Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I'm so glad that you all like this fic so much. Here's the next installment. I hope you enjoy this one as much as the first. Be sure to leave a review at the end and let me know! ;) *hint hint*

Part II – Vengeance and Verification

Sean circled around in the skies a few times before landing. His shadow created a solid blackness on the ground that was intimidating to anyone who stood within it. The Regnant inhaled once again to make sure he had the right spot then roared into the night air when it was confirmed.

He landed silently upon the ground, the loose gravel of the alleyway sliding under his weight giving him the appearance of gliding. The landing was a relatively easy feat for the creature but landing almost completely without sound was something Sean had taken great pains to learn and perfect. A Wesen of his standing could never be too careful and ensuring that he could be practically invisible when he wished went a long way towards living a long life.

Dark copper and burnt gold skin shimmered magnificently in the moonlight, making the dermis look like it was lined with pure gold rather than colorful reptilian like scales. Slowly, the scales dimmed to a duller dark chocolate. The Regnant now looked black in color, helping him to blend seamlessly into the shadows of the night.

It wasn't the normal practice of a Regnant to change its color. As a general rule, the species uses their bright and ornate colors to attract mates therefore there wasn't ever a need to change their appearance. But in today's time and society, with the Reapers hell bent on killing whomever they please and half of the Grimms doing so as well, it had become a necessity to learn how to adapt and change.

Long ago, Sean had discovered that there were many things Regnants could do that either his ancestors had chosen not to divulge to their young or didn't know about at all. Changing one's coloring to match their surroundings, much like the Chameleon, was just one of the powers they possessed.

Being able to remain half in morphed form and half out was another. Despite what the insidious Grimms thought, changing one's form from human to Wesen is extremely taxing on the body. Allowing your features to melt away into nothing then giving into the creature within and letting it form completely new characteristics is, to say the least, hard. Your first instinct is to fight the process but not only is the creature too strong, it hurts to resist. It can take years for a young Wesen to learn to relax and let the change happen and until they do, the process is extremely painful. Once you learn to how to go with the morph, controlling the change is only a matter of practice and patience, something Sean is adept in.

One other, unknown skill the Regnants had was the ability to heal. They weren't easy to wound but it could be done. The healing was never instantaneous but it did take Regnants a lot less time to heal than everyone else. A broken bone for a human or average Wesen took six to eight weeks to heal; for a Regnant it took maybe three. It was a handy skill to have given Sean's choice of profession and his position in both the human and Wesen world. The only downside to this gift, that Sean could see, was that it could not be passed nor given to his mate who seemed to come home injured more often than not.

Sean walked down the dark tunnels, slinking low so that he looked like a lion ready to pounce and stayed in the darkness of the shaft. When he came to a fork in the road, so to speak, the Regnant froze and crouched even lower. Quietly, he sniffed the air to see which direction he should go then he, even quieter still, continued straight where he could almost see light.

The path led north for three miles before it widened into a giant alcove. Six Reapers stood in the cove, covered in monk-like brown robes. Dozens of torches hung on the walls, illuminating the stone of the tunnel. Firelight danced almost merrily off the Reapers' scythes. It created little shining puppets of light onto the walls behind Sean, making it impossible for him to hide any longer.

The Regnant stepped further into the cove, allowing the flame light to fully. He smiled when each of the Reapers' eyes widened in fear at the sight of him then slowly changed back into his human form, keeping only his wings so that his lover half could be covered and protected.

"You know why I am here," Renard stated coolly as he stared down his opponents. Along with his wings, his eyes remained the same deep orange they had been, pupil-less and hard.

"We do," the Reapers stated as one.

To any other being their synchronicity would have been eerie or unnerving but Sean hadn't paid attention to that; the only thing he heard was their words. His back straightened that much more at their answer but it was the red that slowly seeped into his eyes that truly showed the Reapers how angry he was by their answer.

"Will you give me what I seek?"

"We will not."

