Silver Tongue

Book four of the Nate Temple Series.

Silver Tongue

## Blurb

Nate Temple has gotten away with a lot in recent years: cow-tipping the Minotaur, decimating a gang of weredragons, sucker-punching Angels, and eating pancakes with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He’s kidnapped one of the most powerful wizards on the planet and slaughtered the Brothers Grimm. Lady Luck has been very good to Nate Temple…

Until now.

Nate's good fortune has turned, catching the attention of a recruiter—the kind of person who offers jobs that can’t be refused…

The kind of job that comes with perks like *selling your soul to your new employer*. That’s when a wizard tastes real fear—when he learns that all the biggest, baddest monsters actually work for the same guy—and they do so against their will.

*Silver Tongue*…The nightmare everyone both knows, and doesn't know…

Lady Luck better have one more good toss of the dice for Nate, or this will be the last game he ever plays. Unless…he can find a way to cheat the House.

## Opening

*I was going to kill him. “Do we really need to talk about this right now? This isn’t as easy as I’m making it look,” I hissed, crouching in the shadows of an old brick warehouse, focusing intently on the illusion spell I’d wrapped around the both of us. I clutched a book tightly, a slight tingle vibrating my arm as I caressed the embossed black leather cover. The sensation was no doubt caused by the residual traces of magic that were warding it for safekeeping, but I was masking that from detection now. Success, I thought to myself as I tucked it into my satchel. Alucard’s fangs glistened in the moonlight.*

## Plot

Nate has a new vampire sidekick, and living with a Grimm has its challenges.  What next?

Nate and Alucard are disguised as Nephilim to steal a book from the Ogres.  A book Nate has set up a meeting to purchase from them.  Nate doesn’t trust them.  While this is happening, Indie has been tasked to attend an auction.  Nate and Alucard are successful.  Indie is not.  She informs Nate that she woke up to find everyone dead at the auction.  Did she do it?  No memory.

Nate and Alucard go to the auction house and pick her up.  Nate realizes that everyone died by magic.  The authorities arrive and take chase after Team Temple.  Nate stops and disguises them as Hispanics to fool the police.  It works!

### Pause here a moment WARNING, Possible Spoilers Ahead

They arrive at Plato’s Cave just in time to meet the Ogres.  Ogres admit that they have no book, Nephilim stole it!  During the meeting, Nate has monks in to bless the store.  The monks have altercation vs the Ogres.  Gunnar and Ashley show up.  Indie, as a Grimm, turns into a werewolf and battles Ashley, as she also shifts.  Nate and Gunnar try to pull them apart.  The head monk (whom Nate eventually dubs Cesar, the Freak Whisperer) does magic and settles down both of them.

Adding to the drama, Baba Yaga arrives and demands the book.  The book that disappeared at the auction with the murderous spree.  Baba Yaga and Nate enjoy a bottle of true Russian vodka which knocks Nate for a loop.  Chaos continues when a demonic rooster horse enters the scene. Nate yells at Baba as he goes to battle the creature, but she tells him that the monster is of his own “Making”.

Nate, as designated driver, visits Achilles Heel with Gunnar and Alucard.  While there, Abraham Van Helsing arrives and wants the book!    Mystery grows.  Achilles demands Nate to pay for damages done to his bar.  A deal is made; Nate arranges a meet for him with Pandora (an old friend?), if she agrees.

Nate returns home to do research on events.  While there, he makes the connection between his copy of the Through the Looking Glass to the one in the White Room!  He connects with the resident by becoming pen pals via the writing in the book.  Nate decides to keep the “chat” secret.

Nate and Gunnar go hunting.  Gunnar tells Nate that their bromance is put on hold.  Gunnar has his hands full with Ashley’s erratic shifts.  Besides, Nate has Alucard now.  While in the woods, a Gruffalo appears and they freak out.  Using the distraction, the Huntress makes an appearance and demands the book.  Number 3 request.  Indie rides in on Grimm to the rescue.  Surprise discovery, Grimm can talk!

Nate decides to visit the Armory.  Besides Pandora, his parents are there.  Another gift from his friend, Death.  He shares his concerns about Indie and her stress over being a Grimm and the changes in her. Nate remembers that he has a parent-teacher conference!  He meets Tory to talk to the school about the Reds, Misha’s twin dragons, orphaned due to Misha’s death during the Grimm War.  After the conference, Nate surprises Tory with adoption papers.  It’s good to be rich.

Alucard calls Nate.  He is under attack.  Nate’s old friend Greta is flooding the mail with religious tracts.  Since Alucard is a vampire, the pamphlets zap him.  Nate arrives to rescue him and discovers girls selling cookies in front of the store, along with Greta and her tracts.  Baba Yaga shows up to terrorize the girls.  Using his special security gargoyles, Nate turns them on and they entertain the girls.  To help settle the chaos, Tory battles Baba Yaga’s familiar and Eae shows up to protect Greta.  Apparently, he is now her Guardian Angel.  Nate bravely asks Greta if he can borrow Eae as a favor. The little girls gift Nate a Maine Coon cat.

Nate and gang return to Achilles Heel where they discuss his deal with Achilles.  Using Eae to seal the contract, Nate bumps the deal up with an idea of a fight club at the Dueling Grounds.  With Asterion and King Midas’ permission first.  After gaining their permission, Midas questions Nate about the event at the auction house.  Is Indie behind everything?

Nate makes his way to his family’s mausoleum for the yearly visit.  He meets Mallory there. Nate looks at the family tree and reflects on his parents.  While there, the Huntress attacks them.

With the help from hostile fairies and the Gruffalo, she makes a statement.  They leave.

And ends up at Gunnar’s werewolf complex.  He calls Nate to alert him and tells him to get over there.  It’s Gruffalo vs werewolves.  Huntress is behind the attack.  While there, Van Helsing shows up. Then Indie shows up and shifts to a werewolf.

Trying for answers, Nate goes to Asterion with Indie in tow.  They discuss Tory’s new powers and the possibility of a rune for Ashley, like Gunnar’s, to control her shifting.  Finally, Asterion tells Nate that Indie is dying.

Nate, at Plato’s Cave, researches a cure for Indie.  Instead, he figures out the rune to help Ashley.  Nate meets a homeless man and as a result of his story, ends up making a dangerous deal to save Indie.  The deal is made with Silver Tongue!

Nate and Achilles go to the Armory.  Achilles is nervous to see Pandora again.  While there, they discover the deal that Nate has made.  Apparently, Achilles, Baba Yaga, and Van Helsing have all made deals with Silver Tongue.

Final showdown with Silver Tongue is set up at Midas’ field - the Dueling Grounds.  Nate is reckless and demands money for the book’s location from the immortal three; Baba Yaga, Van Helsing and the Huntress.    Team Temple stands ready (Asterion, Alucard, Gunnar, Ashley, Tory and Nate).  Silver Tongue arrives and is revealed to be Rumpelstiltskin.  He explains everything.  Achilles and the four Horsemen arrive.  Things get crazy.  Apparently, Silver Tongue is working with the Syndicate.

Nate decides to take Silver Tongue to the White Room to give Ginger company and for safe keeping.

Ichabod makes a surprise visit to Chateau Falco and plans to train Indie, with her agreement.  Nate is not happy about this and tries to talk Indie out of it.  To make matters worse, Ichabod is behind the trouble with the book deals.  They both leave.

Nate decides he is ready for some action and goes to the Fight Club.  There, he meets Cain and becomes the first match of the new club, Nate vs Ichabod.  And gets schooled.