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Blutbad's were violent creatures by nature. They were born killers who reveled in bloodshed.
Monroe . . . wasn't.
Not for a long time at least. It had taken lots of hard-work and dedication. It was a conscious choice on his part and it wasn't easy. He wore cozy comfortable layers, worked on clocks and train sets and ate a strict vegetation diet. He soothed his wesen side with comfort and little treats in the form of an excess of Christmas cheer. Monroe was comfortable with his life. Sure being a lone wolf had its drawbacks but it was a good life.
But it was gone now.
Say saonara and thanks for all the fish to the peace of his reformed life because a certain baby Grimm refused to leave. Him. Alone.
Ok, Nick wasn't so bad. Helping to save a little girl from being eaten felt good. Really good. But he had kinda thought Nick would stop showing up after getting access to his aunt's trailer of death. The guy had books on this stuff and all, why in the world did he need Monroe to be a walking, talking encyclopedia on all things wesen?
Yes, ok, the stuff in the books wasn't totally accurate but it was good enough for Marie Kessler to get her Grimm on so it should have satisfied Nick.
. . . maybe it had to do with Nick arresting wesen instead of killing them? That . . . you know, that probably was it. It was Nick just trying to get a fuller picture of things in his inexplicably altruistic Grimm way. He wasn't trying to adopt Monroe into his pack or anything. He was pretty sure Grimms' didn't have packs.
It was just a working relationship, really.
They weren't friends or anything.
It was like . . . community service. The universe had decided he needed to build up on some good karma and so had stuck him with mentoring the world's worst bogeyman. Yes, that sounded believable.
So way in the name of all that was holy, unholy or vaguely agnostic was he stalking around an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the night looking for the missing Grimm?
He was going to get himself killed.
Monroe paused, crouching anxiously behind some rusted machinery, and glanced towards the shadows in the direction of the door he'd came through. Yeah, this was stupid. What was he thinking, running after a Grimm like this? His whole family three was probably rolling in their graves. He should go, call in an anonymous tip to the police. Let them deal with the three wesen he could smell. The three dangerous wesen who had successfully caught a Grimm. The police had weapons, actual guns! All Monroe had was teeth and claws. The police also had numbers while Monroe was alone.
Yeah, definitely time to call the police.
Monroe took another anxious look around then rose to his feet, moving back toward the door he'd come through.
The Blutbad had only gone a few steps when he jerked to a halt and whipped back around, woging involuntarily. That . . . what had that sound been? Had that been a scream?!
It came again a second later, a faint but unmistakable sound of pure agony.
Nick!
The blutbad growled in fury, glowing red eyes narrowing dangerous, and took off at a loping run towards the sound.
Nick screamed through the gag again, back arching in agony and limbs jerking against his restraints. He knew his struggles would do no good, he was tied too securely. Even with the drugs having long since faded from his system, he wasn't breaking free anytime soon.
He had been shot with a tranquilizer gun while in a parking lot, one of those darts with the brightly colored pompoms on the end had hit him in the neck and had knocked him out within seconds. He'd woken up in some sort of industrial plant or warehouse gagged and tied spread eagle on a large sturdy table.
His kidnappers were three men had no connection to any current or past cases as far as he could tell. It wasn't even really personal. Two of them were some type of lizard wesen that looked vaguely familiar and some sort of lion-type.
They hated Grimms.
They wanted revenge for centuries of being hunted by Grimms.
Nick was just a convenient scapegoat for their rage.
The fact that Nick was technically innocent of such crimes himself didn't matter. Not that he could have plead his case, they had kept the gag in his mouth since he had awakened. They only cared about giving him as slow and painful a death as possible. They had ripped into his with their claws, leaving clothes hanging off him in bloody tatters and the metal table underneath him so slick with gore Nick felt like he was lying in a shallow tub. His body was covered in deep scratches, the flesh of his torso and limbs shredded to bloody ribbons. He couldn't really see his surroundings very well so he didn't know how much blood covered whatever room he was in. But he suspected it was a lot. He could hear it dripping off the table in the few quiet moments he had gotten so he was sure there was quite a bit on the floor. They hadn't used they claws after the initial attack though, which he supposed was something to be grateful for. Another such attack would likely kill him outright at this point. They were really strict on the slow death thing.
That had given Nick hope at first. If they took it slow that would give the police more time to track him down. Now though? Now he didn't really care about being rescued. He just wanted the pain to stop.
The lizard wesen weren't very sophisticated in their torture methods, unlike the lion wesen, though that stop them from being just as painful. Fists and broken bones were just as painful as claws. They had ripped out his fingernails and snapped the bones in his arms and had broken his nose.
