“I certainly hope not.”
“Okay, I’m going to go visit the pups then. They’ve all got their own apartments now, so just a routine check in. I’ll see you up there tonight. I love you.”
“Love you too.” I disconnected and made myself coffee.
I turned around, and as I did, a voice caught me off guard.
“I didn’t know you’d be here today.”
I dropped the cup of coffee and went for my gun as Zayne walked around the corner.
“A bit gun happy, are we?” He asked. “You weren’t scheduled to be here tonight until later.”
I didn’t know I was scheduled to be there at all. “Something came up and here I am.”
With hot coffee all over the floor. I went to grab a rag and clean up the mess.
Mario walked in behind Zayne. “So, I did hear Abigail. Zayne you scared her enough for her to drop her coffee?”
I noticed that there was a healing mark on Mario’s face, and I had a feeling Hannah had something to do with it. Any time he spent time with her, he came back with damage.
“It’s been a long day already. He startled me. I chose my weapon over coffee.”
“I’ll make you another mug.” Mario stepped around the island and came to the counter. “Why are you here?”
“Why are you guys awake? It’s early afternoon.”
“Levi had an engagement in another country today. We went with him as guards. He’s resting, and I had just laid down to rest when I heard you.”
I raised a brow. “I’ve been here for almost twenty minutes. It took you long enough to say hi.”
“I was being decent and put some clothes on.”
I snorted and looked at Zayne. “And you?”
“I was finishing up lunch.”
I didn’t want to know who he had fed from today. “Lovely. Well, I’m here because Samuel showed up at my house today.”
Both of them stared at me. Mario damn near dropped my second mug of coffee.
I found the broom and started sweeping up the pieces of the broken mug. “He couldn’t get past our circles, but we thought it best that I come here just in case he eventually did.”
“I think that might have been the wisest choice you’ve made in a long time.” Mario said as he set the cup of coffee down. There was a hint of a joke to his voice, and I almost appreciated it.
I took a dramatic bow. “Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here until dinner.”
“No, you’ll be staying here for the night.” This from Zayne, no humor in his features or his voice.
“I have a dinner date with my uncle. He’s on the approved list.”
“I’ll be going with you,” he answered right away.
I picked up my mug of coffee and the box. I balanced it on my hip. “I’ll be in my chamber working on some PIB stuff.” I wouldn’t argue with Zayne. Oliver said he’d talk to Levi about dinner, and honestly, Oliver had a better chance of convincing Levi than I did.
I got down the stairs and into my chamber. The round room made of dark stone welcomed me with its magic. Levi had built it for me when I was a young witch so that if there were any magical mishaps, I wouldn’t harm the mansion, myself, or anyone else.
It was like a second home to me. Warmth wrapped around me as I settled in, but it wasn’t long before I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
Mario knocked on the wall. “Abigail, I need to speak with you.”
I glanced back at him from the desk. “Come in, I’m not practicing magic, and you haven’t pissed me off, so you’re in no danger of me trapping you in a circle.”
He chuckled. “And Zayne?”
“I contemplated leaving him in one in the kitchen for Levi to find.” I spun my chair around to look at him. “Hannah pay a visit?”
“I was on a mission for Levi and took some damage, but if Samuel is around, then both you and I know Hannah is also.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Yeah, that bitch better stay away from me.”
“Levi has a press conference tonight, and he needs you by his side. As Princess.” Mario crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
I sighed. “I don’t do press conferences. I hate press conferences.”
“This is important, Abigail. It shows his alliance with PIB through you. Simon will be there as well.”
Interesting. Simon hadn’t mentioned it when we had talked earlier. Maybe he didn’t know either. “You guys can’t just spring things on me the last moment. Oliver and I have dinner plans tonight.”
“So I hear.” Levi’s voice came from the stairs before he walked further into the room. “He called me earlier and said it was case related.”
“You’re not supposed to be on the field.” Mario pointed out. “O’Donald promised desk work only.”
I motioned behind me. “I’m at a desk, not on the field. Oliver has some information I need, and he wanted to meet at his safe place to give me the information.”
Levi nodded. “He said it was probably crucial to your case. I got him to agree to meet you here. Zayne informed me that Samuel is at your house.”
“Yeah, I don’t know if he’s still there. I haven’t heard from Merick yet. I’m assuming he’d tell me if the house got burned down or something.”
Levi nodded. “I’m glad you got here safely. Has Mario told you about tonight?”
“Yeah, press conference, Princess, all that jazz. Said Simon was going to be there tonight too.”
“Yes, I’ll be calling him in a few to let him know I need him tonight.”
“Is there anything else?” I sighed. “I’m trying to work through these notes on the case.”
Mario shook his head and walked back up the stairs. Levi stayed. “Are you doing alright?”
“I’m fine. I’ve shaken off my stay in containment, Simon and I got some time together last night, and I’ve got something to keep me busy.”
“And Samuel?”
“Well, you know, I didn’t argue about staying and trying to fight him.”
“Which is why I’m asking you if you’re alright.” Levi shook his head.
