A Little Blood Magic (Here Witchy Witchy Book 10)

by Kessler, A. L.

  He snorted. “Really? You didn’t hear over a dozen wolves rampage into the house?”

  “No.”

  He hesitated slightly. “Abby? You don’t sleep deeply.”

  “I’m safe here. It allows me to relax and get that missed sleep.” I snuggled him into him. “It’s different up here.”

  “Are you sure you’re not a wolf?” He laughed. “You’re home around pack, you’re home on our land.”

  I snorted. “I’m an honorary wolf, remember?”

  “That you are.” He rolled over to glance at his phone. “It’s almost time for you to go back to the real world.”

  I snuggled further into the pillow. “I don’t want to go back to the real world.” My phone rang, and I sighed. “Apparently, the real world doesn’t care.”

  Simon handed my phone to me, and I answered it.

  “Agent Collins speaking.”

  “Abby, sorry, I know it’s still early.” Mason’s voice came over the phone. “That other location had the same thing, minus a little girl.”

  I sat up. “Did your team recover any bullets?”

  “No, other than the bodies and blood, the scene is clean. No fingerprints, no bullets. We might get lucky and find a fragment inside one of the bodies.”

  I doubted he would. “Okay, keep me updated. What did Levi say about the vampires in the basement?”

  “Not much, he had one of his people come to collect them and said that he would handle it from there. So if you get news on that front, if you could share it with me, that would be great.”

  I sighed. “I’ll share whatever I’m allowed to. I have to go in this afternoon to speak to O’Donald about Nick.”

  Mason sighed. “Take someone with you.”

  “You’re not typically someone who keeps telling me to do that, yet twice in the last twenty-four hours, you’ve made that suggestion.”

  “I don’t trust Nick. I never have, and here he is back to try and ruin your life.”

  I sighed. “Okay, I’ll take someone with me to the office, but I can promise you, O’Donald isn’t going to let anyone into the room with us.”

  “It’s your office, can’t you decide who goes in and who doesn’t?”

  “It’ll probably be a talk in O’Donald’s office because he won’t go into mine.”

  Simon sat up at that and narrowed his eyes at me. I knew exactly what he was thinking because he knew how well protected my office was.

  “Just be safe,” Mason said again. “And let me know if Levi says anything about the vampires.”

  “I’m sure I’ll hear from him tonight.”

  The line went dead, and I laid my head back on the pillow. Simon gently took the phone from my hand and put it back on his nightstand before pulling me close to him.

  “Is O’Donald a danger to you?”

  “I really don’t know. He won’t or can’t go into my office, but he was able to get on my property without an issue.”

  Simon hmmed for a moment, and it rumbled in his chest. “I’ll come with you.”

  I nodded and rolled over so I could lay my head on his chest. “But first, just a few more minutes of sleep.”

  I walked into PIB and waved at Mandy. She smiled and started to get a visitor badge for Simon. “O’Donald said for you to go straight to his office when you got here. How’s your vacation?”

  “Well, it would be better if he wasn’t calling me into work.”

  She laughed and handed Simon the little plastic badge. Simon clipped it on his shirt, and we took the stairs to the top floor where O’Donald’s office was.

  Typically, when I walked down this hall, I was in some sort of trouble. Now I either seemed to be in trouble or on O’Donald’s shit list at all times. I stopped at the door and knocked. Simon turned almost all the way behind like he heard something, and then he frowned when the door opened.

  I also frowned, because when the door was completely open, I found Nick standing at the side of O’Donald’s desk, dressed in a suit, and looking like he belonged there.

  No fucking way.

  Simon stiffened beside me as if trying not to make a move to step in front of me. I put my hand on my gun.

  “Still carrying when you’re on vacation?” O’Donald asked.

  “I live a dangerous life. I don’t leave home without it.” I jerked my head to Nick. “What is he doing here? And alive?”