Again, the conformity should have bothered him on some level but again, all he heard was their answer. The reddish orange in his eyes was now a deep, violent red. Transforming one's eye color went along with being able to change one's skin color; but unlike the skin changing to whatever colors the Regnant desires, the eyes transitioned according to the Regnant's emotions. When angered, the amount of red that filled the eye could rival the color of a Blutbad's when they morphed.

Sean bowed his head and drew in a deep breath. It wasn't that his next move was a hard decision to make: in fact it was an easy one. No, it was that he had to calm the Regnant inside him that was demanding it be allowed to quickly shred the Reapers to pieces so they could be on their way and searching for their mate. Sean understood the desire to get this over and done with but he knew that things would be made much easier if he could worm the information out of the vermin before him.

When he looked up, the red in his eyes hadn't dimmed one bit. The flame light sharpened the already sharp features of the Reapers but even still, Sean could see fear beginning to creep into their souls. Good, he could use that to his advantage. He smiled a brief feral smile full of white gleaming teeth before he quickly replaced it with his cool, calculating stare. "Then I will show you no mercy,"

"We ask for none," the Reapers replied, once again in unison. They poised in an attacking stance and held their scythes ready for the strike. "And we will show you none as well Regnant."

They spat his title out of their mouths with a hiss but Sean was not given time to dwell on it. Without further warning, the Reapers pounced, ambushing on all sides. Instantly, Sean's form changed from half human/half Regnant to full Regnant. The beast sprung forth as though summoned by an unearthly power and returned the assault.

The Wesen used its rage and hunger to drive its strength and speed. For every move the Reapers made, the Regnant made two countermoves. The Reapers' scythes struck the Regnant's arms, legs, back, anything that they could get at but in doing so, they left themselves open for a much more dangerous attack. Sharp claws the length of two small swords swiped at two of the creatures, cutting through their flesh, muscle, and bone like a hot knife through butter. They died two minutes later from blood loss.

The remaining Reapers howled their anger and renewed their attacks. Three of them kept the creature busy by dancing around it, which allowed their other two compatriots to get behind Sean's defenses. He smelled them before he saw them and his wings instantly shot out to form a protective barrier as well as swat them away.

The Regnant's right wing struck the Reaper hard in the chest, breaking a few of its ribs and cracking its skull against the roof of the cavern before it fell into a heap onto the floor. The left wing, however missed as the Reaper saw it coming and slid out of the way in time to miss the bone crushing blow. Noticing that the Regnant was busy with the rest of its company, the Reaper slid under the wing, pulled out a long knife from within its cloak and stuck it into the Regnant's shoulder.

Sean roared in pain and immediately began favoring the injured arm. Thinking their prey was ready for the kill, the three conscious Reapers attacked, scythes before them in the killing pose. What they hadn't counted on was the Regnant's tail coming seemingly out of nowhere and colliding with them, sending them smashing into the walls. Just like their unconscious comrade, each of their skulls cracked against the wall, hard, and they fell to the floor in boneless heaps.

Not caring about the pain in his shoulder, Sean walked up to the unconscious Reapers and towered over them. Like all Wesen, Sean was stronger in creature form so he remained in his Regnant form, not trusting his strength if he were to morph back into a human.

Despite the human side of him demanding that he not destroy the creatures beneath him, the Regnant reached down with its mouth and grabbed the first unconscious Reaper. It shook the thing like it was a rag doll, effectively breaking the Wesen's spine, before allowing its sharp teeth to tear the thing in half. The Regnant repeated the process with the second and third reapers, leaving just one alive.

Patiently, he towered over the remaining creature, waiting for it to wake up. While he waited he called Adalind; he was going to need some help getting the knife out of his shoulder and a body clean-up crew and she was just the Hexenbiest to get it done. After relaying his coordinates, Sean tucked his phone back into his pocket and stared down at its prey. He wanted answers and sooner or later he was going to get them.

