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  And then Ira would kill her. Right in front of Levi, with no hope to gain back her trust or her love. He licked his fangs in anticipation of that sweet moment. It would be perfect.

  He saw the glimpse in Abigail's eye as Levi disappeared. Worry creased her brow as she climbed into the car. Maybe, just maybe Ira could use them against each other. A new plan formed in his head, and he let out a low laugh. He knew exactly when to get to Abigail.

  Chapter Five

  Levi appeared at the mansion to find Mario standing at the door. "I saw the news."

  Levi nodded. "They are contained. I'm hoping to hear from Jordan, so I can go in and speak to the vampires." He rubbed his eyes. "How on earth did it make the news that fast?"

  "One of the employees had a cell phone. She posted it to the news stations' social media page." Mario held up his phone. "Technology is an amazing thing."

  That it was. It was a far cry from sending pigeons and men on horseback. "It's going to be the death of us one day."

  Mario made a noise of agreement and walked into the mansion. "Shall I call the council?"

  "Not yet, we're meeting with them anyways. I want to talk to the blood-starved first to see if they have any sanity left in them." He sighed and shook his head. "They seemed to have more control than the ones we've dealt with."

  "How so?"

  "I told one of them to let their victim go, and he did, with perfect control. No hesitation. Nothing." It was almost as if Levi could command him as if he were the blood-starved's maker. He shut the door behind them and headed to his office. "I'm going to find a meal and then wait for Jordan's call."

  Mario nodded. "And what would you like me to do?"

  "Stand down for now. Once we get through the press conference tomorrow, we'll decide what we need to do."

  "The council thinks that the humans are going to bring to light what Ira is trying to do."

  Levi shook his head. "Cornelius wouldn't allow for that without talking to the council first. He hasn't contacted us about that. Not to mention, it's not something that affects just this territory," he growled.

  "It seems like Ira is targeting this area. He's been moving this direction according to the reports of blood-starved vampires."

  Levi nodded. "That does seem to be the case."

  "Do you think he's after her?"

  Levi sighed. "I'm not really sure what to think, Mario. Ira knows I'm king, he knows that Abigail is my daughter, and he seems to think that revenge on me is something he needs. We've done what we can to distance Abigail from the situation."

  "And if Ira does go after Abigail, do you think you could control yourself?"

  Levi thought for a moment. He knew what the answer should be, but honestly, he would move heaven and hell if Ira were to take Abby. He'd risk everything to bring his daughter home safely. "Yes, I can control myself. Abigail is a strong woman, and she's been through some interesting situations." His conversation with her came back to mind. "She'd be able to get herself out of one of Ira's traps."

  Mario was silent, and Levi wondered if he was debating on arguing with him. Finally, the vampire nodded. "Then things will be fine."

  Levi's phone rang, and he answered it without looking at the screen. "Levi speaking."

  "I've talked to Boss Man. He thinks it's best that you come and talk to the vampires in containment and give us an idea of what to do with them," Jordan's voice came over the phone. "I've not seen anything like this Levi. They are crazed. Nothing they say makes sense. Our agents can't make heads or tails of what is going on."

  Levi nodded. "I'll be there in just a few moments." He disconnected the call and looked at Mario. "Looks like I'll be gone for most of the day."

  "You didn't sleep yesterday," Mario stated. "You haven't fed."

  "I'll be fine," Levi promised. "I can handle this."

  Mario nodded. "I just worry about you putting too much strain on yourself."

  "Thank you," Levi said honestly and then disappeared, reappearing in front of the PIB containment center.

  This was not a building Abigail frequented, with good reason. Levi could feel the magic pushing against him. Magic meant to keep in the meanest of creatures that PIB brought in. The human equivalent of it would be Alcatraz. Except this was a magical island, not a literal one. Levi sighed and walked in the door.

  He was greeted by PIB officers in body armor standing next to x-ray security devices. He emptied his pocket of his phone and walked into the machine. It scanned him and finished with a little beep. The PIB agent motioned for him to continue through.

  "State your name and reason for visiting."

  Levi grabbed his phone and put it back in his pocket. "Leviticus Felcos, I'm visiting on the request of Boss Man for consulting on the blood-starved vampires that were brought in not long ago."

  The agent wrote it down and then gave Levi a little visitor badge. "Lockers for personal items are to the left, no electronic devices are allowed. Follow the instructions on the locker to use the electronic lock. You'll need to head to section five, meet with Jordan Greene at the checkpoint."

  Levi clipped the badge to his collar and then walked toward the lockers. He sent Mario a quick text to let him know that he didn't have access to his phone for a bit. Securing the device, he took a deep breath. Section five was one he'd been to before. Isolation. It was not a pretty place to be.

  Levi found Jordan standing by the large metal doors, his arms crossed as he seemed deep in thought. Levi cleared his voice. "Ready?"

  Jordan pushed off the wall. "You seem way too at home here."

  "I can feel the magic pressing in on this place, and the silver in the walls raises the hairs on the back of my neck. I've just been here enough to know that I don't have to worry. I'm not an inmate."