  O’Donald nodded. “That’s a very good question. I pulled up Nick’s files, and though he was listed as deceased, it turned out that he, in partnership with Boss Man, faked his death in order for him to go undercover in the underground.”

  I locked my jaw. “Is that so?”

  “You had no idea?” O’Donald asked.

  “None.” It wasn’t a lie, because it didn’t match up with the story Nick told me when he was alive.

  “When you return to work, Nick will become your partner in the Black Magic Task Force.”

  I met Nick’s gaze. “I don’t work with partners.”

  “You do now, Collins. Nick will get settled while you’re on vacation.” O’Donald waved his hand as if my opinion didn’t matter.

  This complicated everything. Nick wanted to overthrow the king, but I couldn’t admit to that without admitting I knew he was alive. I was Princess, what better way to take down the king than through me?

  “Okay.” Was all I could say before I turned my back to walk out of the office.

  Nick followed me but didn’t speak until O’Donald’s office door shut behind us. “What? No hug for your long-lost partner?”

  “I don’t trust you.” I tried not to snarl. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I can’t trust you at my back, so I don’t want you as my partner again.”

  Nick put a hand on my shoulder to spin me around to look at him. “I’m here to protect you, Abby.”

  “Don’t even try that, Nick. I didn’t miss the threat you gave me at the hospital, or any of the threats against Levi while you were in hiding.” I jerked away from him. “Now, I’m going to go enjoy the rest of my vacation.”

  “Fine, I’ll see you in the office Monday.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Special Agent Collins.”

  “Agent Averin,” I replied in a cold voice and walked down the hall with Simon at my back.

  I didn’t glance behind me when I took the stairs, and I didn’t speak until we got to Simon’s truck. “Fuck.”

  “That’s one way of putting it.” Simon sighed. “What on earth are you going to do?”

  I pressed my lips together. “Well, if he means me harm, he’s not going to be able to get into the office. So, there’s that.”

  “The doll?” Simon asked.

  I nodded. “The doll. Now, I need to know if O’Donald is in on it, or if he really thinks Nick was undercover.” I jumped as my phone buzzed against my hip.

  “Damn it, Abby, you’re jumpy.” Simon put a hand on his heart.

  “Sorry, I forgot it was in my pocket.” I scrambled to get it and answer it.

  “Find…me…” It was the same voice again with the same broken patter that the last phone call had. The number was been different, but I’m sure Oliver could track it for me.

  I hung up and texted Oliver the number. I wondered where it was going to lead me next.

  “Are we heading to your house?” Simon asked.

  “Yeah, let’s swing by and grab some lunch first. I need the Hummer, and I want to see if I can find the contact information for Liz’s sisters.”

  “Liz has sisters?”

  “Two of them. She has pictures of them in her house. She said they were close. Maybe they have some idea of what is going or where she might be.”

  “You think it’s personal. This case?”

  “I have no doubt it is. I just need to make the connection. You don’t just disappear and leave a spew of dead bodies lying around.”

  “She wants you to follow her trail.”

  “Yes, she does.” I nodded. “And now,
I have to figure out why.”

  He snorted. “It’ll be easy.”

  I was still leaning over a map when Simon brought me my fifth cup of coffee. “I need a third location from her to see if anything matches up. With just the two, I can tell you they are both isolated, but that could be a coincidence.”

  “You’ve been looking at the same map for two hours, don’t you think you need to look at something else?” Simon sat down on the couch. “Or are you hoping the map will speak to you?”

  “Don’t be silly, maps don’t speak,” I muttered and sat back, grabbing my coffee. “I’m going to try calling her sisters.”

  Simon nodded. “Now that you know the map by heart.”

  “Shut up.” I nudged him. “I was just hoping that something would pop out at me. I don’t really want to wait until we have another house full of dead bodies.”

  “Or a dead Liz.”

  I cringed. “Don’t even joke about that. She’s tough, she’ll figure it out.”

  Simon didn’t respond. I put my coffee down and grabbed the phone to call the number I had found earlier.

