Scarlet Mirror (Rise of the Vampire Princess Book 3), page 6
“I hate playing games,” I muttered.
“But you’re getting better at them, and you’re going to have to keep playing them, because that’s how vampire society functions. That’s how everyone functions.” He sat next to me. “Even PIB, even witches.”
I nodded. “Just the stakes are higher now.”
“Good evening, Princess,” Zayne walked into the kitchen. “Are we taking bets on something?”
I glared at him, knowing damn well he’d heard the conversation.
“I’m up for taking bets.” Merick smirked. “I give Abigail three weeks before she’s in a political situation she can’t handle with pleasant words.”
“Oh, come on,” I muttered.
“Abigail is right,” Zayne pressed his lips together and crossed his arms. “She can make it a month.”
“For fuck’s sake, you two. You act like I can’t handle word games. I’ve managed just fine these last few months.” I drained the rest of my coffee. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a shower and then send some notes to Liz about the case files downstairs.”
I walked out of the kitchen and up to my room. I could hear the two men downstairs laughing. I shook my head and walked into my room, pausing when my phone rang.
I glanced at the unknown number. Last time I answered one, it was the press. This time, I had no idea who to expect.
But I answered it, because as Princess, I needed to answer any calls just in case it was an emergency.
“You are a very hard woman to get a hold of.” I didn’t know the female voice on the other end. “Your PR woman didn’t want to give me your number, neither did your father, nor your bodyguard.”
“My father’s been dead for quite a while. I’m sure it’s hard to get any information out of him.” I snorted. “Now, my PR woman and my bodyguard both know not to give my number out to strangers. But what can I do for you, Ms.?”
She chuckled. “I have a document in my hand that has DNA proof Levi is your biological father, Princess. I’d like to have an exclusive interview with you and Levi to talk about this piece of information.”
I didn’t know what to say, other than ‘fuck you.’ But that was not the right response here. No, that would have made the situation worse. “I need to speak to my PR lady and King Levi before I can make any appearances. Please contact my PR person, you clearly have her number. Leave her a message.”
That should buy me enough time to talk to Levi about how we were supposed to handle this. I didn’t think they would leak the information to the press that quickly. Who the hell would have known to pull the trigger?
There had only been Catalina, Zayne, and me in that interrogation room.
She laughed. “Afraid to do anything without backup?”
“You have my answer.” I hung up and sat on my bed.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
I sent Levi a text giving him a heads up and then another one to Holly to let her know she’d been getting another call from that number.
We hadn’t expected it to happen this fast. I hadn't anticipated having to confront the entire world and admit that I was the biological child of a vampire. The first one on record for…well forever, I think.
I put my phone down and went to the bathroom. A hot shower would help me think. That’s all I needed.
A shower did not improve the situation at all. When I got out, there was a meeting in my fucking bedroom.
“Glad I heard you all in here, so I could wrap a towel around myself.” I growled as Mario, Levi, Zayne, and Catalina all stood in my room. I hadn’t thought to take clothes into my bathroom. Typically, I didn’t get visitors while I was in the shower.
I pulled the towel tighter. “Can this wait until I get dressed?”
Catalina waved her hand, and the men left. I stared at her for a moment. “You too, please.”
She crossed her arms. “I wanted to talk to you before Levi and Mario do.”
“I’m going to be naked and would like some privacy, please.” I met her gaze.
“Abigail.” Her voice made it clear that she would not leave the room, and I let out a frustrated growl and turned away from her.
I went to the dresser on the far side of the room and dropped my towel and grabbed my undergarments. “What’s so important that the others can’t hear?”
Catalina lowered her voice to a faint whisper. “Levi does not want this information public. We have to shut this woman down. We have to find her before she spreads the information. Youn won’t like what you hear in this meeting tonight.”
I pulled on a tank top and jeans and turned to look at her. “You mean to kill her?” I matched my volume to hers.
“Abigail, this information is dangerous.”
I laughed. “Don’t you think I know that? I am the information. I am the creature that Ira wanted to create. When we did a trace spell, we saw where he even suggested breeding.” I shook my head. “Hiding all the time gets me nowhere. Killing someone for having leaked information is wrong. That leak came from one of our people. Find that one and make an example of them. Not this reporter.”
“Levi will not agree with you.”
I walked past her without another word. I wouldn’t argue my point to her. Levi was the one I had to convince. Not Catalina.
Using my speed, I rushed down the stairs and found everyone in the living room.
Zayne wisely handed me another cup of coffee, and I took my seat. I stared at Levi and Mario. “The answer is no.”
They both blinked at me and then turned to Catalina when she calmly walked in.
“Abigail, we cannot let that information get out.” Levi shook his head. “Someone will kill you because of it. You are a vampire without a sire. There is no one who could truly rein you in.”
I leaned back and sipped my coffee. “You’re talking about killing someone who is innocent. A reporter. Morality aside, you’re going to bring more attention to it if a reporter dies trying to give information.”
