Scarlet Mirror (Rise of the Vampire Princess Book 3), page 8
“I know, but I wanted to find you. Something is wrong here, Levi. We know that when Abigail gets trapped in a corner, she uses her powers, her abilities, but I’m not seeing any of that.”
My jaw ticked. “Because you have her wrapped in chains.”
“Those don’t block or hinder her elemental abilities. She should have tried to burn the hell out of me for restraining her, but she didn’t even try. We both know that she does not listen to her limits if she’s in trouble. Blood-starved or not.”
She had a point. “Can someone possess a vampire?” I frowned. “Ghosts, demons, souls?”
“I don’t know if the undead can be possessed.”
Abigail cried out from inside her room, and I flinched. “We have to fix this.”
“And we will.” Catalina let go of my wrist. “But we don’t know what recovery will look like. We don’t know what was done to her. I’m going to gather donors.”
I walked into the room to find Abigail on her bed, chains wrapped around her blanket. She looked at me with red eyes.
“Blood?” she asked. “Please?”
“Catalina is working on it.” I pulled a chair up to her bed. “Can you tell me what you’re feeling?”
She frowned. “Trapped. Pain. I’m so hungry,” she muttered. “Something is fighting inside me…and it hurts.”
I ran my hand over her head, brushing strands of hair out of her face. “We’ll get you fed. We’ll find out what's happening. Maybe Liz has something that can help with the pain.” Or Oliver, but I didn’t want to bring him in on this. Not right now.
Abigail looked back at the ceiling, as if ignoring my existence, but I refused to leave her side.
Catalina and I made sure that Abigail fed several times. The red in her eyes would leave and then come back just a few minutes later. Liz arrived at the mansion as dawn rolled around.
She walked into Abigail’s room and quietly shut the door behind her. “How is she?”
“Not well, Liz.” I glanced at her over my shoulder. “She’s asleep now, but I fear what she’ll be like when she wakes.”
Liz’s gaze wandered over the chains. “Zayne told me what was going on. I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner.”
“Can you fix it?” I turned back to Abigail. “Please tell me you can fix it.”
Liz sat down next to me and put her hand on Abigail. She frowned and pulled her hand back. “I need Oliver.”
“No.” I growled. “Merick, fine, but not Oliver.”
Liz swallowed. “I need someone more familiar with Abigail’s magic, Levi.”
“Merick is familiar with it.” I insisted, but my mind was spinning. “Why? What do you sense?”
Liz shook her head. “I’m not saying anything until I can confirm. Fuck.” She stood and walked out of the room. I let her go. I would not leave Abigail.
Had Liz sensed magic? Was there are spark in Abigail that wasn’t there before? The night her magic circle around the wolf pack grounds came down, Oliver thought he felt a bit of magic. Maybe it was still there.
‘Something inside me is fighting,’ Abigail said. Maybe that’s what it was. Maybe her magic was trying to return.
I couldn’t let Oliver in on this because it would get his hopes up, and if I was wrong…the warlock was still mad at me for letting Abigail change.
Abigail groaned in her sleep, and I sighed. Even in a vampiric sleep, she wasn’t at peace.
Liz came back in. “Merick is on his way up. If you need to rest, he and I have her tonight.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m fed well enough that I can sit with her throughout the day.”
“Levi, we—”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Liz. It’s that I can’t leave her alone, wrapped in chains. If she wakes up, I want to be here to comfort her.” I swallowed. "Vampires usually use chains for punishment. I don’t want her to think that.”
Liz nodded. “I’m going to make some coffee before Merick gets here. I haven’t slept yet tonight, and I imagine it’s going to be a long day.”
I snorted. “I have that feeling, too. Go make coffee. Bring Abigail a cup in case she wakes.”
Liz walked out of the room. I sat with Abigail, watching her sleep. Occasionally, she whimpered, and her brows pinched together. Her temperature shot up and then lowered a couple of times while I waited for Liz and Merick.
