Simon went right to the freezer to find a pizza and popped it into the oven. “Okay, so you went to the morgue and what happened?”
The wolf was wasting no time in this conversation, but he saved Levi from having to start it.
“I got a call from Detective Mason, the next thing I knew I was on the floor looking up at the ME, and then I went unconscious. When I woke, I was tied to a chair in a room with a fireplace.”
“Was there anything around to give you any clues?” Levi asked and sat down at the small table with her. She could have been anywhere. She was smart she and paid attention though.
She shook her head. “Nope, nothing, no pictures or anything to give me a clue of what was going on. The man who took me said that his name was Oliver Macintosh. He says that it was the Cult that actually killed my parents. He wants to protect me from them. He seems to think that they are coming after me for some mistake my dad made.”
That son of a bitch. Levi was going to kill him. He kept his face carefully blank to not give away his anger.
Simon brought the pizza to the table, and Abby’s stomach rumbled loud enough that everyone heard it. Levi and Simon both stared at her for a moment.
“What? I didn’t eat before I went to the morgue. So Simon, you might want to make another one, because I might eat this one all on my own.”
He raised a brow. “I already ate.” He sat down. “What do you think? Was Oliver Macintosh telling the truth?”
“I have no idea what to think. I was hoping Levi could shed some light on this and that if I run his name, I’d pull something up. Levi, do you need to feed?”
Levi closed his eyes. Mentally he ran through scenarios that would result in Oliver’s death. “Not at this moment. At this time I am debating on murdering your uncle or not.”
“Was everything he said true?”
“Yes, but I don’t know about him protecting you from the Cult. He didn’t want you trained in magic. He wanted to use a binding spell.” Of course Oliver wouldn’t mention that. Levi remembered how much of a fight it had turned into. Binding spells could be considered Black Magic, but Oliver wasn’t beyond that, and the only reasoning he could come up with for it was crap.
“Why?”
“Because he wanted to protect you. Your parents gave you to my custody in their will. My choice was to raise you as they would have. With your magic and the best training possible. Oliver didn’t agree, so I cut him out of your life.”
He didn’t miss the doubt in her eyes. “And now?”
“Now you’re old enough to make your own choice on that.” He shrugged. “I don’t rule your life, Abigail.” Even as much as he tried to, she was too stubborn to allow him to.
“Guess I should wait to see what my research turns up.”
“What about the Cult?” Simon asked. “And the murders?”
“I’ll keep investigating the murders. I don’t think the Cult has finished their mission yet, so I just need to stay out of their way and hope that I’m not the mission.”
Levi kept his mouth shut. When she was on a case, there was no use in trying to convince her otherwise.
“Do you really think that they are after you?” Simon reached for a slice of pizza, and Abby smacked his hand without missing a beat.
Levi nodded. “What Oliver told her makes sense, but it's strange that the Cult waited this long.”
“Fear maybe? Because we all know she’s one of the more powerful witches.” Simon winked at her, and Levi hid his smile at the small show of affection.
Abby shook her head. “I may be more powerful, but I’m not the best out there.”
“Unless they fear you’re going to continue your father’s work.” Levi looked at her. “Which is a very real possibility, seeing as it seems that the murders are connected to it.” Eventually, he knew Abby would continue Tobias’ research. It had been Elizabeth’s passion too.
“Seems to me that most of this is connected. I don’t like it.”
“So what are you going to do about it?” Simon asked and leaned back in the chair. “You’ve almost been killed once, you’ve been kidnapped, now what?”
Levi already knew what the answer was, and he wasn’t going to like it.
“Now I solve the murders, find a way to get the Cult off my case, maybe solve my parent’s murder, and go on with my life.” She looked at Levi. “I don’t know anything about the murder of my parents. The only thing I learned at the house was that it wasn’t witch hunters, but the Cult. Oliver shed some light on it, but I don’t know how much I can trust him.”
Levi shrugged. “I wouldn’t trust him as far as you could throw him.” He didn’t trust Oliver when it came to Abigail. The man was always out for his own gain.
Abby nodded. “So now, I eat my pizza, I get a good day’s rest. I search for clues, talk to the coven, oh, and see if that freak of nature vampire is out there selling drugs.”
“You didn’t kill him?” Levi raised a brow, and Abigail shook her head.
“Wanted to give him a chance first.”
Simon snorted.
Her and her damn morals. “And we see how that ended, don’t we?” Levi shook his head. “You’re too trusting, Abby.”
“I’m going to get some rest. I’ll see you all later.” She grabbed another piece of pizza before walking out of the room.
Simon looked at Levi. “So, that was eventful then.”
“It was. Oliver is trouble. He has a way of manipulating people and getting into their heads.” It’s one of the reasons he often called on Oliver if he needed his magical ability. They had a twisted work relationship. “Please watch over Abigail some more. Oliver has something he wants from her if he contacted her. Something that only Abby can provide him.” He didn’t know what it was though. It was unlikely that Oliver waited until now to come back into Abby’s life for no apparent reason. The anger boiled in him. “Please, Simon.”
“I’ll keep tagging along, but you know Greg won’t be happy about it.”