The lion wesen hadn't technically touched him after adding his claws to the initial assault. He hadn't needed to. He had brought toys to this little playdate.
First, the lion wesen had struck Nick's feet with a thin wooden switch while the two lizards had stood back and watched the show. The pain had been indescribable and relentless. The lion wesen had known exactly what he was doing. The pain from the bottoms of Nick's feet still drowned out the rest of his hurts. Welts split open along the sides and the skin practically flayed from exposed muscle. Nick's throat still hurt from the howls that that had escaped him during that attack.
The two lizards had laughed and cheered the whole time, egging the lion on and shouting taunts at Nick.
“Make him sing!” one had shouted after the first howl had torn itself out of Nick, the gag in no way preventing the sound from echoing off the surrounding walls as his body arched sharply off the table.
The lion wesen had certainly done so, forcing many such sounds out from the Grimm until his throat felt bloody and he'd nearly passed out from the exhaustion and pain.
The lion wesen had had many other creative ways of causing pain. He had dumped water onto Nick's head until he felt like he was going to drown, choking on the water-logged gag.
The lion wesen had shoved needles into sensitive skin.
He had injected Nick with hallucinogens.
He had electrocuted him, attaching electrodes all over the Grimm's body.
All three had really seemed to enjoy that one. Hooping and hollering in glee as Nick's body had jerked and convulsed against the restraints, head smacking painfully against the metal table. This had proved to much for Nick and he had finally, mercifully, passed out, preying he would not wake up.
He woke up though.
He always woke up.
He had lost count of how many times he'd woken up at this point.
He came to consciousness with muffled cry, eyes blinking rapidly as his chest hitched. One of the lizard wesen stood over him, grin showing off his sharp teeth. His long forked tongue flicked out, brushing over Nick's cheek to lap at his blood. Nick's features contorted, disturbed and disgusted, and he twisted his head aside.
The wesen laughed, the sound harsh and loud. Nick squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the other man begin to lick his cheek and neck. Nick lay tense as the wet appendage slid over his skin, leaving trails of hot saliva.
The Grimm lay tense and still under the unwanted ministrations, unable to stop it and praying this wasn't a prelude to something worse.
Nick's eyes snapped open with a muffled scream as something sharp suddenly shoved into one of the wounds in his side. He thrashed against his restraints, everything inside him screaming at him to get away from the source of his pain. But it was impossible, he couldn't escape.
The wesen laughed again and grabbed Nick's chin, forcing his head around to face him. His nails dug into Nick's skin, blood welling up around the sharp points. “My grandfather's great-aunt was impaled in the side by a Grimm.” he hissed and the thing in his side dug in deeper. Nick choked on the pain that coursed through him “My great-granduncle was disemboweled.” the thing in him curled and Nick let out a wheezing keen, eyes widening in terror. Fingers! The thing stuck in his side was fingers!
The lizard wesen leaned in even closer. Nick stared up at him, wide eyed as he felt his hot breath on his cheeks. “By the time I'm done with you,” the lizard wesen hissed, yellow eyes glittering “you're going beg for the same.” He shoved his fingers in deeper, making Nick choke around the gag. The wesen smirked and ripped his hand out of Nick's side.
Nick screamed and sobbed, body shaking. He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to do anything but wait for whatever torment came next.
By some miracle, it never came.
The door crashed open and Nick's head pivoted to stare, heart jackhammering in panic.
A blutbad stood in the doorway, drenched in blond and baring his fangs as he growled in fury.
The lizard wesen shrieked in rage, nearly deafening Nick.
The blutbad lunged forward and grabbed the lizard wesen by the front of his shirt, lifting him up and over the table Nick was tied to and throwing him across the room. The blutbad leaped after him and the fight disappeared out of sight.
The sounds of snarls, rending flesh and yowls of pain filled the air. Nick twisted his head from side to side, straining to lift it to look down his body, but he couldn't see anything. He didn't know who was winning.
He wasn't sure which would be worse for him.
The Löwen had been a surprise. He'd nearly killed Monroe when he'd pulled out the cattleprod but the blutbad had been able to catch him off-guard by throwing the body of the Skalengeck at him and knocked him down. It had been easy to rip his throat out as he tried to shove the dead lizard off.
Too easy.
Way too easy.
He was going to have a meltdown after he got out of here, he was sure.
But at the moment his wesen side was being driven into a frenzy by the smell of Nick's blood coming from the other room and another wesen as well. The scent of fear and pain was maddening.
Monroe crossed to the door and kicked it open.
The sight that met him was worse then he expected.
Blood, so much blood. Nick, gagged and tied to a metal table, was little more then a mass of blood and torn cloth and ripped flesh. His wide frightened eyes stared at Monroe without recognition. A Skalengeck stood over him, blood on his chin and hands.