He waited, somewhat impatiently, for Francois to release his other wrist, all the while drawing up the strength of the Grimm from inside him. With as much strength and adrenaline as he could muster, Nick grabbed Francois' right wrist and twisted cruelly. The joint broke under the strain and the leader howled in pain.

Nick didn't even bother waiting to see what Dumb and Dumber's reactions would be; he simply acted. Adrenaline and survival instincts kicked his senses into high gear, pushing back the agony he knew was coursing through his body.

Francois sat before him, his scythe abandoned, panting in pain. The Grimm knew an opportunity when he saw one so he grabbed the lonely weapon and held it before him, ready for anything that came at him. His grip on the scythe was tenuous at best; with the exception of his thumb, his right hand was completely useless. So, he used his left hand to hold onto the weapon, hiding his surprise at how easy he found it to hold.

Dumb and Dumber wasted no more time waiting for him to be ready. It had taken a while for them to get over their initial shock of what had just happened, thus giving Nick time to grab the scythe, but once they'd gotten over it, they attacked. Dumb went first, swinging his scythe in an upward motion at Nick. Nick hopped back, grimacing when he was reminded of just how injured he was, and blocked the blow with a strangled cry of exertion and pain.

That cry was all the Reapers needed. Seeing that Nick was barely able to hold onto the scythe, both of the Wesen attacked as, abandoning their plan of one-on-one. Dumb to Nick's left sneered cruelly and drew his scythe back while Dumber advanced like a footballer heading for the tackle.

It was a split-second reaction but it was enough. As if in slow motion, Nick turned his head from one direction to the other, barely debating what to do. His heart was beating so incredibly fast that he swore it was going to jump out of his throat any minute. Grey-blue eyes widened in fear and revelation as he took in his chances.

Readying himself for the pain, Nick swung his scythe at the Reaper charging him. The weapon sliced cleanly across the Wesen's throat before lodging itself into his jaw. The Reaper was dead before he even knew what had happened.

The maneuver had cost Nick, though, as it left his backside open to attack from the remaining reaper. Searing pain raced through the back of Nick's left arm. He fought the urge to favor the arm as he felt blood begin to trickle down the limb and kept it calmly by his side. The Grimm stared down the remaining Reaper, determination filling his blue-grey eyes. His body was weakening, and quickly, but he wasn't about to back down; his life was on the line, he couldn't give up.

Somewhere beyond the cabin Nick heard a screech like a very big bird. A few seconds passed then a roar unlike any other he had ever heard echoed through the tension, briefly cutting through it. Even as it reverberated through the stone of the prison, Nick felt as though he personally knew what or who was making the sound.

For the briefest of seconds Dumber's eyes grew wide with fear when he heard the roar. Then, lizard-like eyes focused back on Nick and all trace of fear was gone, replaced with a malice no creature should feel toward its fellow man.

"It looks like your husband is here," he sneered.

Nick could tell that it was meant as a negative thing but of the two of them, Nick was definitely more the female than Sean. Besides, he was too busy trying to stay upright to worry about comments on his personal life.

Instead, the Grimm gave a half smile, "You should stick around. I'm sure he'd love to meet you."

The Reaper snorted then raised its scythe, ready to attack. "This won't take that long," he threatened as he and Nick began the dance of a fight. "I'll be long gone before he gets down here."

"That you will be," Nick guaranteed with more vibrato than he felt, "but your body won't be."

Dumber remained still for a moment, its brain slowly trying to figure out exactly what Nick meant. Then it let out an inhumane howl and charged.

Sean landed in a clearing just to the south of the stone cottage. He cradled his injured arm close to his chest as he landed, hoping to jar the damaged shoulder as little as possible as he hit the ground. Clawed feet dug into the soil, giving his body a steady perch to sit upon while he took stock of the area around him.

The moon was high in the sky by now, the early evening from earlier gone and replaced by a deep, calming midnight. The gentle breeze had all but disappeared, thinning itself into the night air until it was no more. Oregon trees surrounded everything for miles, this clearing being the only open spot around. The house itself sat shaded by the trees, hidden from unfriendly eyes.

