Clarissa went to the counter and quickly explained the situation as he held tight to Abby as she started to convulse again. Before he knew it a team of medical staff came to him with a gurney. He laid her down and left her in the hands of the doctor. He watched them roll her into the back room and the doors shut, leaving him with nothing to do but worry.
Clarissa put a hand on his arm. “Now we wait. While we wait will you get a picture of that note? If I can get it deciphered, maybe I can help her better.”
He nodded and disappeared. He closed his eyes trying to calm himself. Abby would be fine, Clarissa could pull the hex off her, and there would be no testing the theory of what happens to a little hybrid witch-vampire when it dies.
Walking into Abby’s chamber, he paused to see if any magic came over him. Nothing. He knew enough to know that meant the spell was either gone or it wouldn’t affect him since it wasn’t meant for him. He found the note and took a quick picture of it to send to Clarissa.
He wouldn’t go back to the hospital. There was nothing he could do there but wait, so he might as well get started on looking for this vampire who was selling drugs.
He sent Clarissa a text with the picture. ‘Keep me updated.’ He left Abby’s chamber and shut the door. With a couple hours left before dawn, he had time to go to PIB and talk to Agent Yorkingson about the letter and see exactly what he knew about the situation.
CHAPTER FOUR
Levi appeared in Yorkingson’s office, and the vampire looked up at him. His one white eye was a bit unnerving, while the brown one attempted to stare Levi down.
“You know, a simple phone call would have done well.” Grayson smirked. “You didn’t have to pop in here. I know you’re a busy man.”
“You’re one to talk about a phone call. You sent me a snail mail letter, Grayson.” Levi shook his head. “Tell me about this drug.”
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “It’s a magically enhanced form of heroin. There have been three victims so far with it in their system.”
“And how do we know it’s a vampire?” Levi raised a brow, his way of asking why this was his problem.
“Because each victim also has bite marks in very intimate places.” He pulled out some pictures and put them on the desk.
Levi looked through them. The victims were all female, dark hair, slim frames. Other pictures showed the bite marks at the junctures of the thighs. The vampire had gotten close enough to seduce his victim, either with the help of the drug or without. He gathered the pictures, and Grayson handed him a file folder with more documents. Levi took it, thumbed through it, and then added the photographs.
“If you don’t want PIB snooping around your business, I suggest you get it taken care of. Chances are that they’d put Abby on the case.”
And he wanted to keep Abby as far away from vampire dealings as he could, especially if he couldn’t control the situation. “Okay, I’ll start asking around to see what I can find. Don’t let Abby get wind of it or she’ll be asking me questions left and right.”
“Then make sure you deal with it. You know how I feel about making sure cases don’t cross her desk.”
Levi nodded. “You’ve made it clear before. I appreciate you watching out for her.” He turned to leave.
“What are you going to do if Ira crosses her path?”
Levi shook his head. “Ira won’t come to my territory. He knows what I’m capable of.”
“He won’t stay away forever Levi.”
He knew the agent was right. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of your drug dealer, and we’ll keep it off of PIB’s plate.”
He took himself back to the mansion and checked his phone for an update from Clarissa. Nothing. He needed to focus on something else. Clarissa had no idea what was at stake if Abby died. But as her friend, he did not doubt that Clarissa was just as worried.
He sat at his desk and spread out the information that Grayson gave him. He put the pictures of the victims in a pile to his left and then looked over the report from the coroner, a doctor Lambsburg. The cause of death had been an overdose of the drug, as stated. The bite marks weren’t listed as a complication but as sexual interaction.
A knock came at his door, and he looked up from the papers. “Come in.” There were very few people who could enter his house, so there was no worry of it being someone he couldn’t trust. Besides, he’d heard the heartbeat and breathing a moment before the knock came, and he knew exactly who it was.
“Hello, Ivy.” He smiled at the woman. “Thank you for coming tonight.”
The tall blonde swayed her way in, reminding him of a cat. “You know I could never refuse you, Levi. It’s been a few days since you’ve called me to feed.” She sat in the chair in front of his desk and crossed one long leg over the other, letting her dress slide up a bit.
She was often trying to get more than just feeding. Sex, release, it didn’t matter how she got it. He never gave it to her. All he needed was a quick meal, not a quick fuck. He stood. “It’s been a busy few days, and I’m afraid it’s going to get busier.”
“You need company?” She slid off the chair and leaned over the desk.
He shook his head. “No, just all territory work. Don’t worry about it.” He stood. “Let’s get me fed, and you can go about your night. I’m sure you have better things to do.”
“Is Mario around?”
Well, that would qualify as one better thing to do. Levi kept his comment to himself. “No, he’s on a mission for the King.”
She pushed her lip out and pouted. “Okay.”
Levi raised a brow. “Just okay?”
“Don’t worry about it.” She shot back his own words. “Where are we feeding from tonight?”
She acted like it changed every time he called on her. “Wrist.”