  Jordan nodded. "In that case, let's go talk to the inmates and see what you can do when it comes to their jumbled words." He swiped his key card over a gray box. A red light flickered to green, and the huge doors slid open to let them in.

  Levi followed him in. Screams and screeches echoed off the walls, causing him to pause. The one thing PIB needed to do was soundproof the cells.

  "That noise, that's from your vampires." Jordan motioned down the hall to the left. Levi walked with him and glanced at the cells they passed.

  A woman with golden eyes stared at him and smiled. She held her hand up, and a flame appeared in it, but as soon as it was there, it was gone. She fell to her knees, screaming, with her hands over her ears. An elemental, but they seemed to be torturing her here.

  Jordan looked over his shoulder. "She's been here a couple years now. She was caught setting buildings on fire with people tied up in them. She's a bit hard to control, and she keeps trying to set herself on fire to get out of here."

  Well, wasn't that pleasant? Levi continued to follow him down the hall. There, at the very end in a larger cell, were the three vampires from the Waffle House attack. Their eyes seemed to be a deeper red than they were not an hour ago. And true to Jordan's words, they were mumbling under their breath and then letting out ear-splitting screeches.

  Levi knocked on the window to get their attention. The three of them turned to him and tilted their heads to the side as if they were animals and he was an interesting piece of meat. "Tell me who sent you?"

  They didn't answer him, but they all started to move in unison, mimicking each other's movements, as if they were puppets. "Was it Ira?"

  The name caught their attention, and they rushed the window, slamming into it. Levi stood his ground. He wasn't going to let a couple of young blood-starved vampires startle him. "That got your blood running did it? Why did he send you?"

  They all snarled at him and beat against the window. One stepped back and met Levi's gaze. "In life or death, we serve no king."

  It was a phrase he was well familiar with. One that Ira taught his experiment
s to say, even when there was no vampire king, only whispers of one. Levi turned his back on the three of them. "They are gone."

  "Meaning what?"

  "Destroy them. Anything that was left of their humanity is gone." He hated to give the order because it made him feel like a monster, but once vampires became a raging mess of a beast, it meant that they were far gone and there was no rehab for them.

  Jordan sighed. "I'll put in an execution order for them. That's the best I can do. The rest is up to Boss Man."

  "I know, I'm familiar with that path." Levi sighed and started back toward the entrance. Jordan came after him. "Hold on. There's one more thing."

  Levi paused. "What could that be? I came here to see the blood-starved, not offer my assistance on other matters."

  "We were told to notify you if anything came up regarding an old murder." Jordan hesitated. "We've apprehended a wizard who seems to think that he knows you and that he can tell you what happened the night that Elizabeth and Tobias Collins were murdered."

  His heart stopped for a moment. Could it be true? A witness to the murder? He took a deep breath. "Lead me to him."

  Jordan nodded and continued toward the exit of the isolation area. "He's not in this wing. He's in a different one." He let them through the big heavy metal doors and then they took a left down a different pathway. Things were quieter down here, whispers instead of screams, hushed voices speaking of magic and spirits. Jordan stopped in front of a door with a small window in it. He knocked and then swiped his card so that the door opened.

  Levi stepped in with him. On the bed sat a man, a small beard covered his jaw, his hair was grown and curled in front of his eyes, giving him a homely look. It wasn't someone Levi knew offhand, but nevertheless, he would see this through. "You wished to see me?"

  The man nodded. "You don't know me, Leviticus Felcos, territory leader, lover of Elizabeth Collins, but I know you. I was there the night they were killed. A mere hour before they were slaughtered in their home."

  "And how do I know this is true?"

  He chuckled. "Abigail was such a small child then, trusting of anyone. I was with the cult. I'd come with another to borrow some research from Tobias. The little girl ran up to hug me but hesitated. She begged her mother to tell me to leave. She could sense what was going to happen. So young, so talented. She should have been slaughtered too."

  "Did you kill them?"

  He shook his head. "No, the man who killed them…he was given orders by another. I know not who, but we, the Cult, are responsible." He met Levi's gaze and then the life started to fade out of them.

  The man fell to the ground, and Jordan called out the door for medics. Levi stepped away and looked at the corpse on the ground. What on earth was going on with this?

  Jordan walked him back out to the lobby. "Have a good day. I'll keep you updated as I can with the vampires."

  Levi nodded. "Thank you." But his mind was somewhere else. The Cult had been a suspect in the murder since Abby had discovered the runes six months ago, but there were no real leads. Even with the man's confession, there wasn't much to go on. "The warlock back there, please send me his information as well. I'd like to look into him."

  Jordan nodded. "I'll e-mail you the details. I'm assuming you're in the system?"

  "I am. Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me. I'd like to get home before dawn truly breaks for the day."

  "Of course." Jordan turned away and headed back down the hall. Levi sighed and walked out of the building. The sun pressed against the horizon, threating to break over. There was a moment where he debated on staying to watch the sunrise, but he decided it wasn't a wise idea. He never knew who was watching.

  Levi appeared back in his office at the mansion and closed his eyes for a moment. Rest would be a good thing for the day. He was starting to feel exhausted and sick. Even he had his limits. He opened his eyes and started to walk out of the office to find Mario standing there.

