Hey all! Sorry for the long wait! I had finals and I wanted to finish NaNoWriMo, which I was successful at! Thank you all for your patience and please, read on~! Just so you know, this story is rated M for a reason!


When Nick awoke, he immediately noticed the searing pain in his skull. It felt as if his skull was trying to cave in on itself and explode at the same time. The pain ripped a crippled moan from his parched throat.

He heard some people shuffling around and a brief pass of, "He's awake," but the sounds only made his pain worse. In fact, his whole body felt like someone had taken a metal bat to it.

He heard a soothing voice call his name. His body instinctually leaned into the source of the voice, the sound of it practically caressing his pounding head. "Nick, drink this, okay?"

Nick obeyed when the cup was placed against his lips. It tasted abysmal, but the pain in his body almost immediately ceased and he released the tension in muscles he didn't realize he had. Opening his eyes slowly for fear the migraine would return, he saw Renard. "Sean?" He asked weakly.

Renard smiled softly. "Yeah, Nick. It's me."

"Are you okay? Did anyone get hurt?"

Renard was shocked at Nick's sincerity. "No, no one else was injured. Just me and you, but you healed me pretty easily."

Nick smiled. He knew he should be more freaked out that he had suddenly developed magickal powers, but that must be a side effect of whatever he drank. "When do I get to find out about that one?"

Renard chuckled. "When you can wake up without a migraine."

Nick nodded. "Then I'm going back to sleep." He said, a heavy yawn bursting forth as he closed his eyes.

"Okay, Nick. Do you want me to leave?" He asked.

Nick, with his eyes still shut, reached out and pulled Renard down to lay with him. "No. Stay here."

Renard chuckled and kissed Nick softly on the crown of his head. "I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

But Nick was already asleep once more. Renard laid his head down and pulled Nick close to him. He might as well get a little sleep too. He hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night. This time, he fell into a deep sleep.

It took Nick three days to recover. He still had some minor bruising, but otherwise he was okay. It was on that fourth day – his first full day at one-hundred percent – that Adalind decided to show her face again.

Nick was going to attack her, but Renard held him back. "Sean, that's Adalind!"

"Yes, Nick, I know. I've brought her to help you!"

Nick glared at his Mate. He briefly heard the noise of something breaking, but he didn't care. "Why would I need Adalind to help me with anything?"
Renard sighed. "That's what I've brought you and her here to explain. My sister is here as well along with your other allies."

Nick blinked in confusion. "Did I… miss something in the three days I was out of it?"

Renard smiled both amusedly and placating. "Yes, Nick. We're all here to bring you up to speed."

At this Nick nodded his assent to listen. Renard called out to the others – who were apparently in the other room of the spice shop eavesdropping – to come join them.

It didn't take long to explain to Nick the events that followed after he passed out. Natalia went in to her explanation of how she got the keys to Nick.

"I knew the Jagerbar through some negotiations he had done for other wesen in the past.
As a lawyer, he knew many people. It took me a while, but I knew that Frank Rabe was loyal to you, Grimm. I told him that I wished to help my brother and that the only way to help him was to help you. I spied for him and eventually gained enough trust from my father to come upon the knowledge of the location of the keys. I took them as soon as I could and delivered them to the Jagerbar. We didn't speak after that."

Nick looked down and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know your thoughts on Frank, but he was killed about a week ago."

The Royal looked upset, but she kept calm. "I am sorry, Nick. I did not mean for this to happen. I know he had a son. Is he alright?"

Nick nodded. "Barry is fine. He's over eighteen now and he inherited his father's estate. He's still shaken up about his father, but he's a Jagerbar. Death isn't something they mourn. They celebrate it." He smiled sadly. She returned the smile.

Adalind cleared her throat. She was a lawyer too, so she knew Frank as well. Nick realized this and, in his innate good nature, he asked her, "Are you okay, Adalind?"

The whole room, wesen and human alike, was shocked. The wesen went as far as to scent Nick to see if he was sincere. When they realized he was, they watched the interaction with rapt curiosity.

"I'm fine, Grimm. No need for your concern."

"You were a lawyer."

"I am a lawyer. You think I don't know that, idiot?"

He paused, stunned by her emotional outburst, but continued. "Did you know Frank?"

She glared at him. "What's it to you?"

"You lost a coworker, maybe even a friend. Jagerbars may be able to deal with death, but I'm not so sure about Hexenbiests. So again, are you okay?"

She ignored him and turned to Renard. "Let's just get this long, overdrawn explanation over with. I don't want to be here too long."

No one noticed it when she looked at Nick, giving him a very subtle nod. Well, except Nick. He took that as her not wanting to talk here, but that she needed to talk later. Nick wondered briefly about what she wanted, but would ask later where to meet her.

Renard's deep voice broke him from his thoughts. "Nick, do you know the story of the first Grimms?" Nick shook his head. "I'm not surprised. Most wesen don't even know.

"It happened in during a time when the world was divided into tribes. Each tribe was either a specific race of wesen or a human one. At this time, the Royal family was just rising to power. The Royal family consisted of a small family tribe, one that not many wesen knew of. They were powerful creatures, so the wesen listened to them willingly, thinking that a powerful ruler would lead them into prosperity. They rallied the wesen tribes, uniting them as a single group. They travelled to the human tribes, hoping not to frighten them, but to teach them who they were and to learn what they could from each other. Back then, humans and wesen lived in harmony with one another under the rule of a wesen king.

"But, as time went on, another faction was formed to coup against the wesen king. These humans thought of themselves as superior to the wesen, thinking of them as mere animals. Wesen and humans alike were forced to pick a side. Naturally, wesen sided with wesen and humans sided with humans. This war waged on for thousands of years, and a lot of things happened in between. One of the largest events that happened was the almost extinction of the human race. As the wesen rose in numbers, the humans adapted and some were born with the ability to do things no human could do before. They were known as the Witches.

