Initiative Read online

  The image from the dream stuck in his head though. Abigail, covered in blood with vampire fangs. He sat up and sighed. She'd made it clear that she never wanted to become a vampire. If the time came down to it, he wasn't sure what he would do. Go against her wishes to keep from losing her, or stake her the moment she died, so there was no chance of the vampire blood taking over and bringing her back.

  He picked his book back up to read. There would be no more sleep today.

  The phone rang, bringing Levi out of his chapter. He glanced at the clock. It wasn't quite dusk, but apparently, Greg was impatient and couldn't wait for normal vampire waking time. He answered the phone. "Yes?"

  "Abigail is making progress. I just wanted to check in with you and let you know that she found my missing wolf."

  Levi smiled, he had no doubt that she would. "Then her job for you is done."

  "No, not quite. She's agreed to help me find who did this."

  "That wasn't part of the original deal, Greg. You're pitting her up against someone stronger than her."

  Greg growled. "Which means the person is stronger than anyone in my pack. We need her help figuring out who has done this to my wolves."

  Levi hesitated for a moment. "Abby agreed to help?"

  "Yes, and without me threatening her."

  Well, that was a plus since Abigail didn't take kindly to threats. "Okay, then I won't interfere with it." Maybe it would give her a chance to win over the alpha and make better relationships with the pack. Including with Simon. He smiled at the thought. She would make a powerful ally to the wolf pack, and an even better mate to the soon to be alpha.

  He'd talk to Abigail later about what was going on with the wolves. "Thank you for keeping me updated, Greg." He disconnected from the wolf. He flipped on the television for the news and paused as he saw a yellow Hummer going through a graveyard full of zombies. Not just any yellow Hummer. His Hummer, with Abigail driving.

  "What on earth?"

  Zombies bounced off the hood of the Hummer as it ran over the gravestones, not hindered by the moving corpses. What was Abby thinking? The images on the screen changed to fire consuming the corpses. The flames flickered in a patterned and controlled manner, leaving the ground untouched. The fire cleared, leaving no signs that it had happened, except for the burning corpses that had fallen to the ground. Abigail stood in the middle, the purple shimmer of her circle surrounding her.

  She used her elemental abilities. He cursed and wondered what even led to that situation. He'd call her after his shower and make sure she was alright.

  He took a quick shower, dressed, and then checked his phone. No messages from her, nothing to indicate that she even thought about how he was going to react to it all. He dialed her number and waited.

  The moment she picked she spoke. "What's up?"

  He said the first thing that came to his mind. "How's the Hummer?"

  "A couple scratches, no scorch marks, and it still runs. So better than my car." Her voice was light with a joke.

  He didn't even want to think about what her car was like at the moment. Probably laying in pieces in a junkyard somewhere. "I saw the fire. The way it spread was not natural."

  "No, it wasn't. I didn't have much choice. I wasn't going to be able to hold my circle long enough, and I wasn't going to become zombie meat. Which brings me to my next point." She shuffled around a little bit, creating some random background noises. "Did you know that Agent Tomes was a necromancer?"

  Holy shit. That was not exactly what he was expecting her to say.

  "Levi?" she prompted.

  He took himself to her house and disconnected the call. This was not something he wanted to discuss with the chance that Oliver was listening. She spun around and had her gun aimed right at him.

  "No. I didn't. He's the one raising the zombies then?" Levi held his hands up.

  She took a deep breath and holstered her gun. "One night, I am going to shoot you."

  "And it will suck, but that night is not tonight." He sat down at the breakfast bar. "What else did you discover about Agent Tomes?"

  "Did you not look into him when you worked with him regarding the blood-starved vampires?" She raised a brow. "That's not like you."

  He shook his head. "I went on the word of the territory leader. Why?"

  "According to his accomplice, he has some hidden agenda with the blood-starved vampires. So the case you helped him solve, wasn't actually solved." She dug into her fast food bag and pulled out a burger.

  Levi folded his hands and watched her. Her face looked like someone scraped her across the ground, but he wasn't going to say anything. He was more concerned that there was a connection between Ira and Tomes that people had overlooked.

  "He is also obsessed with killing me. You don't happen to know what that's about, do you?"

  He snarled enough to show fangs. "No, I don't. I didn't know any of this until you told me. What of his partner?"

  "I haven't heard from her since last night. Accomplice said she wasn't part of it."

  She was a rookie, so it was possible she really did have nothing to do with it. The cat came around the corner, and Levi looked at it. "His partner seemed to be concerned that the case wasn't closed. Tomes wrote it off as new agent paranoia."

  "Because it worked in his favor. He arranged to have me kidnapped at the press conference. Those vampires meant to kill me. I think the talk about keeping me alive was just for show."

  How long was Tomes in on it? "I should kill him." Levi met her gaze. "I won't since he is part of your investigation and I know you need him alive, but I should kill him for almost ending your life."

  "I'm a big witch, Levi. I can fight my own battles." She continued eating. "I'm doing more with Greg on his missing werewolf case. We found the woman, and now I'm helping him track down who took her."