“Then Greg can contact me, and I’ll deal with him. Or you could kill him and take the Alpha spot.”
“You know exactly how I feel about that.” Simon shook his head. “I’m going to crash here tonight, so I can make sure I don’t miss Abby in the morning.”
He watched the wolf wander out of the kitchen. Levi leaned against the counter. Olive had planted doubt in Abby’s head. If she followed the trail of her parent’s death, then she would discover the truth about a lot of things.
Levi picked up his phone to call Oliver.
He answered on the second ring. “I take it Abigail got home just fine.”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Oliver? You are to stay away from her.”
Oliver chuckled. “She’s not a child anymore, Levi. You should be very proud of how she’s grown. A PIB agent, a talented witch, your charming ability to not give into threats or stressful situations. You’ve raised her to be quite paranoid.”
“You kidnapped your own niece.”
“It was quite the adventure. She was a bit harder to get to than I imagined since the wolf has been following her around. Smart of her to inform the cop that something was wrong.”
“I left it up to her if she wants to stay in contact with you, but I swear to God, Oliver, that if you harm her in any way or you attempt to drag her to the darker side of magic, I will slaughter you.”
“And then who would you call on when you needed questionable magic done, Levi? Abigail?” He laughed. “I think not. My niece will be choosing to stay in contact with me. She’ll need a guide, and a mentor, when she comes fully into her abilities.”
The phone went dead in Levi’s hand, and he snarled. He closed his eyes and calmed himself. There was nothing he could do about Oliver now, except kill him. But then he’d need Abigail or to find another witch to work for him.
This complicated things even more.
His phone rang again, and he saw Yorkingson’s face pop up. “What do you w
ant Agent?”
“I saw Abigail in the park the other night. Did you send her after the drug dealer?”
He sighed. “Yes, I did, as one of my people. Not as a PIB agent.”
“Why?”
“Don’t worry about why and get to the point of why you are calling. I don’t have the patience to be talked to like a child tonight.”
He was silent for a moment, and Levi wondered if he was debating on how to answer. “Fine, I’m calling because the PIB office in the next territory contacted me. They are requesting the help of a King’s Guard because of blood-starved vampires.”
Crap. “I was aware they were having issues there. I can go later if need be.”
“They wanted Abigail. Apparently, the vampire out there has heard of her. I intercepted though.”
Damn Abigail for being good at her job. “Thank you. I hate when she takes cases out of state.”
“Can’t keep an eye on her very well when she does that.” Yorkingson chuckled. “I’ll let you know if I need back up.”
“Thanks.” Hopefully he wasn’t going to have to go out there to help. He rubbed his eyes. “Keep me updated.” He hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair.
Maybe they were just a string of vampires and not related to Ira. One could hope, but without being there, he couldn’t say.
Hours later, he’d checked on the territory and talked to those in charge of patrolling it. Nothing out of the normal had shown up. No one had seen the new vampires anywhere. When he returned to the mansion, there was no sign of Abigail, and Simon was settled into a room for the night. Dawn wasn’t far off, yet something didn’t sit well with him.
Oliver kidnapping Abigail felt a little bit more forceful than the wizard usually went for. Of course, maybe he had tried more subtle ways and Abigail hadn’t fallen for it. Her paranoia knew no bounds, and it was Levi’s fault.
He went to his room to prepare for the day. Sleep was what he needed, not sleeping the full day before wore on him. He needed to regain his strength and start thinking clearly.
He switched out of his suit into his sweats and sat on the bed. He bowed his head as he tried to think through what was going on. Ira was creeping in on the territory and trying to draw him out. Out of the territory so he could get to Abigail. He said he had a present for her, and Levi could only imagine what it was.
CHAPTER NINE
It was barely dusk when Ira’s phone rang. He swiped it off the bedside table and answered without looking at the screen. “What.”
“We’ve killed one of Levi’s people with the drug.”
Ira shot up in bed. “Who?”
“A common donor. No one important, but it should be enough to catch his attention.”
Yes, it should. Now the question was who would Levi send out to take care of the problem. Every bit of research said Abigail. A bit of a risky move, but it would keep her seen and feared as something other than a PIB agent.
A smart move for Levi. It’d help keep weaker enemies from coming after her. “If he sends the girl again, make sure you kill her this time. At the very least wound her. Bring her body to me. I need her blood. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir. I understand.” The line went dead in Ira’s hand, and he chuckled.
“Oh Levi, what a territory you’ve built around yourself. Elizabeth would be so proud. It’s a shame she’s dead because of you.” Ira ran his tongue over his fangs.
He dialed another number on his phone. “I need to know how the donors are doing?”
“They’re still sedated. I’m getting ready to transport the blood to the main lab. For now, these guys will be fine. Once they recover from the blood draws, I’ll start them on the mixed bags, and we’ll see what happens with the new formula.”
Ira smiled. “Good, make sure that if they aren’t coherent you kill them. We only need the ones that we can control.”
“Of course, and the bodies?”
“To our dump. Same as usual.”
The man on the other end made a grunting noise and then disconnected. Ira sat on the end of his bed and bowed his head. One way or another, the world would be his, one way or another. Levi was weak minded. He could easily achieve what they had originally set out to do. But now his mind had been weakened by love.