I pressed my lips together. “It wasn’t the time to choose that fight.”
“Good. The press conference tonight, it’s about Ira’s experiments and what the press has gotten a hold of in the last couple months.”
“Agent Ross had unlocked the file on Ira. Is that how they got the information?”
“I don’t know. I’m going in as blind as you are on this. There have been many press requests for interviews coming into the council. We decided it was time to address them again.”
“Just don’t let me get kidnapped from this one?”
Levi nodded. “Zayne will be by your side and Mario by mine. Simon will be in the crowd patrolling. Liz will be there with PIB.”
“How come Liz knew about it before me?”
He shrugged. “O’Donald probably didn’t think about it, or he wanted to make sure that I was the one that told you.”
“Okay, whatever. I need to go through these files some more and see if I can figure some things out. I promise I’m not leaving the mansion for the day. I do, however, want some food, so I guess I’ll venture to the kitchen for some.”
“There’s some frozen meals for you in the freezer. Plenty of coffee, and if it comes down to it, wine.” Levi smiled at me. “Thank you for not fighting Samuel today.” He turned and went back up the stairs.
I turned back to the papers and tried to push the thought out of my mind. Merick and I wouldn’t have stood a chance against Samuel alone. At least at that moment. If I’d had a gun with silver ammo in it, I probably could have shot him.
I smirked a little at the idea. I’d need to carry silver ammo and knives with me, so if I was forced into that fight, I would have a chance.
Pushing thoughts of Samuel out of my mind, I went back to go over the seemingly random notes that Ross had left. Maybe I could figure out something while I waited for dinner.
Three hours, a pot
of coffee, and a snack later, I had nothing. There was no path to follow from the restaurants listed on the napkins and menus. Nothing that could have led me to further believe that the underground was involved.
The door to my chamber opened, and I spun around in the chair to see Oliver standing there with a takeout bag.
My stomach growled loud enough that he raised a brow. “Didn’t eat lunch?”
“I had a snack.” I shrugged. “Thanks for dinner.”
“I couldn’t let my niece go to a press conference hungry.” He shut the door behind him and locked it.
So, he really wanted this conversation to be private. Oliver pulled up another chair, and I cleared the papers off the desk so we could eat. “So, what do you know about this?”
Oliver looked at the box of notes and then at me. “I know that Agent Ross is a very dangerous woman. She’s been seen in the underground tracking people.”
I raised a brow. “As PIB?”
“PIB is a cover that she uses down there to keep herself untouched. The underground doesn’t want to mess with you guys, because if PIB wanted to, they could tear them apart.”
I didn’t know much about the underground, except that powerful people tended to hide there, and at one point Nick was in it, and he was trying to kill the King of vampires, before Levi came out as king. I was apparently a legend there because of some rumors that had gone around. Some of which were actually true.
“Okay, so she’s been hunting someone in the underground. Why do you know this?”
“Because I’ve been following her. The rumors have reached even the more sophisticated warlocks and witches. Those of us who don’t slum around in the underground.”
“Do you know who she’s hunting?”
He shook his head. “No one knows. I heard recently that she found who she was looking for, but now she’s pulled off the case and PIB handed it off to less competent agents.” He raised a brow and looked at me.
“I guess it depends on her skill level, doesn’t it? She pulled me in under false charges of murder. Supposedly, I blacked out and killed a PIB agent. The agent was Agent Yorkingson’s partner, but it turned out that wasn’t true. So I have no connection or motivation for the case.”
“Other than the fire ability.” Oliver said, and it was my turn to raise a brow.
“How do you know about that?”
“Because my contact told me she pulled in a known fire elemental for the case. This is why we wanted to keep your abilities hidden, remember?”
I nodded. “I know, because I was terrified of ending up in containment being studied.”
“And?”
“It wasn’t a pleasant stay, but it seems that Levi’s protection extends to there.”
“They transfer most elementals out of there the night they come in. They go to a government run facility and aren’t seen again.”
So the stories said. “I know I’m lucky, and I’m not stupid enough to think that Levi’s protection didn’t keep me from that.”
“I’m glad it did. I don’t want to tear down a government building for you.” He smirked. “Look, I can tell you this case is going to take you to the underground. Tread carefully, tread lightly, and try to not show off while you’re there.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Is this like a legit underground? Or is that just a name?”
“There’s a club, it’s underground.” Oliver chuckled. “You’ll love it, lots of witches, I believe a previous coven member or two.”
I gave him a droll look. “Not comforting.”
“The real warning is this, just because Agent Ross is off the case doesn’t mean you won’t run into her during it. She’s dangerous. Rumors say she’s killed with magic before. You suck at reading aura’s so you probably can’t tell.”
It sounded like a jab, but it was true.
“I’ve dealt with killers before.”
Oliver nodded. “Yes, but you’ve always been able to out power them or have someone at your back. And, you and I both know that if Ross had you put in containment, she wanted you out of the way for a reason.”
I hadn’t considered that until now. I stared at him. “So it’s personal.”
