“Has he been living here?” Levi asked.
I nodded. “Yes, first disguised as the cat I adopted. I had no idea who he was until he transformed to save my life from Ira.”
“She almost shot me,” Merick mused.
Levi frowned. “You said you shot Ira in the foot.”
“Because Merick distracted him. Ira had his fangs in my neck when Merick transformed.” I shrugged. “He probably saved my life that night.”
“He probably did. That was when Ira first tried to take you.” Levi glanced at Mario.
Mario shook his head. “The cat. The whole time?”
“The whole time. We chose to keep it a secret because I figured you’d kill him as soon as you learned, and I kind of need him alive.” I shrugged.
“You’ve kept a warlock in this house without permission.” Levi shook his head. “Allowed him to perform magic here.”
Merick nodded. “She has, but never fear, I haven’t done or revealed anything to her, Levi.”
I jerked to look at him and then to Levi. “I performed a tracking spell in the house once. And it backfired on me big time.”
“Elizabeth’s magic.” Levi nodded. “Some of her most powerful spells are active even after all this time.”
“He leaves tonight. Catalina will be your guard at night here. We’ll find a day guard as well,” Mario stated, his voice flat.
“No,” Merick and I said at the same time.
I looked at Levi. “You know he means me no harm. He wouldn’t have protected me otherwise.”
“He’s cult,” Levi said again.
“And Abigail might as well be.” Merick didn’t hesitate, and I cringed. I hadn’t told Levi anything about being in contact with the Cult.
Mario stared at me for a moment. There was something in his gaze I couldn’t read. I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice. “Say what you want, Mario.”
“You’ve been practicing black magic.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.
“No, I haven’t. In fact, my magic practicing lately has been very little. Cult doesn’t mean black magic.”
Levi nodded. “It’s a gray area. It means Abigail does what she needs to accomplish her task. Abigail has learned some new tricks, and I had a feeling they were Cult-related. I had assumed it was Oliver. I didn’t think she was hiding a Cult member in her house.”
“Actually, I tried to get him to leave. He refused, but again it’s saved my ass several times.” I shrugged.
Levi bowed his head as if he was praying. “I’m going to trust you in this matter. You are right. He could have killed you without any of us knowing that it was him. He’s chosen to expose himself and risk his life to let us know that he’s here now.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Mario snarled. “Cult, the people who killed Elizabeth.”
“Actually, Samuel put the order in to kill my parents.” There was no need to let Levi and Mario know that Merick was in on all the secrets.
Levi’s head snapped up at that. “How do you know that?”
“I helped the Cult with a case, and they exchanged information in return.” I shrugged. “There was no other way to get the information I wanted or needed.”
“Samuel knew nothing about them.” Levi met my gaze. We both knew that wasn’t exactly true. Samuel had mentioned my mother and that he knew who I was.
“I believe that he was in contact with Ira much longer than either of us knew.” I kept my voice soft.
Mario stood and stepped up to me. “You kept this all from us.”
“Mario…” Levi warned. Merick made a move to get between us, but I held my hand up.
“Let him express his anger.” I looked up at Mario. “I’m not scared of you, so let your anger out. If you want to talk about what was hidden from who, let’s talk, because it seems to me that you and Levi still have some secrets that need to be shared.”
Mario smiled, and it wasn’t a nice one. It wasn’t the handsome one he used when he was teasing me. It wasn’t the soft one he got when he thought of something nice. It was evil. Scary. “You put all of us in danger by inviting a Cult member into your house and your life. You have done research on Samuel and Ira that has brought chaos to our doorstep, Princess. You want to know what we’ve been hiding?”
“Mario,” Levi warned again, this time standing up. “Stand down.”
I glanced at Levi. “Let him say his piece.”
“We’re debating on if you should be changed now or if we should wait until Samuel kills you.”
Whatever I was expecting him to say, it wasn’t that. I nearly stumbled backward and looked at Levi to see if it was true. Levi’s face was completely blank.
“You both know my wishes.” I kept the anger out of my voice. “So that’s not something that should be up for discussion.”
Mario laughed and wrapped an arm around me, drawing me close to him. “You asked, Princess.”
I shoved him away from me. Luckily, he didn’t resist letting me go, and he stepped back.
Levi pressed his lips together. “If you two are done, we have more important things to discuss. Merick, I must ask you to leave because this includes vampire business.”
Merick bowed his head. “Of course.” He simply disappeared.
“The vampires you found speak of a woman—”
“Adrianna Hyde.”
“Perhaps.” Levi nodded. “They were not able to name her, but they say she drains their blood.”
“Remember the stories of Elizabeth Bathory? Apparently, she was inspired by this woman, and Liz has had a run-in with her before. Her and her sisters.” I was going to leave the Cult out of it.
Levi sighed. “Do you trust her sister to lead you to the right place?”
“It’s the only lead I have. Liz could be in trouble, or she could be killing more people. I have to find her.”
“Take Mario with you and go tonight.”
“Oh, fuck no,” I snapped.
Mario had a smirk on his face. “I can deal with the vampires if there are any.”
