Mario nodded. "Then it's settled. I'll go in tomorrow night and talk to Tomes."
"And you'll report it back to me."
"Every word," Mario promised. "Now, did you feed?"
Levi nodded. "A quick bite. I've just been pushing paperwork all night."
"See, boring life." Mario snorted. "I'm going to go grab myself a bite and a little more."
Levi waved him off and leaned back in his chair. Where could he find people he could trust enough to work with him against Ira? He'd always kept his network close because he couldn't trust anyone with the sensitive information, and there was only so much the council could do. His mind turned to Oliver. There was an option there, his love and dedication to Elizabeth could motivate him to keep Abigail safe and gain more information for Levi.
But could he trust the warlock that much? He might have too much dark in him to be trusted not to turn. It depended on if Ira had something better than Abigail's safety to offer him.
Chapter Ten
Levi stood in the library, starring at the notebooks and journals of Tobias and Elizabeth. They were the only things he could think of after waking up for the evening. The spines seemed to mock him as he stared at them demanding the answers he wanted. His phone vibrating against his leg pulled him out of his thoughts.
He answered it without looking at the screen. "Levi speaking."
"Abigail's hurt." Simon's voice came across exhausted. "She's okay, but Mina hurt her."
Rage filled him. She'd gotten hurt enough that Simon felt the need to call him. "What the fuck happened?"
"I don't know exactly. I was taking care of some of the wolves that were attacking. I turned, and I saw her laying on the ground with Mina next to her." Panic pitched his voice. "Mina stabbed her, that much I know."
"You are supposed to protect her when she's on pack grounds, Simon. There should be no reason that she should be hurt." He paced the library. "I should kill you."
Simon sighed. "Yeah, that's what I would expect, but then you'd be leaving the pack without an alpha."
Levi paused at that. "You're alpha?"
"I will be as soon as they accept me tonight. Greg was killed."
Levi could hear the grief in his voice. "I've always said you'd make a wonderful Alpha." But he wasn't sure how he felt about it now since Simon and Abigail were getting closer.
"Thank you. I need to go see Abby now."
"You need to make sure she returns home safely. Nothing else on pack grounds harms her tonight, do you understand me? The only thing that's saving you from my wrath right now is the fact that you have a pack to heal."
Simon was quiet for a moment. "You want Abigail around me, you want me to court her, but what I think you're not understanding is that my world is just as dangerous as yours. She was doing this as a favor to Greg for you."
Levi sighed. "You're right. I put her in danger, but you swore to keep her safe on pack grounds."
"She's alive Levi, can't you just be fucking grateful for that?" Simon snarled. "Look, you can lecture me later. I need to go talk to her, and I need to address my pack." Simon disconnected before Levi could respond.
'She's alive Levi, can't you just be fucking grateful for that?' The words echoed in his head as he looked down at the phone. Maybe the wolf was right, and he should just be grateful that she had managed to survive a battle on wolf property. He sighed and placed his phone back on the table and went back to the journals.
He ran his hands over the spine and stopped at one of Elizabeth's. They took so many notes and documented everything that he found it hard to believe that there was nothing about Ira's locations. Maybe back at the house Abigail had found hidden information on the cult.
He took himself there without question. He appeared in the living room, and his heart fell a little bit. He'd visited occasionally, but every time he came, the images from that night flashed in his mind. The night Elizabeth had been slaughtered.
He took a deep breath and headed up to the library, pausing at Abigail's room. He looked in at the child's room that remained untouched. Toys scattered all over, the bed unmade, tiny clothes flung over a basket. He'd never come back to clean up her room.
"Levi…"
He swore he heard Elizabeth's voice.
"Levi…Abigail, our Abigail…"
He spun around looking for the sound of the voice but found nothing. No movement, no chill of a ghost. Nothing. But he always heard her voice when he was here.
He moved passed Abby's room and walked into the library. "Okay Tobias and Elizabeth, if you are here. Help me. Give me something I can use to bring Ira down to his knees."
Nothing happened, and he crossed his arms. "Some help you are."
He started to look through the books. He'd come once before to take the journal and notes to make sure nothing happened to them and to keep them out of Abigail's hands. A couple hours passed with nothing to show for it.
"Levi…" The voice came again.
"Levi…Abigail, our Abigail…"
He sighed. "Abigail is safe," he whispered. "You protected her."
"Ira…Abigail." The voice became stronger and more panicked.
He cringed to think about Ira near Abby. Levi walked out of the library and to Elizabeth and Tobias' room. Nothing was there. No ghosts, no clues. He growled and took himself back to the mansion. The trip was useless.
He appeared right in front of Mario. "Where have you been?" Mario asked, narrowing his eyes.
Levi shook his head. "I went to the house. I wanted to look for more information there."
"Any leads?"
"Nothing." Levi went to his desk. "Abigail was hurt in a fight on pack land, Ira is out of control, and we have no leads." His phone chirped, and he resisted throwing it at the wall. He glanced down at a message from Grayson. "And apparently our killer is still out there."
"Grayson need you?"
Levi nodded. "Yes. Please excuse me as I go see exactly what I can help with."