“Is it ever not with you?” Oliver shook his head. “Keep your head low, but figure it out.”
“How come you didn’t want anyone else knowing about what information you have?”
“Because I told Melisandra that I would try to stay out of this kind of crap.”
I couldn’t hide my smile. “That’s kind of sweet coming from you.”
“Yeah, well, believe it or not, I love her.”
And that was saying a lot coming from Oliver. “She’s good for you. Thank you for the information.”
We sat there and ate for a few minutes in silence.
“Okay, maybe that’s not all there is to it, Abigail. You said Ross had pictures of you?”
I nodded. “You know something more.”
He glanced at the door, even though he’d locked it, acting like the vampires might pop in. “I think she’s out to kill you.”
I stared at him for a moment. “This still isn’t case-breaking information.”
“There are rumors of someone in the underground hunting down and killing elementals.”
“She had a chance to kill me.”
“Instead, I think she was planning on sending you to one of the facilities and having you killed there. I don’t know what she would have to gain from it. But I think she’s the killer.”
He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a name on it. “Go to The Underground club, ask for Sasha Lake. Tell her I sent you, and then she’ll give you more information. And do not mention any of this to Melisandra.”
I nodded. “You know you won’t be able to keep secrets from her if you love her.”
“This is the last loose end, I promise.” He gathered the trash and stood. “Be safe at the press conference. Try not to almost die this time.” He walked out, and I sat back in my chair. He wasn’t acting like himself, and that worried me. Maybe I should call Melisandra and ask her.
No. There was no need to cause waves there. I texted Liz. “Got a lead. We go tomorrow evening.”
I expected a text back arguing, but nothing came. I glanced at my watch and then to the stairs. It was probably about time to get ready for the press conference. I ran my hand through my hair and pushed away from the desk before going up the stairs.
Oliver’s voice made me pause. “I’m going away for a bit. Melisandra and I want some time to ourselves.”
“I understand that,” this from Levi. “Will you be reachable?”
“For emergencies, yes, and I left Abby with a contact. She’ll be fine without me for a couple months.”
A couple months? Where the hell were they going?
“You should tell her.” Levi sounded disapproving.
“Abigail has enough on her plate. When Melisandra and I get back, then I’ll explain to her. Until then, make sure she stays a witch.”
I didn’t really like the sound of that.
“I’ll do my best, but you know how trouble finds her.” Levi chuckled.
Oliver echoed the laugh. “I do, but I know that in the end, you’ll do the right thing.”
What the hell? He was talking like he’d seen something. As far as I knew, he wasn’t like my mother or Clarissa. He had no clairvoyance abilities.
“I’ll try for sure. Get going, she’ll be up here soon to get ready for the press conference.”
In all honesty, Levi probably knew that I was standing right there. He probably heard the door open and my footsteps on the stairs. Oliver, on the other hand, didn’t have supernatural hearing, so he was clueless. Maybe.
I waited until I knew Oliver was gone.
“You can come up, Abigail,” Levi said, confirming what I had thought.
“Where’s Oliver really off to?” I crossed my arms.
“I don’t know, but I don’t dig into his business. If he says that he an
d Melisandra are going to go spend some time away, then so be it. Hopefully, we don’t need him while he’s gone.”
Typically, I needed Oliver for different reasons than Levi, but hopefully Oliver’s contact would be good. “Oliver rarely disappears for a couple months.”
“I know, but maybe he’s truly trying to find himself.” Levi shrugged. “You need to dress in something other than PIB uniform tonight. Red or purple to match your powers. I’d prefer if you wore a dress, but I’m sure that won’t happen.”
I snorted. “Not if you didn’t buy me one. I have some business clothes in the closet. I’ll see what I can find.” It was interesting that he wanted me to match my magic colors. Maybe this press conference was more of a power play than an information exchange.
With a deep breath, I headed to my room to get ready.
I came out of my room adjusting the purple blouse that I found in the back of my closet. Zayne stood, leaning against the wall across from my door.
“Princess.”
“Zayne,” I said politely. “Of course you’ll be coming with, and you’ll be happy to know I plan on returning here tonight instead of my house.”
“As I would insist on, because Samuel knows where you live.”
I was positive Samuel also knew where Levi lived, but I wasn’t going to point that out. Now was not the time to poke Zayne.
He followed me down the hallway and into the foyer. “So, where are you from?” I asked him, trying to break the weird silence. When Mario followed me around, he at least made small talk or lectured me. There was none of this weird brooding.
“Far enough.” He said easily.
“Far enough, old enough.” I shook my head. “Not much of a talker, are you?”
“With all respect, Princess, I’m not here to be your friend. I’m not here for you to steal my heart. I’m here to protect you and make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”
Well, there it was. Good, now that I knew where he stood, I wouldn’t feel bad when I figured out how to ditch him.
I couldn’t help but smile when we walked into the foyer. Simon stood there in jeans and a t-shirt. A reminder that he would be patrolling the crowd and not at my side, but that was okay. I went to him and wrapped my arms around him.
The Lost Ones (Here Witchy Witchy Book 12) Page 7