"The Witches fought back for humanity, winning battles and rebuilding hope in their people. They were feared by the wesen. Some wesen, hoping to gain a leg up on their opposition, attempted to imitate the magick that the humans could use. They eventually succeeded, but at a cost. Nature did not like their use of magick, so it morphed them, distorted their visage to represent the unnatural act they committed. They soon became known as the Hexenbiests.

"There was one Witch, however, that was born shortly after the last major human refuge – the Roman Empire – fell at the hands of the wesen. His name was Philipp Grimm.

Philipp Grimm was a knight at this time. He was the strongest Witch of his time and the most feared human warrior that they had. If Philipp was on the battlefield, the humans were sure to win. His power was nothing like they'd ever seen before. His name and his power made even the Royals quiver in fear. Alongside him were his loyal friends. Even though his friends were not Witches, they fought together and never left each other alone. Their group became known as the Grimm Knights.

"On one of their trips through a territory, Philipp encountered a wesen woman – a Hexenbiest. He didn't know exactly what drew him to her, but his instincts were never wrong. He followed her and, of course she knew and she attacked him. Well, somehow they ended up not killing each other and falling in love. It was something forbidden at the time, but they did it anyways.

"Philipp was eventually forced to return to the battlefield, but he couldn't put his heart into it any longer, as he was killing his true love's people, so he called for a ceasefire, the first and only one since the war had begun. By then, Philipp had become the unspoken King of the human race. He met with the wesen Royal King and after a long dispute, they negotiated the terms to end the war.

"People on both sides cheered when they heard the war had ended. They celebrated for a whole day, calling that day the 'Day of Truce.' Humans spoke to wesen like friends would towards each other.

"After everything settled down, Philipp called his Grimm Knights together once more. They met somewhere in modern-day Germany, though we are not certain where. Philipp created a spell that would allow them and their descendants to always be able to see the wesen. Philipp made it known that their children should not learn to kill mercilessly, but that their job was to watch the Royals as well as the humans to make sure that a war like this would never happen again. They were meant to be arbitrators, to judge those who broke this law, no matter their race.

"Philipp then gave each of his knights a key, saying that if a war were to ever happen like this again that their descendants should know to give their keys to his descendant. He never explained why or what the keys were for, just that it was imperative that if a war should ever start, then his descendant should be given the keys.

"After the spell was cast and time went on, the Grimm Knights soon simply became the Grimms, the truth of the war was lost in the remainder of the Dark Ages, and both the Royals and the Grimms became corrupt. Things continued like this until the present day, and that's where we currently are now."

It took a long time for that story to sink in, with Nick recovering first. "I know you're not telling us all this because you like to tell bedtime stories. What's the point of this story?"

Natalia answered. "It has come to my attention that another war is soon to begin. The Royals are planning to take the world and make it theirs once more. The humans might be able to defend themselves from the wesen allied with the Royals, but they know nothing of the wesen world anymore. The few humans who do know are considered crazy. If the humans were attacked by the Royals, it would be a complete massacre."

Renard continued. "This is where you come in, Nick. Philipp Grimm knew that his friends' descendants would not always be together. They would eventually drift to other lands, so in order for the others' descendants to know who his descendant was, he noted that since he was a Witch, his descendants would have his powers as well. Grimm worried that his descendants would turn away from his laws, knowing how dangerous the wesen world was, so he created another spell that would take away his successors' abilities unless they obeyed the laws he originally set out for the Grimm Knights.

"Nick, we have more than enough evidence with the exception of actual DNA evidence that you are the descendent of the original Grimm. The fact that you are a Grimm as well as a Witch is enough proof for me. There are no such things as coincidences, after all."

Nick's eyes were wide. He shook his head fervently. "No, it has to be someone else. Even if I was the descendant of the original Grimm, wouldn't my mother and aunt have these magickal abilities?"

Renard shook his head. "Philipp only allowed his descendants to have the power of the Witches if they followed the original law he set for the Grimms. You are the first to do that in centuries, Nick. It is unlikely that your mother and aunt or even their Grimm parent would have the magickal abilities of a Witch."

Nick stared out with wide eyes at nothing in particular. "I can't… There's just no way…" He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "I've just barely grasped being a Grimm. How am I supposed to just add this on top of it all?"

"That's where I come in." Adalind interrupted. "As you know from that riveting history lecture, Hexenbiests are the imitation of the Witches. My ancestors successfully imitated your ancestors, so our powers are virtually the same."

Nick stared between Renard and Adalind, quickly putting the pieces together. "Oh, no," he began, glaring at Renard. "I'm not working with her!"

"Actually," she smirked triumphantly. "You won't be working with me. You'll be working under me. You can call me Professor Adalind."

Nick stood up, his anger as well as his magick lashing out and breaking another jar. He noticed this time and took a calming breath. He sighed and in a defeated posture, he looked at Adalind with a tiredness that surprised even her. "I'm sorry. You're just trying to help. I'm just upset and I'm really tired of breaking things."

She merely patted his cheek twice and replied with, "Don't worry little Nicky. That'll be the first thing we touch on. Lesson Number One is how to not break things."

Nick laughed and Renard really wasn't sure what to make of this. One minute they're yelling and the next they're laughing? He shook his head in disbelief as he watched Adalind and his Mate pass banter back and forth to each other. If some kind of weird friendship developed between these two, he would assume his Mate was some kind of strange wesen that could make anyone like him.

Nick's voice broke him from his musings. "Sean? Will you come with us?"

He blinked. "Are you sure that you won't want privacy?"

Nick's expression was one of confusion. "I want you there, though," he said simply, as if this explained everything.

Renard smiled softly. "Okay, Nick. Anything for you."

Nick grinned like he had received the sweetest gift he had ever been given. "Okay, then! Let's go!"

The others in the room had left shortly after the story, letting their Prince and his Mate talk it out. Monroe stopped Natalia before she could leave. "Uh, Princess Natalia?" He called hesitantly.

She turned at the sound of her name. "Yes?"

He squared his shoulders. "I need to know, well, we need to know if there's any chance that your father has found out about the disappearance of the keys."