“And I’ll call you if I need that assistance, but I don’t want you at my back right now.”
“Princess,” Mario chastised.
“Fuck off. I’ll take Simon and Merick with me.”
There was silence for a moment as if an unspoken debate was going on. “Okay, then it’s settled. I’ll call you when I get there and let you know what I find.” I motioned for them to leave. “I’ll see you later.”
Neither of them moved. “I’m not budging on this.”
“Neither am I. I want Mario to go with you.” Levi met my gaze. “Please, Abigail.”
I hated it when he used his manners because it meant he was serious about the request. “No. Mario needs to stay here for you in case Samuel shows up. Simon, Merick, and I will be fine.”
“Simon should stay for the pack.” Levi pressed his lips together. “Detective Mason?”
This was such an odd negotiation for me. “I can ask Detective Mason to come along. Mario stays, Mason comes.”
Levi nodded. “I will accept that, only because you’re right about Mario needing to be here if Samuel shows up. I trust that you will keep in contact when you get there.”
“Yes. I’ll have my phone as well, so Oliver can track it if he needs to.” I shrugged. “This is no different than when I went to Mesa or any other out of town case.”
“You had Nick with you when you went to Mesa.” Mario pointed out.
I snorted. “Speaking of Nick, the bastard is back from the dead and is being reassigned to be my partner.”
“No,” they both shouted.
I frowned. “Good, we’re at least in agreement on that.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Levi crossed his arms.
“Because I just found out today. There’s been a lot going on.” I forced a smile. “Not my fault you don’t have a spy in PIB anymore.”
Mario snorted. “Actually, it is. You
killed Grayson.”
“Because he betrayed Levi and me.” I shook my head. “I need to get ready and call Mason.”
Levi nodded and disappeared. Mario stayed behind. I shook my head. “You too. Go. You don’t get to lecture me tonight.”
“I want you to know that I wasn’t lying. You were the topic of discussion at the last council meeting. You, the witch princess of vampires.” He took a step towards me. “You’re causing Levi so much grief and turmoil right now. He longs for his daughter, yet he refuses to do everything in his power to keep you safe. I hope when Samuel finally gets his hands on you that you understand you put yourself in that danger.”
I swallowed. “You act like you’re going to betray us to him.”
“No, Abigail. I’m trying to make you see how much danger you are actually in.” Mario growled in frustration. He rushed me, backing me on to the couch. He cupped my cheek in his hands. “Why can’t you see this, you stupid woman.”
My breath caught in my throat. “Mario…”
The front door opened, and he disappeared. Simon and Gabby walked back in with food bags.
Simon glanced at me. “You okay?”
I stood and went to help with the fast-food bags. “Yeah, I think so.” Though I couldn’t get the look in Mario’s eyes out of my mind. There was so much pain and something else I couldn’t name in them. Something that made me uncomfortable. “You need to stay here when I go to the location. Gabby, you too. I’m going to call Mason and take Merick for back up.”
“Levi agreed to that?” Simon raised a brow.
We sat at the small dining room table. “Yeah, it was a pretty intense conversation, but I got him to agree.”
“And Mario?”
“Has to stay here so that he’s by Levi’s side.”
Gabby shook her head. “The King of Vampires just waltzes into your house?”
“Yeah, well, I’m his adopted daughter, so…” I shrugged.
“I guess that would do it. Well, if anyone can rescue Liz, it’s you. I’ll just have to wait around until you have news.”
I sighed. “I would take you, but that would put you in danger, and I don’t think Liz would forgive me for that.”
She shivered. “No, I don’t want to go anywhere near Adrianna if I don’t have to.”
Pushing her wouldn’t get me too many answers about the witch, so I’d have to research what I could. I growled when I realized that Levi and Mario didn’t leave me the Hummer.
“Let’s eat, and then I’ll call Mason.”
We finished eating, and I reached for my phone. The moment I did, it rang, blaring Oliver’s ring tone. I answered it. “What’s up?”
“I hear the cat is out of the bag.” Oliver snickered. “I wish I could have been there.”
“It was a lot less eventful than it should have been. Levi was actually very composed. Mario, on the other hand…” I let it trail off. “Did you track that number?”
“Yes, I did, and I suggest you don’t go there.”
“It’s another previous crime location, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and your favorite. Bodies in the ground, ghosts, dead partner.”
“Ah, not so dead anymore,” I corrected. “Alive and kicking, and back from an undercover case.”
Oliver snorted. “I highly doubt that, but I guess whatever lie gets him back into PIB. I’ll make sure to stop using his key card. I’ll check out the location. Levi said you were going after Liz tonight?”
“I’m going to a location that might be related to the case with her. I’m not sure what I’m getting into, but since we’re on the phone, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course, my dearest niece.” His tone became sickeningly sweet, and I wondered what was going on. He didn’t typically use dearest in front of niece, and using niece was a way of distancing himself from a conversation or situation he didn’t want a whole lot of personal attachment to.
I paused for a moment, trying to figure out a way to assess the situation without giving anything away to someone who might be listening. “I was hoping I could borrow a book.”