  Liz had only mentioned her sisters in passing, and Jefferson was a pretty common name. I was hoping that I had the right number.

  The phone rang and went straight to voice mail. “Hi, this is Agent Collins from the Colorado PIB. I was hoping to speak to you about Liz Jefferson, I believe she’s your sister. Please call me back.”

  I disconnected the call and tried the next number. That one gave me a disconnected notice.

  “No luck?”

  “Not unless the first number was correct and they call me back. Which might be wishful thinking.”

  My phone rang a second later. “Or not.” I answered it. “Agent Abigail Collins.”

  “She went after the bitch, didn’t she?” The voice shrieked.

  “Woah, hold on a second.” I tried to make any sense of the sentence that the woman just yelled at me. “Who did she go after?”

  There were a few deep breaths taken and then a steady voice. “Agent Collins, my name is Gabby Jefferson, I’m Liz Jefferson’s sister.”

  “That’s a much better start, thank you.” I grabbed my notebook. “Now, who were you talking about?”

  There was a moment of silence. “There’s a woman who believes that bathing in blood makes her immortal.”

  “The Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Yes, we all know that story.”

  She made a frustrated noise. “No, different woman, much worse than Bathory.”

  “Okay, I’m listening.” I kept my voice calm in hopes to not frustrate her too much.”

  “Liz went after her. I’m sure of it because that is the only reason you’d be calling me.”

  “Why are you so sure of that?”

  “It’s either that or she’s dead, Agent Collins. Is my sister dead?”

  There was an odd coldness to her voice. I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “No.”

  “Then I can promise you that Liz is tracking this woman down. Meet me at your office?”

  “I can’t. I’m not working the case as PIB.”

  “Your house then,” she said without even a question. “Send me your address. I’ll be there in a little bit.”

  “You’re all the way across the country.”

  She snorted. “Collins, please, I’m better than my sister is at transportation.” She disconnected, and I looked at Simon, who shrugged.

  “We can call this progress?”

  “I guess so.” I texted my address and then told her that she probably wouldn’t be able to pop up by the door because of the massive amount of protection spells.

  Merick came around the corner. “Interesting phone call. Any news on Liz?”

  “Her sister seems to think that she went after someone. I guess she’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  Merick nodded. “Should I hide?”

  “Maybe? I don’t really know who we can trust and who we can’t.” I glanced at my watch. “And with dusk not long away, I’m sure Mario and Levi will be here soon.”

  “Best I hide then. Simon is here, so I shouldn’t have to worry about you.” He crossed his arms. “But I’m curious to see what Gabby has to say about the Liz situation.”

  “You know her sister?”

  “I know them both. They are both spitfires, just like Liz.” He smirked. “I’ll be around.”

  He disappeared up the stairs as there was a knock on the door. I glanced at Simon, and he nodded. None of my magic had gone off, so I knew whoever was out there meant me no harm.

  I disarmed the alarm and answered the door. A woman stood there. Her bright pink hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and her gaze narrowed at me. “Agent Collins?”

  “Yes, you must be Gabby.” I held my hand out to her.

  She shook it. “I am. What’s going on with Liz. You wouldn’t have called me if it wasn’t urgent.”

  “You’re right. I was informed by my boss that she’s undercover. However, she’s left cryptic messages for me leading me to scenes—”

  Gabby held a hand up to stop me. “Coordinates?”

  “Yes.”

  “To the middle of nowhere?”

  “Has she done this before?”

  Gabby rubbed her eyes. “Yes and no. Once she thought she had a trail, and she left me and Jude messages. We followed them, but it turned out to be nothing. She resurfaced a month later.”

  “Who is she hunting, Gabby?”

  Gabby sat on the couch and sighed. “She’s hunting a woman named Adrianna Hyde. She’s a witch, a very bad witch. She’s killed so many in the name of vanity. She’s where Elizabeth Bathory got the idea of bathing in blood.” Gabby visibly shivered. She wouldn’t meet my gaze as she spoke.