Rosalie, Hank, and Juliette listened in on this as well. The Princess inwardly smirked at the Blutbad's choice of words. Using 'father' in place of 'king' was a subtle, yet showing statement of his loyalty to her brother. "There's a possibility, but I will inform you on anything new that I learn. My father does not know as of yet that I am not on his side, so I must return, but you will know shortly of anything new that I find out. He thinks I am spying on you all as of now. I will come up with something to tell him, but rest assured that I am on your side." The conviction in her voice was sincere.

Monroe nodded. Then, in a brave and bold move that had Natalia wondering just what kind of man the Grimm was to gain such an ally, the Blutbad said, "You have to know that if I find out you're working against us, I'll die trying to rip your head from your shoulders. I stand by Nick and the Prince. I don't care about any other Royal."

Natalia nodded, no expression obvious on her face, but inwardly she was quickly developing a high respect for the wesen before her. "That is the way it should be, Mr. Monroe."

Then, she left and Rosalie was immediately chastising her husband about confronting Royals and death wishes, but she knew she couldn't have said it better herself.

"Where are we going?" Nick asked in the passenger seat next to Renard.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Nick. Adalind is the one leading us." He said, pointing to the car – Adalind's car – in front of them.

"It could be a trap." He mumbled, but the Prince heard it nonetheless.

"If I thought she was leading us into a trap, I would have killed her by now. Plus, if she somehow managed to convince me and we are headed into a trap, I'll kill her before she gets one foot out of the vehicle."

Nick should have been disturbed by the matter-of-fact tone in his Mate's voice, but he wasn't. He just sighed. "I almost wish it was a trap…"

Renard glared at his Mate before returning his eyes to the road. "You're just upset because you need her help."

The Grimm waved his hand flippantly. "Just shut up and follow her."

Renard just chuckled, which earned him a slap to the arm.

They ended up pulling over in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't a house for miles, just a forest nearby. Nick figured it was to hide their activities and he was impressed a bit that Adalind had thought ahead. "Come on, Grimm. Let's see what you're capable of."

"I thought we were going to learn how not to break things?" He grinned.

"We will. Don't worry. I just need to know what kind of power I'm dealing with." They walked out into the center of an open field. "Okay, sit down. Both of you." They listened. "While we're at it, since Renard's a half-Zauberbiest, we'll see what he remembers."

Nick looked at Renard. "You had to do this too?"

He nodded. "My mother taught me how to control the outbursts and how to control the magick I had, though mine is not as extensive as yours and Adalind's magick."

Nick smiled and turned to Adalind. "What do you want me to do?"

She smirked. "Take your coat, shirt, shoes, and socks off. We'll need you nice and cold for this to really work. I would have you strip down to your birthday suit, but your Mate probably wouldn't like that too much. His possessive side really is a pain in the ass." She laughed when the Royal growled at her.

Renard did not appreciate the puppy eyes his Mate was giving him. The Grimm knew he would fall for this, so he just forced himself to shake his head. The inner Royal did not like to deny his Mate what he wanted, but he knew this was for his own good. "Do it, Nick."

Nick huffed and did as he was told. He sat there shivering and said, "Now what?"

Adalind chuckled. "It's simple, really. Make yourself warm."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" He deadpanned.

"Find where your core is. Every being has a magickal core. The reason your body needs to be cold is because the core is warm. You'll notice it quicker when you do find it." Renard explained.

Nick nodded. "And how to I even begin to look?"

"Close your eyes." Adalind ordered and he found himself listening. "Think about the events where you broke something, or where your magick was released. Put yourself there and relive it. Remember everything up until the moment you released your magick."

Nick nodded and thought back to the first time he remembered doing it. He had broken Renard's office windows. He had just been told that Frank Rabe had been murdered. He remembered the sadness and anger he felt. Going by instinct alone, he held on to that feeling. He let himself be carried by it until he was literally standing in his memory, but it looked like time had stopped. Nothing was moving except for him. He walked over to himself in the chair and saw something.

It was so cliché, but it was really a glowing silver ball in front of him. He reached out hesitantly and was going to touch it, but it flew into his chest and he gasped, opening his eyes.

Renard and Adalind were talking to each other. Funny, he hadn't even heard them. Nick glared. "How is that supposed to help?" He said, gaining their attention.

Adalind smirked. "Are you cold?"

Nick glared. "What are you…" Then he remembered and blinked, finally noticing the warmth in his body. "Huh. Strange."

"Such is the world of magick." She said. "Now, the next step is draining the core."

Nick narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "That doesn't really sound all that good."

She shook her head. "It's not, and it sucks, but it'll give me an idea of how much power you actually have and how long you can keep it up. You can build stamina, but I need to know where you are now so later I can see if you've improved."

"How do I do it, then?"

She stood up, Renard and Nick following suit. "That's actually what I was talking to Renard about. He's going to help you with this one. I don't have the patience for it."

"Can I put my clothes on now?"

She shook her head. "No. This is where you're going to learn to utilize the core and make it bend to your will."

Renard picked up where she left off. "You can do pretty much anything with magick. You just need to have enough energy to do it. Right now I'm just going to have you do different things with your magick until you can do it without thinking. To use your core, you have to act as if it's a separate being. You ask it to do something, and it will. However, you have to know your limits. If you ask it to do something beyond your capabilities, it will still do the action, but it might kill you."

Nick nodded, not worried in the slightest. He knew his limits. "Okay, what do you want me to do first?"

Renard smirked. "Knock me down."

Nick grinned, accepting the challenge. "You're on, Sean."

Then, without warning, Renard kicked him to the ground, knocking the air out of his lungs. He sat up, his Mate laughing. "Oh, you also have to defend yourself. Did I forget to mention that?"

Nick glared, his gray eyes bleeding into silver. "Let's do this."

Renard was fast. Every time he'd come close, Nick would have to block physically, which would break his concentration when he was trying to use his magick to knock him down. Nick was out of breath and covered in bruises and cuts about an hour into this exercise, but he kept going, never one to back down from a challenge.

