Grayson simply disappeared from Levi's side. Levi stayed for a moment. "Lenora."
"What is it?"
"If she is killing people, you know the consequences."
She spun around and let out a string of Gaelic.
Levi sighed. "I don't speak Gaelic."
She took a deep breath and seemed to compose herself. She straightened her dress. "Of course I know. Now please. Let me be."
He bowed his head and took himself outside to meet with Grayson.
Grayson stood on the sidewalk, looking to the north. Levi started walking in that direction and Grayson followed. "Do you think she believes that Meghan is innocent?" Levi asked.
Grayson nodded. "I do. Lenora has never given us any problems in the past. Her name in the system is squeaky clean."
"I'm hoping we don't have a youngling killing. That doesn't look good for anyone in the territory." Levi sighed. "Blood-starved attacks and a youngling." He shook his head. "I'll need to talk to other leaders to see if they seem to be having an increase in attacks as well."
"This is normal. We haven't had an increase in anything. Hell, I think some departments are actually hurting for work." Grayson smirked. "I heard they are working on putting together a Black Magic Task Force."
Levi shook his head. "I know that it's been up for discussion, and there's a small one already in place."
"How do you know that and I don't?" Grayson stopped and looked at him. "Do you have other connections inside PIB?"
Levi nodded. "I do. A good informant of mine works there. They have access to highly classified information, and sometimes they feed it to me." He shrugged. "I've already told Boss Man that I don't want Abigail near it."
"It would keep her away from vampire politics." Grayson continued up the street. "That's what you want."
"Yes, but there are so many other things that could go wrong with her on that task force." Levi shook his head. "I like where she is, with the clearance level that she has."
Grayson rolled his eyes. "What on earth could be worse than her dealing with vampire politics?"
"Elemental abilities, dark magic, hexes, the Cult of Ra. Just to name a few," Levi threw out.
Grayson spun to look at him. "She's an elemental?"
"That stays between us. She just came into those powers." Levi shook his head. "She doesn't want anyone to know."
"With good reasons." Grayson turned back and walked in silence. Levi left it that way. He didn't mean to let it slip that Abigail was an elemental, but it was the top of his list of why he didn't want her near that task force.
A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a house that had two vampires standing there and arguing. "It's not fucking me." The dark hair woman screamed at the male standing there. "How dare you think I would do something like that."
"It's all over the news, Meghan, and you've been acting weird."
"Well isn't this interesting," Grayson mumbled. Levi nodded and appeared next to the two.
"Lover's quarrel?" he asked, and they both spun to stare at him. "Meghan, this nice gentleman would like to speak to you." He motioned back to Grayson.
Grayson came up to them. "I'm Agent Yorkingson, and I'd like to talk to you about some recent events."
She threw her hand up and pointed at the guy next to her. "You're going to be like him and blame those murders on me."
"We can either calm down and talk here, or I can take you down to the PIB offices, and we can talk there." Grayson held his hands up. "It's your choice."
Her gaze darted around at everyone, and she took a deep breath, regaining her composure. "Fine, let's go inside and talk." She turned to walk back into the house.
Levi and the other vampire went to follow, but Meghan turned around and stopped. "Not you two. Just the PIB agent."
Levi glanced at Grayson, and he nodded. "Respect her wishes, stay out here."
The male vampire threw his hands up in the air. "Kicked out of my own house."
Levi chuckled. "Agent Yorkingson will get her calmed down."
"She's been yelling at me for the last twenty minutes, and all I did was ask her about where she's been. They've put her description on the underground forum." He shook his head. "I just want to make sure to get her help if she needs it."
The underground forum was a social media site that was out of the eyes of the humans. Levi never used it, because he felt that it was nothing but a bunch of rumors floating around. He didn't know if PIB was aware of its existence or not. If they were, they didn't make any effort to shut it or the rumors down. Abby had never mentioned searching it before either. "You said she had been acting strange?"
He nodded. "At first I thought she'd just found someone else to shack up with. I mean, we're immortal creatures, we shouldn't be tied to one person for the rest of our lives. But she was coming home with burns on her arms." He shook his head. "Like she'd waited too long to come in before the sun rose."
Levi cringed a little bit. "How long have you guys been vampires?"
"A couple years." He sighed. "My maker warned me that sometimes we start longing for our human lives back and that we have to test our limits and one of those limits is sunlight. But she's been so well adjusted that I didn't think she'd hit it."
Levi sighed. "Sometimes it hits at different times, but normally once a vampire confirms that they are, well, vampires, they don't continue to test those limits."
"Do you think maybe she has a death wish?" There was sorrow in his voice. "That she just wants it to end?"
Levi put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know. I do know that if she's lost control that we can get her help."
"I feel like there's a 'but' to that sentence." He met Levi's gaze.
"But if she's killing on purpose, then she has to answer for her actions." He shrugged. "As for if she's longing for her human life or not, her maker can help her with that, if she can admit that she needs the help."
"You're the territory leader, do you deal out the punishment?"