This reminded me so much of when her magic had crashed down. When I thought I was going to lose her. When Oliver had to feed her. Fuck. I didn’t want to give her any more magical blood, but if that’s what it took to break whatever was going on…
I’d have no choice. I couldn’t watch her suffer like this. Which also made me wonder if this was going to be a common occurrence.
“Levi,” Abigail muttered and tried to raise her hand, her eyes still closed.
I put my hand on top of hers, the blanket in between us. “I’m right here.”
“Find her, please. She needs help.” Abigail’s eyes opened. “She’s trapped.”
“Who is she, Abigail?”
“I don’t know, but she’s calling me. She wants me to find her.” Her eyes closed again as sleep took her.
Liz and Merick walked in. Liz set an extra cup of coffee on Abigail’s nightstand.
Merick walked around the bed, his brows drawn together. “There’s some magic, you’re right. It’s faint though.” Merick pressed his lips together and put his hand on Abigail’s head, just like Liz had. “And it’s hers.” He looked up at me. “Her magic is trying to fight off whatever did this to her.”
“Impossible. She has showed no signs of her magic truly being there.” I looked at Liz. “Impossible, right?”
Liz shrugged. “Levi, I don’t know. Abigail is a mystery. We know witches that become vampires can go crazy because their magic fights against the vampire part of their blood. But we also know that some survive with their sanity intact.”
“A few,” I agreed. Though I wasn’t sure if Hannah would count as ‘sanity intact.’
“Maybe that’s what’s happening. Her magic is finally recovering from what Samuel did to her and is fighting against her new nature,” Merick offered. “Oliver would know more.”
I glanced at him. “Why would Oliver know more?”
“Because he’s been researching it,” Liz offered. “He’s been trying to figure out a way to bring her magic back to her.”
Of course he was, because he couldn’t just accept that she was a vampire now. “Thank you for letting me know.”
Abigail’s back arched against the chains, crying out. Merick put his hand back on her head and whispered something.
No, not something. A spell.
Abigail fell back against the bed. Her face softened as her body relaxed. I looked at Merick. “What did you do?”
“Magic.” He shrugged. “Liz told me what happened while they were out. Have you checked the area that they went?”
“No, I haven’t. I don’t want to leave Abigail alone, and I don’t know exactly where they went. Or how they found the location.”
Liz leaned against the wall. “It was a location written in a notebook that belonged to Grayson. We followed up on it and see what might be there.”
“And there were magical protections in place.”
Liz bobbed her head from side to side. “Sort of. It was like a minefield of triggers and organized protection. Booby traps.”
“You only set off one.” I raised a brow.
“Yes, and we were right on top of another one when Abby was…” Liz motioned to Abigail. “Whatever this is.”
“Tomorrow night, we’ll go check out the location. If you two can go clear these magical booby traps, I’ll have Catalina or Zayne sit with Abigail.” I didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone. “Maybe Simon,” I muttered. “He always has a way of calming her down and making her smile, despite the situation.”
Liz nodded. “Merick and I can do that. I need to get some sleep today. I’m still working on that attack in the park, too. Working for both you and PIB is exhausting. It’s a wonder Abby ever slept when she did both.”
Merick snorted. “Four hours a night, tops. She really didn’t sleep much.”
“Mm, she makes up for it now that she’s a vampire.” I gave a small laugh. “She doesn’t get much of a choice.”
The other two laughed, and then Merick jerked his head. “Come on, let’s get this done and then you can go home to bed.”
She saluted him and left the room. Merick followed her, leaving me alone with Abigail once more.
I watched as she slept. Mimicking the dead, no breathing, no twitching, as a vampire should be during the day. But Abigail was always surprising us and who knew what challenges her vampire and witch blood were giving her now.
“If anything changes with her condition, you call me.” I looked at Simon and Zayne. “I don’t care if it’s simply she opens her eyes and starts talking normally. You call me.”