  Levi nodded. "He informed me earlier today when he called to check in. He said you were making progress."

  "There's a witch in town who's strong enough to block my magic from a typical tracking spell."

  "It's just been a hell of a week for you, hasn't it?" He chuckled. "I have a feeling there's more about this witch."

  "She claims to have a cure for lycanthropy. She promised the woman she could cure it for the price of killing Greg and Simon. I didn't tell them because I don't want them to think that Martha was going to betray them." She finished the burger.

  He picked up the cat and scratched his ear. There was something almost familiar about the cat, but he couldn't place it. "And what do you think?"

  "I think it was all a ploy to get her and possibly her sister to kill the leaders of the pack. Promise them something they most desire to get them to do something drastic." She threw her trash away. "It's a simple tactic. If someone wants something enough, they are blinded."

  "And the question is, what is the witch to gain from this?" He didn't like people messing with the local wolves. It made things in the territory messy.

  "I have no idea."

  There was a knock at the door, and Abby looked at her watch. Levi motioned to the door. He'd stick around for a few minutes to see what was going on. It wasn't like Abigail to have visitors.

  She walked across the living room and opened the door. A woman stood there with a shotgun slung over her back. Her hair was a natural red and made her green eyes that much more vibrant. The locks tumbled over her shoulders. She was shorter than Abby, but the confidence she held standing on the doorstep would be enough to make most people shrink. Levi was impressed by the woman.

  "Um, come in." Abby stepped out of her way. Osiris jumped on the couch and meowed at the woman.

  "I'm Kelsey." She held out the hand that wasn't occupied by a coffee cup.

  Abby shook her hand. "A shotgun, huh?"

  She glanced at Levi and then back to Abby. "You can never be too careful, and I'm a damn f
ine shot."

  No one was going to mess with her, and Levi really couldn't blame her. "That's the cat there." Abby motioned to Osiris who was now sleeping on the couch.

  "Oh, he's got the similar unique markings of mine, but he's not mine." She sighed. "My little one is missing the cat so much."

  Abby picked Osiris up. "Do you want to take him home? I haven't been able to find the proper owner."

  Apparently, Osiris didn't agree with the idea because he jumped out of Abigail's arms and back to the couch.

  The woman shook her head. "He looks happy here, and she'll notice it's a different cat. They're just different enough. Thank you though."

  "Take care of yourself, Kelsey, thanks for being honest." Abby walked back to the door and opened it for her. "I hope you find your cat."

  "Me too." She took a sip of her coffee and walked out.

  Levi went to Abby's side, and they both watched the woman get into her car safely.

  "She was brave bringing a shotgun with her." Levi turned towards Abby.

  She shook her head. "I've heard the stories of Craigslist, people go in for an item and come out dead. It happens more often than it should. No one would dare mess with her." I went back to my food. "I guess I'm the new proud owner of a cat."

  "It's an...interesting cat," Levi said.

  "You didn't have to come down here just to talk to me about Tomes." She sat on the couch.

  "It worries me that he has such an interest in you and zombies, and he was able to hide it from so many people. Until now." He knew exactly why Tomes had an interest in her right now, and the other part of it was he didn't want her uncle listening in on them.

  She nodded. "I'll bring him in soon, as soon as I can find him."

  "And where is Nick on all of this?" He kept his voice even and clean of any spite that might have tried to creep in

  She shrugged. "He was at a different cemetery when the zombies attacked me, and then he was at the station to help me with the women. We haven't made a plan yet."

  "Be safe."

  "You know something about this, don't you?" She glared at him.

  He smiled. She was so observant some days, and it made it hard to hide information from her. "Vampire business, don't worry. I'll let you handle him. The rest of it, I'll deal with."

  She seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking. "Thank you for letting me do my job."

  "This is the second big case this year that has hit close to home." He pointed out. He wanted her safe. "It's only been a few years, but you should consider retiring." He put a joke in his voice, but part of him was serious.

  "I was thinking a vacation."

  "Another one so soon? I thought the one Simon sent you on really helped you relax." Levi laughed. "Clarissa said something about a book festival in the fall last time I talked to her.

  "Maybe I'll tag along."

  "I'm going home now. Call if you need me. If I don't answer, assume I'm taking care of our blood-starved vampire problem." He disappeared.

  Chapter Eight

  Levi appeared back home seething. Tomes was behind it all. The zombies, the blood-starved attack, and the bastard had to be working for Ira. That would be the only thing that explained his obsession with Abigail. The agent had managed to sneak in under the radar and not let anyone know that he was a necromancer. What the hell kind of people were PIB hiring nowadays?

  Mario appeared, and Levi swung around to face him before he could ask a question. "Brian Tomes is a necromancer."

  Mario stared at him for a moment. "The zombies."

  Levi nodded. "I don't know if he was practicing his skills or if he was merely playing around and trying to see if we'd mention them. But he's behind the attacks on the case Abigail is on right now."

  "Anything else I need to know?"

  "His accomplice is claiming that he's also behind the blood-starved vampire attack and is obsessed with Abigail."

