Scarlet Mirror (Rise of the Vampire Princess Book 3), page 5
Leaning back in my chair, I took a moment to level out my own emotions. I didn’t know the women were going to be there tonight. I simply had donor contracts with them. Even so, the blame lay with me in the eyes of Katrina’s mother.
Mario came back into the office. “Oliver just called me.”
My least favorite warlock. “What did he have to say?”
“That there was an anomaly in Abigail’s cellphone GPS.”
I raised a brow. “She left the house?”
“So it seems,” Mario stated. “He said that the signal left the house, appeared miles away, disappeared for about an hour, and reappeared at the house.”
I frowned. “Abigail can’t transport, and Zayne knew the orders. Is it possible that it was a glitch?”
“Oliver is looking into it, but he wanted to let us know.”
I nodded. “Maybe it’s time for a new phone.”
“Mm,” Mario said, as if he wasn’t paying attention. His eyes were glued to the phone, scanning something.
“Something wrong?”
“I think we need to go talk to Abigail about where she went tonight.” He turned the phone toward me so I could see the location.
The Compound.
Rage boiled through me. Why on earth would she be there? Catalina had to have taken her. “We leave now,” I gritted out. “Tell Catalina to meet me there. I want an explanation.”
Mario nodded and pulled his phone out. I took myself to Abigail’s house without another word. Appearing outside the circle, I saw the little snake of a reporter, Stephanie, straighten up at the sight of me.
She walked toward me, the click of her heels against the concrete grated on my nerves and lord help her if she spoke. I might not have the control to not bite her.
I glanced at her, and she froze in her tracks. Good. I still scared her. Mario appeared next to me. “Catalina is already here,” he muttered, not loud enough for Stephanie to hear.
I gave him a small nod before I walked through the magical barrier with him, leaving Stephanie behind.
The door opened before I even reached the porch. Catalina stood in the doorway, her arms crossed, her slim body leaning on the frame.
“Mario said you wanted to meet me here?” she asked, her voice calm and collected.
I nodded and walked in, shutting the door behind us. “Where is Abigail?”
“She’s downstairs with Zayne organizing the massive amount of files Liz brought to her tonight. And before you ask, I’m here because I brought her a donor. Nadine is waiting patiently downstairs for Abigail to take a break.” She put a hand on my shoulder, and I shrugged it off.
“Why did you take Abigail to the Compound?”
Catalina raised a brow. “Why are you assuming I did?”
“Because Oliver tracked her phone there. We said we would not drag her into this. That we would not have her use her abilities for this.” I snarled. “You cannot go behind my back and do something I did not approve.”
“Are you telling me this as King? Or as a protective father?” She held her head up. “As King your priority is to protect your people, Levi. Abigail’s abilities can help us protect them. She is an asset. No different from any other vampire who has useful abilities.”
I counted to ten in my head. She spoke with logic. But she shouldn’t have exposed Abigail to the Compound. “What did she see there?”
“Nothing more than the tame interrogation rooms,” Catalina promised. “I wouldn’t have taken her to the back rooms. I’m sure she didn’t miss the fact that both vampires were blood starved.”
“Abigail isn’t stupid,” Mario chimed in. “She’s seen the inside of the PIB containment firsthand. She’s smart enough to know that darker things lie beneath the surface.”
I glanced at him and then back to Catalina. “She doesn’t go back without my permission.”
Abigail walked into the kitchen, a new pink flush to her face telling me she was fed. She stared at all of us, shook her head, and went straight for the coffee machine. “Mario’s right, you know.”
No one dared to speak. It’d be pointless to pretend we didn’t know what she was talking about. She heard us. We should have thought to keep our voices down.
“You think I don’t know the darker side of vampires? That Ira and Samuel are outliers?” She glanced at me as she filled up her mug. “I lived with you, Levi, for fourteen years before I went to the academy when I was eighteen. I lived with you during the summers. I’m not stupid, I’m not blind. You have control over yourself, but I know the nature of vampires.”
Again, none of us spoke as she went and got the creamer out of the fridge. “Death, violence, blood…it’s part of your…our nature.” She snorted. “You’re stupid to think I don’t know it exists.” She put the creamer back when she was done, picked up her mug, and started out of the kitchen. “Oh, Nadine is ready to go. Thank you, Catalina.” And then she was gone, back to wherever she was going over in the files.
Still, we stood silently until Mario started laughing. Catalina cracked a smile, too, and then it grew into a grin. “I think she’s just fine with what we did tonight, Levi.”
I relaxed and shook my head. “You will ask me for permission next time, though.”
“Of course, my King. Now, my business is done here. I’m going to take Nadine home, and maybe scare away that reporter who insists on staying out there.”
Stephanie. “That woman is a menace to society,” I muttered.
“Yes, she is.” Catalina kissed my cheek. “We’ll talk more about Abigail’s role at the next meeting.”
I made a ‘mm’ noise and let her go when Nadine walked into the kitchen.
I gave Nadine a hug and bent down to whisper in her ear. “Be careful when you are out. We lost two donors in that attack tonight.”
She nodded. “I’m always careful.”