The Regnant heard a screech come from a bird-like Reaper, announcing his presence but he didn't care. He put his snout into the air and inhaled. On the wind was a mixture of scents: trees, leaves, the Reapers, and the oncoming autumn. But none were as thick as those of pain and fatigue that surrounded Nick.

Bastards!

Sean let loose a roar of rage that he knew all within a one hundred mile radius could hear. If he had been a Blutbad, his ears would be lying flat against his skull and his teeth would be bared. Being a Regnant, however, his ferocious teeth were bared in a snarl and his entire body was poised to strike.

The vermin that worked for the Reapers were the first to meet Sean's wrath; they lasted mere seconds before the Regnant had them in pieces on the ground. The second wave came in the form of the Reapers themselves.

Dozens of Reapers swarmed him as he started marching to the front door of the cottage, perhaps hoping they could overpower the Regnant. Sean easily flitted them away, flinging them against trees with backbreaking force and swiping at them with his massive claws. With just over one quarter of their original strike force left, the remaining Reapers, the ones who managed to miss getting skewered by tree limbs or sliced open like fish, backed away cautiously.

Sean could see that they were preparing to renew their attack so he swung out with his tail and grabbed them all within it. He squeezed until he felt the Wesen's spines break then he threw them in the same area as the rest. Without a second glance behind or around him, the Regnant continued to prowl towards the front door.

As if by magic, Sean's form shimmered in the moonlight from Regnant to human, allowing him to rest his hurting arm as he walked on his legs. The pain was slowly beginning to lessen as the wound scabbed over but the shoulder was still only able to hold his weight for limited amounts of time.

His eyes remained non-human in color. They glowed red with rage, giving the police captain an almost satanic look. Naked though he was, Sean's human form radiated power as he stalked through the bare but classically decorated cottage.

The would-be silence was constantly interrupted by the sounds of fighting. A growl rippled deep in his throat when a familiar cry of pain echoed from the cellar. Black, leathery wings sprouted out of his back like a slowly growing vine, subtly wrapping around Sean as though they were trying to protect and comfort him with the single act.

It took all of his control not to storm the cellar and rush in to save his mate. Not only was that an unsafe move (he didn't know how many there were or where they were located) but he knew that Nick wouldn't appreciate the "White Knight" routine.

Though he didn't look it, Nick was no damsel in distress, ever. He knew how to take care of himself. His police training usually helped him out more than anything but when push came to shove, the Grimm knew how to hold his own in a fight.

The problem this time was that his Grimm was injured. Sean could smell the waves of pain rolling off his mate and it made him nauseous. Normally, the smell of pain was enticing, intoxicating to the point of driving a hunter insane. The stench that was coming from Nick smelled like sulfur and sewer with just the barest hint of copper thrown in.

He reached the door and peered in, making sure to keep his presence hidden as he listened to what was happening inside. Unable to withstand the urge to visibly see what was going on, Sean peeked inside.

Nick stood among the bodies of two Reapers. A blood-soaked towel was wrapped around his torso. Whether the blood was mostly Nick's or the Reapers he had slain, Sean didn't know but he didn't care either. The only thing he noticed was that there was a need to wrap the towel around his mate's torso to begin with and that was all he cared about. Red eyes narrowed as they took in the rest of Nick's appearance.

Wrapped around the Grimm's right hand was another towel, smaller in comparison to the one around his torso. A small red dot of blood was soaked into the center with flicks of blood around it. The fingers of the same hand were gruesomely swollen and bent out of place; it didn't take a genius to know what was wrong with them, they'd been broken.

The sound of movement from just behind the door told Sean that someone else was in the room and they were preparing to attack but before anything could be done, a third Reaper, known as Leroux, lunged at Nick. The Grimm side-stepped the attack, though from what Sean could see not because that was his plan but because his right leg couldn't hold him up any longer, and the Reaper slammed head-first into stone wall behind Nick.

