King Takes Rook Read online

  "When you went there, did you see her husband?"

  "No. Look, I've done everything I can to help you. I went back, and the vale is down, and all the evidence is gone. Burnt."

  "And you didn't think to call me?"

  "I thought I'd let you sleep," Oliver said dryly. "The boy…" Oliver hesitated, and it was the first time Levi had heard raw emotion in his voice. "Is a lost cause at this point, Levi."

  Levi didn't want to believe that. "I have to try, Oliver."

  "I see where Abigail gets her stubbornness from. Stay away from the Snakes, Levi, and you won't get bitten." Oliver hung up.

  Levi set his phone down and looked back at his screen. He needed to speak to the husband and the mother. Then maybe he could decide if it was a lost cause or not.

  Mario walked into the office. "Laura has agreed to meet us as a truce, with the understanding that it's on neutral grounds."

  "Understandable." Levi nodded. "Find a place and set up the meeting. If there's any chance to save her brother, it's going to be through her."

  "Who were you talking to a few moments ago?" Mario sat in the chair in front of the desk.

  "Oliver." Levi shook his head. "He's written the boy off as a lost cause."

  Mario crossed his arms. "Not like Oliver to give up."

  "Believe it or not, I think he's scared of the coven." Levi sighed. "And if he's scared of them, then they must be more powerful than we think."

  "Oliver isn't typically threatened by things more powerful than him." Mario raised a brow. "So why this?"

  Levi shook his head. "I don't know, and he doesn't want to talk about it."

  "Okay, well, I'll arrange the truce." Mario stood to leave, and Levi went back to the computer.

  A file caught his attention, and he pulled it up. "Mario, wait." Levi opened the article and waved Mario over to look.

  The file pulled up a picture of Laura. Wounds covered her face and arms, and the file described how the wounds weren't healing because of suspected black magic.

  "So she was just like the teens," Mario stated. "But she survived."

  Levi nodded and tapped the screen. "Look at the update."

  "Victim healed unexpectedly, and she claimed that it was a miracle, but security systems show that she had a visitor."

  Levi clicked on the link and saw an image of Laura's mother caught on a grainy film. "Interesting. Set up the truce, and tomorrow night, I'll go visit Laura's mother."

  Mario nodded. "A family affair?"

  "I'm thinking so." Levi shut the computer and stretched. "Took the database long enough to pull it up."

  "Maybe you just didn't have the right keywords." Mario laughed. "Technology can be picky sometimes."

  Levi rolled his eyes. "Says the vampire who never wanted to adapt to it." He stood.

  Mario walked out of the office. "It's a pain in the ass."

  Levi chuckled, many vampires refused to embrace technology, but he loved it. If anything, it had made his life easier, especially when vampires weren't known to humans. Now technology almost seemed unlimited. Combine it with magic, and it was unstoppable.

  The next night, Levi walked into the kitchen to find Mario leaning against the counter staring down at his phone.

  "What's wrong?"

  Mario shook his head. "Nothing." He shoved the device back into his pocket and crossed his arms. "We're meeting Laura at nine."

  "Okay, that gives me time to just pop in at her mother's house and talk to her again."

  "If Laura finds you sneaking around, she's not going to come to the meeting tonight." Mario shook his head. "You'll ruin what we've set up."

  "Then do you have a better idea?"

  Mario smirked. "Technology. Pick up the phone and call her."

  Levi snorted. "As simple as that." He grabbed his phone and typed in the number that Laura's mother had given them.

  She answered after a few rings. "Hello?"

  "Yes, Ms. Tibble, this is Levi, I was hoping to ask you a quick question."

  "If this is about Laura, I can't help you." There was a slight pitch in her voice that sounded a lot like fear.

  "It's not; it's about your husband. Someone told us that he's disappeared. Does it have to do with the Night Snake Coven?"

  Nothing but silence answered.

  "Do you know where your husband and your son are?"

  Sniffles came. "Yes, they are with the priest of the Coven. They…they…" Screams came from the other side and then silence.

  Levi looked at Mario, and they both disappeared from the mansion and to Laura's parent's house. Ms. Tibble was laying on the ground a blade in her back.

  Mario shoved Levi behind him as magic filled the house. Laura walked around the corner, blood coating her hands.

  "Thought you could get away with asking my mom questions? I knew she'd betray me." Laura stepped forward and gave a small cackling laugh. Levi stepped to the side and met her crazed eyes.

  "She was just about to tell us where your brother was. Don't you want him safe?"

  She shook her head. "He's in the safest place that he can be. With the coven, and they will raise him and protect him."

  "They will turn him into a killer," Mario shot back. "An innocent boy, and you've destroyed his life. You haven't saved him."

  She laughed. "You think that? What do you know blood-sucker? Your kind is trying to tear our town apart. One woman here has gone crazy because she was targeted for feeding." She pulled the blade out of her mother's back and pointed it at Levi. "You should have just given up."

  Magic crashed around them, and Levi knew she'd raised a circle. The only way they'd be leaving this house was if they killed Laura. Mario snarled, "We're trapped."