I couldn’t appeal to his humanity, and I knew that. Levi had killed before, and he’d kill again if it meant protecting his crown or me. I had to take another approach. Vampire logic. “The headlines would be ‘Local Reporter Slain. What did she know?’ There would be a full investigation.”
Catalina raised a brow at me, as if that’s not what she expected me to say.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” Mario muttered. “Either way, there’s going to be a public outcry.”
“And we can spin it to show that my mother was trying to save my life. The grieving mother card. Not the monster card.” I shrugged one shoulder. “We don’t know if there’s proof about you not being my sire or not. It may just be that my DNA matches yours. I say we call up the reporter, get her in our pocket, and grant her exclusives.”
“Once Holly checks her out.” Catalina nodded.
“Yes, once she’s checked out. Also, I say we find whoever is leaking information from the prison and we kill them instead.”
They all gawked at me.
“They betrayed us in a way that’s causing major problems. If we don’t kill them, we at the very least need to contain them and figure out what else they have been leaking and to whom.” I set my empty mug on the coffee table.
Everyone was silent until Mario laughed. “She actually has good points. She’s getting the hang of it.”
Catalina nodded. “And here I thought you were just going to argue in circles about sparing the reporter.”
Zayne dropped a hand on my shoulder. “Good job.”
The only one that hadn’t spoken yet was Levi. He was still staring at me. There wasn’t anything that crossed his face. I had no sign of what he was thinking.
“Levi?” I prompted.
“I agree.” But his voice was empty, careful, as if his thoughts were somewhere else and he didn’t want me to know where.
But I knew he wasn’t lying. I would have tasted it. “Talk to Holly and let her know what we’ve agreed on.”
Catalina nodded and walked out the door. I assumed she was done with the situation, and I expected Levi and Mario to go next. Apparently, Mario thought so as well, because he started toward the door.
“Mario, I’ll see you at home. Zayne, you’re dismissed.”
Oh. I was in trouble. I knew that tone.
Both Zayne and Mario shook their heads. “No. Our jobs are to be with you.”
“I said you are dismissed.” Levi’s power leaked out and the two of them bowed their heads and walked out.
I stood, meeting Levi’s eyes. “What? I thought you agreed with my plan.”
“I do. It’s a good plan. I do not want to… to face and admit to what you are… means I have to process my past. Your past. What happened to your mother.” He sounded pained, and I could taste the fear in his words.
I never realized he hadn’t moved forward from her death. I assumed he had. I knew he missed her and still loved her, but I didn’t know there was still so much fear and grief there.
“It’s time to face it. We can’t run from it anymore, and I can’t be the vampire princess if I’m hiding,” I said honestly. “How can people trust someone who is hiding the truth?”
He stared at me for a moment and then smiled. “You’ll make an outstanding leader if I choose to step down.”
I laughed. “Well, hopefully that’s not for another century or so. But first, we have to get through the rebellion. We start small. We let them know that my mother used a spell to help me live. We don’t know the spell. That’s not a lie because most of it is lost.”
There was some of it in the PIB training manual because Tobias was an idiot, but we would not bring that up.
Levi nodded. “Then Ira and Samuel targeted you because they knew the potential.”
“Even though in the end, I turned out to be only a witch. And that’s where we end the story. Eventually, we will have to let people know I don’t have a sire, but not until I’m not a…” I tried not to gag on the word. “Baby vampire.”
He nodded. “When you’re more mature and have control over your abilities. That’s when we can share that.”
I swore I felt a hand brush over my hair, and I frowned, pushing the thought away.
“Your mother loved you so much, Abigail,” Levi said and sat down. I sat down next to him. “She cherished you so much. When I went to the hospital the night you were born…I was prepared to bury you. She wasn’t.” He sighed and looked away from me. “I held you once while you were in the hospital. You were tiny and struggling for life. The next night you were perfectly healthy, and they released you a couple of days later.”
I nodded. “Because of the spell.”
“Because of the spell. She’d tried one while she was pregnant with you, to give you strength, but Tobias said it hadn’t been strong enough. You are the only child I’ve had, Abigail. I never had one when I was human.”
I never thought about it. I knew Mario had a family that Hannah had killed. I just assumed that Levi had a family before Samuel had changed him and Ira.
“It’s time that you can take that role. There’s no more hiding.” I sighed. “It’s time to tell the world.”
Levi left, and Zayne reappeared not long after. I assumed Levi had texted him when we were done with our little heart to heart. My mood had soured with the way I started my night.
I hated politics, that’s why I didn’t care when Levi left me out of them to begin with. But one, I had a bet to make both Zayne and Merick lose. Two, I had no choice but to play now.
I knew Holly would call me at any moment to instruct me when the interview would be and what I needed to wear. What buzz words to say. How to act. And basically, make sure I didn’t fuck up this interview.
Like I was a little puppet.
I rubbed my eyes. But she did at least keep me on track with press conferences, which were my least favorite thing in the world.
“What are you thinking about?” Zayne asked and then pried the empty mug out of my hand.