After he had blocked another physical attack, Nick had to think fast. His concentration on his magick was being broken every time he had to block physically, so he decided to try something different. I'll concentrate on blocking magickally instead. So, when Renard came in for another attack, Nick was ready. He felt through his body to his core and forced a shield to come forth. Even though he knew it would happen, he was still surprised to see that it had worked. Nick smirked and concentrated on knocking Renard down, but the man was fast. He couldn't get a clear shot. He had to think fast because he was already feeling weak. Holding up a shield like this was harder than it seemed.

He briefly remembered that the point of this lesson was to be able to use his magick without thinking, so on a limb he dropped the shield, waited for Renard to come at him, then erected the shield again. He got faster and faster each time until it was almost second nature. He knew where his core was in his mind so this time he waited until Renard got close, but this time he didn't have a shield. He smirked when Renard came close and he attacked him with a force that knocked him over.

Nick was completely out of breath. His head felt like it was splitting in two, but he still managed a victory grin before promptly falling to his knees. Renard, who was also out of breath, though not as bad as Nick, came over to the Grimm and pulled him to his chest. Nick enjoyed the soothing touch of his Mate against his bare skin.

Adalind, meanwhile, was watching with mild curiosity. The Grimm should have passed out by now. She could tell he was tired physically, but magickally he could probably go on for a lot longer than his physical body would allow. She understood now why her ancestors wanted to imitate the Witches.

Their cores were an endless supply of power.

She stood up from her position and clapped. "Good work, Nick. Just for that I'll give you a break. Then we'll move on to our final lesson of the day."

Nick looked up from his current position. His head was on Renard's chest and he was seated in his lap. "What's that?" He said tiredly, appreciative of the break. His eyes widened when he felt Renard's languid kisses on his shoulder. He held in a barely repressed shudder when he added his tongue.

She smirked devilishly, making Renard wonder briefly what exactly she had planned, but returned to the more pressing task in front of him. "It's simple, really. I'm just going to make you so angry you won't be able to think straight." Nick glared, but she continued. "You're going to learn how to separate your emotions from your core, at least somewhat. Basically, you've only lashed out magickally in an agitated state, but that's normal. It happens to Witches and Hexenbiests alike, so don't fret too much. I'm going to show you how to tell your body and your core to not do that anymore."

Nick nodded, but was unsure about her method. "Are you sure getting me angry is a good thing? I could hurt you or Sean." He had to bite the inside of his cheek so as not to moan outright as Renard added teeth to his ministrations.

She grinned. "Don't worry about your Mate, Grimm. Even in an instinctual, maddened haze you couldn't hurt your Mate. It's not in your blood or something cheesy like that. As for me," she laughed. "I'll be fine. Trust me. You just Hulk out and I'll help you deal with the rest."

Nick just sighed in defeat. "How long do I have for break?"

"Thirty minutes."

He nodded. "Well then, I think I'm gonna steal my captain here and go for a walk in the woods over there, what do you say, Sean?"

Renard stood, pulling Nick up with him after the Grimm had put on his shoes again. "I think that's a good idea." The Grimm put his clothes back on and they started heading towards the forest.

"Don't have too much fun out there!" She called after them. Did they really think she couldn't see what Renard was doing right in front of her? Renard just laughed and she could imagine the Grimm's bright red face.

The moment they were out of her watchful eye, however, Renard pushed Nick against the nearest tree, said Grimm laughing even as his lips were attacked.

His laughs turned into gasps as Renard's hands began to wander under his shirt. The skin on skin contact was a fully welcomed touch. "Did you," he moaned when Renard bit down on his neck. "Forget she was there or something, Sean?"

"Forgive me," he began as his hands moved to pinch at his Mate's nipples. "You weren't awake for three days. I could not touch you like this."

Nick knew he was vocal, but the moan that escaped his lips when his Mate touched such a sensitive part of him made him blush. Renard growled at the sound, wanting so much to take Nick right there, but he didn't want their first time to be in the woods where Adalind would come looking for them. If she found them, the Royal wouldn't stand for the consummation of the Bond to be interrupted and he would certainly kill her. Not only would his Mate be pissed, but he needed her to help Nick, so he forced himself to pull away. Nick whimpered from the loss of the contact, but took a calming breath anyways.

When they had calmed themselves down as much as they could, Renard pulled Nick into his arms. Nick smiled as Renard wrapped his arms around him protectively and placed a gentle kiss to the crown of his head. There was so much going on in Nick's life right now. So many changes and obstacles that he had to overcome. Any normal person would have gone insane by now. Hell, if Nick was honest with himself, he knew he should be on the brink of insanity but, somehow, he wasn't. Every time Nick seemed to go near the edge, Renard was there to pull him back. Even before his relationship with the man and even before becoming a Grimm Renard seemed to have that effect on him. The man was like a beacon of light that was always there to lead Nick home whenever he fell astray. It wasn't until now that Nick realized where 'home' was.

It was here with Renard.

"We should head back now." Nick reluctantly said.

Renard pulled away, but not before placing a light kiss to his Mate's forehead and lips. "Are you sure you're up to this? You seemed pretty tired earlier." Renard asked, concern etched in his features.

Nick smiled. "I'm fine, I promise."

Renard nodded, trusting Nick's judgment. They headed back to Adalind, who was sitting there waiting for them. When they came close, her face contorted. "Ugh… You smell like pheromones, Grimm."

Nick blushed and Renard smirked deviously. "L-Let's just do this, okay?" Nick said hurriedly.

She nodded. "Okay, Bruce Banner. Time to Hulk out."

He rolled his eyes. "You expect me to magically get mad because you want me to?"

She shook her head. "No. That's why I'm going to do this."

"Do w"-

Before he could finish his statement, however, she touched his forehead, making him blink. "What did you do?" He asked.

"Unlike Witches, who are masters of all types of magick, we Hexenbiests have to specialize in one specific type. I just happen to specialize in curses and hexes. What can I say? It's all in the name."