She offered it with a huff. “You’re no fun, Levi.”
The banter was normal, but he wasn’t one to play with his food. Not to say he didn’t enjoy female company from time to time, just not a regular donor. He gently took her wrist and bit.
The warm blood trickled down his throat as he sucked at the wound. The sound of Ivy’s soft moan didn’t escape his ears, but it was not sexual pleasure he was after. He was after the pleasure of the bloodlust edging away. The heightened vision and power that being fully fed would give him.
He pulled back after a few minutes and bowed his head. “Thank you.”
She looked at her wrist. “No thanks needed. I’ll see you in a few days.”
He watched her walk out and knew she’d leave without an issue. He crossed his arms and leaned against the desk. His phone rang, jerking him out of his post-feeding zone.
He swiped it off the desk. “Levi speaking.”
“They’ve got her stable now, but she’s not waking up.” Clarissa’s exhausted voice came through the phone.
“Do they know why?”
“No, but I think it’s because she’s fighting off the hex. I’m hoping her magic is stronger than whatever it is that hit her.”
He closed his eyes. Luckily when it came to death, Abby seemed to be more stubborn than most. “Any luck on the runes?”
“No, I know they’re old, but I can’t decipher them.”
“Okay, thank you, Clarissa. I can’t be there the rest of tonight, but I will check in tomorrow night.”
She sniffled a little bit. “I understand. You have important stuff to do in the territory. Abby would understand too.”
Abby probably would have kicked him out the moment she woke up. He looked back at the case on his desk. “Yeah, I know she would.” He disconnected the call and went back to the documents that Grayson had given him. Something in there had to give him a clue to the vampire that was doing this.
He spread the papers out and looked over the victims and their locations. He’d noted before that they all had similar looks. Grayson had provided other information on the victims, and he scanned the document to see if there were any other s
imilarities, other than being a druggy.
A waitress.
A teacher.
A student.
A retail clerk.
Nothing similar there, but they found all the bodies near the same spot. He needed to know if the victims knew each other or not.
His phone rang, and he snatched it up. “Levi speaking.”
“Hello, brother.”
His heart dropped. “Ira, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I wanted to come see you since I’ll be in town for some business this week.”
“You don’t have permission to be in my territory.” Levi kept his voice even. “You are not to be anywhere near my territory after the stunts you’ve been pulling.”
“My goals were the same as yours once,” Ira mused. “Now, brother, I actually want to visit my niece, but I know you won’t allow that. Abigail’s birthday was recent, wasn’t it? I want to leave her a gift.”
Like hell he’d allow that. “What are your true intentions, Ira?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll stay out of your business. You won’t even know I’m there until I come to say hello.” The line disconnected and Levi closed his eyes. The rumors about blood-starved vampires overseas had him thinking Ira had moved all operations in that direction. Maybe he had been wrong. Ira was breaking protocol by coming uninvited and without any negotiations. He could take the vampire to trial in front of the council for that. If he could manage to get the vampire at all. Ira always managed to avoid being trapped.
Tomorrow night he was due to meet with the council. He’d alert them as to what was going on, and they’d all discuss what to do about it. Without knowing what Ira’s real motives were, it was hard to say what actions they needed to take.
Until then, he’d study the case of the drug victims and formulate a plan.
A couple hours later Levi walked into the meeting room where the council members sat, among them Agent Yorkingson and Mario. Levi sat down and looked over the table.
“I received a phone call today. Ira is planning on visiting the states.” There was a collective unease that moved across the table. “He is well aware that he does not have permission to be in my territory, but we all know that won’t stop him.”
Yorkingson sighed. “I’ll try to handle all Ira and PIB related cases.”
Mario leaned back in his chair. “When the time comes, I’ll be back at your side as your guard.”
Levi opened his mouth to argue, but Mario held up a hand. “We all know that you cannot think clearly when it comes to your brother and his threats. For him to kill you would cause anarchy in the vampire world.”
“And what of Princess Abigail?” Catalina spoke up. “Should she be notified?”
“No, she doesn’t know of Ira’s existence, so there’s no need to alert her or worry her. She has her hands full with a case right now. She’ll be out of our way.” He shook his head. “There will be no bringing her in on this. Any of Ira’s actions will fall under Yorkingson’s case files in PIB.”
Mario gave him a look of approval. “Ira won’t be able to reverse all the work we’ve done to assimilate into the human world.”
The vampires had been a special case when the supernatural creatures came out. Though like most creatures, vampires had been human once, they were immortal. The integration into the human world and laws had been complicated, and they were the only creatures to vote on having a king instead of a liaison to the human world.
If Ira had his way, they’d be back in the dark ages, hunting from the shadows, making everyone fear the creatures in the dark. Levi had been the same way, until Elizabeth.
“How are the territories looking?” Levi asked, switching subjects away from Abigail and Ira. They were weaknesses that he couldn’t afford to admit to having.