  "Mm, yes you are." She took a step forward. "You're not messing with a parlor trick kind of witch. I know magic that can boil your blood or rip you apart." She laughed. "So how would you like to die?"

  Levi called on his own power, and it swirled around him, pushing away some of her magic. "Witch, you are no match for two of us," Levi snarled and threw his hand out, sending power toward her. The power slid right by her cheek, slicing it, leaving a small trail of blood.

  She laughed and wiped it off with the back of her hand. "Really? Is that all you can do?"

  Mario disappeared and reappeared behind her, but she turned around and shoved him away. He hit the circle, and lightning crackled around them. Mario cried out and fell to the ground. Levi rushed her while she was distracted and grabbed her by the throat. She met his gaze, and a wicked smile crossed her face.

  "Brute force and vampire power won't save you here." She wrapped her hand around him. A burning sensation crawled up his arm, and he let go of her out of instinct, dropping her.

  She ran a hand over her throat. "The witches of the Night Snake Coven are a force to be reckoned with. We aren't pushovers." She raised her hands. "I may not be able to kill you with regular weapons or traditional means, but I can rip you apart."

  Levi paused as Mario started crying out, his hand to his chest, and his eyes wide. Mario pulled a knife from behind him and threw it. Laura dodged without even seeing it. "Pointless."

  But she hadn't been the target, and Levi knew it. He caught it just as Laura turned around to face Mario. "You'll be dead in a minute. Just let it happen."

  Levi appeared behind her and slammed the blade into her back. She stumbled as he twisted it and blood covered his hand. Mario's eyes flashed red at the scent of blood.

  "Tell me where the boy is," Levi snarled in her ear. "Or you'll become someone's snack. And I can tell you now that Mario isn't gentle."

  She shook her head. "Gone, they are all gone. Sacrificed to the goddess."

  "Your own brother?" Levi growled. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

  "The goddess requires sacrifices for us to keep our power." In a whirlwind of magic, Laura shoved Levi away
and reached behind her and pulled the blade out, tossing it to the ground and out of reach.

  "My father, my husband, and my brother all served to provide me the powers I have." She cackled. "The coven spared my life as long as I brought them the sacrifices they needed. Now, I'm more powerful than the priest of the coven."

  Mario lunged at her, taking her to the ground, his fangs tearing into her throat with a sickening wet noise. Levi watched as her body froze under Mario. "You are no match for him. You shouldn't have tried to tear him apart, and he wouldn't be so hungry."

  Laura tried to say something, but it just came out as a gargle. Levi turned away as the magic around them started to fade. He'd let Mario finish the witch off. Karma for attacking them. Once the circle faded completely, Levi left the room to give Mario the privacy of feeding.

  Levi paced the room while he waited. Three dead because of the promise of power. Three loved ones that she sent to their deaths all because she wanted to be stronger than anyone in the Night Snake Coven.

  He knew, thanks to Elizabeth, that black magic could be addicting. It was what he was worried about with Abigail. He sighed. She needed more positive influences in her life. The color of her circle worried him. After a few minutes of silence in his thoughts, Mario walked into the room.

  "Levi?"

  "Satisfied?" Levi asked glancing over his shoulder at him. "Witch blood is your favorite."

  Mario smirked. "It is. This one was a bit tainted, but she was still delicious. Not like you to let me bleed someone to death though."

  "She deserved it," Levi said calmly. "Now, we rid the town of the body and disappear, never to come and visit again."

  Mario nodded. "Leave it to me."

  Levi took him at his word and disappeared.

  Two nights later, Levi's phone rang, and he saw Abigail's number on the screen. He answered it. "Please don't tell me you blew up the Hummer."

  She snorted. "No, the Hummer is still in one piece and ready to return to you. I bought a new car. Well newish car. It runs."

  "Is it safe?"

  "Yes, it's fine. But I thought I'd take you up on that birthday dinner." Her voice was soft. "So we can talk a bit."

  Guilt hit him as he realized that he'd left his daughter alone to deal with the aftermath of grief and a rough case. "I'll be down there in just a little bit. I'll make sure to leave Mario here."

  "Thank you. I appreciate it. I'll see you in a little bit." She disconnected the phone.

  Levi stood from his desk and stretched. He'd searched and searched for any signs of the boy turning up dead, but nothing had come up. Either the coven kept him alive and hidden, or they hid the body well.

  Levi walked out of the office and ran into Mario. "I'm going to go see Abby for a little bit."

  "How long will we be there?"

  Levi shook his head. "I'm going alone. I promised her a chance to talk."

  "Are you going to tell her everything?" Mario raised a brow. "I'd feel better being with you if you are going to tell her everything that was going on."

  "No, I plan on talking about what we've already told her, consoling her about Nick's death, and talking about her plans for the house. Please, let me have this chance to talk to her alone."

  Mario gave him a skeptical look. "Okay, this once. I'll stay home with a good book and let you enjoy an evening out."

  "Thank you." Levi bowed his head. Mario disappeared without another word. Levi took a deep breath and took himself to Abigail's house. She spun around when he appeared in the kitchen and glared at him.

  "I have a front door. Please start using it." She crossed her arms. "Popping in is rude."

