CHAPTER 3

Since the encounter with Baron Samedi, Nick's senses had gotten superhumanly strong. That's how he heard it even before the intruder fully opened the back door of his house. Within seconds he was in the downstairs glaring at the hooded female in the semi darkness of the dimly lightened house. None of them made the first move. They stared at each other for what felt like a millennium before Juliette switched on the light and Bud who had just entered the house stumbled in behind his girlfriend.

"Nick I just came to warn you about…..the..the…" The rest of the sentence got stuck in his throat as the poor man stared as the hooded figure in the kitchen. The woman lowered the hood of her fur coat revealing a face fit for a cover page of vogue magazine, with a little dump fiery red hair which freely cascaded down to her knees.

Nick turned back to see his Wesen friend's face had turned into a very unhealthy looking green color. Then he just collapsed onto the carpet like a tree. Somehow seeing this woman had done what seeing a Grimm for the first time in his life couldn't do to the kind Eisbiber.

Juliette rushed to the man ad kneeled at his side, "He's just unconscious." she said after checking his pulse.

"Who the hell are you?" Nick yelled at his uninvited guest, wishing he had his gun nearby.

"Don't worry Nick, it I were a Reaper or from the Verrat you'd be dead already. I'm just someone who knows more about you than anyone else in this world." The woman said with a heavy European accent.

"Oh, cut the cryptic crap and just tell me who you are and what you are doing in my house?"Nick asked.

"I must say I'm quite disappointed, I left my purse in my hotel suite. With my ID, credit cards and all the information, it's like a neon road map for anyone who'd want to know my identity."

The way she raked a hand through her dump hair while she was talking, it was so familiar. But it only scratched the surface of his mind so he couldn't say where he'd seen it before for sure.

When she realized Nick seemed to have no idea of what she was talking about, all the color drained from her face. "….Wait you didn't find it there…then how many bodies did you find, four?" She asked with little to no color on her ashen face.

'No, actually there were only three." Nick knew he should be arresting her as she was the main suspect of a triple murder. But something, probably the natural aversion he had about the Verrat, made him stop and listen to what the woman had to say.

"Three, damn! Then one must have gotten way before you came. They've been following me since I left my place in Paris few days ago."

"Why would they take your purse?" All the other men who had been killed in the incident had all their stuff with them.

"Maybe they were hoping it's where I must have hidden the key. Idiots, it's the last place I'd hid something so valuable. Verrat sta reclutando sempre più idioti entro l'anno."

"What key?" Could it be another Grimm key, like the one his aunt Marie gave him? His mother said there were six more.

"Your guess is as good as mine. But first," She came forward with her hand outstretched, a ghost of a smile adorning her attractive face. "Let me formally introduce myself, I'm Claudia Alessandra Reale."

He made no movement as to shake her hand. When she realized he was not going to come forward, her face (no it can't be, he must be hallucinating) turned sad, within seconds it was gone. He'd not have noticed it without his highlighted Grimm senses.

"Can we go somewhere more privet? I have something very important to discuss with you." She said frowning at Bud who had finally gained consciousness but had fully Woged into his Wesen form. Poor man looked ready to desert the field at the first given chance.

Juliette took the cue and helped the man back to his feet. It was bizarre to watch her act this normally around a fully Woged Wesen. "Bud hey, let's go to the kitchen, you sure look like you need a cup of hot chockalott."

The man looked back and forth between Nick and the Royal not liking the idea of leaving him alone with the strange woman. It continued to surprise Nick how the friendly Eisbiber managed fear him and treat him as a six year old at the same time. But he truly admired and respected the man's undivided loyalty.

"It's cool Bud, I wouldn't need help taking her down if she try to do something." He said signing the royal to follow him. Even though he had left the living room he could still see the look on his girlfriend clearly. After going through so much turmoil in the past couple of months, all they both wanted was to go back to what their life was before this entire Grimm thing started. At least to an illusion of it. Neither wanted any more chaos in their lives. But Nick knew with him being a cop\ Grimm, troubles and mayhem was only inevitable.

When he was far out of both his girlfriend's and friend's earshot, he turned his gaze toward the woman. He had pegged her to be in her mid thirties and a natural redhead and she definitely had the kind of look which demanded obedience. But this quality that he'd seen in all the royals he'd met yet never seemed to affect him as it did with others. Grimms had always been their own people even when they worked for the royals. "Okay, you have five minutes to explain why I shouldn't hand you over to the authorities."

She smirked, obviously not used to anyone talking to her that way. Then after a few seconds of pregnant silence she said the three words that would turn his world upside down. "I'm your sister."