I watched Catalina and Nadine disappear when they reached the outside of the magical circle, and then I turned to go find Abigail. She may have defused the situation, but I still wasn’t happy about Catalina forcing my hand in this. I’d have to speak to her again when Abigail wasn’t around.
True to what Catalina said, Abigail was downstairs, surrounded by files again. Zayne was sitting on the couch watching her hold up images, mutter, and put them away in a particular pile.
“Grayson had quite the caseload, didn’t he?” I asked and went to sit next to Zayne on the couch.
Abigail nodded. “And a lot of them match the MO of our current vampire case.” She motioned to the images up on the walls. “I’m not sure yet if they are all connected or not yet, but they certainly look similar.”
She picked up her coffee from the floor and took a sip. “How you are you at Catalina?”
“You shouldn’t have been part of that conversation,” I muttered.
“Maybe you guys should learn not to talk so loud,” she shot back. “Don’t worry, she didn’t take me into the deep dark interrogation rooms, or wherever you keep the vampires to blood-starve them.” She put her mug back down next to her. “I want to point out that you sent me with Mario to a vampire party that could have been violent or sex driven. You had no problem with that.”
Hannah’s party, Hannah forced Mario to leave Abigail at Hannah’s mercy. “And it was only thanks to Oliver that you made it out of that trap.”
“Yes,” she admitted slowly. “When you were gone…with Samuel. I handled the vampire things. I handled Lady R, and I looked over files, and I’m not stupid enough to believe the lies and this pretty little world you’re trying to create for me, Levi. So stop it.”
I opened my mouth to find some comforting lie to tell her, and she glared at me.
“Don’t lie. It doesn’t work anymore.” Her voice wasn’t quite angry, but firm. “I’m not a fucking child.”
I knew better than to tell her she was a baby vampire, because she’d gotten good enough to smack with her abilities.
I’d seen her do it to Mario.
As if reading my mind, Mario took a step away from the couch.
“Abigail, I’m trying. I didn’t want this world for you. I’m still used to trying to hide you from it. Keep you at arm’s length.”
She flashed fangs at me. “And look how well that worked. Maybe it’s time to try a new method.”
Guilt hit me, and I closed my eyes. I thought we’d moved past her anger at being a vampire, but it still bared its ugly head occasionally. I wonder how long she would regret what happened to her. How long would she hold on to that anger?
“Did you and Catalina glean any new information?” I asked, trying to move to something useful.
Abigail nodded, but turned back to her files. “The doctor you have, the one who took my blood at Ira’s…he knows that I’m biologically yours.”
Fear filled me. “He tested the DNA. I thought Oliver got your blood away from Ira in time.”
“Turns out the doctor had some and could make a match from me to Ira.” She still didn’t look at me. “He doesn’t have the exact details of how I survived, but he, like Ira, knows I’m the perfect hybrid…well kind of since I’m a vampire now.”
There was something in her voice again, but it wasn’t anger. Not fear. Sadness. Disappointment. I couldn’t put my finger on it.
She continued to flip through the file on her lap. “He’s threating to release it to the media.”
“That could be…problematic,” I muttered. “That could cause a lot of scandals about what I have been doing behind scenes.”
Abigail shrugged. “I’m just letting you know it might be a problem.”
More than a problem. There were so many things about this situation that could cause problems. More reasons for my people not to trust me, more attacks on Abigail by the rebels because she was what Ira was trying to create.
Abigail’s phone rang, breaking the silence l.
“Abby speaking.”
I could hear Liz on the other side going on a tirade about how someone new was in Abigail’s office and how no one asked her about it.
“Liz, it’s not my office anymore. But let them know it needs to be cleansed in case any of my magic is still around. Oh, maybe I’ll bring back the protective doll.”
Liz sighed. “Yeah, I guess. I just, I guess I was hoping you’d get to come back.”
Abigail glanced at me and then back to the file. “I think my time at PIB is done. It’s time I handle stuff as Princess.”
“Fine. Let Levi know I’ve forwarded my notes from the crime scene tonight to him. O’Donald is still on board with us working together, but if the head director of PIB decides we can’t work with Levi anymore, then O’Donald’s hands are tied.”
Abigail laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s going to work out.” She disconnected the call.
Her shoulders slouched, and then she straightened up. She rebuilt herself in front of me. I didn’t know if she knew I saw it, but I wouldn’t say anything.
“Liz sent you her notes.”
“I heard. Thank you. I suppose Mario and I should take our leave. You’re busy with this case.”
Abigail sighed. “Right now, I’m literally just going through files. Though I have to say, with the earliest date going back to ten years ago, there’s a chance that this is not an attack from Samara and Ivan.”
“So, what you’re saying is that we might have a vampire serial killer that Grayson never caught,” Mario stated.
Abigail nodded. “Exactly.”
A vampire serial killer.
The thought wouldn’t leave my head for the rest of the night, even after I left Abigail’s and tried to focus on a book until dawn.
Normally vampires weren’t the victims, they were the killers. There were many victims in this case, and Grayson had brought none of them to my attention. Either he missed something, or his betrayal had gone on a lot longer than we realized.