  Mario sighed. "Ira's doing?"

  "I feel like it is." He rubbed his eyes. "Ira also claims some responsibility for the attack at the press conference. Abigail doesn't think that she was supposed to survive it."

  "How does she feel?"

  "She looks like shit, bruised face, her walking is stiff. She's not complaining much, and she was able to wander around pack grounds to help with the wolf case." He ran a hand through his hair.

  "If it's her case, we have to let it play out. We can't just barge in there and demand that the King's people take it."

  Levi nodded. "I promised her I wouldn't interfere, but I should kill him." He flexed his hands. "I can't believe we were so stupid."

  "We had no reason to assume that Tomes was corrupt," Mario reminded him. "For now, let's focus on the case we can control." He held out a folder. "Another file from Grayson on his case. He's calling you in to consult."

  Levi locked his jaw. "Grayson should be able to handle an out of control vampire."

  "He has a suspect and the location, but he wants you to go with him. This vampire has never showed signs of bloodlust before. Her maker says that even as a newling, she never acted out."

  Levi took the file and flipped it open. There was a redheaded vampire smiling in a picture most likely taken without her knowledge because she wasn't looking at the camera. Her grin was wide enough that he could see the fangs. "Who is her maker?"

  "Lenora Grimly," Mario stated. "We've met her once or twice at parties. She's local."

  Levi searched his brain to see if he could put a face to the name. She wasn't someone that caused a lot of issues, or he would have remembered it right away. "She's the Irish one?"

  Mario nodded. "Yes, she has the adorable accent, and when she gets mad, she switches to Gaelic."

  Levi stared at him.

  "Okay, so maybe I've seen her more than at events."

  "Clearly." Levi chuckled. "Let's go pay Lenora a visit."

  Mario hesitated. "I'm not allowed to go see her."

  Levi closed his eyes. "And why not?"

  "Because she might have caught me sleeping with her fledgling."

  "Mario, you have got to learn to control your urges."

  Mario cleared his throat. "She seduced me."

  Levi wasn't sure if he believed that. "Then I shall go visit her and report back."

  "I'll let Grayson know."

  Levi looked at the address on the sheet and then took himself there. When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing outside of a two-story house surrounded by a black iron rod fence. Grayson appeared next to him a moment later.

  Levi looked at him and raised a brow. "I wasn't aware that you would be joining me."

  Grayson shrugged. "You're not supposed to be out alone right now. Remember? Threats from Ira?"

  Levi nodded. "Yes, yes." He motioned to the gate. "Have you talked to her already?"

  "Just briefly about Meghan. I thought it best to have the territory leader with me." Grayson shrugged. "The DNA and video evidence lead to her fledgling."

  There was a chance that this could go very wrong. "Alright, lead the way."

  Grayson opened the squeaking gate and walked up the perfect concrete path. Levi followed right behind him, pausing when the door opened right before Grayson was able to knock.

  Lenora stood at the door. "To what do I owe this honor? PIB and our fearless territory leader at my front doorstep." The Irish accent was thick and filled with tension.

  "May we come in Lenora?" Grayson asked. "We have some questions about Meghan."

  The vampire locked her jaw and let out a string of curses. "What has she done?"

  "Please Lenora, not out here." Grayson motioned to the door. "Please let us talk inside."

  She hesitated for a moment and then stepped out of the way and let them in. She led them through the dark house and into the living room that was only lit by the fireplace. "Now, what about Meghan
?"

  "We have footage of her attacking and killing a human," Grayson stated, his voice careful.

  Levi stood next to him, remaining quiet. Lenora shook her head. "No, I told you that she's always had perfect control. She wouldn't do such a thing."

  "Where is she now?"

  She wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't know. She stormed off last night and didn't return for the day. I assume she bunked up with one of the guys she's been seeing."

  Great. Levi cleared his throat. "Do you know who her newest fling is? So we can go check with her. If she's so careful about her control, maybe she has an explanation."

  "What are you even doing here? It's not like PIB to bring you on just a house call." Her voice was sharp, and Levi kept himself from lashing back out at her.

  "Detective Yorkingson invited me to come in case he needed me to talk to you and Meghan. Many vampires refuse to talk to PIB agents without me present." It got to be a pain in the ass sometimes. "I'm not here to take Meghan away or anything like that."

  "Do you have fledglings, Levi?" she asked suddenly.

  He shook his head. "No, I've never really had the desire to continue my bloodline." There were many reasons for that. His past was one of them. "But I do know that the makers take a lot of responsibilities for their fledgling's actions."

  "Then you know exactly why I'm defending her. Meghan wouldn't attack and kill anyone." She shook her head. "If you want to check with her boyfriend, or whatever he is, he lives three miles north. He's another young one, but he's living on his own."

  Grayson nodded and looked around. "Not a fan of electricity?" he asked.

  She lifted one shoulder and laughed. "I find firelight much more romantic and to my taste."

  Levi smiled. "There's something to be said for ancient ways."

  "If you find Meghan, please tell her that I'd like her to return home until this mess is cleared up." She turned away from them. "Good night gentlemen."