I looked down to see that I had cracked it. “Ugh, apparently something that makes me mad enough to take it out on a coffee mug.”
He tossed it into the trash, and I stood. “I imagine whatever conversation you had with Levi wasn’t an easy one?”
“He admitted to things I don’t think he wanted anyone else to hear, but we all know it, anyway.” I shrugged. “But I know it was hard for him to share with me.” I went to the kitchen and got me a mug. “I was just thinking about the press conference I know is coming and trying to decide how Holly is going to dress me up for the public this time.”
He laughed. “Be glad that she doesn’t put you in fancy dresses. That’s how she wanted to introduce you. Because you’d look less threatening.”
I stared at him. “You’re kidding.”
Silence.
“Right?”
He cracked a smile. “Yes, I’m kidding. Besides, dresses aren’t really practical.” His joking tone disappeared. “Speaking of dresses.”
I glared at him. “What?”
“There’s a ball next month.”
I shook my head. “Nope, absolutely not. This is not the time for a ball.”
“Actually, it’s shown to raise the morale of the people.” He shrugged. “We would throw them all the time during war.”
“I hate balls. My birthday ball, I got drugged.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I heard that was a doozy.”
I filled my mug up with more coffee. “I almost had a panic attack at the ball Levi threw the night after I woke up.”
“Yeah, that was probably a bad call on his part.” Zayne leaned against the counter. “Don’t break that mug.”
“That’s the only two balls I’ve been to, I think…wait no, there was the werewolf one where I met a witch who was trying to cure lycanthropy.” I shook my head and got the creamer out of the fridge.
Zayne snorted. “I didn’t hear about that one.”
“Greg was still alive. The witch was one powerful bitch. That was when I took over the circle on pack lands.” Grief tried to well up inside me at the mention of the circle. Recently, Merick had taken the circle over at Travis’ request.
Because Travis didn’t want my magic near the wolves. It was the last bit of my magic that was still around from when I was a witch.
Zayne nodded. “Well, you’re a vampire now. And balls are more fun when you’re a vampire. The only way you’ll get drugged is if you drink from tainted blood, but you have a strict list of donors. So, there’s a very low chance that will happen.”
“Mm,” I said, not really believing him. I picked up my mug and went back to the living room.
Zayne followed me. “You’re princess. It comes with the territory.”
“Yeah, just like press conferences.” My phone rang, and I picked it up.
“Abby speaking.”
“Do you want to go on an adventure with me tonight?” Liz’s voice came over the line and I glanced at Zayne.
I wasn’t technically under house arrest anymore and no one told me I had to stay in the house.
Zayne shrugged.
“Sure, where are we going?” I sat on the couch and sipped my coffee.
“Following a hunch, and I don’t want to go alone.”
I grinned. “Yes, please take me with you.”
Zayne nudged me.
“And Zayne, because you know…”
“Yeah, you guys come as a package now.” Liz laughed. “I expected him to come too.”
I glanced at my watch. “Let me text Simon. I think he’s supposed to come over later tonight, but I haven’t heard much from him since he went back to the pack grounds.”
“Okay, I’ll swing by and pick you up. I’ll be there in ten.” She disconnected the call.
She either was already on the way and just knew that I would say yes, or whatever hunch she was checking out was nearby.
I glanced at Zayne and saw he was grinning. “What?”
“It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten to go out.” He laughed. “I forgot that you’re not confined to your home. You just have to take me with you.”
I nodded. “Where did Merick run off to? Do you know?”
“I think Levi asked him to check out the crime scene since he was back.”
“Of course. Wonder why Oliver wouldn’t do it.”
Zayne snorted. “Because Oliver and Levi hate each other.”
“Probably. I’m going to go get ready for Liz.” I finished my coffee and went to go find my bag.
Zayne and I waited outside in the driveway. Liz came flying in, driving her PIB issued SUV.
“Tell me about this hunch,” I said as I got in the passenger side and Zayne in the backseat.
She grinned and turned the car around so she could leave my driveway. “I see Stephanie has left.”
I nodded. “Yeah, she wasn’t here at dusk. She must have assumed she wouldn’t get far by stalking me at the house. Anyway, this hunch?”
She turned left out of my driveway and drove down the two-lane road. “I found Yorkingson’s notebook. They finally cleaned out his office and since there was no next of kin, they just threw his stuff in the garbage.”
That was good for us. “Okay, what’s in this notebook?”
“A list of locations.”
Excitement filled me. “Any notes on what they might be?”
“No, when I looked them up on Google Maps, they all just seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, but there’s one about thirty miles away from your house.”
Zayne leaned forward so that he was in the space between mine and Liz’s seats. “We probably should pass this one by Levi since it’s case related.”
“No, Levi said that I got to handle it. I’m taking that as I don’t have to check in with him for every little thing.” I glanced at Liz. “But I’m surprised that you’re here with the attack at the park.”
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel a little and her breathing hitched. “I needed to step away from that one. I worked on it all day.” She wasn’t lying, but I bet it was a hard case to handle.
