I nodded to the table. “If you’d be so kind to do a truth rune within her reach.”
The guard did as I asked, and I felt the magic flare when Adrianna put her hand on the rune. “It’s not my people. They wouldn’t go near my daughter without my approval. I have not been in contact with anyone since being in this hellhole.” She met my gaze. “If I were to send my people out to get someone, it would be you, Abigail. You did this to me.”
“Do you have any idea who else is capable of the damage you cause? Who would use a rune to prolong life for torture?”
She gave me that smile again, and a shiver ran down my back. “I don’t, but what I know is that you should fear them, because where I showed mercy and killed my victims, they have none.” She moved her hand off the truth rune. “Satisfied?”
Since there was very little chance she could have messed with the rune, I nodded. “Thank you for your time, Adrianna.”
“Fuck you, agent.”
I walked out after the guard unlocked the door, and he followed with me to the reception area, using his radio to tell someone that we were done with Adrianna.
I signed out at the reception desk and went to find Liz in the parking lot. Except she wasn’t there.
Anywhere.
I pulled my phone out to call her.
No answer.
I let out a frustrated growl and left her a voicemail. “You left me stranded at containment. It’d be awesome if you came to pick me up.”
Shoving the phone in my pocket, I leaned against the building, waiting for her to call back or show back up.
Twenty minutes later, her SUV pulled up, and I climbed in. “Where did you go?”
“Just to check something out. Don’t worry about it.”
I raised a brow. “Is this a guard thing, or a PIB thing.”
“I really hate that question,” she muttered, and that meant it was a guard thing.
“You should probably tell me about potential threats against me.”
She nodded. “I thought I saw Samuel. So I went to investigate.”
I hesitated slightly. “Samuel shouldn’t be lurking around. He took Hannah back to whatever hole they live in. Then called Levi home. He should be plotting out whatever he plans to do to Levi. Not stalking us.”
“Yeah, I agree. But I still wanted to check it out.”
“Did you find anything?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
I wasn’t sure if that should be comforting or terrifying. I was going to go with comforting. “The guard put Adrianna under a truth spell. It’s not her people. And she has no idea who it could be.”
Liz sat in silence for a moment. “So we’re back to square one?”
“What about your lead? The one you dragged me out of bed so early for?”
“We’re going to check with him now, but I was really hoping we’d get something good from Adrianna.”
I wasn’t expecting anything, and I sure as hell wasn’t expecting her to go under a truth spell to prove she wasn’t hiding anything. I picked up my coffee from the cup holder. “Let’s get going then, because if this doesn’t turn up anything we have a lot more work to do.”
We pulled up to a playground, and I got out. “Strange place for a meeting.”
“He has a kid.” She shrugged.
A Cult member with a kid. My mind went back to the damage Christof did to his children, and I wondered how anyone could raise a kid in that kind of environment. Of course, maybe not all members of that sect were as evil.
A man approached us, and I knew I was wrong. The aura oozed off this man, almost like slime. It eased out with his magic as he approached. I had to curb my instinct to back away from him.
“You must be the agents that wanted to speak to me.” He motioned to a bench near the playground. There was only one child playing, going up the stairs and then down the slide, repeatedly.
Liz nodded. “We are. Thank you for meeting with us. I know your sect can be a bit… shy of meeting with PIB.”
“Well, as long as you aren’t after any of my people, we won’t have a problem.”
I tried not to sneer at the comment. I let Liz take the lead since it was her connection and I couldn’t promise I’d be nice.
Liz pulled out her phone and showed the man the pictures of our two victims. “We found these women. Do you know either of them?”
He shook his head, but he paled just a little.
Liar.
She flicked the picture to the rune. “Both sported these.”
I felt the magic flare before Liz did. I threw a circle around us as it hit. The moment it faded, I threw a red circle around the man. “That wasn’t very nice.”
He ran his fingers over my circle and then shook his hand. “A PIB agent that plays on the darker side.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t like to use magic around my daughter.
“Should have thought about that before you attacked us,” Liz stated. “Know something?”
He nodded and crossed his arms. “Let me out and I’ll answer.”
“Nope, you answer, or I leave you trapped in there.” I met his gaze. “Don’t test me on this.”
He studied me for a moment and then laughed. “You’re Abigail Collins. No wonder you’re so hostile to me. Christof killed your parents.”
“Glad to know that’s common knowledge. The rune?” This time, there was anger in my voice.
“Hugo Locke is the person you’re looking for. You’ll find him up in Cañon City.” He motioned to my magic. “Now, if you would.”
I glanced at Liz, and she nodded. I pulled my magic back into me, and he turned and walked to his daughter.
Liz put a hand on my shoulder. “Thanks for having my back.”
“Yeah, that was a close call.” I watched the man pick up his daughter. “There are people out there who know Christof killed my parents. No one came forward.”
“Come on. Let’s go look up that name.” She urged me to the car.
“Yeah.” I turned away from the scene, trying to push the feeling of his magic away from me.
