Chapter 19 Hellsing
HELLSING
She walked straight out into the noise of the bar, into the crowd, into the red lights and smoke and danger, looking every inch the Harley Quinn, she had dressed as. Chaos in pigtails. Little Demon inked on her thigh.
I stayed in the hallway for a few seconds longer, leaning against the wall, trying to catch my breath and put my thoughts back in order. This was definitely not how I planned my night to go. My body still thrummed from what we had done. My nerves, though, were not satisfied. They were on fire.
The Venom Lounge felt tighter when we came back into the main room. The red lights seemed darker, the smoke thicker. The music pounded against the walls, but underneath it I caught the murmur of voices turning mean.
Three Scorpion patches had drifted closer to the bar. They clustered near Grace and Seraphine, who had suddenly appeared at the bar and whom I could clearly see she was trying to get Grace to leave.
The patches leaned in too close, their cuts old and stained, their smirks told me whatever intensions they had with the girls, they weren’t decent. I recognized one of them. Jax. Croak’s runner. He was the kind of goon who never did his own thinking.
My shoulders locked and hand went straight to the gun at my belt, then to the side of my coat where another pistol waited.
Grace leaned back against the bar, Harley Quinn smile in place, bat resting against her thigh. Seraphine stood beside her, cape draped over one arm, her eyes narrowed in a familiar way that meant she was calculating exits and body counts.
I cut through the crowd in a straight line. Seraphine caught my eye when she saw me, a look of relief ran across her face.
“Evenin’,” Jax said when he saw me coming. His gaze flicked from me to Grace’s legs and back again. “Didn’t know this was a biker reunion. You bring your girl to play with the big boys, Hellsing?”
“Back off,” I said, voice low. “You do not want to start shit, not here.”
Grace tilted her head, chewing her gum slowly. She looked between us, then smiled at Jax like he’d just said something cute.
“Aww,” she said. “You think you’re a big boy?”
His grin widened. “I like her. Croak wasn’t lyin’ when he told me the witch was hot. You keep this one on a leash, Chaplain? Or you let her run?”
My jaw clenched. “You say Croak’s name around me one more time and you’re gonna be droppin’ teeth on this floor.”
Another Scorpion stepped closer to Grace’s side, close enough that his arm brushed hers. He reached toward the tattoo on her thigh, the letters Little Demon.
“That fresh?” he asked. “You get that for him or for us?”
His fingers almost touched her skin, but she moved before I did.
Grace’s hand shot down, grabbed the bat, and swung it up in one clean arc. The Good Night bat cracked against the side of his head with a sound that cut right through the music. Not a dull thud. A sharp, solid hit. His eyes went wide, then unfocused.
The whole bar froze for half a second.
He staggered, hand flying to his temple while bood trickled between his fingers, bright against his skin. Then he dropped to one knee, cursing.
Grace laughed. That same wild and crooked laugh that scraped at my nerves before.
She pulled the bat back, grip tight, chest rising and falling. Her eyes were bright and wild. She stepped forward like she wanted another swing. She was definitely looking for a fight.
“Still want a feel?” she asked him, voice light, breathless. “Come on. Ask nice.”
Jax snapped. “You crazy bitch,” he snarled. He lunged forward, hand going for the knife at his belt.
I was already moving. I stepped in front of Grace, my coat falling back, hand on the pistol at my side. The room erupted, chairs scraped, glasses hit tables, bodies shoved back to make space for violence.
“Y’all don’t wanna do this,” I said, drawl sliding thicker into my words. “Not with me. Not tonight. Not in this bar.”
A third Scorpion came up on my left, hands half raised, not in surrender but in a mock calm.
“She just brained my brother,” he growled. “You think we’re lettin’ that slide?”
“I just tapped him,” Grace said from behind me, almost giddy. “Didn’t even swing that hard. I can do worse if you want. Just like you did to my property,” she slammed the bat on the bar and the men just stared at her.
“Grace,” I snapped.
She laughed again, high and sharp. It did not sound like my girl. It sounded like something sitting just behind her teeth, pushing to get out.
The Scorpions started to circle and I shifted my stance. One hand hovered over the gun, the other ready to grab Grace and shove her behind the nearest pillar. I had no club brothers here. No backup. Just me, my weapons, and a girl who’d swung first and liked it.