Simon nodded, but his eyes were all for Abigail on the bed. “And I thought the near-death stuff would be over when she became a vampire.”
“She’s not near death,” I said. “She’s…we don’t know, but she’s not dying.”
Zayne snorted and leaned against the wall by the bathroom. “She’s too stubborn to die.”
Simon made a ‘mm’ noise. “And silver chains are needed?”
“Because she broke through the ropes and the normal chains, and we couldn’t hold her down,” Zayne stated. “So…” he motioned to the bed. “She was clawing at her skin and face. We had to stop her from harming herself.”
Simon sighed. “Okay, I guess that’s the best option, then.”
“I don’t like it either. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
They both nodded, and I took myself to the location that Liz and Merick had given me.
Which was in the middle of a field. With nothing around us except for a burned spot that must have been from the magic they had set off last night. Merick and Liz were standing next to each other, their backs to me.
“This is where this all happened?”
Liz nodded. “Merick and I have found nothing yet. We cleared the magic, but we can’t figure out what hit Abby. We’re hoping you’ll be able to sense something as a vampire.”
I walked forward to join them. “This is where Abigail put the fire out.” I stated. We stood right where Liz’s circle would have been. “How much further did you go after that?”
Liz walked about two yards away. “Here.”
Merick and I both followed her. Nothing, absolutely nothing.
Disappointment filled me, because I was hoping we’d find something that would help Abigail. “There’s nothing here. Whatever it was, is gone.” No hidden vampire. No sign of who might have attacked her. If it was an attack.
Just an empty field.
Liz growled. “I’ll check the other locations, see if they are the same. There was at least a dozen of them. Maybe we can figure out what was going on.”
“This would have been easier if Abby just informed you of Grayson’s betrayal,” Merick muttered. “We could do a tracing spell and see what comes up.”
“Abigail was in no mood to let Grayson live as he tried to deny what she knew.” I shook my head. “Would it be wise to do a tracing spell when there had been so much magic here?”
Merick shrugged. “Abby and I have done them in magic heavy places before. Liz is almost as powerful as Abby, if not more now. Together, we could handle it.”
There was so much information to glean from a trace spell, sometimes dangerous information. Abigail had learned several secrets that way.
“I think it’s worth a try,” Liz said. “If Merick and I can learn something to help Abby. We don’t know how long she can stay sane in the shape she’s in.”
“Then do it. I’ll be at the mansion if you find anything out.” I paused. “Abigail might need magical blood to pull her out of this.”
“If that’s the case, I’m willing to feed her.” Merick said before Liz responded.
His quickness surprised me. “Thank you.” He’d always watched over Abigail, and it was just recently I thought it was sincere, not just because the Cult had tasked him with her safety. “I will hopefully see you later tonight.”
Liz nodded. “Yeah, hopefully.”
I took myself back to the mansion and right to Abigail’s room. Simon looked up when I walked in.
“That was quick.”
“There was nothing there to see,” I said honestly. “How is she?”
“She hasn’t stirred at all.” Simon shook his head. “So still, shouldn’t she have woken with dusk?”
I nodded. “Merick cast a spell to help her calm. Maybe that has something to do with it.”
“She’ll need to feed soon.” Zayne pointed out. “If she sleeps all night, she’ll be further into bloodlust.”
“I know,” I stated. “I know.” I went to the bed and touched her shoulder. “Abigail?”
No response. I tried not to panic. “Abigail?” I shook her a little, and she groaned.
Her eyes flickered open, still filled with red. She jerked at her chains, snapping her fangs at me. It was stupid to wake her without a source there, and I cursed myself for not thinking about it.
No. I had been hoping she wouldn’t still be in blood lust when she woke. I was hoping she’d be back to herself.
She jerked the chains hard enough that the bed creaked under her. “Abigail, listen to me. Control it. Zayne will bring a donor.” I turned to look at Zayne. “Go get Merick.”
