Blood Catalyst

by A. L. Kessler

  "You flatter me."

  She chuckled and reached to turn the radio up.

  ∞

  Liz dropped me off at the park, and I waited for her to drive away before I ventured further in. Manitou Park held a couple different playgrounds for the children and a nice small forest-like walking area. I looked around to see who else might be there. The playgrounds were empty, and no shadows were lurking in the trees. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to me.

  "Hello, Abigail." Nick's voice came from behind me.

  I spun around to face him, my hand on my gun. The last time I'd seen Nick he was at my house. He'd been unable to get past my and Merick's circles because he had the intention of harming me. Now, I wasn't sure what his intentions were.

  "Nick." I tried to keep all suspicion out of my voice.

  "Thank you for coming."

  "You sent someone to beat the shit out of my car, you got my attention." I crossed my arms. "What's this about?"

  "What do you know about the underground?" He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around. "Come on, let's go sit and talk." He pulled his hood onto his head, low enough that it cast a shadow over his face. I wasn't sure what to think about the situation, but I followed him anyways. We were still out in public, and I was armed with both weapons and magic. I'd be fine.

  I followed him to one of the benches by the playground, and we both sat. "I don't know much about the underground. I know there are a lot of powerful supernatural creatures there, and it's a place that information is spread around, not all truthful." I had a theory that the videos of my abilities came from there. I honestly didn't pay much attention to the underground until I had to deal with Carson, the high-level demon that tried to kill me. He'd gotten a lot of his information on me from there.

  "I was originally hired to kill you from someone there."

  I jumped up, spun around and aimed my gun at him. The assassin. Samuel had told me that it was him, but Nick had just admitted to being hired to kill me.

  He raised a brow. "Still paranoid and trigger happy are we? Put the gun away and sit down."

  Hesitation ran through me. If he had wanted to kill me, he could have snuck up on me when I had gotten here. I put the gun away and sat back down. "Why?"

  "When Devon went to the Cult, I started poking around in the underground. It's one of the reasons I was kicked off my case about the Cult." He shook his head. "It was stupid of me, but when I started poking around, I realized that there was so much that went on without PIB knowing, so many resources, people that could help, dangerous people…that I kept going back to it."

  He'd never shown any strange knowledge while working with me, but then I realized something. "You had to stop going to them because you were partnered with me."

  He nodded. "Yes. I knew you were too sharp for me to pull one over on you. It's different when you're not working with a partner all the time. I figured it was a chance to turn myself around."

  "But instead you faked your death. That seems a bit overkill." I glanced at him. "You know, worried your partner to death?"

  "I left you a trail. I was hoping you'd follow it, but it seems that you've been busy."

  I shrugged. "I tried to follow your trail. You're on a little cork board in my basement."

  He stared at me as if trying to figure out if I was telling the truth or not. He laughed. "There are people in the underground that want you dead."

  "And one of them hired you. Why did you take the job?"

  He sighed. "After I escaped the explosion, I went into hiding, obviously. Someone came to me and made me an offer. Kill you, and I could have my life back. Work for PIB, be the top agent, live the life I dreamt of."

  "Why fake your death though?"

  He pressed his lips together. "It seemed like the only way out of another situation. If people thought I was dead, the people that I pissed off in the underground wouldn't be looking for me."

  "But you went back to the underground."

  Something crossed his face. "And those people are no longer alive."

  Holy shit, he'd killed them.

  "Don't look so surprised. It's not like you've never killed anyone." He cracked a small smile and held up a hand. "Yeah yeah, self-defense, to be fair mine was also self-defense."

  I leaned back against the bench. "So, you kill me, and you get to return to PIB and have the life you've always dreamed of. I thought you were my friend."

  "We were, are, friends. I turned down the job after the news of you taking out a hundred vampires with one spell came around."

  I raised a brow. "Did that change your mind?"

  He nodded. "Yes, because I realized that you could be the one person who could help me with what I truly want."

  "Just spit it out."

  "I want to take out the vampire king."

  CHAPTER SIX

  I stared at him for a moment. "Say what now?"

  "You can help me take down the vampire king."

  I still stared at him like he'd sprouted another head. Did he know about Levi? Did he just happen to think I had some strange connection to the king? Was it the amount of power that he saw?

  He must have seen all the questions crossing my face because he spoke. "You've worked for the King's Guard before, you must have an idea of who the king is."

  I shook my head. "And even if I did know I wouldn't help you. That would throw the whole fucking balance of the paranormal out of whack."

  "You don't know what he's done, what he's doing." He ran a hand through his hair. "He's experimenting on people. Making monsters."

  Interesting. "We know who's responsible for that. Ira Diaz. Agent Grace and I figured that out in the case that you disappeared on." I watched for his reaction to see if the name changed his demeanor.

  Nothing in Nick's frustrated face changed. "Ira Diaz?"

  "Know him?" My stomach fell. Did Ira actually hire Nick to kill me? No, Oliver said it wasn't one of Ira's people. Of course, maybe there were two different assassins out for me. Wasn't that a scary thought.

  "I've heard whispers of him. They say he rivals the King in power. Some suspect he is the king."