A voice cut through the tension from our right.
“Hey! Hey! Chill the fuck out!”
Josh pushed his way through the ring of bodies. The kid had no business being in the middle of three outlaw bikers and a half-pissed exorcist, but he came anyway, thin frame drawn up as tall as he could manage.
He stepped between me and Jax before I could stop him, one hand planted on Jax’s chest, the other flashing in my direction in a quick, warning gesture.
“Jax, man, it’s cool,” Josh said, talking fast. “It’s cool. They’re with me.”
Jax blinked. “The hell you talkin’ about, kid?”
“Hellsing’s a friend,” Josh said. “He helped me when your boys didn’t. He’s kept his nose outta your business, yeah? Tonight’s just bad timing.”
“You keep with friends with Bastards, asshole.” He gripped Josh by the lapels of his jacket and I tensed.
“Just this one. I owe him my life,man. You know how it is on the streets.”
Jax’s gaze narrowed. “Your girl just cracked Skull’s head open in my face.”
Josh didn’t look back at Grace, but I saw his jaw tense. “She’s on somethin’,” he lied.
“Pills. Mustv’ve hit harder than she expected. I told him not to bring her out, but you know how it is. Halloween. Everybody wants to party like they’re invincible.”
He turned his head just enough to catch my eye. There was a flicker there of a warning to keep my mouth shut and play along.
“You shoulda seen her an hour ago,” he went on, looking back at Jax. “She was climbing the damn walls. You got off easy, man. She could’ve gone for your throat instead of that thick skull.”
A couple of the bystanders snorted. The man on his knees swore, but he was back on his feet now, one hand still on his bleeding head, the other flexing like he wanted another excuse.
Jax glanced around the room, taking in the eyes on him, the bartender’s glare, the way a few neutral patrons were already pulling out their phones. Cops would kill this whole party vibe in a heartbeat.
He spat on the floor.
“You get them out of here,” he said to Josh. “Now. I see them again tonight, or she swings that bat near any of my boys, and we ain’t talkin’ anymore. We’re buryin’ somebody.”
Josh nodded fast. “Got it. They’re gone.”
“And kid…I hear you defend a Bastard again, and I’ll have your spine.”
Jax shoved past him, shoulder checking me as he went. The others followed, hauling their wounded brother toward the door. The crowd parted just enough, whispers already spreading.
The music kicked back up, like it had just been paused but my heart still hammered.
Josh turned on me. “You’re welcome,” he hissed under his breath.
“Sorry, kid. I don’t know what got into her.”
“I just put my life on the line for you. Now get her out before she gets dead.”
I grabbed Grace’s arm and she resisted. “Let’s go, Gracie.”
Her muscles tensed beneath my hands and the bat that was still in her hand twitched. Her eyes were wild, her cheeks flushed, and her lips parted in a wide grin.
“Did you see his face?” she asked, laughing. “He thought he could touch me. I should’ve broken his jaw too.”
“Grace, what the hell is going on with you,” Seraphine finally stepped in, yanking the bat out of her hand.
“You almost started a war,” I growled, hauling her toward the back door. “And you did it with my enemy’s name on your skin. What the hell is wrong with you, cher?”
She only laughed harder, stumbling a little as I dragged her. Josh fell into step on her other side, hands up, ready to help if she turned on someone else. He looked pale under the bar lights, but his jaw was set.
“Stay close, Seraphine. You shouldn’t be here either.”
“Well, I couldn’t find her over at Cherry Smoke. I saw you both leave, Josh helped me.”
We pushed out into the alley, the door banging shut behind us. The air outside hit cooler, damp with the smell of the Quarter, beer and garbage and river rot.
I stopped, spun her to face me. “What the hell was that?” I demanded. “You don’t swing at Scorpions in their backyard and then laugh about it.”
She rolled her eyes, gum snapping between her teeth. “He touched me,” she said. “Nobody touches me unless I say so. You should understand that better than anyone.”
“I do,” I said. “That ain’t the point. You escalated. You also fucking enjoyed it.”
Her smile shifted, turning sharper.
“Maybe I did,” she said. “Maybe I liked the sound his head made when the bat connected. You gonna punish me for that, exorcist? Tie me up, read me my sins?”
The words hit low, hot, meant to distract me. Josh flinched, his gaze dropping to the cracked pavement.