Nick glared, surprised by the anger he felt. "What did you do to me?"

"I just hexed you. It's a personal favorite of mine. It works well when you need someone dead but don't want to or can't do it yourself. You just put this hex on someone and they get all angry to the point of committing pointless murder, then you sic that guy on the person you want dead and there you have it. Your person is dead and you only had to lift one finger to do so."

The silver leaked into his eyes, his hexed emotions telling him that Adalind was a threat. The moment the wind picked up Adalind began to speak again. "Okay, Nick. Here's what I need you to"-

She couldn't finish because Nick had tackled her to the ground. Renard watched bemusedly; she did this to herself. He wouldn't let Nick kill her, of course, but it was fun to see the prideful Hexenbiest squirm for a bit. He walked over to them and pulled the enraged Grimm off the woman before he could get a punch in. Nick tried to pull away from Renard, but the Royal topped him in physical strength.

"Jesus, Nick! Warn a girl, will you?" She huffed. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, you need to feel your core again and find out how your emotions are tied to it, then sever the link. I promise it won't completely separate your emotions and your core. It'll only separate these types of emotions from affecting your core. Nick, are you even listening to me?"

Renard smirked. "I don't think he is. He's too 'Hulked out' to understand you."

She huffed again in annoyance. "Fine. You tell him."

The Royal nodded and forced his Mate to look at him. "Nick, listen to me." The Grimm stopped immediately and listened to Renard's words, though his eyes kept shifting towards the threat, towards Adalind. Once he had instructions he immediately did what he was told. When he opened his eyes once more, the hex had worn off and he was back to normal.

He glared at Adalind. "You could have at least told me what you were going to do."

"Now that wouldn't be fun now would it?" Before he could reply, she turned to Renard. "Do you mind if I borrow your Mate for a minute, Renard? I need to speak with him privately."

The Royal was a bit suspicious of this. "Stay where I can see you both," he said simply, then walked away towards his car.

She huffed. "He acts like a parent to his kids playing in the park."

Nick nodded in agreement, then, "What's up?"

"I knew him."

Nick blinked. "Who?"

"Frank Rabe. I knew him."

Nick nodded in comprehension. "Were you friends?"

She nodded. "At first people thought it was strange that a Jagerbar and a Hexenbiest were friends, but after hearing that a Blutbad and a Grimm were good friends, nothing really seemed to faze anyone anymore." Nick nodded and let her continue. "You were right about Hexenbiests not being able to handle death very well. Frank was probably one of my best friends." She closed her eyes and tried to take a deep breath and stop the tears that threatened to fall. She huffed in annoyance, trying to gain some semblance of normalcy. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this."

Nick ignored the comment, touched by her honesty and felt more than guilty about it all. "I'm sorry, Adalind."

"What the Hell are you sorry for?"

"He was murdered because of me. He was trying to get something to me so that Sean and I would be prepared for his family's surprise visit and he was killed because of it."

Adalind knew she should be mad. She should be furious and ready to blame the first person willing to take it, but looking at the Grimm in front of her, seeing the guilt eating away at him, she couldn't keep any anger in her. "Shut up, you stupid Grimm. This wasn't your fault so quit making it out to be, you damned drama queen."

Nick smiled sadly. "I promise I'll find who did it and give them your personal salutation."

The tears fell freely from her eyes. She was grateful to Nick for ignoring it. "I see now why people are loyal to you, Nick." She said. "You appear just as you are. You don't hold anything back and you stick by your words, no matter what. I'm certain you'll catch Frank's killer. I don't doubt that at all." She smiled. It was a genuine smile that Nick thought she should wear more often.

Then, Adalind did something that had Nick fighting the urge to pinch himself for fear he was honestly dreaming. She bowed low to him, saying, "I know you are against the current Royals in power, but you and Renard are the only Kings I will follow. I will stand by you," she paused to raise her head and, with a smirk, added a little touch of the Adalind Nick knew, "Even if you are a stupid Grimm."

Nick could only laugh in pure shock and disbelief at what had just happened.

Renard wasn't sure what was said between the two, but judging by what he'd just seen and Nick's shaking shoulders from his laughter, his Grimm had just made another ally. He just shook his head incredulously. Nick shouldn't be able to surprise him anymore, but yet again the Grimm had done something he never thought possible. When the Grimm came back to the car, Renard smiled softly at his Mate, who returned the smile with a bright one of his own.

They were on their way back to the spice shop when Nick received a call. "Burkhardt."

Renard listened to Nick's side of the conversation. Judging by what he could hear on the other end of the phone without listening to Nick's conversation, he assumed it was Monroe. "You sure? Even Adalind and Meisner?"

Monroe said something that had Nick rolling his eyes, then laughing.

"Yeah, don't worry, Monroe," he looked over at Renard with a devious grin that had the Royal slightly worried for what the Grimm had planned. "We'll both be there."

Nick hung up then and Renard had to ask. "Where are we going?"

"I almost forgot about tonight. Every once in a while Rosalie, Monroe, and I have a game night at the spice shop. Once Hank and Juliette found out about the wesen world we eventually invited them, too." Nick rubbed at the back of his head absentmindedly, his other hand not sure what to do in his sudden nervousness. Renard found it cute. "You don't have to come, but I'd really like it if you were there, and Monroe and Rosalie are fine with it, and Hank and Juliette are good with anything. You can even invite Adalind and Meisner if that would make you more comfortable…" He trailed off when he realized he was rambling.

Renard smiled softly, adoring the Grimm next to him. "When do we need to be there?"

Nick smiled brightly, relief washing over him and he shifted in his bubbly excitement. "It starts as soon as we get back."

Renard reached over with one hand and pulled one of Nick's into his own. He drove the rest of the way to the spice shop in light conversation with his Mate, never once letting go of his hand.