  I shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Now, if you're done, I have to go soon." I stood, and he wrapped his hand around my wrist. I glared at him over my shoulder. "Let me go, Nick."

  "I've warned you once already Abby, you're going to have to choose which side you're on. You can't walk both sides forever."

  And just like the night at the morgue, he faded into the night, leaving me standing there alone.

  I stood there in the dark for a moment, looking around to see if his disappearance was just an illusion or if it was a real spell like the one the Cult of Ra used. Nothing stirred in the shadows, making me feel very alone.

  My phone rang making me jump. I sighed and pulled it out. "Special Agent Collins speaking."

  "I have two things to talk to you about." Levi's voice came across the line, and I suddenly felt like a child being caught sneaking out of the house.

  "A council meeting is one of them," I said easily. "Grayson told me, but what's the second one?" I hadn't texted him about the car yet, so I didn't think I was going to get lectured about that.

  Levi sighed. "Your car was destroyed, and the video is up on the internet."

  Well that wasn't really what I was expecting to hear, and now there was a video of my car magically catching fire that was going viral. Great. "You don't typically check the internet for news, and there were no news crews there."

  "It was shot with a cell phone, and it's gone viral."

  I checked my watch. "Damn, that was fast. Look I'm fine, the car's not. Will you bring me the Hummer? I need to meet Grayson at a crime scene, and I'm kind of stranded in Manitou."

  He was quiet for a moment. "You're working a case with Grayson?"

  Oh shit, that's right, Levi didn't know th
at Grayson pulled me on to the case. "Um…yes?"

  He cursed in another language at me.

  "Want to try that again in English?"

  "No, I don't. Grayson was supposed to keep you away from the case."

  "Well shit happens. Can I please have the Hummer?"

  "Council meeting first, then you and Grayson can go to the crime scene." He didn't sound thrilled. "Where in Manitou are you?"

  I debated for a moment on telling him the truth. "I'm at the park. I needed to walk and clear my mind."

  "I'll be there in a moment." He disconnected the line. True to his words, he was there a second later.

  I raised a brow. "What? No sending Mario to get me?"

  "No, not tonight." He held his hand out. "The council will be waiting for us."

  I sighed and put my hand in his, but hesitated for a moment. I hated traveling the vampire way. It made me sick to my stomach and always disoriented me.

  "Abigail?"

  I shook my head. "Sorry, it's been a long couple of days." I put my hand in his, and we disappeared into the night.

  ∞

  We reappeared in a dark hallway. My heart pounded as panic started to crawl up my throat. We didn't typically appear in the house that the council was meeting it. It'd always been outside of it, and the building had always had some sort of lighting in it. This was almost pitch black, and the moon through the window was the only light.

  "It's okay Abigail. It's just a different place than normal."

  I closed my eyes and reached out with my magic. There was nothing there that felt magical, nothing that would harm me. I could sense a fire in the next room, and my elemental ability wanted to reach out to it. I let out a deep breath and opened my eyes. "Whose place is this?"

  "It's an old castle that belonged to our kind long before we became known to humans."

  That explained the draft and the old bricks. I sighed. "Do you guys always have to do things so mysteriously?"

  "It's what helps us keep my identity a secret. If we switch locations and don't have it at a place tied to one of us, there is no solid evidence if anyone is king or a king's guard." Levi gently pushed me forward. "Let's go."

  I hated council meetings. I'd only been to a couple, but being the only witch in a room full of vampires was uncomfortable. We walked through a big pair of wooden doors into a hall holding a large round table. I smiled at the idea that it reminded of the knights of the round table. All the council was already seated. The only ones who looked up when we walked in were Mario and Grayson.

  Mario stood and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. Nothing sexual, nothing loving, just a simple greeting. "Princess."

  I wanted to tell him to fuck off so much, but I had to keep myself calm and under control. "Mario."

  He escorted me to my seat which sat between his and Levi's. Mario sat next to me as my guard. We no longer had to keep up the facade of lovers since he'd stabbed me in the back.

  "We have a huge case in the vampire world that's pointing to Ira being successful." Grayson looked around the table. "You're all aware of what the scenes look like. I've pulled in Abigail to consult with me on the case."

  Levi shifted next to me. I half expected him to call Grayson out on hiding information from him and not asking permission for me to be on the case.

  But all Levi did was hmm before speaking. "There has been an escalation in the magic at the scenes then?"

  "There has been, and showing up on several sites now." Grayson sighed. "I thought it best to bring her in."

  "I would have appreciated a heads up before you invited her on the scene, but I agree that it's best to bring in a witch at this point."

  I cleared my throat. "There's one thing I'd like to bring up tonight."

  All eyes turned to me, and for the first time in a while, I felt nervous. "I've been informed that there is a plot to kill the King of Vampires. From the underground."

  All their eyes snapped to Levi and then back to me.

  "They don't know who the vampire is, but an informant was sent to me because they thought I could help."

  "Who was this informant?"

  "Some guy who beat the shit out of my car." It wasn't exactly a lie. It was how it all started, but I wasn't willing to bring the council's attention to Nick, not yet anyway.