He disappeared, and I turned back to Abigail, who was not hearing me as she thrashed in the bed, trying to get free. Simon stepped forward and put his wrist against her mouth.
“What are you doing?” I hissed at him. “Travis has forbidden—”
“Fuck him.” He growled as Abigail’s fangs tore into him. “I can’t watch this and do nothing. We’ll make sure she doesn’t take too much.”
I was going to protest, but Abigail stopped her thrashing as she drank from him. Deep pulls as her throat worked to swallow the blood she needed so much.
I would pull Simon away before it became too much, but for this moment, I let her feed from her wolf.
Chapter Nine
Abigail
Something sweet and delicious filled my mouth, and I latched on to it. The taste of dark, rich chocolate coated my tongue, and I knew it was the taste of magic. I wanted more. I pulled against my restraints, trying to grab on to the wrist in my mouth as I gulped down the blood that was offered to me.
Magical blood.
This was wrong. I needed to stop.
I tried to slow down, but I couldn’t. Something inside me called to the magical blood. I needed it to strengthen that call. I needed it to…to do what, exactly?
The wrist was taken away from me and my eyes snapped open to see Merick standing over me, a towel on his wrist.
Fuck.
I didn’t know what to say as I stared at him. He’d obviously given me his blood willingly since I was chained to my bed.
Chained to my bed…
I glanced down at my body and found chains wrapped around me on top of a blanket. I then looked back up to Merick. “I’m missing something.”
“A lot, actually,” he said and stepped away so I could see Levi behind him.
Lovely. I was sure another lecture was coming. I laid my head back down on the pillow. “Can someone unchain me?”
Levi sat down in the chair beside my bed. “What do you remember?”
That wasn’t an answer, and I still could not sit up or move much at all.
“I remember being in the field with Liz and Zayne…I remember the magical explosion. I helped put out the flames while Liz held the circle. Then a crash of power ran over my body, pulling me towards it.” I frowned as I felt that pull inside me still. It was quieter now, but there was still something there. I wanted to follow it, like a magical tug telling…no, demanding me to go where it was.
“Abigail?” Levi asked, and I looked at him.
“I have glimpses of me talking to you about finding someone. A lot of pain and an enormous need to feed. That’s it. I’m more clear-headed now, though. Can we please get the chains off me?” My mind was flashing to Ivan and the chains. “I thought…I thought you said you wouldn’t use chains.”
Levi glanced at Merick. “Please, undo them.”
Merick looked hesitant for a moment, but then went to work.
Levi sighed. “You were hurting yourself in your pain and panic. It was the only thing we could do to keep you safe.”
Merick finished with the chains, and I sat up. “I don’t remember that.”
“I know you don’t. You were far gone. Blood-starved.” Levi shook his head. “We were worried we wouldn’t be able to pull you back.”
I motioned to Merick. “Hence that magical blood. Like last time.”
“Like last time. I don’t want this becoming a habit though, Abigail.”
I shrugged. “I managed to not bite any witches or warlocks after feeding from Oliver. I think I’ll be okay.”
“Glad to see that your snark is returning.” Levi shook his head. “I’ll bring you some coffee. You are not to leave this room without a vampire with you. Understood?”
I was about to argue, but seeing that Merick couldn’t force me back into chains if something happened, it was probably a good idea. “Aye, Captain.”
Levi just stared at me.
I rolled my eyes. “Can I take a shower, at least?”
“Yes. I’ll send Zayne in.” He walked out, and I looked at Merick.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “You were rough, is all. With being blood-starved, I expected it.”
“Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“No one does, but there’s a small thing you need to be aware of. Something I don’t think Levi wants you to know.”
Before he could continue, Zayne walked in. He threw his arms around me and squeezed. “You’re awake, you’re talking.”
I gave him a quick hug back. I wanted to continue the conversation with Merick, but it looked like it was going to have to wait. “I’m going to take a shower. If anything weird happens, I’ll let you know.”