The lizard shrieked at him, the sound making Nick flinch, and raised his claws, aimed at the Grimm in preparation for a killing blow.
Not going to happen.
Monroe lunged forward and grabbed the Skalengeck by the front of his shirt, lifting him up and over the table. He spun and threw the lizard across the room. The Skalengeck went flying and crashed into the wall before falling to the floor in a dazed heap. The blutbad was on him a second later, fangs snapping and claws digging into scaled flesh.
The Skalengeck let out a yowl of startled pain and lashed out, snapping his teeth at Monroe as he tried to shove the blutbad off of him.
Monroe blocked the lizard's attempt to bite him and aimed a punch at the gills on the side of the Skalengeck's neck. The Skalengeck let out a gurgle as the blow landed, stunned, and Monroe's claws flashed.
The Skalengeck collapsed the floor, dead.
The blutbad stared down at the body, warring between feeling pleased that those who would hurt his pack were dead, horror at what he'd done and shock because when the hell had the Grimm become pack?!
He was distracted from his spiraling thoughts by a terrified whimper behind him and turned sharply. He could only really see Nick's legs from this angle, shifting as they pulled weakly at the restraints securing his ankles. Monroe hurried over to the Grimm.
Nick's head snapped over to him as came up beside him, eyes wide and terrified. There was also no recognition in his stare.
Monroe raised his hands in a placating gesture and forced himself to woge out of his wesen form.
Nick blinked, brow furrowing in confusion as he froze in place.
“Hey, man,” Monroe said, keeping his voice soft and reassuring even as he wanted nothing more then to either burst into tears or throw up. He'd seen roadkill that looked better then Nick did. “I'm just going to remove this, ok?” Monroe reached out, moving his hands slowly so as not the startle the injured Grimm. He carefully slipped his hands under Nick's head and tugged at the knot. It took him a few seconds but he was able to get it untied and quickly pulled the soiled cloth out from between Nick's teeth. He tossed it to the ground in disgust and forgot about it.
“M'nroe?” Nick slurred, voice small and uncertain. It was also a bit hoarse and if the blutbad thought about the reasons for that too much he'd probably go into another frenzy.
“Yeah, it's me. I'm going to get you untied then get you to a hospital, ok?” Monroe didn't wait for an answer, instead turning his attention to the closest bound wrist. The bloody limb was encased in a sturdy leather contraption that looked like it had rubbed the skin raw as Nick had struggled. But thankfully it looked like it was secured into place with just a metal buckle and strap. Removing them should be easy at least.
Monroe set to unbuckling the restraints.
The blutbad glanced at the injured Grimm as a thought struck him. “So who were these guys? Involved in some case you were working on?”
Nick turned his head to look up at the ceiling, a look that was practically melancholic. “No.” he whispered, voice sounding painful. “Reve'ge. For being ah Grimm.”
Monroe's hands went still and his face fell in shocked sympathy. That was . . . oh, man. Poor Nick. That was definitely going to cause some serious mental issues later on.
Wait. They weren't suspects in a case? Then that meant . . .
“Well, this is awkward.” Monroe muttered, looking at the bodies guiltily. They hadn't been criminals. Just a bunch of wesen getting revenge for their lost kin and centuries of fear. Ok, they had been guilty of kidnapping and whatever legal jargon term cops used for torturing someone but they hadn't been criminal criminals. Ok, he was going to stop because he wasn't even making sense to himself.
Nick had turned his head to look at Monroe and was giving the blutbad a bemused look.
Monroe frowned back at him, not understanding why Nick was looking at him like that. Then it hit him. “Oh! Oh, no! No, Nick! I wasn't calling the whole 'kidnapped and tortured for being a Grimm' thing awkward. Though, I mean, it kinda is but it's a lot more of a seriously traumatic, horrifying sort of thing. I meant the whole 'dead people who aren't technically criminals' thing is awkward. I have no idea how we're gonna explain things. I mean, I'd really rather not go to jail for saving your life – and I'm rambling. Shutting up now.”
Nick gave him a very weak smile that yet reached his eyes. “I'm s're we'll fig're somethin' out.” he murmured.
“Yeah, just as soon as we get you out of here.” Monroe muttered, fiddling with the buckle again. It was a lot more complicated then it looked at first glance.
Nick fell silent, too tired and in too much pain to keep talking, but couldn't help but continue to smile as Monroe untied him. The horrible weight that had settled in his chest when he had realized why he'd been grabbed easing a bit. There was likely no short supply of wesen who would want him dead for simply existing.
But he was glad one of them was a friend.