We took a few steps toward the car, but froze when a noise like a whirlwind blew through the area. I threw my hands over my ears and glanced at Liz. She did the same and then squatted down as if she sensed something I didn’t.
And that’s when it hit me. Something came hard and fast from the side and took me down to the ground. I let go of my ears so I could break my fall without taking damage. I looked up to see what hit me, but there was nothing there.
I stayed low to the ground like Liz, my eyes scanning the area. The magic flared again, but this time, I was ready. I summoned my purple circle and a gale wind parted around it, allowing me to stay upright this time.
I glanced at Liz, who was pointing to the car. In a blink of an eye, she was next to her SUV. I focused and used the transportation spell to appear at her side.
“I suggest if you don’t want your car destroyed, we go. Now.” I jumped into the passenger side and she the driver’s.
She wasted no time in speeding out of the parking lot and toward the office. I glanced behind us, expecting to see some sign of the magic following us, but everything looked peaceful as we drove away.
I sat in my office and looked at the file on the screen. Turned out that Hugo Locke was a known vagabond in Cañon City. He moved around from camp to camp, sometimes causing problems and other times just sitting there.
Literally, the file had at least thirty pictures of him sitting on a rock or a sidewalk or a sign, looking as if he were asleep. He didn’t look like a killer or someone who’d been murdering women.
He looked like a sleepy old man in need of a bath. All his PIB file had on him were a few magical misconduct charges, but I guess we were going to take a trip to Cañon City to find him and ask him some questions.
I was waiting for Liz, who had stepped out of my office to make a phone call. I pulled up the solitaire game on the computer and played to waste some time
while I waited for her. Two turns in and my phone buzzed. I saw Travis’ name flash on my screen.
There was a moment where I debated on answering because nine times out of ten, he yelled at me.
But I answered anyway. “What’s up, Travis?”
“Simon returned to pack land about thirty minutes ago. Apparently, you two spent the night together? I thought we had an agreement.”
I tried to think about what he was talking about. “Yeah, we spent the night together as boyfriend and girlfriend. Zayne was in the house as a guard, and then, before dawn, Merick was back. So there was no agreement broken.”
There was a moment of silence. “Then why was there a text from Levi stating Simon was on guard last night?”
“That would be an excellent question. Have you talked to Simon about it? Or did you jump the gun and call me first?”
There was another moment of silence, and this time I was the one who broke it. “Jumped the gun, didn’t you? Also, you should have called Levi because it was his phone the message came from.”
“I tried, and he didn’t answer. It’s also midday.”
He had a point there. “Look, I promise I had two other guards. I’ll be happy to send you the schedule.”
“Why would Levi send me a message if he didn’t call Simon for security?”
I thought for a moment and then sighed. “Levi is with Samuel right now. That stays between us. My guess is that Samuel is trying to cause problems.”
“Fucking vampires.” Travis hung up.
And I shook my head. Fucking werewolves.
Liz came in and sat down. “We need to talk.”
“I don’t like that tone.” I sighed and turned away from the computer screen. “What’s up?”
“I just got a call from Melisandra. Oliver is back at her home.”
Oh, thank the goddess. “Why didn’t she call me?”
“Because she didn’t want to worry you, but I don’t believe in keeping things from you.”
I really didn’t like where this was going. “Is he okay?”
“He will be. Something hurt him bad. Wherever he was, whatever he went after, he’s paying a price for it.”
Oliver rarely came back injured from any of his missions or wild goose chases. “Samuel?”
“We’re not sure. He’s not really awake enough to say. Melisandra is using her magic to heal him and let him rest. Hopefully when he wakes, he’ll be able to tell us what happened.”
I nodded. “My money is on Samuel.”
“It could have been a task gone wrong,” she reminded me.
“No. Oliver is too careful for that. He’s been in the same career field since I was born.”
“We have to consider this serious if it is an attack from Samuel. Levi and Mario are with their makers as of today, so we have to be prepared.”
I glanced at my screen and then back to her. “That means I’m acting ruler now.”
“Yes. Can you handle all this? Or do I need to work this case solo?”
I gave it a serious thought. Could I play in both worlds right now? Constant threats in the vampire world and a killer in the PIB world pushed my limits when Samuel was here, and he’d taken away two very stable parts of my life. Possibly three. “The only way I know to go is forward. Let’s do this. If you think I can’t later, then you can pull me off the case.”
She smiled. “Glad to have you at my side. What did we learn about Hugo?”
“He’s a vagabond in Cañon City. We’re going to have to walk around to find him. There’s no address or contact listed for him. But a lot of pictures of him meditating.”
“Woohoo, another car ride.” She laughed.
“We’ve been spending so much time in the car.” I rolled my eyes. “I almost miss computer work.”
She shrugged. “I can always put you on desk duty again.”
“Yeah, no thanks.”
She jumped up from her chair. “Okay, let’s go. I’ll buy coffee on the way.”
At least there would be coffee.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Cañon City was a town just south of Colorado Springs that had a small-town feel. The older brick buildings still dominated main street as pedestrians made their way around. We walked around trying to find any sign of Hugo, but apparently, he didn’t want to be found.