Once there, Renard was surprised at the sudden change to the back of the shop. Everything was moved around. There was a big space in the middle of the room, a table to the side with plenty of chairs all around. The Royal studied the room and noticed a large cooler that he presumed was filled with alcohol. He felt a brief wash of guilt, thinking that he should have bought something to add to their impromptu get together, but Renard hoped he'd have another chance to make up for that.

They all sat down around the room with the exception of Meisner and Adalind, who were about to leave. Of all the people to make them stay, it was Rosalie.

"Please, Adalind, Meisner. Stay with us. Have a good time to relax."

Meisner nodded appreciatively. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Monroe, but I cannot intrude on you."

She shook her head. "Nonsense. This is my spice shop, and you are not intruding on anything."

Adalind and Meisner sat down and the evening went on with idle chatter until Monroe announced the game they would play.

Nick laughed hard at the game. "Truth or Dare, Monroe? What are we, seven?"

Monroe smirked at his best friend. "Trust me, man. This game is way better when you're over twenty-one and alcohol is involved."

"Okay," he laughed. "Who goes first?" He asked and took a sip of his beer.

Hank answered this. "An old house rule of my family's is that the oldest always asks the youngest the first time."

Nick nodded. "How old is everyone?"

They all said their ages and Nick huffed childishly as he was the youngest. "How am I the youngest?" He muttered. "I'm twenty-five…" Then, accepting his fate, he asked, "Who's the oldest?"

Renard poked Nick, gaining his attention. "No, there's no way you are the oldest. You and I are the same age. I've seen your birth certificate!"

Renard eyed him suspiciously. "Why have you seen my birth certificate?"

Nick's eyes widened, the sudden realization of what he'd just admitted dawning on him. He looked down, a blush staining his face when he muttered, "There was something different about you when I met you. I originally took that as untrustworthy so I looked you up…"

Renard smirked. "Well, I assure you, Nick. That birth certificate is a fake. I had someone make it, as no one would honestly believe me if I told them my real age."

"Now I'm curious." Nick asked.

Hank nodded. "You have to tell us, Captain. You can't just leave your two best detectives hanging like this!"

"Don't forget about the rest of us!" Juliette piped.

Renard nodded, knowing when he was beat. "I was born in 1753 in France. I am 261 years old."

Nick blinked then, without missing a beat, he said, "You must feel like a real cradle robber then."

Renard blushed and everyone bent over themselves, laughing. "Truth or Dare, Grimm?"

Nick grinned. "Dare."

Meisner gulped. "You should know, Nicholas, that you have just sealed your fate."

Nick tilted his head at Meisner. "Oh, come on. It won't be that bad."

Renard smirked devilishly as he whispered in Nick's ear what his Dare was. Nick's eyes widened in horror at what he had to do, but he wasn't about to be the first one out on the first Dare. "Can I at least finish my beer first?"

Renard nodded, his grin widening even more. "Of course. You're going to need the assistance of your liquid courage."

The whole room was enraptured with curiosity. What the Hell had Renard told him to do?

Nick rubbed his face, the blush evident on his pale features. He turned to Renard and glared. "Do I really have to do this?" The Royal raised one eyebrow, but nodded. The Grimm sighed in defeat. "I can't believe I'm doing this… I could get arrested!"

Hank laughed, kind of seeing where this was going. "Nick, we are the cops. I doubt Renard or I would arrest you."

"That's not exactly what I meant… Someone's going to call the cops on me…"

"Again, Nick. We are the cops."

Nick huffed, but focused his attention on what he had to do. He stood up and walked outside, clothes coming off as he walked. Rosalie, Juliette, and even Adalind were making whistling noises as Nick walked outside in nothing but his boxers and a beer in his right hand. They watched as the Grimm crossed the street and knocked on the door of the seemingly harmless business, but when the door was opened everyone watched in shock as Nick started to hit on the old lady who owned the small flower shop.

The old lady knew exactly what was going on and, judging by this man's red face and his friends' laughter across the street, she decided to go along with it. To Nick's horror, she looped her arm through his and started to walk away with him. Nick quickly told her the truth and apologized, but she brushed him off, saying this would be a wonderful story to tell her husband tonight.

"Unless you want to come home, Mister?" She asked playfully. Nick just blushed and politely declined before rushing back to the spice shop.

After putting his clothes on and downing the rest of his beer, he yelled, "You're an asshole, Sean."

Renard just laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

The whole room by now was in tears from their mirth. Even Meisner and Adalind had loosened up and were laughing right along with them. Several hours into their game night, Hank had strip teased everyone, Adalind had made out with Meisner, Monroe was sitting in his underwear, and Rosalie had stamps on half of her body. Juliette had just sat down after she was dared to chug three beers and was swaying on her feet. In her drunken state, she looked at Nick. "Truth or Dare?"

Nick, not wanting to know what his other best friend had in store for a dare, decided to go for truth. "Truth." He said.

She waggled her eyebrows at Renard, making Nick question what her next question was. He was mortified when she asked, "Have you ever had sex with anyone?"
Nick glared, he knew that she already knew the answer to that question. "Pass." He muttered.

She wagged her finger. "Nope. You used your one pass on the toilet thing. Now answer to your fate, Nick."
He sighed. Why do I always get the short end of the stick? He wondered. Then, resigning to his fate, he answered with, "No, I haven't."

The whole room went silent. Hank, who was completely sober because he had to drive Juliette home, said, "You're shitting me. You're telling me that you, Nick Burkhardt, have never had sex before? You're trying to tell me that you are a virgin? I don't believe it. No way."

Nick shrugged, deciding complete honesty was the only way to get out of this situation quickly. "It never really crossed my mind, I guess. Even when I was a teenager living with my aunt, we moved around so much that I never considered it an option. I brought people home, but Aunt Marie always freaked out and we'd just move, so I stopped. In college I was too focused on my studies and at the academy it never occurred to me either. I've been in Portland ever since."

Renard was torn between the sadness he felt that Nick had never truly known what it was like to give himself to someone completely and the possessive lust he felt because his Mate would be his alone. The lust eventually won out, however, as he was a selfish Royal and therefore wanted Nick to be his in any way he could have him. Of course, the Grimm would argue against the idea of Renard being selfish, but that was only because Nick was too kindhearted to see the truth in the statement.