"Would you like me to come with you?"
"No. Stay here. I shouldn't be long."
"Well, if you plan on disappearing for a couple hours again. Let me know." He chuckled. "Also, Abigail got home okay. She left a message on your phone."
He hadn't even realized he'd left the device here. "Thank you. I'll make sure to call her later."
He slipped his phone in his pocket and took himself to Grayson's PIB office.
Grayson looked up at Levi. "Don't feel like going through the receptionist?"
"I'm not in the mood for anything right now Grayson. I thought you had video evidence saying that Meghan was our killer."
Grayson nodded and pushed a file toward Levi. "She's one of them."
So there was more than one as Levi had thought. "One? How many of them do you think there are?"
"At least two. I think the person who is convincing Meghan to kill and walk in the sun is behind it all. The problem is, she doesn't know who he is. She's only seen him in her dreams."
Levi leaned against the wall. "Did you bring your witch in?"
"She'll be here in about an hour. I wanted to see if you know any of these sketches that I had our guy do." He flipped open the file and some hand drawn images laid on the top of the papers.
Levi shifted through them. "No, I don't know him." He studied the eyes and something familiar went through him. "Wait, I've seen him before, but I'm not sure where?" He tried to shift through centuries of memories to come up with a familiar face, but there was no luck there. Nothing that was solid. "He just looks familiar."
"That's more than I have. So maybe he runs in the vampire circle that's higher class." He sighed. "But I don't think he's a vampire."
"No, the ability to visit dreams as a vampire is a myth. So, we're looking at someone who's using magic. Speak to Liz and see if there's nothing she can do. I have another witch who might
be able to help, but I hate bringing her in on cases like this." Levi took another look at the images. "But maybe she could shed some light on it."
"Who is it?"
"You don't know her, her name is Clarissa, she's helped me out in a few binds before, but she's pretty innocent. So murder really isn't her forte."
Grayson nodded. "Okay, I'll speak with Liz. I heard Abigail closed the Tomes case."
"That's good to know. She hasn't really called to update me on anything." Of course she was busy trying to heal from whatever happened at the pack battle. He sighed. "I'm glad she closed the case, and I hope it stays that way."
"Agent Grace is staying here for a bit, until Tomes sees trial."
That rubbed him the wrong way. "She called me to ask about Abigail's connection to the King."
"She visited my office as well, asking me what I knew about it. She didn't want to close the case without stating if Tomes' crazy theory was true or not. Everyone thinks Tomes is just a crazy necromancer."
"Yes, but if someone latches on to his crazy theory, we could be in for some trouble." He shook his head. "Let me know what your witch has to say. I need to sleep today, and dawn is closer than I'd like."
"Sleep, must be nice to have a job that allows that," Grayson joked, except they both knew it wasn't true.
"Have a good day Grayson. I'll leave my phone on if you need me."
"I won't call you during the day. Even as king, you need sleep." Grayson shook his head.
Levi sighed but took himself back to the mansion. He expected Mario to be in his office, but he was nowhere to be found. Updating him would have to wait. Levi could feel the edge of anger inching into him. It often happened when he went too long without sleep and pushed himself to work through the weakness. He went to his room and stripped off his clothes. A hot shower, a good day's sleep, and maybe things would look better in the evening.
He finished up his shower and laid down in bed. He grabbed his phone to text Abigail.
"I hope you didn't get hurt too much. Simon filled me in on some of what happened."
She shot him a message back in under a minute. "I hurt. Getting stabbed in the side sucks. Thank you for not killing him."
She was alive, and like Simon said, that's what mattered. He put his phone down and picked up his book. Lying in bed, he ended his night the way he always loved too. With a good book in his hands.
"Levi." Banging on his bedroom door woke him up the next evening. "Levi." Mario's demanding voice came again.
Levi reached for his phone and checked the time. Right after dusk. "What Mario?"
The vampire came in. "Hannah is calling me."
Levi sat up. "It's not time to return to her."
"No, it's not. She'd like to speak to us."
Levi snarled. "I don't really want to deal with the wicked witch of the west right now."
"Welcome to my life. Now would be ideal though, because you wanted to talk to her about me coming as your second."
Levi nodded. "Yes. What kind of mood is she in tonight?"
"Sexual."
Levi put a hand over his eyes. "Lovely. Let me get dressed, and we'll be on our way."
Mario chuckled.
"What's so funny?"
"I think my maker is the only person you hate to see more than your own."
Levi cringed. "No, I'd rather deal with Hannah for hundreds of years than face Samuel again." If someone killed his maker, Levi would be able to rest easier. The fact that Ira was still carrying on his work made it worse, but if Samuel was gone, Levi could at least kill Ira without consequences. "Go, let me get dressed."
Mario bowed and left the room. Levi stood and went to get dressed. Hannah's moods swung one of two ways, sexual or violent. It was part of how the magic left in her affected her. She was one witch-vampire who managed to walk the line of insanity and sanity very well. Playing with her was dangerous, but if it meant getting Mario as his second and completely away from Hannah, it'd be worth it.
He walked out of the room as he tucked in his shirt. "Are we ready?"
