channeled the best Devon impression I could. “Explain. Now.”

“Order your attack dog off my-” she tried, but I casually kicked one of the fallen chairs and launched it into the wall.

It shattered to pieces and coated the terrified staff in wood chips. A few yelped as if they had been struck by hot iron; others pressed themselves even deeper into the corner.

Oops. Didn’t mean to destroy it.

“You’re not in any position to make demands. I said explain. Do so. Your king has given us full authority, noble house or not, status won’t save you.”

Defiance and indignation flashed across her face for a split second, but her shoulders drooped, and she balled her hands into fists. When she spoke, her voice was softer, submissive. The fear in her scent lessened.

“Nathaniel is innocent. If you are to hurt anyone, I beg, sir Grimm, that it be me.”

She looked up with determined eyes but lowered her head.

But I couldn’t let off an inch. Devon never did.

A single command. Freki sent a puff of flames that harmlessly licked the man’s fingers. The table absorbed most of the heat, only licks of black marring the once-polished top. Nathaniel screamed and scrambled for a different booth, but Alice stopped him with her axe.

“I said explain. Last warning.”

Irene grew smaller and entirely lowered herself in near prostration. “As I said, Nathaniel is innocent. Darren and Rufus discovered the body first. Nathaniel was there to acquire some cleaning supplies. They enlisted his help and moved the corpse away.”

There was a lot dropped at the same time, but so be it.

“Are you implying the Baathans are not the cause of the murders?”

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“No. We are not. We know of them, of course, but the house is innocent.”

I scrutinized her, which was hard with her head lowered, but I didn’t smell a change in her emotions. Not that I was good at it, but she seemed calm, and her voice held steady.

“Corpse. What corpse, and where are we talking about? And why hide it knowing we were coming.”

“We’re not stupid! Grimms were coming!” shouted the man with the broken arm.

I raised my eyebrow, but Irene snapped before I could issue another threat. Her arm snaked out and forced his head to the floor, forcing him into a bow deeper than hers.

“I apologize for Rufus’ idiocy, Sir Grimm. I’m prepared for any punishment you see fit.”

Rufus growled, but his voice barely filled the room. The beast churned, and I felt my authority being challenged. I broke that train of thought and kept my face expressionless.

“Show us the corpse,” I instructed. I turned to Marcus and gestured at the door. “Is there any way you could get a message to the other Grimms? Devon would want to know of another murder.”

“Yes, sir. It might take a while, but I’ll have a runner sent.”

I smiled. “Good, we’ll investigate the corpse.”

Marcus saluted again and reached down to pick up the man below his boot. He dragged him out the door, and I heard him call to someone in the distance.

“I’ll show you the way, sir-”

I shook my head and had Freki grab Nathaniel and toss him toward Irene. He rolled to a stop, and I wrinkled my nose. Dark liquid spilled onto the floor and puddled around his shoes. His legs shook, but he stood up.

This might have gone too far.

“Listen. I won’t have him eat you. Just show us the body and where you found it.”

He nodded and stiffly shuffled to the door. Irene was just as mute, stepping over the puddle. They led the way, and when we stepped outside, I had Freki rejoin my shadow, making sure the humans saw me. Irene recoiled but kept her movements to a minimum, while Nathaniel seemed too numb to react.

The walk wasn’t far. Around five minutes of pushing through the crowd. Without Marcus clearing the way, people were less willing to clear a line for our passage. It did help that I had my axe displayed, but Alice’s axe got more reactions.

I stopped and let her take the lead. Hood up, shiny battle-axe resting on her back. It certainly drew attention and got more people to step to the side than moments before.

Nathaniel led us to a large metal building. It was one of the few that looked more like modern Earth designs than medieval. Two large men stood guard by the door, and their eyes widened in surprise at seeing us approach.

Irene raised her hand and shook her head. “Step aside. The Grimms are here to investigate.”

“But the…” one man started, then clamped his mouth shut.

“They already know. Get out of the way before the Grimms remove you,” she instructed.

The guards stepped to the side, and I stopped Nathaniel.

“Stay. Don’t move. But you don’t have to follow us inside. You can lead us there yourself,” I said while pointedly looking at Irene.

She nodded and pushed open the metal door. Despite the warehouse size, it was empty. A chill wafted through the building, cold enough to keep the meats stored inside. While the scent of food overwhelmed everything else, I picked up on the blood. Past the giant shelves stacked full of crates and boxes filled with food, a room in the back reeked of the stuff.

Unsurprisingly, Irene continued to the back. I noted the floors were clean, the same lemon-scented polish coating the floors, but I could still smell the blood underneath. On a hunch, I sent mana into my eyes and spotted the rune intricately carved into the door. Irene stopped before the door and raised both hands.

“The room is enchanted; it’s our deep storage where we keep the freshest cuts to be frozen for later. We sometimes keep important things to be transferred inside, so it’s keyed to work only for those with Baathan blood.”

Good.

She didn’t lie about the enchantment. Makes her slightly more trustworthy.

“She was found inside the warehouse, but the… Other stuff was discovered this morning as they transferred the body into the room.”

Alice had her hands near her side, ready to grab her axe, and I slid my hand underneath the beard of mine. Irene saw none of this as she pulled the door open.

Prey.

The blood hit me like a truck. It slammed into my nostrils and slipped its way in. But that undersold what was inside the frost-covered walls.

Painted lines circled a pile of limbs inside a pentagram. Unrecognizable sigils lined the other ring, while larger symbols covered the walls. The woman—the corpse they discovered—lay outside the circle, stiff and cold in a puddle of frozen blood.

A gash ran across her throat, while a massive cavity glistened with bloodcicles in the center of her chest.

I turned to Irene and growled.

“Explain this.”