It wasn't much longer after that when everyone decided to leave. Renard drove Nick home, as the man hadn't been home since the Day of Truce formal and he was surely wanting to do so. Renard drove in silence, a tension in the car that Nick mistook for something bad. He overthought about the situation, thinking that somehow he had made Renard mad at one point in the night. At his door, the Royal was silent and placed a soft kiss to Nick's lips before promptly walking away, not saying anything to him. Unknown to the Royal, he sealed his Mate's worries that he was mad at him, making Nick wonder all night what he had done. After he had showered and was lying in bed, unable to sleep for over an hour, he sat up, got changed, and packed a bag. He would find out why Renard was mad at him. He wouldn't be able to sleep until he found out anyways.

He was so deep in thought that he hadn't realized he was at Renard's door until he was knocking on it. Renard opened the door and was surprised to see Nick standing there. Before he could greet the younger man, he blurted out, "Are you made at me?"

Renard blinked. "Hello to you too, Nick. Come in."

Nick blushed at his outburst. He wasn't exactly subtle with that. "Sorry…" He said, walking through the threshold.

Once the door was closed, Renard turned to Nick and asked, "Why in the world do you think I'm angry with you?"

Nick looked sheepish. "Well, you were awfully quiet on the way home and you didn't say much before you left…"

Renard felt guilt rise up at that. "I'm sorry about that. I had something on my mind."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nick asked.

Renard chuckled. "You'll think it's strange, but it was about you."

Nick blinked. "What about me?"

Renard pulled Nick close to him, placing a gentle kiss to his jaw. "I had to separate myself from you for a moment. After your… unexpected reveal, I was afraid I would do something I wouldn't be able to take back."

Nick looked confused. "Unexpected reveal? You mean the virgin thing?" He blushed when Renard nodded.

"Like I said before, Royals are possessive, dominant creatures." Renard reiterated.

Nick pulled Renard down for a kiss, coaxing the Royal's tongue into his mouth. It was slow at first, but the fire only grew as their kiss went on. Renard had backed Nick against his door, pinning the Grimm between his strong arms. Nick's fingers were holding on to the waistband of Renard's sweatpants, offhandedly noting that he had worn those same pants the last time he was here. He also noted more prominently that Renard was not wearing any underwear.

Nick moaned into the man's mouth when Renard groped firmly at his ass. "Sean!" He gasped, taking in a breath when they broke apart for a second before returning to each other once more. "Sean, please." He pleaded, needing this.

Renard pulled away just for a moment to ask Nick a very serious question. "Nick, are you sure? Because once we do this you can't back out."

Nick pressed his lips firmly against Renard's, grinding himself against the older man. "Shut up, you're thinking too much. I want this and I will never want to back out."

Renard, whose control was slipping very quickly, replied in a low, gravelly voice, "You might."

Nick stared into the Royal's eyes, making sure the man could see the trust and determination in them. "I will never regret my decisions, Sean, and I especially will never regret you." He smiled through his lusty haze. "I trust you."

Any control Renard might have had went out the metaphorical window at this point. He pressed his lips firmly against his Mate's, slamming the smaller man's body against the door in the process. Nick moaned at the mixture of pain and pleasure, wondering briefly where his sudden masochism came from, but didn't think too much more on the topic as Renard was making quick work of his clothes. Besides, he was pretty sure that anything Renard did at this point would make him scream.

They ended up stumbling through the apartment to Renard's bedroom, Nick's clothes strewn throughout the living area. Nick fell on the bed, completely naked and with Renard hovering over top of him. Renard took that moment to truly admire his Mate's naked flesh. His face was flushed and his eyes were dilated, pure desire gazing back at him. He could smell the powerful lust radiating off the smaller man. As his gaze travelled downward, he memorized with his eyes every inch of the man before him, stopping just long enough to stare at the Grimm's hardened length. Nick felt a bit self-conscious, but before his train of thought could go further down that line, it completely derailed when Renard kissed his way down his body, his mouth latching on to one of his nipples. "Sean!" He moaned aloud.

Nick practically screamed when Renard grabbed his hardened cock and began to stroke him. He closed his mouth and bit his lip to the point of drawing blood so as not to scream, which Renard came up from his attack on the man's nipples to instead attack the man's bloodied lips. Against his lips he heard the Royal say in his low, husky tone, "Don't hold back. I want to hear you."

He complied without much prompting. Renard remembered that most virgins didn't last too long, but the pheromones that the Royal was sending through Nick would make him keep going until the Bond was fully consummated. Renard bit down on his neck and moved his hand down his shaft in such a way that had Nick's toes curling. For the first and certainly not the last time that night, Nick came with a loud cry.

Nick barely had time to catch his breath before Renard had removed his pants and shirt and was back on top of his Mate, pushing three his fingers towards Nick's lips. "Suck."

Nick complied by opening his mouth, coating his fingers with his saliva and swirling his tongue around the long, slender digits. Nick never took his eyes off Renard's as he did so, making the Royal see how wonderful his Mate would look with his lips around his cock.

Deeming his fingers prepared, he pulled them from Nick's mouth, who gasped for air. That gasp turned into a whimper as he was breached for the first time in his life. Renard knew it would hurt, but he also knew that it would get better. To soothe his Mate, he leaned up to kiss the Grimm and whisper to him to relax. Nick did as he was told and, once his mouth became more relaxed as the Royal moved the slicked digit in and out of him, he added another finger, scissoring them to stretch his tight, virgin hole.

Nick forced himself to relax, though it didn't take much to do so. The pain was mixing with the pleasure he felt, creating a new sensation that Nick had never experienced before. Renard added a third finger and thoroughly stretched him. It wasn't until the Royal moved his fingers a certain way that Nick cried out in sheer pleasure, his half hard cock becoming completely hard as soon as his prostate was grazed. "Sean, please! I need you, Sean!" Nick was begging, but he was long past the point of caring.