  "The underground always has whispers of bringing down the King of Vampires, this is no different," Mario said. "The underground can't find their way out of a paper bag. This is no true threat."

  I sighed. "I disagree. There's been an assassin after me, and I'm certain they know I have some connection to the King. They may be tied to the corruption in PIB, or they may be tied to the vampire world. I don't know."

  "Then what, Princess Abigail, do you think we should do about it?"

  "I don't know, I just don't think you should brush it off," I said easily. "My job isn't to figure out how to protect Levi, it's yours."

  I swore the entire room drew in a breath at my words. I dared any of them to tell me I was wrong. There was no doubt in my mind that I'd just insulted their ability to protect their king.

  Levi put a hand on my shoulder. His silent sign that I needed to watch my words. "Abigail is correct."

  Now those weren't words I heard very often.

  "Idle threats or not, we should look into it. We have our own contacts in the underground. Mario will get a hold of them, and we'll go from there."

  There was a nod of agreement around the table.

  "There's one more thing I'd like to address. I have been called home." Levi removed his hand from my shoulder.

  That one sentence made everyone in the room freeze. I had a feeling I was the only one left out about what kind of vampire Samuel truly was. The tension in the room was almost tangible.

  Finally, Grayson spoke. "You have no choice but to go."

  Levi nodded. "Mario will be in charge of my territory should the visit take longer than expected. Abigail will be coming as well."

  "Do you think that wise?" Another one asked.

  Levi shook his head. "No, but it was on the invitation to bring my witch, and we all know what he'd do if I didn't listen."

  Again silence.

  I knew that Levi's maker was not a good man, I knew that he was a monster, but with the way everyone was reacting, I was starting to wonder just what kind of monster he really was.

  "Samuel hasn't been seen in centuries, why now?"

  Levi shrugged. "I can only imagine it has to do with Ira and his experiments. I'm not sure."

  Grayson nodded. "If that covers everything, Abigail and I have a crime scene to get to. I will send updates to everyone who needs them."

  I stood, and Mario stood with me. I knew what was about the happen and I sighed. I turned to him to tell him I didn't need him to come when Grayson cleared his throat.

  "Mario, I am also a kings guard, and I'm able to protect Princess Abigail while we are out tonight."

  Mario didn't look thrilled, but Levi nodded. "That is fine, please bring Abigail back to the mansion tonight as she will be borrowing the Hummer."

  He held his hand out. "Let's get going then, Princess."

  I was happy that the title would drop the moment we were out in public again. It was obnoxious, and I hated it.

  ∞

  When Grayson and I reappeared, we stood in a run-down house. Black mold spots seemed to be taking over any paint that wasn't already peeling off the walls, and papers and dust covered the floor of the dark room we stood in. The only part of the floor that wasn't covered was the circle that was in the middle. It was the same one I'd seen in the pictures, but the fact that no debris was in it now made me question if the magic was still active or not.

  I slowly walked toward the circle, and Grayson started to speak. I put a finger up to silence him. I swore as I got closer, I could hear someone breathing. How he hadn't heard
it as a vampire, I wasn't sure. It sounded like quick panicked breaths, and it got louder as I approached the circle.

  "Abigail?"

  "Do you not hear that?" I asked Grayson and looked at him.

  "I do, but I see nothing." He motioned around him. "I smell blood as well, but that is all over the place."

  I had a sinking feeling. I took a deep breath and put my hand against the circle. I could feel it right under my fingertips. It wasn't black magic; it wasn't even gray; it was pure, and it was hiding something. That's why there was no physical manifestation. Just the circle on the ground and no one dared to cross magical circles.

  "Hello?" I knelt down just outside the circle. "If you're there, I need you to pull this circle down, please. I'm here to help."

  The circle shimmered just a little bit. I could forcefully take it over, but that would probably scare the person inside of it.

  Grayson stood near me, watching, his arms crossed.

  "Hey, I know you're scared and hurt, but the bad guy is gone now. Just me and another PIB agent. We want to get you to safety. We want to take care of you."

  The circle came crashing down revealing a tall, gangly teenager. His eyes were wide and frightened. The skin pale as could be for a human. Blood had seeped through his shirt and dried making the fabric a nasty brown color. His brown eyes locked with mine and then he threw himself at me, knocking me to the ground.

  Grayson moved to pull his gun, and I held up a hand before wrapping my arms around the boy. "It's okay now. You're safe," I whispered to him. I looked over his head at Grayson. "Call an ambulance."

  He nodded and stepped outside the house. I slowly coaxed the boy up from the ground with me.

  "What's your name?"

  He swallowed a couple times. "Alfie."

  "Okay, Alfie, it's going to be okay. Can you tell me what the last thing you remember was? The date? Anything?"

  He nodded. "I got a call that said I needed to come here. I thought…" He looked at me and then shook his head. "I don't know what I thought, but I came and then there was this woman. She was so scary. I could feel the magic rolling off her, but then she opened her mouth, and there were these fangs like a vampire." He started shivering. "Oh goddess, I don't know what I'm saying." He practically curled against me while we were standing.