"I suppose so. Let's go see how much of a disaster this is going to be."
Levi closed his eyes and took himself to Hannah's manor. Mario wasn't far behind him. Levi looked up at the large oak doors and shook his head. "She has other guests tonight."
"I know, it's Kiera's birthday."
Levi shuddered. "Is she here?"
"No, she disappeared a while ago, supposedly to explore the world on her own." Mario shook his head. "I don't want to see or deal with her anyways."
Levi didn't really want to deal with the child vampire. However, he didn't like the idea of her wandering around on her own either. Mario walked up and opened the door without hesitation. Levi followed him, but they both paused at the scene in the room.
People were draped over each other in various states of undressed. Levi pressed his lips together. "You weren't kidding."
Mario put a hand over his eyes. "She must be in a great mood. Let's find her, see what the hell she wants, and get out of here."
"Not like you to be so squeamish, Mario." Hannah's voice slid over Levi, and he turned to see her in nothing but red lingerie.
Levi cleared his throat. "Mario mentioned that you would like to speak to us."
She nodded. "I would." She walked past them with a sway in her hips and let her fingers brush against Levi's arm. "This way please."
Levi sighed and resisted brushing his arm where she touched him. Mario followed her after dropping his hand to his side. His lips were pressed in a hard line as he followed his maker.
She led them to a back room with a fainting couch in the corner and nothing else. She lounged on the couch, stretching her body out, spreading the fabric tight enough that left nothing to the imagination. Levi cupped his hands over his pants to hide his body's reaction.
Hannah chuckled. "Still refusing to give in to your urges Levi?"
"That's really none of your business, Hannah. Now, we have business to discuss."
Hannah held her hand out to Mario, and without any hesitation, he went to her and kissed her hand. "That we do. I need Mario back at my side for a little bit. There have been rumors about vampires turning rabid, and I'd like the extra help in my territory."
Levi shook his head. "I'm currently working on the paperwork to bring him in as my second."
She glared at him, but the look softened as she ran her fingers through Mario's hair. Mario grew still under her touch, and Levi knew that he was feeling the effects of her power. "You and Mario are King's guards. There aren't supposed to be two of you in one place for long, that's why the King agreed to Mario bouncing between the territories while he worked for him."
"I'm not a king's guard any longer. I retired over a decade ago." He shook his head. "The paperwork is in, once the human government approves it, it'll go to the king."
She pulled Mario up and kissed him deeply before letting him go. "I will petition the King to have it so that Mario stays in my service until the paperwork goes through and is approved." She ranked her nails down Mario's face leaving angry red lines. The vampire didn't flinch.
"That is your right as his maker, but as soon as the paperwork goes through and he takes a blood oath, he is no longer in your service." Levi kept his voice even. He had more control over the situation than she realized.
She stood, dragging her hand through Mario's hair. "Then it's settled. He stays until the paperwork comes in."
"He isn't some child, and this isn't a custody battle." Levi watched her. "You keeping him here keeps him from his duty as a King's Guard, which can be seen as harming the King himself."
Hannah walked up to Levi and cupped his cheek. He refused to back away from her, and he met her gaze. "You could stay in his place if you rather. Since you're retired." She leaned in close to him and whispered into his ear. "I could make you
feel things you haven't felt in years."
Her power shivered down his spine. "No."
She placed a hand on his chest, and he refused to leave her gaze. "Scared that you can't handle it?"
"I have a territory to maintain. I can't stay in your services."
She snorted. "You're not fun to play with." She backed away, and Mario stood from his kneeling position and wrapped his arms around Hannah. "I guess I'll just have to deal with having Mario home." She ran her hands over his arms. "I'll see you when the paperwork comes in." She turned around in Mario's arm and drew him down for a kiss. She glanced over her shoulder. "You're dismissed."
He clenched his fists and disappeared back to his mansion.
Ira paced his office trying to figure out where one of his blood-starved went. Ninety had woken up, and eighty-nine had gone back to sleep in the nest. The human he sent out for information had yet to come back and report as well. It was possible that Levi had taken the vampire, but he needed to know for sure.
Levi had grown a moral compass at some point. He scooted the papers aside. There were a number of vampire-run business where a vampire could hide. Or Levi might have just had it killed like the ones that had attacked at the restaurant. It had just happened to be luck that Abigail and Levi had been there. Then, of course, the PIB agents had killed the ones in the grocery store.
Ira should never have given Tomes his own horde to use as he pleased. Now he was caught as a corrupt PIB agent and was at risk for letting them know what Ira was planning. He should have just killed the bastard. He sat at his desk and shuffled through the communications sitting there on the various labs. His biggest one overseas was producing a high amount of hybrid blood-starved, and the death rate was a higher percentage than the others.
Nothing was different though. All the blood was the same amount for the test groups, and the subjects were all healthy to begin with. He licked his lips and thought about what he would need. He'd visited Elizabeth several times after she'd given birth to Abigail. He'd even tasted the child's blood and tried to use his abilities to force Elizabeth back into his service. But it hadn't worked. She'd managed to cleanse the child of his power.
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