He shook his head. "This is a PIB case. I'm here mainly because people tend to talk more to me than PIB." He shrugged.
"Mm, hm." The vampire snorted. "What's the PIB agent doing in there alone then?"
"It was at Meghan's request."
There was a shout from inside, and they looked at each other. Levi shot to the door and went in. Meghan stood there with her hands in fists. "I did not kill those people."
"Meghan, we have video evidence of you attacking them." Grayson crossed his arms. "Can you explain that?"
She shook her head. "I don't remember ever leaving the house. I think I would remember ripping out someone's throat."
"What do you remember?" Levi asked, and the two vampires swung around to look at him.
"I remember going to bed and then waking up those nights. That's it." She shook her head.
"She's been sleeping extra late some nights." The vampire stepped up. "I don't know if that goes with the nights you're asking her about or not."
Grayson turned to him. "Have you noticed her leaving the house and then coming back?"
"Do vampires sleepwalk?" Meghan asked.
And Levi and Grayson looked at her. "No, that we know of. But that doesn't mean there isn't something else going on." Grayson looked back to the boyfriend. "Have you noticed her leaving the house?"
He shook his head. "No, but I'm a late sleeper too."
That was interesting. "Grayson? A word?" Levi asked.
Grayson nodded, and the two of them stepped outside. "What is it?"
"They are both too young to be wandering during the day. Look into if she's been meeting with anyone."
Grayson's brows drew together. "What are you getting at?"
"Abigail's dealing with a witch right now who claims to have the cure for lycanthropy. I'm wondering if she's not doing a little bit of magic claiming she can heal v
ampirism as well."
"There's not been a case like that for PIB."
Levi nodded. "She's working it for me, for Greg as a favor for him helping me out with something in the territory."
A panicked yell interrupted their conversation, and they sprinted back in to find Meghan at the throat of the other vampire on the floor. Grayson pulled her off, and Levi ran to him.
"Are you alright?"
The youngling nodded as his throat started to heal up. He looked up at Meghan with wide eyes.
She thrashed around in Grayson's arms until he disappeared with her. Levi helped the young vampire up.
"What happened?"
He tried to wipe the blood off his throat, but only managed to create a bigger mess. "She just attacked me for no reason. Her eyes turned red, and she jumped at me. I'm not even human. What good is tearing out my throat going to do?"
That was a very good question. "Has she been meeting up with anyone lately?"
"She's been going out to meet someone. She never gave me a name. She said that he was good to her and that he was an older man."
Levi pressed his lips together. There went the idea of it being the witch Abigail was working with. "Thank you. Do you need anything before I leave?"
"No. I'm glad you were here though. Had you two not been here, I might have met my true death."
Levi sighed. "Which would not be ideal. Have a good night." He bowed his head and disappeared.
Levi reappeared in his mansion and texted Grayson to let him know if he needed help with Meghan. Mario was waiting in the television room watching the news. Levi shook his head as the Hummer showed up again going through the zombies.
"How were Meghan and Lenora?" Mario didn't even look away from the screen.
"Well, Lenora is heartbroken, and Meghan is currently being held by PIB. She attacked her boyfriend."
Mario raised a brow. "Was he human?"
"No, he was vampire." Levi sat on the couch next to him. "She tried to tear out his throat."
Mario snorted, but he made no remarks.
"He said her eyes flashed red like she was blood-starved."
"Then attacking him makes no sense." Mario shook his head. "Has she gone insane? That sounds like the brink of insanity to me."
"I don't know. I'm waiting to hear from Grayson on the situation. She told us she slept late, and she has no memories of attacking people, but he has video evidence of it."
Mario nodded. "It'll be interesting to see what turns up. What do you think?"
"I think there's something go on that neither of the newlings is aware of." He rubbed his eyes. "I also think that it's time that I find a second in command for the territory, officially."
Mario raised a brow. "How are you going to explain that to Abigail?"
"It'll take a couple months for the government to approve you and for it to go through the council. Plus I hear the king slacks on paperwork."
Mario snorted. "You hate paperwork. But that doesn't explain my question."
"It means I'll put off telling her and we go along with things how they are for now." Levi shrugged.
"You'll have to tell her eventually. I'm surprised she hasn't figured out that I'm around here all the time."
Levi shook his head. "Not all the time. Hannah takes you back for months at a time."
"She might put a kink in your plan to have me as your second." All joking left Mario's voice.
"On the contrary, it might just be the key we need to get you away from her completely."
Mario snorted. "I won't get my hopes up. She'll find a way to drag me back to visit somehow."
"That woman." Levi shook his head.
"That's one way of putting it." Mario laughed. "I have other names I like to call her though."
"I know." Levi stretched and looked at his watch. "I'm assuming Grayson doesn't need me right now. Abigail is tied up with her cases. And I'm not allowed to go hunting for blood-starved vampires."
Mario rolled his eyes. "You make it sound like you're a grounded child."
"We need to capture one of the vampires." Levi met Mario's gaze. "And take it to Dr. Webber."