“Stop talking nonsense, Grace,” Seraphine chimed in. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”
“Grace,” I said quietly, leaning in. “Look at me.”
She met my eyes. For a split second, something flickered behind the wild light. Confusion, maybe. A look of recognition, but then it was gone. The grin snapped back in place.
“You worry too much,” she said. “I’m fine.”
“No,” I said. “You’re not.”
I tightened my grip on her arm and started walking.
“Josh, we’re headin’ back to Cherry Smoke,” I said. “You stick close, yeah?”
“Already here,” he said. He moved ahead, checking corners, eyes sharp in a way that had nothing to do with his age.
The walk back felt longer than it should have. The Quarter was in full swing now. Masks, blood makeup, real knives tucked under fake costumes. Demons loved nights like this because no one knew what was real until it was too late.
Grace walked half a step behind me, humming under her breath. The tune didn’t match the music on the street. It was that same song she’d hummed in the shower, and it clung to my spine.
We reached Cherry Smoke and pushed through the door. Inside, the party had grown. More leather, more glitter, and more noise. Ajax moved behind the bar with his usual controlled chaos. Hoax and Bullet were at a high-top table, arguing over something stupid, beers in hand.
Scorn stood near the edge of the crowd watching the door. His gaze found us the second we crossed the threshold.
He saw the smear of blood on the bat and saw the wild edge around Grace’s smile. He also saw my grip on Grace’s arm and the tension in my shoulders.
He moved fast, on instinct, meeting us halfway.
“What happened?” he asked, voice low, cutting straight through the music.
“Grace decided to introduce a Scorpion’s skull to her bat,” I said. “We almost had a brawl at the Venom’s Lounge.”
“How the fuck did you end up there?”
“Seems, Harley here, has a secret vendetta against Scorpions.”
Scorn’s eyes narrowed.
“Is he dead?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “But he’ll remember her. And Croak’s gonna hear all about it.”
“Good,” Grace said, smiling. “Maybe he’ll come find me. I’ve got more where that came from.”
“Okay,” I retorted, pulling towards a bar chair.
Scorn leaned in to talk in my ear. “Jameson is not gonna like this.”
“Then you can tell the Prez that this is what happens when you decide to babysit a Desdemone.”
Scorn sighed. “You got this?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I got this. I don’t think it’s gonna get worse than it already has, yeah.”
Seraphine hunched down closer, so close she and Grace were almost touching, and studied her face. Her nostrils flared, like she was scenting something in the air.
“Grace,” she said quietly. “How do you feel?”
“Great,” Grace said. “Better than great. I feel alive.”
She lifted her arm and felt her pulse where I still held her arm. Seraphine’s jaw tightened and she looked up at me.
“Her heart’s beating too fast.”
“You sense it,” I leaned in toward her.
“Didn’t you?” She asked.
I nodded, feeling guilty.
“Then why didn’t you do anything about it?”
I pulled Seraphine aside, our eyes still on Grace. “It can’t know.”
“What?”
“It can’t know that we can sense it. It will kill her.”
Seraphine grew concerned. “We need to go to the Mydnight Witch,” she said. “I can protect her there.”
“I doubt it. It’s ignoring wards and sigils.”
“But it hasn’t taken her completely and that is because of you. You’re her tether to reality, Hellsing.”
I looked at Grace, all beautifully warped and that guilt wrapped around me again. “We’ll need to get her there quickly, before whatever is hanging off her finishes what it started.”
“We’re leaving, Grace.” Serapine helped her up.
“Oh, why?” She pouted at me.
“Because you’re acting out of sorts,” I responded, not giving away anything.
Grace laughed, tilted her head, and blew a small red bubble with her gum.
“You all act like I’m possessed,” she said.
My throat felt tight. I swept a hand around her waist and gently guided her toward the hallway at the back of Cherry Smoke, Seraphine on one side, Josh watching our flank.
Everyone else saw a man dragging his girl off for a private moment during a Halloween party.
I knew better.
By the time we finally headed back toward the Quarter and the Midnight Wytch, with plans spinning toward the Cherry Smoke and whatever the rest of the night wanted to throw at us, one thought ran circles in my head.
This was my Grace.
This was not my Grace.
And somewhere between those two truths, something waited with its hands on her soul.