Catalina pulled out some papers. “Good. Vampire violence is down, and werewolves are climbing the charts over vampires on PIBs most executed list, so I say that’s a pretty good start.”
“If the wolves and vampires would ally more there would be fewer territory wars that would cause the humans to send PIB after us.” Grayson shrugged. “It would also mean that territories are safer from bigger threats.”
It was a thought he had long ago as well, which was why he was working on creating an alliance with Greg and the wolves. Though the alpha was a stubborn ass, he had no doubt that the alliance would be good for them.
“Then we suggest everyone works on that, as well as finding appropriate blood donors, at least until science figures something else out. What about statistics of people changed into vampires to consent versus non-consent?”
“Non-consents are down. It’s helped that humans have started to put in their wills if they want to be resurrected as a vampire or not. Other non-consensual changes are punished appropriately, and the humans are learning what resources to provide to those victims.”
Levi nodded. “Good, each territory needs to let the human departments know that we can offer resources and that we want to help. The more positive PR we have, the better. Showing that we care for the humans makes us seem less like monsters and that we still retain part of our humanity.”
“That helps when true monsters appear.” Yorkingson chuckled. “A nice reminder that not all of us are evil bloodsuckers.”
The vampire was right, and a time would come when they’d have to prove that they weren’t all monsters. Levi let out a sigh. “We’re going to need that reassurance if Ira makes any more progress.”
“Have you talked to your maker about him?” Catalina asked.
Levi shook his head. “I haven’t heard from my maker in centuries.”
“We all think you should reach out to him, and see if there is any way he can corral him.”
Levi knew exactly how that was going to end. “He holds the same beliefs as Ira. I don’t think he’ll be any help, and I’d rather not bring his attention to the situation.”
There was a murmur around the table. Levi looked over them. “I’m afraid there might be more bloodshed over this situation than any of us want. And if it bleeds into the human world, we might have more issues.”
Yorkingson stood. “That very well may be. We have to stop him then.”
Which would be easier said than done. “Where are you going?”
“PIB has paged me. I need to go handle something with my case.”
Levi nodded. “Meeting adjured then.”
One at a time each council member disappeared until only Mario remained.
“When was the last time you fed?” Mario asked, breaking the silence.
“I am not a child, nor a youngling.” Levi glared at him. “I fed the night before Abigail ended up in the hospital.”
“And not since?” Mario raised a brow. “You’re always on me about not letting my personal life affect my work, how it shows weakness, and here you are not fully fed.”
Levi stood and let his power leak out, and Mario visibly shuddered. “Do not assume that just because I am not fully fed that I am weak. If Abigail’s situation were truly affecting me, I’d be at the hospital with her making sure that Ira doesn’t visit her.”
“I’m surprised you’re not.”
“Ira doesn’t know where she is. I’m not convinced he truly know’s his theory about her is correct.” Levi rubbed his eyes. “It doesn’t matter though, what matters is we take care of him without upsetting my maker. Which means we need to make sure that he is brought to trial through the council and the human world so he can’t claim that Ira is innocent.”
Mario crossed his arms. “Let one of his cases come across PIB, and let someone other than Yorkingson take it. If he’s brought to PIB’s attention, they can help go through the proper channels.”
Levi hesitated. “But —”
“That puts Abigail closer than you like. I know, but let’s face it, she wouldn’t stop until she caught Ira.”
“And that’s what I’m afraid of.” He shook his head. “Don’t you need to get back to Ha
nnah?”
“My time with her is almost done, I’ll be able to return to your side.”
Levi sighed. “I wish I could have negotiated better for you, Mario.”
“What you did was good enough.” He bowed his head and then disappeared.
Levi reached for his phone, tempted to call Clarissa, but he needed to let her be and not pester the witch. She’d let him know if Abigail woke or not. He sighed and took himself back to the mansion.
His phone rang the moment he appeared in his office. “Levi speaking.”
“I can’t get a hold of Abigail.” Detective Mason’s voice came through the line. “Do you have any idea of where she is?”
“She’s in the hospital.”
There was silence on the other end for a moment. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten an update on her, Detective, but I’m sure she’ll return to work the moment she wakes.” He couldn’t keep the annoyance out of his voice. “Why are you calling me?”
“Because I have information that’s imperative to the case. We got results on the arm. Just tell her that there was a problem with it and have her call me when she’s feeling up to it.”
Knowing Abigail, she’d be calling the moment she woke up.
“I’ll let her know.” He disconnected the call. Mason was a good detective, and Abigail worked well with him, but Levi still despised the fact that she worked for PIB and couldn’t find a nice quiet career.
Of course, she was Elizabeth’s daughter. He shook his head and checked his watch. There was still time to check out the area where the drugs had been found. He could be back to the mansion before dawn and have more information to add to his file.
He looked over the file and noted the locations where the women were found. They were downtown, close to a park, and around the area known for streetwalkers. Levi took himself to the park and looked around.
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