Nick swooped down, wrapping his right arm tightly around the Reaper's neck and applying pressure as he knelt. The Wesen tried to grab at the Grimm's badly injured hand but Nick used his good hand to still the Reaper's movement.

"What are you going to do little Grimm?" Leroux taunted hoarsely. "Kill me in cold blood?"

"No, I'm not gonna kill you," Nick answered in a pant. He grimaced and Sean felt his heart break at the sight. Nick didn't have a high pain tolerance but it did take a lot for him to admit when he was hurting, at least when he was around people he didn't know.

The Grimm hauled the seemingly defenseless Reaper to its feet and used his body to spin them so they faced the partially open door.

Knowing that Nick knew he was there, Sean opened the door so that his half-morphed form was framed in the doorway. The Grimm nodded in his direction and finished his earlier sentence, "But he might."

Sean released his control, fully morphing back into his Regnant self. His large body didn't fit through the doorway, so he used his tail to widen it a little, taking care not to bring the place down upon him or his mate. He saw Nick's eyes widen in both fear and amazement but he kept his main focus on the Reaper.

Leroux sat completely still within Nick's grasp, no longer fighting to get free. In his eyes, Sean could see determination but it did little to mask the slight tremors of fear ransacking his body. The scent of his cowardice smelt like cinnamon rolls (one of Sean's favorite treats) to the Regnant, making the dragon-like Wesen lick its lips in hunger.

Oh yes, he would love to kill the Reaper. But he needed to do something first. He looked at Nick, slowly changing his eyes so that they were his usual green. Silently, he asked his Grimm his permission to dole out vengeance. Nick's normally gentle eyes were hard as granite as he nodded, showing Sean just how determined he was in his decision. Leroux had crossed too many lines for the Grimm to consider leaving him be.

Sean cocked his head to the side, silently inquiring about simply arresting the Reaper. The man had kidnapped a police officer and tortured him after all. Now it was Nick's turn to cock his head in thought, giving a minute wince as he did so. Sean saw his body seize briefly in pain, feeling his heart break that much more.

Leroux felt the Grimm's body become rigid and his hands twitch. He knew that the man had just caused himself some pain; it wasn't hard after all, the Reaper had made sure to inflict as much damage as he could. Knowing that now was his chance, Leroux slammed his elbow into the Grimm's badly injured ribs as hard as he could.

The thing cried out long in pain, instantly letting the Reaper go as he fell to the ground and curled in on himself. Leroux scurried away, from the creature holding it, smiling viciously as he moved, only to come face to face with an extremely pissed off Regnant. The smile faded immediately, turning into a blank look of determined calm.

"You know that you cannot kill me Regnant," he stated, coming to his feet in front of the creature.

"On the contrary, my good Leroux," the king answered lazily as it sauntered up to tower over him. "You are on my turf and you have hunted and hurt one that is under my protection. I am well within my right as king and protector to kill you on sight."

As it moved, Leroux noticed that it was limping on its left side, heavily favoring its left limb. While the Regnant talked (the Reaper knew that the king was well within his right to kill him so he didn't bother listening to the explanation), he scanned the scaled skin for signs of injury, smiling once again when he noticed some scabbing around the shoulder joint.

Without wasting any time, the Reaper grabbed the nearest weapon he could, which happened to be an abandoned scythe, and shoved the blunt end of the weapon into the Regnant's injured shoulder. The creature cried out in pain, the sound a combination between a howl and a roar, and reared back so that it was sitting on its hind legs.

Leroux drew back to strike again, this time with the sharp end, but just as his arms began to swing forward, raging pain scoured his chest and the Reaper felt the strength in his arms fail. The scythe dropped to floor, clanging against the stone as it landed, and the Frenchman looked down at his chest. Sticking a good foot out of the cavity was a curved blade with a name on it. As the life left his body, he was left with one last thought – he had just been killed with his own scythe.

TBC