“A book? Of course, please swing by the house, and I’ll be more than happy to let you into the library.” His voice was still a falsely sweet tone. “A fairy tale one?”
“I was thinking human history.”
“History it is. I’ll see you tonight.” He disconnected the call.
Simon stared at me. “I know conversations between your uncle and you get weird, but that was beyond weird.”
“Something wasn’t right with the phone call. I had to think quick on my toes. I’ll have to swing there before Mason and I go to the location.”
Gabby’s brows drew together. “Why?”
“Because if anyone has information on Adrianna Hyde, it’ll be my uncle.” I nodded. “He’s got years of research and history at his house. He knows a lot about those who walk on the dark side of magic.” Occasionally, he was one of those people, but that didn’t matter right now.
“Okay, I guess you’re right, better to go in with knowledge.” She sounded worried.
“Look, I know Liz. She’s smart, and she’s resourceful. I’ll get her out of whatever mess she’s in.”
“And if she’s dead?” Gabby snapped back. “If Adrianna has had her fun and tortured my sister and…and…” Gabby shook her head. “If…”
I put a hand on her arm. “Then I will mourn her with you.”
She took a moment to gather herself, taking a few deep breaths. “Thank you.”
“I’m going to call Mason to let him know what’s going on. I’ll have Merick take us to the station, so Mason’s not driving all around town for us.”
Simon nodded. “I’ll stay here with Gabby?” he suggested.
“Unless Gabby wants to wait at home?” I left the choice up to her. I wasn’t going to force her to sit around a stranger’s house waiting for news of her sister.
She thought for a moment. “I’ll wait at home.” She disappeared, and Simon looked at me.
“The smell of fear rolling off her is enough to clog my nose.” He crinkled his nose a couple of times. “I don’t like it.”
“What about lies?”
He shook his head. “No lying that I could smell. How’d the conversation with Levi and Mario go?”
“Not as well as I would have liked, but not as bad as I expected. Merick is still alive, and Levi agreed to let him watch my back. So I’m going to call it a win for the night.”
Simon pulled me into a hug. “You looked shaken when we walked in.”
“Mario had me trapped against the couch. He was just trying to scare me.” I shook my head. “I’m fine.”
Simon kissed me gently. “Okay, I’ll head home for the night. Please check in when you can.”
“Okay.” I walked to the door with him, he gave me another quick kiss.
“I love you.”
I smiled at his words. “I love you too.”
I shut the door when he left and put my head against it. What the hell was I thinking? There were red flags all over this.
Gabby knowing exactly where Liz would pop up.
Liz going after some crazy super-witch.
Crazy immortal super-witch that was.
I sighed and pushed away from the door and texted Mason. “Meet me at the station in two hours. We’re going on a road trip.”
I didn’t get a response right away, but chances were, he was working on case-related paperwork at this time of night. Explaining the multiple dead bodies, the vampires in the basement.
Always with the basements.
I pulled my phone to text Merick, but he appeared right in front of me. “An eventful night.”
“At least you don’t have to hide as a cat anymore. Not from most people anyways.” I shook my head. “Can you take me to my Uncle’s house? Levi didn’t bring me the Hummer, and I don’t want to take Mason there.”
He nodded. “Field trip?”
“Research. I don�
��t know anything about this Adrianna Hyde, and I don’t want to go to this location completely blind.”
Merick crossed his arms. “The fact that you want to go to that location at all concerns me.”
“At this point, I’m treating Liz like a missing person case. She’s been out of contact for over twenty-four hours. Our chance of finding her alive lowers with each passing hour. I want to find her alive.”
Merick nodded. “As do I, so let’s go.”
The world reappeared around us, and we were standing in front of my uncle’s mansion. I rang the doorbell, not wanting to walk in on something that wasn’t going well. Once I walked in on him fighting Ira. It was a terrifying situation that I didn’t want to repeat.
He opened the door and peeked out. “I don’t remember inviting Merick.”
“It was either him or Detective Mason. It’s after dark, and I’m out of my house.”
“No Mario?” Oliver opened the door wider so we could enter.
The doorway led to a long hallway with plush carpet. The walls were bare of anything that might give away any personal information about Oliver. I’d learned long ago that he dealt with some questionable characters that he didn’t want to give sensitive information to.
I had thought it paranoid until I realized what kind of trouble he often found himself in.
“Mario needs to stay in town in case Samuel shows up.” There was a strange urge to add ‘again’ to the end of that sentence. “Are we safe to discuss?”
Oliver nodded. “I had a client here, and I didn’t want to give away too much of what was going on.”
“You called me though.”
He nodded. “I can’t get into the details. Just know that it was not my chosen time to call you, but I was hoping you’d provide me with an out for tonight. Which you did.”
It really wasn’t a surprise that he used me as such, and it wasn’t that big of a deal. He’d once traded me for another life because he knew I was strong enough to survive.
“I need to know what information you have on a witch named Adrianna Hyde.”
He cringed at the name, and I knew he’d have something good. “Why on earth are you even getting involved with her?” He glanced at Merick. “Do you have something to do with this.”
A Little Blood Magic (Here Witchy Witchy Book 10) Page 10