I put my book down. All I could think about was how if the press got a hold of it, that it could cause a mass panic among the younger and less powerful vampires.
Protecting my people had to be a priority, but I couldn’t approach it at all if I didn’t have the details. Abigail needed to find and get me those details.
And she would, in time.
If only she had access to the rest of PIB’s database or if we had better databases ourselves. A PIB-like organization for vampires where she had access to everything she needed.
I could feel dawn approaching and knew that I needed to sleep during the day, recover from the insanity of tonight. I’d process things at dusk after I felt rested, fed, and more awake. I walked out of the study to find Mario leaning against the wall. “What?”
“I didn’t want to disturb your reading, but the early morning news is on…”
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “How bad is it?”
“It’s…well, come watch.” Mario pushed off the wall.
I followed him to the media room where he had the television on. Different footage from news crews and amateurs alike flashed on the screen while the news anchor talked.
“A peaceful gathering turns deadly. An attack last night devastated our community. With four confirmed dead and many more injured, we have to ask ourselves, is this what our future looks like? Observers and victims have come out to say they believe this was related to the civil war between vampires.”
She continued to drone on, but my mind focused on the footage of the chaos and screams I could hear through the videos. They’d muted them, but they still sounded behind the news anchor.
The horror I could hear. The fear. The blood. I shook my head. “Turn it off. Make sure Catalina gets that footage so that it can be gone through.”
Mario nodded. “We’re working with our contacts to get us copies.”
“Liz’s notes proved not to be useful.” I’d gone over them to find nothing specifically helpful in them. Nothing that pointed towards vampires or witches, or shifters. Nothing about what had attacked the gathering.
She couldn’t really say much about the bodies until the autopsy was complete.
I let out a growl. “I hate waiting.”
“Go get some rest.” Mario picked up the remote and clicked the screen off. “Tomorrow we can meet with Liz and see what she thinks more than just what's in her PIB notes. Catalina can go through the footage today or tonight, depending on if she needs sleep.”
I nodded, but I still hated the idea of waiting on PIB or anyone else. If Abigail was a day-walker, I could have sent her out, but as it was, she still needed sleep during the day. Other than Liz and Oliver, I had no other humans I could trust to send out.
Oliver.
“You thought of something?” Mario raised a brow. “I just saw a look cross your face.”
I nodded and pulled out my phone and called the warlock.
“Did you figure out why Abigail was in the middle of nowhere?” Oliver asked as a way of greeting.
“I did, and no, I won’t share. But I need you to go down to the latest attack and see if you can get a magical trace on anything.”
There was silence on the other end except for his breathing.
“Oliver?”
“I’m trying to decide if I want to get mixed up in this mess. I have people in the Underground to think of. Young elementals to protect. Helping you in a civil war will not keep them safe.”
It was the first time I’d heard him speak of someone to protect other than Abigail and Melisandra. I’d known Oliver financed the safe house Abigail had worked with for young elementals, but I never assumed he actually cared for the kids.
“Merick is doing cult things. I don’t have anyone else to do it.”
“I’m sorry Levi, I risk other lives by publicly working on this case.” He disconnected the call, and I stared at the phone and then looked up at Mario.
Mario raised a brow. “He just refused.”
“He just admitted to caring about others. I’m not sure which one is more shocking.”
Mario snorted. “Let’s revisit this tomorrow. We’ll figure something out.”
We would, and dawn was now here, urging me to sleep for the day.
Chapter Five
Abigail
Iwoke, I fed, and now I stared into my cup of coffee, wondering what more I could do. I’d made the mistake of watching the morning news before I went to bed.
All the images from the attack still danced in my head. But there was a face among the crowd that I couldn’t ignore.
Nick’s.
My old partner, who had faked his death, reappeared in the Underground, returned to PIB, and almost gotten me killed, all to just literally disappear in front of me.
Poof.
No more Nick.
Until now.
“Good evening, Abigail.” Merick walked into the kitchen, and I raised a brow.
“I thought you were off doing Cult things.” I sipped my coffee and savored the taste of it. At least this was one thing I got to keep with my change.
Merick nodded and grabbed a mug from the cupboard over the coffeepot. “I was, and now I’m back. I saw the attack on the news and thought maybe it was time I returned.”
I mmed for a moment. “Glad you’ve come back in time for the chaos. It’s insane right now. How’s the cult?”
“Running well. I went and spent time with my sister as well.”
“How’s she doing? I haven’t talked to her since your father passed.”
“She’s doing well, finding her place in the Cult and in life.” He poured himself some coffee. “Did I miss anything else?”
I laughed. “Catalina took me to the vampire prison against Levi’s will. It was a great conversation to eavesdrop on.”
“Is it really eavesdropping if they speak loud enough for you to hear?” Merick offered.
“I don’t think it is, but they all acted shocked that I interrupted their conversation to defend myself.” I shrugged. “Levi has this idea that I’m this little innocent person. He forgets all the horrors I’ve seen at PIB and that I know what supernatural creatures are capable of.”
Merick shook his head. “And that will be Levi’s downfall, but also your enemies’. If they think Levi kept you sheltered, then they are going to expect that you can’t play their games.”