  Merick was suddenly back in human form and in the living room. “Liz wouldn’t.”

  “She would.” Gabby glanced at up at him. “If she had a solid lead, she wouldn’t pass it up. The woman tore us apart, and we were lucky to survive.”

  I glanced at Merick. “Cult related?”

  “Not really. You know that Liz’s parents were part of the Cult, which is why she’s an honorary member. They came to us for help during this…situation.”

  “And you didn’t think to mention anything about it?” I glared at him.

  “I didn’t think she’d be stupid enough to take on a centuries-old witch infused with black magic, Abigail. At least not alone.”

  Gabby closed her eyes. “She’s not going to live through it if she gets caught. Find her.”

  “I only have the clues she’s given me.”

  “Let me see. That’s all we need.” She scooted toward the map that was still lying on the table.

  “I can’t give you any information on the case.”

  “You don’t have to.” She said and traced her fingers over the map. She stopped for a moment over a spot. “Here. How long has it been since she’s sent you information.”

  “Over twenty-four hours.”

  “Then she’s in trouble. You’ll find her here.” She tapped a mark. “I promise you. Be prepared to fight. The only way you’ll get in is if they take you.”

  “Who are they?”

  “The army that Adriana Hyde has built up,” she stated. “The people you’ve found at the other sites. Liz is killing them.”

  I glanced at Merick. “The need for revenge outweighs sanity. Don’t you think?”

  “Sometimes, yes.” I looked at Gabby. “Are you able to tell me what she does?”

  “Torture. She tortures you. She believes it makes the blood sweeter.” She gagged.

  Of course it was torture. I ran a hand through my hair. “Okay, let’s pack up and head out. That’s a few hours away.”

  “You can’t leave yet. Levi will be here in ten minutes at the latest.” Merrick stated, and at just that moment, the door opened.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  I closed my eyes. I knew exactly what was coming next.

  “What is he doing h
ere?” Levi snarled.

  I opened my eyes to see Merick holding his hands up in innocence, Simon holding his breath, and Gabby crossing her arms.

  Mario followed up with. “And who is this?” He motioned to Gabby.

  I took a deep breath and looked at Merick, who nodded. It was time to come clean. “Sit down, shut up, and listen.”

  Everyone looked at me with wide eyes. “There will be no protests or questions until I am done speaking. And if there is, I will kick your ass out of here.”

  Mario snorted. “The Princess is in a mood tonight.”

  “I will put you in a circle,” I snapped back, and Gabby snickered.

  At least she wasn’t afraid of the vampires that were standing in my living room. Levi and Mario sad down in the chairs near the couch. I sat back down on the couch next to Simon, and Merick leaned against the arm of the couch.

  Levi motioned for me to go on.

  “Let’s start with Merick. Merick has been the one watching my back here at the house. He’s the reason that I survived the attack by Samuel here in the house, the reason that vampires cannot pop in and out, and he’s helped me with spells.”

  “He’s cult,” Levi said through ground teeth.

  “No interruptions,” I reminded him. “I trust him with my life right now. He’s had plenty of chances to kill me, and he hasn’t done it.”

  Merick nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but then shook his head.

  “The woman with us is Gabby Jefferson, Liz’s sister. She has some information that is helpful to the case that we’re working on. She believes that Liz is after a woman named Adrianna Hyde and that Liz will show up here.” I moved to point to the map. “We need to get there first.”

  Everyone stayed quiet. “Okay, now you can talk.”

  Everyone but Simon, Gabby, and I started talking loudly. I sighed. “Simon, will you take Gabby to get something to eat? I’ll deal with this mess.”

  Simon nodded. “Gladly, she probably shouldn’t be here for this.”

  I agreed and watched them walk off. None of the arguing men noticed. I sighed and whistled loudly, making them all stop.

  “One question at a time.” I crossed my arms and leaned back on my couch.