But Ira, he’d never seen the world in a clear light. His beloved Elizabeth, stolen from him by his own brother. Elizabeth’s heart changed by a mere child that shouldn’t have lived. Or even existed.
He snarled at the thought. They betrayed him. All of them. He slammed his fist into the wall in a rash act of anger. The wall gave under the punch and cracked up to the ceiling.
Levi would pay. For everything. His crown would be the first to go. Then he’d take everything Levi ever loved.
Starting with Abigail.
What Mario?” Levi answered the phone on the first ring.
“Ivy has died.”
He took a moment to process the information. “From the overdose?”
“Her heart stopped, and they weren’t able to resuscitate her.” Mario’s voice was calm, almost too calm for the situation.
The drug dealer and the person controlling him had made a vital mistake. Taking out one of his people. “I’ll make sure Abigail knows that she must kill him. Tonight.”
“Why her? I can go out and kill him.”
“Because I have a feeling that this is someone testing us, and I’m not willing to let them know that you’re back at my side right now. We’re supposed to be the king’s guards, and I don’t want them to know that two of us are in the same territory right now.”
“So you’re sending Abigail out.”
“He’s a low-level vampire. She can take him out with one shot or a stab in the heart.” Levi waved his hand, dismissing Mario’s thought, even though the other vampire couldn’t see him.
“Right. I just thought I’d let you know.” He disconnected.
Levi put the phone down and sighed. It was rare that someone so close to his territory died, but it couldn’t go without being handled. Ivy would be missed, and she deserved to be avenged. Had he been able to hunt down the vampire before, or had Abigail handle it earlier, then Ivy would have been alive still.
He reached for his phone and called Abigail.
She answered almost right away. “What’s up, boss?”
He hated when she called him that. It made her seem even more detached from him than she already was. It was bad enough to hear her still refer to Tobias as ‘dad.’ “There was a person who died from an overdose on Thrills,” he growled. “One of my people. You need to finish this. Tonight.”
She took a deep breath and prepared for her to argue. “I’ll fit it into my schedule.”
That was pretty much a ‘fuck you’ coming from her. “You will do it tonight, Abigail. I cannot have him killing my people with his stupid drug.” Who knew who else it would kill. It was hitting closer to home with Ivy’s death, and that was unacceptable.
“I know, I’ll do it. I’m just…a bit overwhelmed right now. You know, other murders and all. But I’ll be close to his area of town tonight.” There was something she wasn’t saying, and he could hear it in her voice, but he wouldn’t push. If it were something she couldn’t handle, she’d be smart and take back up with her. So he hoped.
“You never let me down.” He grinned. She was learning how to balance her life and working for him. One day she might be ready to take Oliver’s place. If Levi allowed it. “Are you coming back to the mansion tonight?”
“Yeah, apparently after I kill this drug dealer. Seriously, can’t anyone else do it?” She sighed. “I have dinner with someone who was close to the newest victims tonight. I’ll probably be back close to dawn.”
Ah, so work was what was on her mind that made her hesitate on taking care of the vampire. “It has to be you,” Levi said it a bit sharper than he meant to. “Don’t question why. Just trust me on this matter.” Because he didn’t really want to explain that the vampire w
as too much of a low life to send one of his stronger people after.
“Okay, it’ll be done tonight. I really hate to have to kill him, but it’s not like there’s a vampire rehab.”
He laughed a little at the ridiculous idea. “I will see you if you get back before dawn then.” He disconnected the phone and put it down.
She’d get it done even if it was only to get him off her case. Of course, she’d try to send him on a guilt trip for having her kill the vampire.
His security system beeped letting him know that something outside had activated it. He turned to the monitor and didn’t see anything.
He let out a hmmm before taking himself outside to take a look. Technology could only get you so far, and people like Oliver often knew how to trick it. But there, just out of the camera’s view was a black cat. Levi raised a brow at seeing the cat again. “Here kitty-kitty.” He bent down to try and get it to come to him.
Elizabeth always said that if an animal refused to leave, chances were that it was a familiar. Elizabeth had a cat. Part of him hoped this one was hers. “Come here.”
It hissed at him and went further into the trees. Levi stood up and sighed. Guess not.
Mario appeared. “I’ve informed everyone who needs to know about Ivy’s death.”
“Abigail will take care of the vampire tonight. She understands that she must kill him.”
Mario laughed. “Oh, I bet she loved that. She hates when she has to kill for you.”
“She does. But eventually Oliver is going to get himself killed, and Abigail will have to take over for him.”
Mario was silent for a moment. “Do you think that’s wise?”
“It’s not like I can bring another witch or wizard that close to me. Clarissa is too innocent to even think about it.”
Mario nodded and motioned to the cat. “You should feed him. He’s been hanging around a lot.”
Levi looked at him. “You’ve gotten that close to know it’s a him?”
“Oh yeah, feral cat, big balls. It’s a male alright.” Mario laughed. “He keeps the mice away.”
Levi watched the cat glare at him from the tree line. “Oh, I bet he does.”
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