I leaned against a wall, watching the sun sink. “I’m thinking your contact sent us on a wild goose chase.”
“That was the risk, but right now we have nothing else to go on.”
“Ah yes, risks, risks are a must.” A male voice had us both jumping.
To our left, a man appeared. He stroked his recently groomed gray hair and beard as he talked to us. “Risks are a must for PIB agents. I heard you were looking for me.”
Liz smiled. “Are you Hugo?”
“I am, but I am not the person you are seeking.” He laughed, showing yellowing teeth. “You see, I know the marks. I know how to use them, but I don’t kill women. Even if they order me to.”
“And why should we believe you?” I crossed my arms.
He rolled up his sleeve, showing me a truth rune carved into his skin. “Because I can never tell a lie.”
Liz ran her fingers over the rune and pulled back. “It’s active.”
“Of course it is. My blood fuels it. Christof gave it to me for lying to him.” He shrugged. “Now, there are a few of us who know how to use that mark. Christof is one of them. Your contact is not. I know how, and there’s a woman by the name of Monica that knows how to do it. And I know she’s back in town.”
“Your town or our town?”
He smirked. “Good question, Agent. Your town. You’ll find her at her winter home.”
“Address?” Liz asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t have one, but I have a picture.” He reached back into his pocket and handed me a crumpled photo. “We met there last meeting, after you took Christof into custody.”
“Thank you.” I stuck it in my bag. “That’s all, have a good evening.”
He grabbed my wrist before I could walk away. “You are Christof’s mistake.”
“I know. He was supposed to deliver me to Samuel.”
“And he failed in that. What happens when someone fails a vampire?”
I closed my eyes. “I imagine death or punishment.”
“Be aware that Christof will not stay contained for long.”
I smirked. “Let him come.”
Hugo let go of my wrist. “Good luck, agents.”
And with that, he disappeared.
I glanced at Liz. “Well, that was a nice dose of crazy.”
She laughed. “Yeah, but we need to keep going down the rabbit hole.”
“Yeah.” Something brushed against me, and I let out a long sigh. The power came quickly, and I threw my circle up around Liz and me without even flinching.
“Hello, Hannah.” I turned around to face the vampire as she stepped out of the shadows.
Liz stepped closer to me.
“Abigail, so nice to see the Princess wandering around after dark.”
“I don’t recall getting a notice from you to negotiate a visit. We had this discussion last time. Get the fuck out of the territory.”
She walked closer, her magic snaking around and pushing against my circle. “I’m not playing by the rules anymore, Abigail. I’m here to deliver a declaration from Samuel.”
“Oh?” I tried to keep my voice from shaking, because I had a feeling I knew what was coming.
She smiled. “This. Is. War.”
She shoved her magic towards us, shattering the circle. Liz and I went flying backwards, skidding across the street. Hannah laughed as she disappeared into the night, and Liz and I stumbled to our feet.
I looked myself over and found only a few scrapes and bruises. I glanced at Liz, who didn’t have a scratch. But she was angry as hell.
“Levi’s house. Now,” she snapped.
We both ran to the SUV, and she wasted n
o time in getting it started and heading out.
“What does she mean, war?” Liz growled.
“Pretty sure that’s war on the crown. I don’t know, but Samuel has the actual King right now.” I pulled my phone out to text Catalina and Zayne.
Zayne called me a moment later. “Where are you heading?”
“Levi’s.”
“Change course and come to your house. I’ll be there with Catalina. It’s the only place that vampires can’t pop in and out. It’s safer.”
I think that was the first time I’d ever heard those words. My house was safer. “Okay, we’ll see you there.”
“Are you okay?” There was a weird tone of actual concern in his voice instead of his hard guard voice.
“I’m fine. She was just delivering the message. We’ll see you at the house.” I disconnected and leaned back in my seat. What the hell was Samuel thinking?
Could he take on the council? Could I lead a war with Levi at stake?
“Your house then?” Liz broke my thoughts.
“Yeah, Zayne thinks it’s safer.”
She laughed. “It’s about time someone realizes that.” She took the exit to the highway that led to my house.
I watched as the trees passed by. I wasn’t prepared for this. Though part of me always knew it was coming.
I walked into the house with Liz at my back. Zayne and Catalina were standing in the living room, waiting. Zayne turned to me. “Princess. There’s a hole in the side of your shirt.”
I looked down to see where it was. “So there is. That’s the least of our worries.”
He nodded and motioned to the couch. “Please sit. Catalina and you have a lot to discuss.”
“Shouldn’t we do this with the entire council?” I sat on the couch and looked at the vampires in front of me.
Catalina shook her head. “I want you to brief me before you face the council, so we can come up with what you are going to tell them. This is my job as your adviser.”
I nodded, suddenly nervous. “Catalina, what exactly does this mean?”
“That Hannah and Samuel are probably gathering an army. They will use Levi and Mario against you. We need to gather our forces and prepare for an attack. Luckily, Levi has made allies across the world as king, so we can protect most of those who support him as king.”
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