  Levi chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind next time. Where would you like to go for dinner?"

  She shrugged. "The usual?"

  "I'm not eating, so I have no opinion on it."

  She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed the keys off the counter. "Okay, the usual then."

  The usual was a little family owned place that he took her to almost every year for her birthday. They'd fallen out of the tradition the last couple years, but it would be nice to go back.

  They walked out together, and she locked up behind them and headed to the Hummer. Levi climbed into the passenger side and waited. Abigail jumped in and started the engine.

  Levi waited a few minutes of being on the road before he spoke. "How are you handling Nick's death?"

  She tensed, her hands tightening on the wheel. "As best as I can. I got the only partner I've had killed."

  "Nick's death wasn't your fault." It was Ira's.

  "That's not true. The same person who targeted my house planted the magical spell in the elevator." She swallowed. "Nick died because someone has been trying to kill me for the last year."

  Levi hesitated. "It still wasn't your fault, Abigail."

  "Yeah, the therapist says the same thing, but it's part of grieving." She started to say something else but stopped.

  Levi thought better of pushing for more information and left it there.

  The highway moved to a back road that led to the restaurant they typically went to. Abby hadn't said another word about Nick or anything else going on as they drove, and Levi left her in her silence. Abby pulled the car into a busy parking lot, finding a spot near the back. Levi offered her a small smile before they got out and walked into the restaurant.

  Levi swore his stomach growled at the smell of food that wafted through the air. It was the smells that made him miss the human food that he used to eat all those years ago. He pushed the thought off as a bouncy human woman waved at them. "Good evening. Two? I'll show you to your seats." She spoke fast enough that she didn't even give them a chance to answer. She shuffled to a table and set down two menus. "Lexie will be your server today."

  Abby sat down in the seat across from Levi and picked up her menu. "I think I'm going to stay at the house."

  He smiled. "I think that's a good idea. It is your house after all. I've just been taking care of it for twenty years or so."

  She glanced at him over the menu. "I always got the feeling that you didn't want me to live there."

  "No, I just thought you were safer at the mansion. Where you have your magical chamber, and you're away from society. But you're a big witch now Abigail."

  She snorted. "I've been living on my own since my second year in the academy."

  "Don't remind me." He shook his head. One of the reasons she had moved out was because he'd popped in to find her sexually involved with one of her boyfriends. That was when she decided she needed her own space.

  Abigail laughed. "Yeah, I never saw the guy after that."

  "Clearly he wasn't the one then." Levi shook his head. "I'm glad you're doing alright and that you've decided to stay. Please swear to me though that you will refrain from performing magic and inviting people there?"

  She eyed him carefully, and he hoped that for once in her life she would listen to him. "I will do what I can."

  It was the closest that he was going to get from her. "Thank you. And I want to talk to you about Ira."

  She held her hand up. "I'm still trying to process the fact that you lied to me about him. I'm sure you are still hiding things."

  Levi sighed. "Abigail. I just wanted to keep you away from the vampire world. I never expected you to get drag into Ira's horrors." He shook his head. "I never wanted that for you. I wanted to protect you."

  She gave him a half smile. "Always protecting me. I'm a big witch Levi, and as you pointed out a few years ago, you may not always be around to do that."

  He let that settle in for a moment. He would die to protect her, and one day it could come down to that. He nodded. "Hopefully that day doesn't come any time soon."

  "No more lies?"

  He gave a slight nod. "No more lies." But he knew that even that was a lie.

  Ira looked over the list o
f dead that PIB released and saw Nikolas' name on it. One guard down, and it was time to see who Levi replaced him with, if anyone. Abigail would surely be resistant when it came to working with a new partner and would grow suspicious if another one was assigned to her so quickly. So, who would Levi turn to?

  The bouncy witch?

  The wolf?

  Mario?

  He could easily take care of any of them. It would be time to make his move on Abigail soon, and the longer he waited, the more he risked her discovering things on her own. He wanted to be the one to give her the information. To tell her that Levi had lied her entire life. Driving a wedge between the two would be easy.

  He leaned back and laughed. Yes, his niece would be swayed away from trusting Levi and be all alone in a world of vampires. A world she doesn't understand.

  Levi sighed when he found another letter from Ira in his mailbox. The old fashion way of communication was getting old, especially since he never wrote Ira back. He went into his office to open the letter. There on the paper in carefully crafted letters read :

  I had Abigail's guard killed. Make your move.

  Levi paused wondering who Ira meant. It took him a moment to realize that he was talking about Nick. But Levi hadn't placed Nick there. He hadn't been happy that someone from Abby's past had been assigned to her as a partner. Abby herself hadn't been thrilled either because it meant that she had to go by the books a little bit more than usual.

  So who had placed him there? Or was it just coincidence that Nick had been assigned to her? Levi sighed and tossed the letter onto his desk. What did it matter? Nick was dead, and now Abigail didn't have the extra protection of someone always being with her during the daylight hours.

  Levi hung his head. Ira was succeeding in tearing things down, pulling Abby into the mess with the cases, and killing Nick. Now Ira was inching closer to Abby, putting her in greater danger. This needed to end.