"And what exactly is Dr. Webber going to do with it?"
"He's going to run some tests for me to see if we can confirm that Ira is still doing his blood experiments."
Mario stood there and stared at him for a moment. "You don't think he's actually managed to create hybrids do you?"
"I don't, but I'm wondering if he's not close." Levi crossed his arms. "All he would need is some magic on top of what he had done before. I don't think he's gotten that, but he might have gotten further with the blood mixes."
Mario sighed. "Find a vampire, find a lab, shut him down somehow."
"Send PIB out to kill him and let the agent be the scapegoat." Levi nodded. "That's our current plan." And until then, Ira would be getting away with most of what he was doing. Until he caught the real attention of PIB and an execution was set up, there wasn't much else they could do. No one, not even the council, wanted to upset Samuel.
"What are you thinking about?" Mario asked.
Levi shook his head. "The past, but nothing I want to dwell on."
"I won't push then."
Levi's phone went off, and Mario raised a brow. "Abigail?"
"No, Grayson." He answered the phone. "What's up?"
"I need you to come talk to this woman. She's refusing to work with me. She's not showing any signs of admitting to what just happened."
"I'll be there in a moment. North or south PIB building?"
"North, in the basement rooms." Grayson disconnected the call, and Levi stuck the phone in his pocket. "Duty calls. I'll try to be back before sunrise."
"You better be. Or you'll turn into a pumpkin."
Levi shook his head. "It's not the king who has to be home by midnight."
"You're right; it's the princess. But we all know our princess doesn't follow the rules." Mario laughed.
"Ha, ha." Levi took himself to just outside the North PIB building. He walked in to see the receptionist reading some book. She looked over the pages at him and set it down.
"I'm here to see Agent Yorkingson."
She nodded and flipped a clipboard over to him. "Just sign in, and I'll let him know that you're here."
He wrote his name and the time down, and she handed him a plastic visitor badge. "I know where I'm going. Thank you." He didn't wait for her response and headed to the elevator. Levi found Grayson in the hallway, leaning his head back against the wall.
"That good?"
Grayson looked toward him. "She doesn't want to admit to attacking her boyfriend."
"Maybe she truly doesn't remember?" Levi offered. "He did say her eyes turned red before she attacked."
Grayson shrugged. "She's shown no other signs of bloodlust since."
"Okay, I'll talk to her and see if I can use any of my powers on her. I'm not like Hannah. I can't make her bend to my will."
"I know, and if you can't get any information out of her, I'll bring in a witch who can do it with magic."
"Who would you bring in?"
"Liz Jefferson, she's the only one that I would trust with this, besides Abigail, but I don't want her near my cases." Grayson looked at Levi. "No offense of course."
"None taken. Let's go see what Meghan has to tell us." If anything at all.
Chapter Nine
Levi walked into the small room and sat at the table in front of Meghan. Handcuffs lined with silver secured her to the table. They would be uncomfortable, but there wasn't enough silver to burn her. "Hello, Meghan."
"Go to hell," she snapped.
Levi raised a brow. "I know that Lenora didn't teach you to treat anyone like that, especially the territory leader."
"You're just here to tell me that I'm guilty. You don't want to listen to me." She jerked h
er head toward Grayson. "Just like him."
Levi let some of his power slide towards her. "I'm just here to see if we can get to the bottom of all this."
"The bottom of what? I didn't do anything. I just want to go home." She hung her head. "I know you said I attacked my boyfriend, but I didn't. I don't remember anything. I was standing there talking to him, and then I was here with Agent Yorkingson."
Levi watched her as she stared at the table. "Think deep down inside. You don't remember anything?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. Look, I don't know what kind of sick game you're playing -" She cut herself off and thought for a moment. "Wait, I do remember being called out during the day. I thought I was dreaming though. I mean, I know better than to go out in the sun."
"Describe the dream to me."
She pressed her lips together. "A man was calling for me. He was standing out in the sunlight. He was so comforting and welcoming. I was afraid, but he promised that the sunlight wasn't going to hurt me." She sighed. "I've been longing for the sun, but I don't think I'd be crazy enough just to walk out."
"What did he look like?" Levi kept his voice calm.
Meghan went quiet, staring at the table and a sinking feeling claimed Levi. "Meghan?" he prompted.
"Like nothing I've seen before. Like a golden-haired god, with a light behind him. The bluest eyes you've ever seen, a body most men would kill for and women would swoon over." She shook her head. "It was a dream though. Nothing more."
Levi sat back in the chair and considered her for a moment. "When you attacked your boyfriend, did you feel like it was a dream?"
She shook her head. "No, that was more like I blacked out. Like when you drink too much…" she raised a brow. "Are you too old to know what that's like?"
Levi laughed. "I'm not too old to remember what being blackout drunk is like." He stood. "Thank you, Meghan."
"Wait, are you going to get them to let me out of here?"
Levi sighed. "That's up to Agent Yorkingson. I can't make that call."
"You're the territory leader, can't you like…I don't know, say you'll take responsibility for me if they let me free?"
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