Grimm: A Novel In The Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Series (The Temple Chronicles Book 3) Read Free

dome, knocking me clear on my ass and into a puddle of nastiness. I quickly scrambled to my feet, shivering, ready to obliterate the creature. She hovered where my head had been, staring directly at me. It was a naked Barbie.
    And I recognized her.
    “She looks familiar…” Gunnar murmured to Indie, who was staring wild-eyed at the silver sprite.
    “What is she? She’s beautiful.” Indie said bluntly, cocking her head sideways as she assessed the creature.
    “A sprite. A fairy. A very dangerous fairy. Looks can be deceiving,” I warned, shaking off the cold sewage from my coat.
    The sprite smiled in approval at the warning, flashing needle-like teeth at Indie, who flinched back a step. “He’s back, and he’s coming to murder you and all your friends.” The glowing sprite hissed darkly to me. “It’s time.”
    Like I said, a lot can happen between now and never .

Chapter 2

    I shook my coat off again with a growl, trying to detach at least the larger pieces of filth. Wet splashes marked my successes, adding to the fragrant stench filling my nose.
    “Right before you suckerpunched me into that pile of defecation, we had been stealthily approaching the vermin in order to exterminate him. So shoo , Barbie.” I growled darkly. I didn’t know what name she went by in casual circles, but I knew her True Name, the one able to compel her to obey if used three times in conjunction, which I was very tempted to use at the moment just to make a point. But I didn’t. So in my mind she was now Barbie , whereas before I had called her Nympho Sprite.
    Nympho for nymphomaniac. Emphasis on maniac . I had met her once before when running into her on an impromptu case that led to me opening my arcane bookstore, Plato’s Cave – currently still under renovation from the gentle affections of a brawl involving a demon, an angel, and a Nephilim during Mardi Gras a few months back. This little light of mine had a thing for helping wizards in exchange for… well… sexual favors .
    Look, I know, she looked all of twelve inches tall right now . But it’s not as weird as it sounds. She could become bigger when she wanted to by shape shifting to match her summoner’s size. She had even hinted that she could shape shift into other creatures , so being a werewolf for example wasn’t an impediment to her, erm , bargaining price. I had also gotten the distinct impression that many didn’t survive her affections, and that didn’t seem to bother her in the least. If anything, it pleased her.
    Creepy.
    “Bah,” she waved a hand at my comment. “Not the vampires, wiz-” She hesitated, eyes widening with sudden confusion. She stared at me more closely, assessing me on a deeper level than the mortal eye could, as if calculating a new equation in her mind. She must have realized I was no longer a wizard, but I didn’t know how. She continued on a few seconds later, shelving the topic of my abilities, and returning to her initial purpose. “Interesting development.” She murmured to herself before continuing. “The Grimm. Jacob is back. And he brought his brothers. To kill you and all your friends. I warned you of this when we first met.”
    An icy fist seemed to suddenly clench my vertebrae. Indie gasped.
    The Brothers Grimm. They were back. For me. And my friends. Because I had taken their book from them a few years ago, and rather than destroying it like the sprite had advised, I had hoarded it away. And now I was going to pay for it.
    As were my friends, apparently.
    “I knew I recognized her. She used to work for Alistair. The book guy.” Gunnar hissed. “Remember, Nate? Back in the old days.” He looked at me.
    She turned suddenly arctic eyes onto the wolf. “If you ever refer to him again as the book guy I will feast on your sclera.” She licked her lips eagerly.
    “No offense.” He offered genuinely, taking a step back as he held up his hands to idly touch his eyes, which she had casually mentioned eating.
    “Too