  "I was coming to check on you. Did you find out anything?"

  Levi nodded. "The blood-starved have lost their sanity, and they are working for Ira. They repeat his line, and there's no hope for them."

  Mario closed his eyes. "Three needless deaths. He's a monster."

  They all were. Levi rubbed his chest where an ache started to form. He wasn't going to share about the warlock. There was nothing substantial yet. If it turned out to be something, Levi would share with him.

  "Are you okay?" Mario asked and followed him into the hall. "It's not like you to be so quiet about the loss of life."

  Levi nodded. "I'm fine. I think it's just time for me to get some rest. I don't want to think about what is going on until I can think with a clear head. Abigail is safe at home, and the vampires are taken care of. I think it's okay for me to sleep for the day."

  "It is, you can't do everything, Levi, you are still a vampire with limits." Mario bowed his head. "Now, if you'd excuse me, I'm going to turn in for the day."

  Levi nodded. "I'm going to go check on Jaimie and make sure she doesn't need anything and then I'm going to bed as well." Tomorrow night he'd need to make sure he fed before he watched the press conference.

  Mario didn't respond. Levi walked to the basement and knocked on Jaimie's door. She opened it and looked at him. "What?"

  "I just wanted to see if you needed anything. I've noticed that the kitchen remains untouched and you haven't asked for any more game to hunt."

  She nodded. "I'm good after the sheep. I'm waiting on one last wound to heal, and then I'll be out of your hair."

  "It's no trouble. I just wanted to make sure you didn't need anything. Please stay while you finish healing completely."

  She opened her mouth but then shook her head and shut the door, leaving him in the hall. Whatever she was hiding, she wasn't going to give up willingly, and it may have just been best that he let her do as she pleased.

  He walked back up to his room and stripped his tie and shirt off before sitting on the bed and taking off his shoes. His mind went back to what the man had said. That that Cult was responsible, but someone was controlling them. The Cult wasn't afraid of anyone.

  He kicked his shoes off and laid back in the bed. What would he do to find Elizabeth's killer? He'd be willing to risk almost anything.

  "Are you going to wake up?" Mario asked from the doorway.

  Levi opened his eyes and sighed. "I don't feel like I've slept."

  "Well, you've overslept, and Grayson is here to watch the press conference." Mario shook his head. "Get dressed and come to the television room."

  Levi pulled himself out of bed, feeling slightly guilty about being caught oversleeping like a new vampire. He rubbed his eyes and remembered he hadn't fed last night either. After the press conference, food was going to be needed.

  He quickly dressed and went to the room to find Grayson standing there with Mario watching the TV. Levi's phone buzzed, and he sighed. Looking at it, he saw the quick text from Oliver saying he was at the press conference. He wasn't sure why, but that made him feel a little bit less nervous.

  He saw Agent Tomes and Grace step up to the podium, and he glanced at Grayson. "What is going on?"

  Grayson shook his head. "I have no idea. I didn't know they were in town still." Grayson sat on the edge of the chair. "But this doesn't bode well at all."

  "These attacks are not isolated incidences." Tomes' voice sounded over the crowd.

  Levi jumped out of his seat. "What the hell is he on about?"

  "Is he exposing what's really going on?" Mario asked, leaning forward.

  Agent Tomes continued, "Agent Grace and I have been tracking a group of vampires through the state. They are not part of the local clan. They are part of a group who are refusing to follow human laws or follow the truce laid out between vampires and humans."

  So at least he wasn't going to try and pin it on loca
l vampires. Levi pressed his lips together, wondering where this was going. Off camera, screams started, and the frame swung around to follow a white van crashing through the crowd. Levi watched as the camera panned out, and Abigail and Nick pulled their guns out only to be overtaken by vampires. One grabbed Abby and disappeared off the stage.

  The van took off, and the screams of panic continued. "And this ladies and gentlemen seems to have been a kidnapping of a PIB agent. I'll continue the live coverage through the chaos. I can hear sirens in the distance already, and PIB is starting to create a perimeter."

  Levi could hear shouted commands behind the camera, but he was starting to focus on the only thing he knew. Abigail was gone.

  Grayson muted the television. "My phone is already blowing up, so I need to go to the scene. Mario, you make sure Levi stays here. We don't know the situation, and we have no information on where Abigail is. We need him to stay out of sight in case this is a ploy by Ira to get Levi out in the open and angry."

  Levi clenched his fists. "I can handle this just fine. I'm not going to run out there." Mostly because Oliver was there, and if anyone could handle the situation. It was Oliver.

  Grayson disappeared, and Levi started pacing the room.

  "She'll be alright, isn't that what you're always telling me?" Mario's voice wasn't condescending but concerned. "This is what I was talking about. She's a target of Ira's or because of a case."

  Except her original case had to do with zombies and not blood-starved vampires. He glanced at the scene on the television. The emergency crews had shown up, and Levi held his breath hoping to catch a glimpse of Abby. Maybe she'd shot the vampire and managed to make it back to the scene. The time ticked by as he watched the news on silent. The hour didn't bring glimpses of Abby like he'd hoped, and he hadn't heard from anyone else.