Renard kept rubbing against that spot inside him until Nick was a trembling mess beneath him. Renard didn't touch his cock the second time his Mate came. Nick was panting when Renard pulled his fingers out of him, whimpering from the loss of contact, but forced his muscles to move when he heard Renard spit into his palm. Nick sat up and pushed Renard back on the bed, making the more dominant Royal growl, thinking Nick was challenging him. But when Nick settled himself between the older man's legs, tentatively licking down the Royal's large cock, he immediately forgot all about it.

The Grimm wondered how exactly Renard's cock was supposed to fit inside him, but he really didn't care too much, his mind overloaded with lust. He wrapped his mouth around the head and swirled his tongue around, tasting the flesh and precome. He slowly bobbed his head up and down, going further down each time, testing how far he could go before his gag reflex kicked in, but it never did. He took Renard to the base and used his tongue to lick the underside as he came back up. Once he returned to the head he swirled his tongue into the slit, then immediately went back down, repeating the motion.

Renard groaned, trying his hardest not to thrust down his Mate's willing throat for fear of hurting him, but when Nick let go of his hips, his body moved on its own, thrusting into Nick's mouth. The Grimm didn't seem phased by this and when Renard's hand moved to grip his hair, he pushed the larger man's hand down, forcing Renard's hand to push him down his shaft. That was all Renard needed to know that Nick was giving him the okay to thrust. Nick pulled off him to take a breath and was right back on his cock, Renard gripping his hair tightly and thrusting past his lips forcefully, using Nick in the most pleasurable of ways. He felt Nick moan around his cock and he had to pull away, the vibrations running up his shaft almost sending him over the edge. He looked down at Nick, a thick trail of saliva leading from the tip of his cock to the man's bloodied bottom lip. Nick looked up at him, his eyes completely hazed over with pure desire, pure want and need.

Renard flipped Nick over so that he was on his hands and knees. Renard made Nick suck on his fingers once more before thrusting them into his hole to make sure the Grimm was truly prepared before Renard pressed his saliva-slicked cock between Nick's cheeks, his head pressing into that tight heat.

Nick's arms gave out finally and his head pressed into the mattress while his ass was in the air for his Mate to take. Renard groaned; Nick was in such a submissive position and he probably didn't even know it. As Renard pressed his cock further into Nick's no longer virgin hole, Nick cried out, whimpering in pain. This hurt a lot worse than his fingers.

When he was fully sheathed inside of Nick, he waited. It felt like an eternity before he felt Nick relax around him just slightly, just enough to let him know he could move. He moved slowly, pulling out until only the head of his cock was inside of Nick before pushing back in quickly. Nick cried out. Turning his head to look at Renard, he saw the man had woged. Gone was the calmer, gentler side of Renard. Right now, Nick was looking at the Royal, and he wanted his Mate.

Nick screamed when Renard thrust in again, rougher and faster. Nick wasn't completely prepared, but the desire to be filled was overriding the pain. In all honesty, the pain was only adding to his pleasure, his unknown, newly-discovered masochism coming forth. Renard gripped Nick's hips hard enough to leave bruises, but that wasn't what was on the forefront of either of their minds. Nick had tears falling down his face; he wasn't sure what was going on, but he felt like he was going to explode and Renard was the only thing keeping him together. His skin was on fire and he needed release, but the Royal wasn't ready to give that to him because just when Nick felt like he was going to come again, Renard wrapped his fingers of one hand around the base of his cock tightly, causing him to scream from the mixture of the overwhelming sensations and the inability to release.

Renard pulled Nick up, the Grimm's back flush against the Royal's chest. He wrapped a hand around his Mate's throat but did not put any pressure against it. It was a sign of trust and submission that Nick allowed him to do this.

They were a sight to behold. They were on their knees in an upward position, the Grimm's back to the Royal's chest. Renard had one hand gripped on the base of Nick's cock, the other hand around his throat, pushing his submissive's jaw upwards so the Royal could force his tongue down his Mate's throat. Nick's hands were gripping behind him at Renard's hips, forcing the Man's cock inside him even deeper. Nick was begging now, begging his Mate to let him come, but Renard wasn't going to allow it. He growled loudly against Nick's lips, saying without words, "You'll come when I tell you that you can."

Renard thrust in impossibly harder and faster, hitting Nick's prostate with each push inward. He could tell his Mate was getting close. Nick was gasping for air when Renard released his lips to suck on his neck. The hand that was on his neck rubbed against his chest, claws of the woged Royal scratching down the expanse. Nick moaned at the pain though, by now, his moans had become loud screams.

Nick arched his neck further, baring his throat for Renard. Between the heat surrounding his cock, the screams his Mate was releasing, the scent of his Grimm overflowing his every sense, and the sight of Nick offering his neck so willingly, Renard released his grip against his Mate's cock and whispered, "Come for me."

Nick came so hard his vision blacked out for a second after he screamed Renard's name at the top of his lungs. When he blinked his vision into focus again he felt Renard thrust into his over sensitive, pulsing hole a few more times before he sank his teeth into the Grimm's throat until his sweet blood filled his mouth and released a massive amount of cum deep inside of Nick.

Nick could no longer hold himself up. Renard used his remaining strength to hold the both of them still for a moment, still connected in the most intimate way. Nick whimpered when Renard pulled out, finally feeling the pain all over his body. Both too tired to care, they fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms, still covered in the mess of their coupling.

The Mate Bond had officially been consummated. Nick and Renard were now the Kings of Portland, but their political business could wait. For now they were just Nick Burkhardt and Sean Renard, a couple. Not Kings, not a Royal and a Grimm, just a couple.

Even in their sleep they were smiling, knowing instinctually who they were lying next to and who they would be lying next to for the remainder of their lives.


Have I done a disclaimer? I don't know if I've done a disclaimer. I might have, but I'm terrible at remembering things. I don't own Grimm.

So, who loves Adalind?